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STH4
Sonic the Hedgehog
Publication Details
Issue 

4

Date Published 

July 27, 1993

Publishing Company 

Archie Comics

Production Staff
Cover Artist
Writer
Pencils
Inks
Letters
Colors
Editor
  • Victor Gorelick
Editor in Chief
  • Richard Goldwater
First Appearances
Characters
Locations
Only Appearance
  

Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 4 was the fourth issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.

Summary[]

Story One[]

"The Lizard of Odd" - Part One

Dr. Robotnik promises that the next creature he captures will be transformed into a super robot. Just then, a gang of SWATbots drive up with the newest catch. Excited, Robotnik runs out under the impression that the creature is a rhino or elephant; it turns out they caught a salamander. True to his word, Robotnik robotizes the salamander, but Buzzbomber accidentally turns up the size controls and changes the little lizard into the super-sized Universalamander.

Back in Knothole, Sonic complains about his lack of screentime while the other Freedom Fighters see Universalamander on their hidden cameras, crushing the forest. Sonic goes to try and stop it, sees Robotnik fleeing the planet, and ends up being eaten by Universalamander.

"The Lizard of Odd" - Part Two

Sonic upsets Universalamander's stomach from the inside until he's spit out and the fight begins again. Sonic can't win, but luckily he has collected all seven Chaos Emeralds and fifty rings, which he had stashed at a nearby Star Post. He leaps into the Star Post's energy ring and enters the Special Zone, collects fifty more rings, and transforms into Super Sonic.

Super Sonic jumps straight through Universalamander without hurting him and runs into Knothole village where he gets the enlarge/shrink piece of the Roboticizer they destroyed in the previous issue. He then shrinks Universalamander, who runs away. Later, everyone laughs at Antoine, who sat on a whoopie cushion Super Sonic set on his seat.

Story Two[]

"Tails' Little Tale"

Sonic, tired after his fight with Universalamander, takes a nap under a tree. With Sonic fast asleep, Tails declares himself the Great Forest's protector. He climbs a hill and claims he can see all with his vigilance, but behind him at the bottom of the hill Robotnik has returned and the Badniks are celebrating with him on a successful company picnic. Ivo sends the Badniks to cause trouble and a Buzzbomber and an Orbinaut capture Tails.

Tails breaks free and, overconfident, tries to take on Robotnik himself. He flies to Robotropolis and attacks a shadow he thinks is Dr. Robotnik. The shadow is actually a SWATbot's shadow puppet, and Tails runs into a wall. A pair of SWATbots capture Tails, who is then freed by Sonic. The robots begin to self-destruct, so Sonic escapes with Tails, who learns to "look before he leaps" just as he steps into a hole in the middle of the road.

Bonus Features[]

Pinup Pages[]

"Super Sonic Pinup"

A full page illustration of Super Sonic surrounded by rings and the seven Chaos Emeralds.

Activity Pages[]

"Free!* Robotnik Birthday Card!"

A page that kids can cut out of the comic and fold into a birthday card. The normally-unseen sides of the "card" provide instructions for folding.

Short Stories[]

"Antoine's Vain Refrain!"

Antoine mourns, at length, the futility of trying to overcome "vanity". With theatrical flourish, he collapses on the floor. Sally asks if he's done complaining and ready to assemble her new piece of furniture: a vanity set.

"HorizontAL & VertiCAL"

Verti-Cal and Horizont-Al explain that they come from a secret zone where regular physics don't exist. Al pitches Cal a curveball, but Al can't hit it: the ball simply sits in place in front of him.

"Bad-niks Bazzar"

Coconuts, Scratch, and Grounder each take turns explaining how they'll defeat Sonic the next time they run into him. A receptionist tells them to quiet down, and it's revealed that they're waiting in line for villain auditions.

"Hare Styling"

Sonic stumbles upon Bunnie's new beauty salon just as she's getting ready to style Sally's hair. Bunnie tells him that she can do one style in just a few seconds. She then dips her foot in a puddle and touches Sally's hair, the jolt of electricity giving Sally an instant perm.

Quotes[]

  • Universalamander: "I forgot the old saying: Never eat anything blue!"


  • Antoine: "Sonic will be scavenged!"
  • Boomer: "That's AVENGED, Antoine!"


  • Sonic: "Hey, Universalmineo! Let's make small talk!"


  • Tails: "I'm the Michael Jordan of Freedom Fighters!"

Key Events[]

Background Information[]

  • Bunnie styles Princess Sally's hair in this issue, living out her dream of being Sally's hair dresser. She does this again in Sonic the Hedgehog #177
  • A panel from this issue's Verti-Cal and Horizont-Al one-page story is reused in a flashback scene in issue 59.
  • This issue marks the first appearance of the Special Zone in the comics. However, its appearance here contradicts later chronological events in which Feist combines the Zone of Silence with The Void to create the Special Zone. This was most likely a retcon, since many events depicted in the early issues are considered semi-canonical.
    • It's possible that the dimension visited by Sonic wasn't actually the Special Zone, but the Unknown Zone belonging to Verti-Cal and Horizont-Al considering he accessed their world (via collecting rings) before.
  • A flashback in StH #235 depicts the scene from this issue where Super Sonic places a whoopie cushion for Antoine.

Cameos & References[]

  • The title "The Lizard of Odd" is a pun on "The Wizard of Oz".
    • In "Tails' Little Tale", a group of SWATbots chant "O-Ree-Oh...Yo-Ho!", a reference to the chant of the Winkies.

Reprint History[]

This issue has been reprinted in the following places:

External links[]

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