COVER

This cover is now much better, showing a collage of Sonic, Little Planet and Eggman, rather than just Sonic as it was before. Originally, this was titled Sonic/Shadow: Showdown On Little Planet (more on that later) but it was scrapped and Sonic got his own title, even though he teams up with all the characters we’ve been introduced to by the end.

1

Again, we see this Prologue from Sonic’s point of view, so you could read Parts 1 and 2 and miss out Part 3 and jump straight to Part 4 and know Sonic’s storyline, but you’d miss out the important stuff with Knuckles, Chaotix and Metal acquiring both the Time Stones.

2

As if one recap wasn’t enough, Sonic gives his own, reinforcing how odd it was that he suddenly disappeared like that, however the appearance of Eggman at that exact place and time makes you think that perhaps he had something to do with it? Could be.

3

Know what I love about this scene and this whole Saga? It’s one of the rare times that Sonic and Eggman stand face to face properly, no powers, no big Mecha’s or anything like that, and you get to see how much Eggman loathes Sonic but has a kind of respect for him, and also how Sonic can easily beat Eggman without any fancy powers, showing that Eggman is nothing without his machines. I thought I was being so clever with Sonic’s somersault attack on the machine until I realised I’d forgotten to put Eggman’s sprite in the scene!

4

Reinforcing what I said about Eggman being nothing without his machines is Metal’s timely appearance to mop the floor with Sonic and, effectively, have defeated Sonic, Knuckles AND Chaotix. However, Metal didn’t do his real mission, which was to Roboticise Little Planet in the past, though Eggman’s a bit overjoyed at having both the Time Stones to care. But here comes the calvary as Tails, Ray, Amy and Cream make their dramatic return and join the fray. You knew it was coming but it was still a relief, admit it.

5

More of those disconnected Action Scenes. But we get to see how Sonic does actually care about Amy’s welfare when he gains the strength to take down Metal in one shot, similar to what happened in the Death Egg Control Room in BTFCE (indeed the original writing in the script was for Metal to be incapacitated in the wreckage of the portable Roboticisor, but I think I forgot about it, given my inability to produce that effect at that point that might’ve been for the better).

6

Now, it was at this point, originally, that Shadow would appear, as both Sonic and Eggman had a Time Stone. He was to be the Guardian of Little Planet and would have a brief fight with Sonic, believing him to be wanting to steal the Stones because of Eggman’s quick thinking manipulation. Sonic fended him off and shattered the Time Stones, warping the Planet out, but creating a real enemy in Shadow, who swore revenge. Now, at this point I didn’t know that Shadow was redeemed at the end of Sonic Adventure 2 or his complete story, so that was the first problem. The second was that I wanted to introduce him with justice, to do him properly, not just WHAM BAM there he is. So I cut it all out and instead wrote it out into a little story I call Perfect Chaos and we get this, a stand off where all the Freedom Fighters stand by Sonic and pledge to resist Eggman’s mad visions of conquest.

7

Eggman gets a bit peeved at that and accidentally cracks the Time Stone, which is actually a good thing, because it restores power to the Planet (somehow the Planet was seen as a threat or something and it’s powers were weakened by the forging of two Stones that caused it to randomly hop in and out of Mobius’s dimension. With its powers restored, the Planet immediately fades out and only ever reappears on that months every year from now on, this is stuff I neglected to ever mention).

8

Remember what I said about Sonic being able to beat Eggman easily without his powers and without the Mecha’s? That uppercut right there is the physical proof, as he lays him out with one shot and scarpers.

9

I like that disappearing panel, works pretty well. And, in a slightly rushed job, I team Chaotix with Knuckles and they now live with him on Floating Island, just like in Archie (and thank God they do, or else later stories would be much harder to do without Chaotix around to Guard the Island and help fight and stuff, they really came in handy).

10

Cream and Ray promptly bugger off, I had no idea that I would bring Cream back so often later on. Ray, well, I snuck him into Chaotix: Roots but he never really appeared again until Sonic Battle: Metal Ragnorak, and even then it was for much. I like Ray, I really do, but he really is pretty bland, even though I have him written in as the main Freedom Fighter of Westside Island…

11

It’s like a definitive end, as Sonic realises that Eggman is gone for one whole year and they have to work to rebuild what he destroyed, however it’s also the beginning, because he, and we, know that Eggman will be back, and he’ll be really pissed. I’m not entirely sure where I was heading with an ending like this, but it all fell into place with the following comic.

OVERALL

Part 4 ties it all together very nicely, forging the Freedom Fighters of Mobius and finishing the arc off with Eggman’s exile. I like that I didn’t use the Emeralds or the Emerald’s powers or anything like that, it is a one of a kind entry like that and I think that makes it kind of special. To be honest, the Time Stone Saga was never my favourite story and there was always something about I found to be less fulfilling when compared to BTFCE or my later comics, but it is a strong follow up and I’m proud of it and it really helped introduce all these new characters and set up events for a grander stage much later.

Cheers for reading.

- SkSpAwN/Stuart