Doctor Sun is a 2-part Sonic the Hedgehog story that was published in its entirity in the first Sonic the Summer Special.
Staff[]
This story is uncredited, but Ferran Rodriguez is the artist and it would seem like Nigel Kitching provided the script, with John Aldrich on letters.
Story[]
Most of the Freedom Fighters are chilling in Kintobor's Laboratory when Johnny Lightfoot returns with a badger in tow. Mr. Stripes has a son, Stripes, who has gone missing to join the cult of Doctor Sun. Sonic the Hedgehog is extremely dismissive and doesn't want to find a missing person, but relents when he remembers the rumours about Doctor Sun - and that Sonic is really bored anyway! Knowing that Sun resides in the Mystic Cave Zone, Sonic powers up his Star Post and drags Tails along for the adventure. As soon as they get there, the pair are attacked by a Crawlton Badnik that Sonic quickly dispatches. Sonic is then forced to retreat by three Flasher Badniks, but knows he can fight back once they cease charging. Unfortunately, a bridge that Sonic is standing on gives way and Sonic spirals towards a spike trap. Tails is on hand to fly in and rescue him, but the clumsy fox hurtles right into the rocky ceiling and the heroes fall into another trap. This time, the spiked walls begin to close in, but there's a handle at the top to make them retract. Sonic can't climb them (they're electronically-charged), so it's left to a groggy Tails to hurry up and wake up. The fox initially is left clueless by Sonic's request to fly up and pull the handle, but he obediently shoots to the top and saves Sonic's life.
Safe from impending death, the two are suddenly greeted by Doctor Sun and the missing Emerald Hill folk. The kindly man says that, had he known Sonic was coming, he would given details of a safer route. Sonic gets to business and wishes to see Stripes, wanting to take him home, but Stripes comes forward and declares that he doesn't want to go home. Sun smiles, saying he offers a safe haven from Doctor Robotnik. He then takes Sonic and Tails on a guided tour full of comics and video games to keep his followers happy. Once they are fully ready to join his order, they may enter the Salvation Doorway and enter the Inner Sanctum. Doctor Sun asks if Sonic and Tails would like to join the cult, Sonic derisively asking if that involves finding the meaning of life. Sun's response of "Eggsactly" satisfies Sonic enough to want to leave, informing Tails that Stripes doesn't want to leave so he can't drag him away. However, it clicks in his brain that there's only one person who'll talk in that eggs-asperating way. Instantly, the super-fast hedgehog rips Doctor Sun's robes off and reveals a furious Doctor Robotnik!
The dictator makes a run for it through the Salvation Doorway and reveals that the "Inner Sanctum" is just a Badnik Processing Plant, designed to turn the children of Mobius into slaves. Robotnik bursts forwards in his Egg-o-Matic and curses Sonic for ruining his smoothest operation, one that people "queueing" to become Badniks. Sonic easily evades Robotnik's laser blasts then kicks him out of his own machine. Overjoyed that he's finally been able to ride in one of these things, Sonic tests it out by crashing it right into the Plant. The heroes quickly evacuate the children before the whole chamber explodes. Tails wonders if Robotnik is still in there, but Sonic knows he always has an escape handy. With the children safe, everyone gets ready to return to the Emerald Hill Zone.
Trivia[]
- Stripes makes his second appearance, the first being Day of the Badniks. The appearance of Mr. Stripes heralds one of the very few named instances of a father-son relationship in the comic (another being Mighty the Armadillo and Blockhead Bill.
- Sonic appears to put his drinks cup down in one panel but uses it to point with in the next one.
- In the "Recreation Room", one of the children appears to be watching an animation from Sonic CD.
- Robotnik's disguise of Doctor Sun would be worked on two future summers in a row, presenting himself as Rhino Neil and Stephen Squealbird. The Freedom Fighters would be fooled by all of them.
- Sonic rides an Egg-O-Matic for the only time.
Timeline[]
Doctor Sun is the first ever Sonic the Summer Special story. The next one is Test Drive. The next Sonic the Hedgehog story in a Special Edition is Holiday Hot Spot.