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/___//_\ /___\ ascii Sonic by Han J. Lee
|====================== THE SONIC FAQ FILE =====================|
June 2, 1995 edition
Compiled by: Daniel J. Drazen
Contributors: Ron Bauerle, Brad Clark, James Firmiss, Maureen
Furniss, Craig Moore, Michiyo Nakajima, Paula O'Keefe, Eric E.
Pearson, Jeff Pegnato, David Pistone, Alessandro Sanasi, Erich
Schulman, Fred Sloniker, Andy White, Shawn Wolski
Address all comments, corrections, contributions and flames to:
drazen_at_andrews.edu
*****************************************************************
WHAT'S NEW?:
[Note: There WILL be spoilers. You have been warned. DJD]
#16
[Summary by Erich Schulman]
"Sonic Under Glass"
It appears that Sonic and Sally are tying the knot, having
defeated Robotnik once and for all. In reality, Robotnik has
lured the freedom fighters to a place called Sleepy Hollow. Once
there, they were gassed, put into a sleep, and trapped inside a
virtual reality glass dome. As all their fantasies have come
true, nobody wants to escape. Uncle Chuck arrives and reveals to
Sonic that he is embracing, not Sally, but a broom. Sonic hates
to disappoint his friends, who are all so happy, but decides to
get back at Robotnik. Sonic gets Robotnik's war machines to
reverse course and attack the big guy, so Robotnik reluctantly
kills the VR software. Sonic and Sally are reunited, and Sonic
concludes that virtual reality is a nice place to visit, but....
"The Man From H.E.D.G.E.H.O.G."
Robotnik comes to the conclusion that there is a spy in his
midst, since so many of his missions have failed. Thinking that
he has found his spy in a mole, he uses the Wheel of Misfortune
to randomize his plans to destroy Mobius. On Robotnik's first
spin, he lands on "undersea bank heist." Robotnik's lackey's
find only an empty vault and the freedom fighters waiting for
them. The same thing happens after two more spins. Robotnik
finally thinks he has Sonic captured when Sonic and Sally visit
Robotnik's casino [Boy, I hope this makes more sense in the
comic! DJD], but Sonic narrowly escapes. Belatedly, Robotnik
realizes that the Wheel itself was rigged.
Sonic-Grams: Aside from now-obsolete announcements, it is
stated that Sonic is 15; that Sally is a squirrel (not
necessarily a ground squirrel); that Antoine was a donor so that
Tails would be able to fly [Yeah, right!]; that Sonic was just a
little slow rescuing Bunnie from the roboticizer. On a more
useful note, Archie Comics confesses that due to inadequate
modelling information, their Sally was a different color from the
SatAM version, a situation which has since been rectified.
****************************************************************
I. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
II. SOURCE DESCRIPTIONS
A. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG EPISODE GUIDE
B. SONIC COMICS DESCRIPTIONS
C. OTHER SOURCES
I. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
=============================
Q1: How did Tails come to have two tails?
Q2: Is "Tails" his real name?
Q3: Is Tails related to Sally? He calls her "Aunt Sally" quite
often.
Q4: I can't figure out what kinds of animals some of the
characters are supposed to be.
Q5: "Sally Acorn?"
Q6: How old are the characters supposed to be?
Q7: What happened to the Princess Sally miniseries?
Q8: Does anyone have a theory about Sonic's speed?
Q9: Why didn't ABC renew Sonic for a third season?
================================================================
Q1: How did Tails come to have two tails?
A: The writers of Sonic comics solicited reader responses to this
in issue #___; the replies were printed in issue #___. They
range from transplantation to mutation. The latest entry is in
the Sonicgram of #22. They state that Tails just happened to be
born that way--with no other comment (thus illustrating the
difference between an Explanation and an Answer). At this point,
there is no "official" explanation as to how Tails got that way,
so you're pretty much free to believe what you like. Personally,
I prefer the theory that it is a mutation, induced by Robotnik's
pollution of Mobius. This would accord with the fact that Tails
had not been born when Robotnik took over (cf. Q6).
Q2: Is "Tails" his real name?
A: No, his real name is "Miles Prower" (you have to say it
sorta fast to get the joke). That was his name when he was
introduced on the front screen of the Sonic 2 video game. Tails
was given as his nickname, and it stuck.
Q3: Is Tails related to Sally? He calls her "Aunt Sally" quite
often.
A:This argument has been put forward by the "Sally is a fox" camp
(see below). However, if that were true, then he'd also be
related to Bunnie, as he's been known to address her as "Aunt
Bunnie." For that matter, it seems that everyone in the Knothole
gang refers to Sir Charles Hedgehog as "Uncle Chuck," though he's
technically only uncle to Sonic.
While it was not explicitly stated in either the comics or in the
cartoons, it has to be kept in mind that all of the freedom
fighters' families were disrupted by Robotnik's takeover of
Mobius. It's safe to assume that they all have had relatives who
have ended up being roboticized. As a result, they have become
not so much a paramilitary resistance group as a loose-knit
family. Sonic, for instance, clearly relates to Tails as if the
latter was his little brother, the difference in species
notwithstanding.
Q4: I can't figure out what kinds of animals some of the
characters are supposed to be.
