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Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 62 was the sixty-second issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.
Summary[]
Story One[]
- "Icon"
Flying over the Great Desert, Sonic begins having trouble controlling the Winged Victory, which ends up plowing into a tree as Tails jumps out for safety. Remarkably, Sonic is unhurt, but has no idea what's wrong with his plane or how they can repair it. They are then surprised to see dust clouds rising in the distance and are unnerved when they recognize a convoy of trucks and tanks heading straight for them. A Rabbit then emerges from one of the tanks and surprises Sonic by knowing who he is, and urges the two to come with them.
Meanwhile, at the Devil's Gulag, Snively laments his current state of imprisonment, only to earn mockery from Drago Wolf and other inmates. Snively warns the wolf that he won't be laughing for long, given the Overlander's efforts to build his mind and body while imprisoned and his determination to escape. Back in the desert, Sonic confronts his new acquaintance, Jack Rabbit, and demands to know how he knows Sonic's name.
Jack explains that Sonic is a world-renowned hero and his efforts and those of the other Knothole Freedom Fighters inspired Jack and his Sand-Blasters to stand up against Dr. Robotnik's Sub-Bosses following the tyrant's defeat. One of Jack's men informs him of trouble ahead; Sonic is stunned to see a group of Robians who look anything but friendly. The enslaved beings open fire and Jack orders his men to take another route to avoid them. Sonic quickly moves to confront them and Tails reveals to Jack that the Mobotropolis Robians all regained their free will while these Robians don't seem to be under anyone's control. Having defeated the attackers, Sonic returns to the tank, only to be awestruck by the sight of their destination: Sand Blast City. Unbeknownst to anyone, a satellite in orbit comes online at about the same time, and locks on to a target on the surface.
In the city, Sonic and Tails are formally welcomed by the residents, who treat Sonic to a hero's welcome. Jack shows them a massive statue of Sonic and muses if they'll need their force field dome with the real Sonic in their midst. Back at Devil's Gulag, Snively is filing his nails while daydreaming about his plans to retake Robotropolis and punish Sonic, only to earn further derision from Drago and the Fearsome Foursome members who are also imprisoned at the Gulag. Unnerved by their aggressiveness, Snively drops his file, which coincides with the surprise unlocking of all the cells. Drago, the Foursome and Sleuth "Doggy" Dawg believe that Snively has somehow released them and exit their cells ready for a fight with the guards. Meanwhile, Tails wakes up to find Sonic still asleep and is unpleasantly surprised to learn that their bedroom door has been locked from the outside. Spying a vent, he flies out to investigate, and finds Jack and the Sand-Blasters covering up the Winged Victory with a large tarp.
Confronted by Tails, Jack claims that they found out what was wrong with the plane, and that they'll just have to keep it on the ground for a few weeks. Tails objects, reiterating that he and Sonic have to pursue Ixis Naugus, but Sonic then arrives and claims that they can get the wizard later. With this as his apparent plan, he asks if there's a problem, unaware of the breakout at Devil's Gulag.
Story Two[]
- Tales Of The Freedom Fighters: On His Majesty's Secret Service - Part Two
Entering his quarters, Geoffrey St. John senses the presence of an intruder, whom he confidently prepares to deal with. He is then surprised as the intruder explodes, knocking him back, while another intruder emerges to speak to him. The newcomer introduces himself as the robot Heavy, who with his partner Bomb has been looking for a new place in life. He then tells Geoffrey that he believes that the commander can help them, surprising the Skunk with the knowledge that they learned about him by tapping in Robotnik's database.
Geoffrey admits that Heavy could be useful, is worried about the apparently destroyed Bomb. Heavy assures him that Bomb has simply transferred his consciousness to another body. The next day, Geoffrey greets his new team -- the two robots, Valdez the Chameleon, Hershey Cat, and Wombat Stu -- at the armory, where he shows off his Buffalo 397 device. Stu is impressed, mentioning that he's never seen Freedom Fighters employ such a weapon. Geoffrey reminds him that Secret Service agents aren't Freedom Fighters.
Geoffrey explains the group's purpose: to protect the Kingdom of Acorn from all threats, which will require training in various disciplines. He immediately launches into it, dropping Hershey into a water-filled tank occupied by a robotic shark. To her surprise, Valdez comes to her rescue with Bomb, who detonates while Heavy and Stu help their other teammates out of the water. Geoffrey then informs them that part of their training will involve working on those areas in which they are weak, and that they'll be working hard to develop such skills. He informs them that they've got a five-minute break, after which they will resume, to Valdez's displeasure.
Bonus Features[]
Pinup Pages/Activity Pages[]
- Pro Art to Color
Pinup page of Sonic, Tails, Sally, Antoine, Bunnie, and Dulcy heading into battle. Presented in black-and-white as a coloring page. Pencils by Steven Butler, inks by Pam Eklund.
Quotes[]
- Sonic: "...That's...That's..."
- Tails: "That's you."
Key Events[]
- Sonic and Tails arrive in Sand Blast City where Sonic is the subject of hero worship.
- A satellite activates above the planet.
- The various inmates of Devil's Gulag escape their cells and begin attacking the guards.
- Geoffrey recruits Heavy and Bomb to the Secret Service and begins training the entire group.
Background Information[]
- This is Steven Butler's first issue as lead artist, having penciled the back story "Total Turbulence" last issue. He continues as the lead artist until Sonic the Hedgehog #75. He has since become a recurring artist for the series.
- Despite being introduced last issue, Valdez isn't named until this issue.
Reprint History[]
This issue has been reprinted in the following places:
- Sonic Archives Vol. 16
- Sonic Legacy Book 4
External links[]
- Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 62 at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Sonic wiki.