ARCHIESONIC 101, MODULE 1: MORE EARLY INSTALLMENT WEIRDNESS
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #1
TIMELINE: 3234 (0 YEARS BEFORE SONIC #1 …BECAUSE IT IS SONIC #1)
Greetings, class! It’s time to start our next module: More Early Installment Weirdness! We’ve seen some snippets of what happened decades prior to the beginning of the series, as well as gotten a glimpse of Sonic and the Freedom Fighters as kids and their earliest missions as contemporary teens. And some of those stories will even sneak past the retcons! So now is the time when we have reached the timeline’s starting point - as a comparison, it’s like how Star Wars Episode IV is set 0 years BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) for their official timeline. Let’s finally have a look at issue #1 of the ongoing ArchieSonic series!
This is a pretty cool cover, with the Freedom Fighters completely surrounded by Robotnik’s forces and the big man himself! But I’m not sure what it says about the durability of Robotnik’s Swatbots if Boomer thinks he can take one down with nothing more than a hammer. I’ve seen this particular issue at various pop culture conventions numerous times with outrageously high sales prices - I’m talking multiple hundreds of dollars here. It’s a collector’s item, for sure. So, shall we see what silly shenanigans the gang are getting up to in this issue?
JAY-SUS! o_O
Oh phew. I thought for a minute there that the Comics Code Authority was going to come down from on high and start smiting.
Just as a reminder, this is one of the “NO FUN ALLOWED,” variants of Robotnik. Although maybe he has the right idea about his ban on dancing, all things considered.
…yeaaaaaah.
I believe this is the first example we see of Robotnik trashing his robots at the drop of a hat without a second thought. One has to wonder just how many Crabmeats he’s gone through so far, considering they were his prime henchman in these early, pre-Snively days.
Oh right, Antoine had a crush on Sally in this comic. He was a lot more upfront about it in the cartoon but it would come up every now and then in the comics too. In the early days, at least. I do enjoy that he’s jealous that he’s not being included in this “strategy meeting” though.
Did this Burrobot really not notice Antoine coming out of the secret entrance to Knothole? One would think he would immediately report it to Robotnik if he had. Luckily for the Freedom Fighters he doesn’t seem very observant.
As someone who frequently gets tongue-tied, I can totally sympathise with Sonic. Words are hard.
Poor Antoine, always the buttmonkey in these stories. Well, at least he’s been rescued now and is out of danger…
…oh.
Did anyone else hear that classic Antoine scream, as voiced by Rob Paulsen?
Antoine is going to need ALL the therapy after this. And this is only issue 1!
Tails would have his watering can privileges revoked after this. For about a year or so, anyway.
He may look more sinister, but this Robotnik really isn’t all that far removed from the more comical one in AoStH.
But I thought electricity was super effective against water, not the other way around! Has Pokemon been lying to me for the last 30 years?
And you guys thought I was lying to you last week when I mentioned that Sonic would suggest using a giant garden hose to defeat Robotnik.
Sonic has a point. We’re over halfway through the first issue, and the only thing he’s done so far is save Antoine from the Krudzu.
In these early days Sonic would regularly interrupt his own comic to remind the reader that he’s a video game character and you should put this comic down and go play his game instead. Also, since when is the Casino Night zone “scary”? We’re talking about the place with the bright flashing neon lights and Robotnik driving around lit up like a Christmas tree, right?
…maybe it’s not the same place. This doesn’t look anything like the game.
So let me get this straight - Robotnik’s secret weapon is a badnik from Sonic 1 that moves slowly, throws its projectiles slowly, and can easily be unless you’re in an enclosed space? Granted, it does seem to throw its maceballs much faster here in the comic than in the game.
You also may notice that Sonic is immediately hit with instant karma for refusing to tip the Swatbot host. Let that be a lesson to you, class - always tip your waiters. Just not too far, or they might fall over. Bada-bum!
My reaction every time I play Sonic 3 & Knuckles when I accidentally go to the slot machine bonus stage.
Geeze Sonic, you’re never going to survive through Spinball if you don’t learn to take those hits.
Anyone else feel like Robotnik may have had a past as a mob enforcer who specialised in breaking kneecaps?
Okay, I call foul! Sonic can’t deflect Orbonaut’s projectiles in the games! 0/10 comic, would not recommend.
Where did Sonic get a bomb? Did he win it in the casino? …actually yeah, I can buy that explanation.
Don’t you get high and mighty with us, Tails. We all know you have a secret gambling addiction.
So that was the first issue of the ongoing ArchieSonic series, and it was… okay. Sonic honestly didn’t get to do much in the first story, and the second story wasn’t a great adaptation of the Casino Night Zone. This casino feels dingy and dirty, which fits for this version of Robotnik. But still - where’s the glitz? Where’s the glamour? Where are the neon lights and Robotnik’s christmas decorations for his Eggomatic hovercraft!?
And why is Sonic here during the day?!
I understand a faithful adaptation is probably not what they were going for, but I feel like Sonic should have at least gone through a slot machine or something. Unless… could Orbonaut’s spiky maceballs actually have been a reference to what happens when you get three Robotnik symbols in the Casino Night slots?
…nah, probably not. That’s way too deep a cut to be an easter egg this early in the series. There were also a couple of other one-page gag strips in this issue, but I don’t think they’re worth talking about.
Next time: the debut of three cartoon favourites and another Mike Gallagher acid trip! Until then, class is dismissed!
















