Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 8 was the eighth issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.
Summary[]
Story One[]
- "Bot's All Folks" - Part One
Inside Robotropolis, a SWATbot comes to Dr. Ivo Robotnik, presenting him with the fugitive Crabmeat and explaining that Crabmeat is in custody for possessing Sonic the Hedgehog comic books. Enraged that Crabmeat has broken his "no reading" rule, Robotnik decides to take Crabmeat to the Spare Parts Separator, all while the SWATbot is getting giddy over getting to see Crabmeat get punished. As Robotnik is about to throw Crabmeat into the Spare Parts Separator though, the latter pleads with claims to have read the comic books to assist his master, something which the SWATbot scoffs. Regardless, Crabmeat says that his idea was that Robotnik could use the comics as the basis for super-powered robots to deploy against Sonic and the Knothole Freedom Fighters. While the SWATbot giggles at the suggestion, Robotnik likes the idea and decides to scrap both Crabmeat and the SWATbot for the necessary parts for those robots.
A few days later, Robotnik is on the edge of the Great Forest, the scene being broadcasted on R.B.V.s by a SWATbot. As Robotnik is about to "dedicate" the chopped-down area to a site for a toxic-waste dumping pond, he hears a familiar voice as Sonic zooms in and knocks him down. Sonic tells Robotnik that he is here to put a stop to the ceremony, but Robotnik reveals that it was a setup to draw Sonic out. He then activates a flashlight that projects a signal onto a cloud in order to summon "him", confusing Sonic. Immediately after, the first of Robotnik's Super-Powered 'Bots arrive: 'Botman. The robot lands a kick on Sonic, angering the hedgehog, who retaliates with a super-speed charge at 'Botman, only to rebound off 'Botman's armor. Robotnik stands over the dazed Sonic and has his SWATbot film it for the R.B.V.'s audience. As Robotnik is rejoicing over his apparent victory however, Sonic, having only been playing possum, gets back on his feet and charges at 'Botman with a Sonic Spin, while 'Botman boldly charges at Sonic. After a brief fight, it appears that 'Botman has beaten Sonic. Back in Freedom HQ, Tails, Sally, and Rotor are watching Robotnik's live telecast, during which Robotnik personally gloats to the group.
- "Bot's All Folks" - Part Two
'Botman stands atop a seemingly defeated Sonic as Robotnik is dancing and celebrating his victory, only for Crabmeat to point out a nearby pile of robot parts. Robotnik realizes that they are the parts he used to build 'Botman, and the robot topples over. Confirming that Robotnik is correct, Sonic reveals himself to be alive and well, and that he used his super speed to disassemble 'Botman and then pose the empty outer shell, just to get on Robotnik's nerves. As Robotnik rages at Sonic, Sonic tells him to admit that his robot was a bust. However, Robotnik informs Sonic that he still has more comic book heroes to base his robots on, and has already ordered a second model, just as a truck with a SWATbot behind the wheel arrives. Robotnik then prepares to introduce Sonic to a Wolverine robot, which unnverves the hedgehog. However, Crabmeat informs Robotnik that due to a communications glitch he has instead received a "Wolvurkel" robot, much to Robotnik's humiliation and Sonic's entertainment. Robotnik fumes a bit before revealing his next robot in the Super-Powered 'Bot series: The Spawnmower. To Sonic's shock, this robot cutting down the Great Forest.
Determined to stop the robot from destroying the forest, Sonic zooms at the Spawnmover. Fortunately, he is able to approach it while it stops to pose and pulls out its spark plug wire, causing it to stall, much to Robotnik's anger. Sonic then proceeds to push the Spawnmower off Robotnik Ridge. Robotnik declares that he is not finished yet, and sends out more Super-Powered 'bots in rapid succession: Magbot, Captain Marbot, and Mighty 'Bot. Sonic, however, easily defeats them, leaving behind a large pile of broken robot parts, and then sets his sights on Robotnik. Before he can attack him, however, he slips on oil left by the destroyed machines, and Robotnik takes advantage of the opportunity to escape by riding away on Crabmeat. Sonic then grumbles that he forgot the golden rule of all superhero stories: the villain always gets away
Later, back in Freedom HQ, Sonic is treated to a celebration for his efforts by Sally, Antoine, Rotor, and Tails. Rotor in particular notes that all the jokes in this story is bound to make it highly collectible, while Tails introduces the next story.
