Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 123
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Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 123 was the one hundred and twenty-third issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and it is the issue that marked the 10th year since the first issue of the Archie Sonic comics.
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Summary
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Story OneEdit
- "Heart Held Hostage" - Part Two
Sonic arrives outside the decrepit mansion owned by Nack the Weasel and soon notices he's been followed - by Mina Mongoose. While she reflects on her feelings for the hedgehog, Sonic demands to know what she's doing there, and she explains that she just followed him using her own super speed and must have left the other Freedom Fighters behind. Sonic admits that they both took off without thinking ahead, and while Mina tries to point this out as something they have in common, Sonic is more concerned with the fact that they're now left to face Nack's gang without back-up. Regardless, they both head in to rescue the kidnapped Princess Sally.
Inside the mansion, Nack is attempting to play the piano while Sally is seated in a armchair, considering her options. She asks Nack his motive for the kidnapping, and he explains his "genius" plan; hold Sally for ransom, as her parents are the King and Queen and will therefore pay a large amount for Sally's return. With a smug smile, Sally claims to be unimpressed and surprised by the simplicity of the plan, teasingly adding "I'd heard a lot of things about you, Nack... but I guess I heard wrong." Nack, indignant, demands to know what she'd have done in this situation; Sally simply replies that they should allow her to join the gang and allow her to continually receive payments from her parents for her safety as a "hostage." The weasels are dumbfounded. Sally feigns dissatisfaction with her family, claiming that it's "awful" having her wealth controlled by her family. Nack approaches the princess, admitting that he's surprised by her "teenage resentment" towards her parents. As they talk, Nack lets his guard down, and Sally quickly leaps from her seat and knees him painfully, letting him fall to the ground as she retrieves his gun. She orders the other two gang members to drop their weapons as she keeps hers trained on the fallen Nack, and then flees the room.
Meanwhile, Sonic and Mina have entered the mansion and, given the sheer size of the place, Sonic suggests they split up to find Sally - but adds that should Mina find them first, he wants her to backtrack and find him before acting. Mina, meanwhile, is distracted by her close contact with Sonic, and agrees to the plan, thinking that she would do anything to prove her love for him. The other weasels, however, have chased after Sally, and Sonic and Mina both hear gunshots. Sally attempts to fight off her attackers, but she finds herself cornered at the end of a hallway and her gun out of ammo while the weasels have her at gunpoint.
However, the weasels find themselves suddenly disarmed as Sonic arrives. They attempt to retaliate but Sonic knocks them both unconscious before them can do much. Sally, overjoyed, runs to Sonic just as Mina steps into the room. Sonic and Sally embrace; Sally says "I love you" to which Sonic replies "I know." and the two kiss. In the doorway, Mina watches in shock and is overcome by her broken heart. She staggers from the room, feeling sick, and weeps, berating herself for not realizing how Sonic felt about Sally and lamenting that she's only been fooling herself. Despite this, Mina resolves that even if Sonic will never love her like he does Sally, she'll still do anything for him.
Sonic and Sally, hand in hand, walk through the mansion; Sally wonders where Nack went, but Sonic figures that the weasel likely fled and adds that they should just go find Mina. However, Nack is still present; indignant from being played by Sally, he takes aim at her from behind. Mina, trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying, steps into the room to find Sonic and Sally and finds Nack about to shoot the princess; aghast, she speeds forward, deciding that she needs to save Sally for Sonic's sake. The bullet meant for Sally catches Mina in the back, and she falls to the floor as Nack makes his escape. As she loses consciousness, Mina, disoriented, quietly tells Sonic that she loves him.
Mina later awakens in the hospital with Sonic and Sally at her bedside. Sonic says that what she did was dumb, but also "totally brave and way past cool." Mina turns to Sally and asks if she's okay, and Sally replies that she is while asking Mina the same, adding that she was "hurt pretty bad." Closing her eyes and tearing up slightly, Mina says "I-I'll get over it..."
Story TwoEdit
- "Afterlife" - Part Three
Knuckles relives his life experiences, viewing his younger self and Princess Sally enjoying time together on Angel Island as children. Watching the scene, the goddess Aurora teases Knuckles about having been "quite smitten" with Sally back then, to which Knuckles replies that that was long before he met Julie-Su, though he's surprised that they (his younger self and Sally) don't hear them talking. Aurora explains that they're simply going over what's essentially a repository of his life experiences; they move on to view Knuckles training with this father, which Knuckles remembers happily; Aurora implies that this ended when Locke left for the Forbidden Zone, and Knuckles admits that it was hard on him. Aurora assumes that this was because he felt pressure to take up the position of Guardian, but Knuckles says that he just didn't want his father to leave.
