Tails #2 (for FAQ File)

From: Dan Drazen <drazen_at_andrews.edu>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 1995 12:39:57 -0500 (EST)

Tails #2 [Jan, 1996]
"Southern Crossover, Part 2"
Story: Mike Gallagher; Art: Dave Manak
     Anyone out there care to tell me how Tails could resume work
on his "Tails To Astonish" preadolescent fantasy/comic book when
the first installment was deep-sixed along with the Sea Fox in
Part 1? You know that it's going to be a bumpy ride when you hit
a continuity error this early on.
     Fluke approaches Downunda, and Tails flies off on his own,
little realizing that he's been picked up on Crocbot's radar. As
a result, he runs into a welcoming committee of a pack of wing
dingoes. After dodging a couple of them, Tails gets one of his
tails severely chomped and he crash-lands. Before the wing
dingoes can finish him off, however, the Downunda Freedom
Fighters come to his rescue and drive off the pack. The DFF
consists of: Guru Emu, a Sixties throwback; Wombat Stu (who for
some reason is lemon yellow); Duck "Bill", an alleged platypus
who has the unfortunate luck of being drawn by Manak; Walt
Wallabee, a kangaroo who's the leader of the group; and Barby
Koala. My dictionary defines a "koala" as a "sluggish, tailless,
gray, furry arboreal marsupial" with the characteristic large
nose used for sniffing out eucalyptus oil. Barby, of course, is
white instead of gray, has an hourglass figure, and her nose is
one of those cute little numbers that can fit inside a bottlecap.
Somebody PLEASE give Manak a subscription to National Geographic
for Christmas!
     But back to the plot. One of the wing dingoes circles back
and kidnaps Wombat Stu. This saves Crocbot's hide, since he
doesn't want to report that the pack was defeated by the DFF,
thereby causing Robotnik to cancel delivery of his bots and
supplies. By displaying the captive Stu, Crocbot convinces
Robotnik that he's got the situation under control, so Robotnik
prepares to unload the blimp. The DFF, however, decide to rescue
Stu rather than stop the blimp, so they take off for Crocbot's
headquarters (shaped like the Sydney Opera House).
     And what about Tails? Walt dropped him off inside a crater
[major points to Gallagher for not taking him to an Ayers Rock
knockoff, which would have registered at 10 on the cliche meter].
He awakes to discover that not only is one of his tails out of
commission, he also has a sprained ankle and a broken arm. As
banged up as he is, however, he follows the sound of a voice into
a cave. There, in a totally gratuitous turn of the plot, he
encounters statues of the Ancient Walkers and is told that they
are his "forebearers" [the actual term is "forebears", Mike, but
never mind]. He receives this news from Athair, an echidna who
looks like Knuckles except that he's brown, he wears rasta beads
in his dreads, and has a forehead that makes him look like he's
part Klingon. Nice shower clogs, though. He speaks of his blood
flowing through Knuckles' veins, inquires if Tails is "the Chosen
One," and tells Tails "you are mine...body and soul." Tails is
terrified and the reader is totally confused. To be continued.
     de-Tails: a reply to one letter teases with a line about
stories concerning Tails' family and origins, along with upcoming
Bunnie stories in future Sonic issues.

Received on Tue Nov 28 1995 - 12:51:34 PST