Story Two[]
- "A Little Sonic Goes a Long Way" - Part One
In the Great Forest, Sonic plays a note on his guitar, and then impresses Tails by reaching him at super speed before the note does. Tails says that it has been a long time since he last heard a guitar, and Sally points out that it is because of Dr. Ivo Robotnik's ban against music. Antoine notes that he can still sing, prompting Bunnie to point out Antoine's false singing. At Rotor's request, Sonic begins to play the guitar for his teammates, only for the music to carry to Robotropolis, where Robotnik hears it and screams. Misinterpreting the doctor's scream as singing, Snively arrives with a supposedly great discovery. Robotnik furiously grabs Snively, explaining that he was not singing since he hates music, and holds him outside to listen to the music being played in the distance. Robotnik quickly determines that Sonic must be responsible for the music and wishes that he could just capture him. Snively explains that he may have the perfect means of defeating the hedgehog: a device that can shrink things to a miniaturized size, albeit only for an hour. Robotnik is confident that he will have plenty of time to catch the Knothole Freedom Fighters if they are stuck at that size, and turns to his Freedom Fighter Finder to track them once they get outside the Great Forest. Meanwhile, Snively hums the tune Sonic was playing, and Robotnik chases after him in outrage, intent on using the reducing device on him first.
Later that day, Sonic leads his friends to the abandoned Mobius Concert Hall, explaining that it is where he found his guitar. He also reveals that there are plenty of instruments for them all to form their own band, and the group heads in to retrieve them before they can be spotted. Unfortunately, the hall is a dump. As Sonic leads the group towards the orchestra pit though, they are struck by a ray from the reducing machine. As the heroes recover from the shot, Robotnik swoops in on them with a Bot on the Spot with a vacuum attachment, intent on sucking them up. Realizing that they have all been shrunk, everyone except Sonic hold on for dear life to keep Robotnik from sucking them up.
- "A Little Sonic Goes a Long Way" - Part Two
Robotnik sets his sights on Sonic, determined to capture him first. However, Sonic is still in possession of his super speed and manages to outrun the suction effect. Just before he runs into a cardboard box though, he gets an idea. Using his Sonic Spin, he cuts his way into the cardboard box, releasing what he was hoping was a wave of old concert programs that clog up Robotnik's vacuum for the moment. While Robotnik is distracted, Sonic gathers up his friends and has them hide in the concert hall. The miniature Freedom Fighters hide behind some seats, but Robotnik is determined to find them, even if he has to vacuum the entire concert hall.
While the rest of the heroes remain in hiding, Sonic catches Robotnik's attention and taunts him into following him, drawing him towards the orchestra pit. There, Robotnik's Bot on the Spot falls into the pit and is wrecked. As Sonic mocks the doctor however, Robotnik gets on his feet and whips out a handheld model of his Bot on the Spot, the Pest Buster, and sucks Sonic into it. Before he can roboticize Sonic with the press of a button though, the other Knothole Freedom Fighters work together to use a cello to launch bows at Robotnik, knocking the device from his hand and driving him back. As Robotnik falls on his head, he decides to simply smash the heroes. However, in that moment, the reducing effect wears off and the Knothole Freedom Fighters return to normal size, including Sonic, who breaks out of the Pest Buster.
