Super Sonic V. Hyper Knuckles Special #1 [no date] "Crash Of The Titans" Story: Mike Gallagher; Art: Art Mawhinney OK, kids, let's sing the theme song! They fight And bite They fight and bite and fight Bite bite bite Fight fight fight The Itchy and Scratchy...oops... The Sonic and Knuckles Show! What can you say about a story where the basic plot can be summed up as: "Sonic and Knuckles try to beat each other up; after finding a hidden level, they warp into Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles...and try to beat each other up"? What can you say about a story that features no less than TEN editorial box comments by Scott Fulop? My term paper should have as many footnotes! What can you say about a story like that? Quite a bit, actually. Sonic intercepts Knuckles just as the latter is approaching an abandoned pond in sight of Robotropolis. This pretty much signals the beginning of round 1, though Sally shows up a short time later once a tree gets uprooted in the fight: "When the landscape starts to suffer, I step in." Detecting radiation reading using Nicole, Sally peers into the hole left by the uprooted tree. It's a classic missed opportunity for Sonic and Knuckles, for they're so busy glaring at each other that they don't seem to realize that they're in the perfect position to get an eyeful of Acorn booty. "Don't be shy, boys! Take a look down here!" Indeed! I've voiced my opinion about Gallagher's jokey scripts in the past; this time around, he largely keeps it in check. He also gives Sally an amazing aside totally out of left field which I will NOT spoil. The curious can read it on page 13. Gallagher may specialize in screwball gag writing, but apparently he can throw a mean curve when he has to. Once in the zone, Sonic and Knuckles each collect enough trinkets to power up and resume their fight. In order to bring this to an end, the two buttheads butt heads with sufficient force that the zone collapses ("I felt a great disturbance in the Force, Luke!"). Sonic comes to as Sally provides about a page of exposition. She also gives Sonic a ride home on a "sky-cycle" though Scott's editorial box neatly conceals the view of Sonic's hands around Sally's waist -- party pooper! (Though from what I can see of the placement of Sonic's left hand, it's either just gesturing or else was drawn wrong and the box serves the purpose of an artistic fig leaf. Sonic's left hand should have been obscured by Sally's back instead of blocking her right side. I know, I know: everybody's an art critic!). Knuckles has to settle for a spare Chaos Emerald as a consolation prize. The story, though minimal, is better than expected. Perhaps Gallagher needed Mawhinney's brilliant (as usual) art as a steadying influence. Some bad jokes that strain the fourth wall (particularly Robotnik's cameo role), and Sonic and Knuckles seem at times like they're trying to talk each other to death, but a good combination on the whole. "Fathers and Sons" Story: Mike Kanterovich & Ken Penders; Art: Ken Penders The story begins with a younger Knuckles being given a tour of the island by his father, who sports a short beard and whose white belted jacket means either that he and Luke Skywalker buy their clothes from the same store, or else he operates a dojo on the side. Turns out, in mid-tour, we learn we're in mid- flashback. The words Knuckles heard his father use have been quoted at him by Archimedes. After another flashback concerning Knuckles' problem-solving strategy (when in doubt, punch it out), we learn that the island also has a Forbidden Zone and that this was where Knuckles' father turned over guardianship of the island before leaving his son. I won't say how, exactly, but let's just say that Knuckles' old man sure knows how to make an exit! VERY impressive layout on the top of page 7 and in the upper left panels of page 8. Though I prefer dialogue to soliloquy, the latter was effectively used. So it looks like, after months of 2-page vamping, we're getting ready to get on with the Knuckles story. P.S.: a 1-page ad displays the covers for Sonic #34 (is Sonic being captured by Uncle Chuck?), and all three Knuckles miniseries covers...as if the resumption of the Knuckles solo story in #34 weren't enough. If I were Knuckles, I'd ask for more money!