Then then observe Knuckles' second encounter with Vector the Crocodile, which seems to have better sewn the seeds of friendship, and Knuckles remarks that acting as Guardian was pretty simple until outside forces began arriving on the island. He talks about how Sonic and others would show up during several incidences and how, while they were often allies, they frequently got into disagreements and physical fights. He then reflects on the arrival of Archimedes, who further trained him, and the revival of the first Enerjak, who was defeated with the help of the Fire Ants as well as Locke, hidden in Haven. Knuckles then goes on to talk about his clashes with the Dark Legion, and how he met Julie-Su as a result. Aurora suggests that these battles were less difficult to deal with than the reappearance of Echidnaopolis and his reunion with his mother Lara-Le, and Knuckles admits that most of the time, he'd rather have dealt with Enerjak nearly killing him again than with his parents. Aurora asks whether their relationships were really that difficult, and Knuckles admits that it might not have been that bad - until he began to realize that there was something quite unusual about him...
Story ThreeEdit
- "The Last Robian"
Sonic wakes up one morning to find that his family has disappeared; it soon becomes apparent that all Robians have gone missing. While Dr. Eggman is suspected to be responsible, no answers are found. Sonic finds himself being comforted by his friends while he in turn comforts others suffering from the loss of their Roboticized loved ones, such as Mina Mongoose and Antoine D'Coolette.
However, almost three weeks later, Sonic received word that Muttski had been found - as far away as Deerwood Forest. To Sonic's surprise, Muttski had been deroboticized. Over the course of the next few weeks, other missing Robians reappeared - though now flesh and blood. None of them could remember what had occured, but considered what had happened a miracle.
Eventually, though, all the once-Robians had been found - except for Jules Hedgehog. After some time he too eventually reappeared, but unlike the others, he remained in his roboticized form. Uncle Chuck, with assistance from Tails and Rotor, attempted to find a way to restore Jules as well, but were unsuccessful. Over the following weeks, the impact of Jules being the last Robian were felt as it was realized that he was the only one unable to eat dinner with his family, or that he was left perpetually awake while others slept. Feeling the situation unfair, Sonic attempts once again to contact Eggman, accusing him of leaving only Jules roboticized in some twisted sense of fun. Eggman, however, denies having any involvement, saying that he'd been happier knowing that he'd made Sonic's entire family "oil drums with eyebrows." Returning home, Sonic explains Eggman's denial but adds that he believes it. Uncle Chuck insists he'll keep working to help Jules, but the Robian tells him no, saying he can't stand to see his brother pushing himself so hard. He adds that while he's still different, it's no reason to not celebrate that everyone else has been restored. Sonic agrees, saying that they're still able to live together as a family... but to himself, he swears that he will find the one responsible.
QuotesEdit
- Nack: Of course. I feel your pain...
- Sally: Really? Does it feel anything... like this?
- Mina: Stupidstupidstupid! He loves the princess, not me. I've been fooling myself all along. It doesn't matter. Even though he'll never care for me like he does her... I'll still do anything for him.
Key EventsEdit
- Sonic and Mina rescue Sally from Nack and his gang.
- Sonic and Sally reveal their feelings for each other.
- Mina finally realizes the nature of the relationship between Sonic and Sally, and takes a bullet for the latter when Nack makes one last attack.
- Knuckles discusses his life with Aurora.
- All the Robians disappear, then turn up deroboticized, (except Jules and all the roboticized dragons).
Background InformationEdit
- The image of Sally on the cover is later reused for the Acorn Family's Data File.
- Knuckles and Aurora go over events from Sonic the Hedgehog #13, Knuckles Chaotix, the original Knuckles Miniseries, Knuckles the Echidna #1, Knuckles the Echidna #4, Knuckles the Echidna #8, and Knuckles the Echidna #11.
- The cover reads "who's heart" - it should be "whose heart."
- There are numerous artistic errors; Bernie, Lara-Le, Julie-Su and almost every single member of the Wolf Pack are miscoloured, while the Chaos Chamber, Amy Rose and Bunnie Rabbot are drawn incorrectly (the latter two sporting older designs).
- Former writer Karl Bollers dedicated Mina's name to his grandmother, Minerva Ifill (1912-2002), but shortened it to Mina. Because Ifill had recently died, Bollers dedicated the main story of this issue to her.