The Knothole Freedom Fighters corner Robotnik and demand that he gives up. However, Robotnik presses a button on his gauntlet and reveals that he has just signalled for his Badnik Horde, who will surround the hall in a matter of minutes. As he gleefully anticipates turning the Freedom Fighters into robots and having them destroy the concert hall, the Freedom Fighters decide to use their newest weapons against Robotnik: the instruments. As they play, Robotnik flees in agony, but although Robotnik is now gone, Sonic notes that the Badnik Horde is still on its way. However, Rotor finds the miniaturizing device and that gives Sonic an idea to a solution with the Badniks. Soon later, Robotnik's office is filled with miniaturized Badniks, which he orders Snively to remove before they return to normal size.
Bonus Features[]
Pinup Pages[]
- Bowling Pin-Up
Full page illustration of two Knothole freedom fighters bowling. Sonic is peeved that he "left the five pin-up!"
Quotes[]
- Sonic: "Shucks...t'weren't nothin'!"
- Rotor: "Nothin'? All those inside jokes are bound to make this issue highly collectible."
- Sonic: "That's where I found my guitar, Freedom Fighters!-- In the abandoned Concert Hall! There are enough instruments inside for us to form our own band!"
- Bunnie: "Great! Can Ah play cymbals and a saxophone!"
- Rotor: "Why, Bunnie?"
- Bunnie: "'Cause Ah'm the sax-cymbal of this team, sugah!"
- Sonic: "Okay Robotnik-- you asked for it! let him have it, guys!"
Key Events[]
- Sonic defeats all of Robotnik's Super-Powered 'Bots.
- The Freedom Fighters defeat Robotnik in the Mobius Concert Hall despite being reduced to miniature size.
Background Information[]
- This issue includes the first regular appearance of Snively Robotnik.
- In Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Mega Collection Plus's comic cover gallery, this cover was altered to remove the Marvel lookalike robots.
- While not mentioned in dialogue, a map in Robotnik's lair shows the space between the Great Forest and Robotropolis as the Forbidden Zone.
Cameos & References[]
- Robots resembling Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, and Captain America partially appear on the cover, but not in the issue itself.
- Dr. Ivo Robotnik's Super-Powered 'Bots are all parodies of existing comic book characters.
- 'Botman is a parody of Batman.
- "Wolvurkel" is a parody of both Wolverine from X-men and Steve Urkel from Family Matters.
- Spawnmower is a parody of Spawn.
- Magbot, the "Freedom Fighter Fighter", is a parody of Magnus, Robot Fighter.
- Captain Marbot is a parody of Captain Marvel.
- Mighty Bot is a parody of Mighty Mouse.
- Several references and in-jokes are made regarding th Super-Powered 'Bots.
- Sonic calls 'Botman "Beavis and Bothead", a reference to the television series Beavis and Butthead.
- When revealing the "Wolvurkel", Robotnik tells Sonic he'll "marvel" at this robot, a reference to Wolverine being a property of Marvel Comics.
- Steve Urkel, one half of the "Wolvurkel", was played by Jaleel White. Sonic notes that Wolvurkel's voice sounds familiar, as Jaleel White voiced Sonic in the Sonic the Hedgehog television series.
- Robotnik mulls over the word "Image" just before introducing Spawnmower, referencing Image Comics, Spawn's publishing company.
- Sonic pushes Spawnmower off a cliff, passing by a sign reading "McFar Lane," a reference to Todd McFarlane, Spawn's creator.
- Sonic mentions that Magbot was "A valiant try", referencing the 1990s Magnus, Robot Fighter series by Valiant Comics.
- Robotnik mentions that Captain Marbot was revived from the "Golden Age", referring to the Golden Age of Comics in which Captain Marvel was created.
- When Robotnik escapes, he yells "Hiyo Crabmeat", which is a nod to the Lone Ranger series.
Reprint History[]
This issue has been reprinted in the following places:
External links[]
- Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 8 at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Sonic wiki.