A: Admittedly, it's trickier to spot some species in the series
than others. Herewith is the list:
Sonic and Sir Charles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .hedgehogs
Bunnie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rabbit
Tails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .fox
Rotor. . . . . . . . . . . . . .walrus (sea lion, cf. Teitelbaum)
Antoine D'Coolette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .fox
Sally Acorn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ground squirrel/chipmunk
Sally's father . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .fox
The identification of Sally as a ground squirrel is based on
extended discussion of the topic on Internet {alt.fan.furry and
rec.arts.animation). She was also declared to be a ground
squirrel in the comics, most recently in the Sonicgram of Sonic
#19. As for the designation "ground squirrel/chipmunk", which
has been questioned by at least one correspondent, I entered it
this way on the assumption that the two terms were synonymous. I
have consulted a dictionary, which states that the term "ground
squirrel" applies to several kinds of rodents, including the
chipmunk genus _Tamias_. Given the present ambiguity, the
designation will remain as is.
Despite this, controversy continues. Identifying Sally's species
has been particularly vexing to some fans, especially those who
reason that since Sally's father is clearly a fox, then she must
be one herself. It is possible that Sally takes after her mother
in this regard more than her father. Cross-species mating is a
definite possibility, and an example is implied in the
"flashforward" at the end of "Sally's Crusade" [Sonic: In Your
Face #1].
At this point, the identification of Sally's nanny, Rosie,
remains ambiguous. Given her buck teeth, she could be either a
beaver or a woodchuck. Since she is always shown wearing a long
cloak, I've been unable to spot the character beaver tail. Final
identification is still pending.
Q5: "Sally Acorn"?
A: This is how she was identified as far back as the beginning
of the comics [Sonic Miniseries, #0, Mar 1993]. Technically,
royalty do not have surnames or family names in the accepted
sense; rather, the title of the personage tends to serve the
purpose. Her middle name, Alicia, is apparently seldom used (cf.
"Blast to the Past," part 1). If you wanted to be grandiose
about it, Sally's formal title would be: Sally Alicia, Princess
of the House of Acorn. But in any event it's unlikely that
Sally's formal title will come back into use so long as Robotnik
is in charge.
Q6: How old are the characters supposed to be?
A: According to the TV series ["Blast to the Past: part 1"]
Sonic and Sally were both 5 years old when Sally's father was
overthrown and Robotnik took over. Two other age clues were
given in the "Drood Henge" episode: that Tails was 10 years old,
and that Sally wouldn't "come of age" for another two years.
At one point, Sally's age is explicitly given as being 16,
though the comics reportedly put both at age 15. Subtracting 5
from 16 leaves the number of years Robotnik has been in charge:
11. Thus, it would appear that Tails was born after the fall of
the House of Acorn. Still, the simplest way out of this dilemma
would be to put the age of majority on Mobius at 17 instead of
18; that would eliminate the extra year differential without
altering the stated ages of Sonic and Sally (in the comics) or of
Tails (in "Drood Henge").
Q7: What happened to the Princess Sally miniseries?
A: Archie Comics was supposed to roll out a three-part
miniseries starring Sally as the main character. The story
actually began with "Deadliest of the Species" in Sonic #20. The
cover art for the miniseries, however, differed in subsequent
advertisements: one cover for the first issue prominently
featured Geoffrey St. John, while another did not. The third
issue cover either does or doesn't feature Sally doing battle
with a clone of herself, depending upon where you see it. Two
different versions of the cover for #2 appeared in Sonic #22.
The fact that the Sally creative team PLUS Archie Comics PLUS
Sega reportedly came together to discuss "improving" the series
(as reported in the Sonicgram for Sonic #21) would seem to
indicate that someone had come down with a case of "creative
differences." In any event, the "improved" Sally miniseries began
shipping the week of Feb 13.
Q8: Does anyone have a theory about Sonic's speed?
A: How, in other words, is Sonic able to run so fast? Apparently
the same way you get to Carnegie Hall in the old joke: practice.
I'm serious; here is the only print explanation I've come across
so far: "Years ago, when things were right on Mobius, there lived
a hedgehog named Sonic.... Sonic was only interested in running
as fast as he could. Every day he practiced." [Michael
Teitelbaum, _Sonic the Hedgehog_. Mahwah, NJ: Troll, 1993, pp.7-
8]. And that's the extent of Teitelbaum's explanation. Thanks a
heap, Mike!
Q9: Why didn't ABC renew Sonic for a third season?
A: There are now three answers to this question -- one appears to
be definitive, but the other two are more fun. Believe what you
like:
1) ABC got clobbered in the SatAM ratings because the show was up
against the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers on Fox. Despite moving Sonic
to a different timeslot after the November sweeps, Sonic found itself
back upagainst MMPR on Fox just in time for the February sweeps.
Source for this
item: someone from within the offices of Archie Comics, as posted
to alt.fan.sonic-hedgehog.
2) DiC allegedly screwed the pooch by releasing StH animation
cels onto the market without clearing it with Sega. Upon
learning of this, Sega took umbrage that its property was being
sold without its consent or agreement to a cut of the action (can
you say "anal retentive"?). Words were exchanged and the show
was effectively cancelled.
3) ABC's kidvid programming has lately been adhering to a policy
of "two seasons and out" for shows. Though it's possible that
some ideas only last two seasons because they're kinda bankrupt
to begin with.
=================================================================
Received on Thu Jun 01 1995 - 19:51:19 PDT
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