Sonic the Hedgehog (StH) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 131 | 132 | 133 | 134 | 135 | 136 | 137 | 138 | 139 | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 150 | 151 | 152 | 153 | 154 | 155 | 156 | 157 | 158 | 159 | 160 | 161 | 162 | 163 | 164 | 165 | 166 | 167 | 168 | 169 | 170 | 171 | 172 | 173 | 174 | 175 | 176 | 177 | 178 | 179 | 180 | 181 | 182 | 183 | 184 | 185 | 186 | 187 | 188 | 189 | 190 | 191 | 192 | 193 | 194 | 195 | 196 | 197 | 198 | 199 | 200 | 201 | 202 | 203 | 204 | 205 | 206 | 207 | 208 | 209 | 210 | 211 | 212 | 213 | 214 | 215 | 216 | 217 | 218 | 219 | 220 | 221 | 222 | 223 | 224 | 225 | 226 | 227 | 228 | 229 | 230 | 231 | 232 | 233 | 234 | 235 | 236 | 237 | 238 | 239 | 240 | 241 | 242 | 243 | 244 | 245 | 246 | 247 | 248 | 249 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | 254 | 255 | 256 | 257 | 258 | 259 | 260 | 261 | 262 | 263 | 264 | 265 | 266 | 267 | 268 | 269 | 270 | 271 | 272 | 273 | 274 | 275 | 276 | 277 | 278 | 279 | 280 | 281 | 282 | 283 | 284 | 285 | 286 | 287 | 288 | 289 | 290 | 291 | 292 | 293 | 294 | |
---|---|---|
Sonic Universe (SU) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | |
Knuckles the Echidna (KtE) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | | |
Mini-Series | Sonic Miniseries: 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Sally Miniseries: 1 | 2 | 3 | Tails Miniseries: 1 | 2 | 3 | Knuckles Miniseries: 1 | 2 | 3 | Sonic Quest Miniseries: 1 | 2 | 3 | | |
One-shot Specials | Sonic In Your Face | Sonic & Knuckles | Sonic Triple Trouble | Knuckles' Chaotix | Super Sonic vs Hyper Knuckles | Sonic & Knuckles: Mecha Madness | Sonic Live! | Sonic Blast | Mega Man: Worlds Unite Battles | Sonic the Hedgehog: Worlds Unite Battles | Mega Drive | Sonic: Mega Drive- The Next Level | Sonic: Mega Drive- Overdrive | |
Sonic Super Specials (SSS) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | | |
Free Comic Specials (FCBD/HCF) | Sonic #1/4 | Archie Mini 98 | Archie Mini 99 | Secret Rings | Sonic FCBD 07 | Sonic FCBD 08 | Sonic FCBD 09 | Sonic FCBD 10 | Sonic FCBD 11 | Sonic FCBD 12 | Sonic FCBD 13 | Sonic HCF 13 | Sonic FCBD 14 | SB: Digital | Sonic FCBD 15 | Sonic FCBD 16 | |
Tie-Ins | Sabrina: 28 | Mega Man: 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 50 | 51 | 52 | |
Sonic Super Special Magazine
(SSSM) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
Sonic Super Digest
(SSD) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | |
Sonic Boom (SB) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| |
Sonic X (SX) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | | |
Reprints & Compilations | Sonic Archives | Sonic Saga Series | Sonic the Hedgehog Graphic Novel Series | Sonic Select | Sonic Universe Graphic Novel Series | Sonic Boom Graphic Novel Series | Knuckles Archives | Sonic Legacy Series | Best of Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic Comics Spectacular | Sonic/Mega Man: Worlds Collide | Sonic/Mega Man: Worlds Unite | Archie Digital Exclusives | Standalone Graphic Novels | | |
International Versions | France | Germany | United Kingdom | | |
Other | Variant Covers | Sonic Comic Book Packs | Sonic Comic App | The Complete Sonic Comic Encyclopedia | Sonic Super Special Magazine Issue 14 (Limited/Unreleased Version) | |