Ebony & Ivory

Ebony & Ivory is a 2-part Sonic the Hedgehog story that began in Issue 252 of Sonic the Comic Online.

Staff[]

Mike Corker - story and lettering
Team Mobius - art

Story[]

In a hidden corner of Mobius, a hooded character is running through a forest. After long last, she appears to have found a tree she's been looking for but, before she can do anything else, she is caught by her persuers, spouting magic spells. As they warn her that she can't run forver, the fugitive whips out a small whistle and begins to play a tune. Before long, the tree sets on fire and the world around the attackers begins to blur. Soon, everything returns to normal and their target has escaped. The team perform "locator incantations" once more, hoping to find their quarry before she meets the blue hedgehog.

Somewhere else on Mobius, Sonic the Hedgehog is getting back to what he does best - ripping Badniks apart. He realises that they may be being controlled by Doctor Robotnik but it's the Drakon Empire that are behind it all and Sonic isn't fit enough yet to stop them. Suddenly, the rest of the Badniks explode and a voice rings in Sonic's head, requesting Sonic's help in exchange for them helping Sonic later. A ragged Sonic is ruffled by the voice and tells her to lower her hood, already knowing it's Ebony. The tired cat needs Sonic's assistance, but Sonic is just glad she's not here to arrest him. Ebony reveals she is being hunted by The Order of Magick, a secret organisation who have appointed themselves as lords of all magick use on Mobius. Sonic wonders if these powerful foes could help in the fight against Robotnik but Ebony quickly rebukes him, saying The Order are only interested in that which is magickal. She also reveals that she is on the run because the Order want qualifications and permits for her in order to perform magic. Sonic doesn't really seem to care, but Ebony likens their violation of free will to Robotnik's rule over Mobius.

Ebony gets to the point; she is exhausted and needs Sonic to be a bodyguard, buying her time to fight off The Order. Barely any time passes before the Order appears out of nowhere to "subdue" Ebony. Sonic leaps up to attack but a magic barrier halts his progress, while one member states that something Ebony did was "immoral" and "illegal". Deeming that she must be put to trial, Sonic grabs Ebony and runs away. Later, Sonic wants some explanations but they are soon interrupted again. A barrier has appeared around them and Sonic won't be able to get through, but Ebony's powers have recharged and she begins to prepare a potion. In the meantime, Sonic notices that there's someone standing on top of a cliff, looking at them. Someone who shares some resemblance with Ebony. One Blaze the Cat.

It would seem that Blaze has nothing to do with The Order and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The feline has actually been drawn there by something, and a little sniffing reveals that she has come for the essence held by Ebony. Scared, Ebony blasts back Blaze so that she can't touch the little bottle, but Sonic, too curious to leave things alone, snatches the essence from Ebony and runs off. Wondering what she could be so scared about losing, Sonic uncorks the bottle but immediately replaces the cap as he is faced with an image of the deadly Super Sonic! Sheepishly, Ebony reveals she captured Super's essence when Sonic transformed into him in Issue 226. Her plan was to bring back the good Super Sonic, but an irate Sonic states that he'll never come back. Sonic can already feel the ill effects of Super's return and fights against it.

Suddenly, The Order return and subdue a transforming Sonic. Ebony needs to hurry, so summons a protective barrier around her and Sonic while her chasers are distracted by Blaze, the "anomaly". Ebony gets to work attempting to draw out Super from Sonic's helpless body. Blaze leaps in and kicks Ebony, furious that she is hurting the "hero of Mobius". In this time, Sonic has fully transformed into Super but is safely contained. With Ebony knocked out, The Order capture Blaze and send both cats off to a new location. Later, the leader explains to a (now normal) Sonic that Ebony's powers have been drained and will be taken into custody. She will be put on trial and Sonic will be a witness. Until then, Sonic must wait and see - or at least take out some more Badniks!

Badniks[]

Two different Badnik types were seen in Sonic's opening panel, as well as one mostly off-screen:

Caterkiller
Batbrain (the Flickies' Island model)

Trivia[]

An Order member mentions that Ebony is "Running Wild". Given that those are the only words emboldened in that bubble, it is an obvious reference to the story.

Ebony has a glow around her, something that is not seen before.

Ebony later corrects Sonic, stating that it's "magick" not "magic". Avoiding the fact that both words sound the same, Ebony has never said "magick" before in the comic.

This story marks Blaze's first appearance in any version of STC.

The second part of the story is an unprecedented 11 pages, making it a total of 18 pages over two parts.

Super Sonic last appeared in The Sky Is Falling.

Reception[]

Ebony & Ivory received some mixed reviews in the Message Zone. The artwork was universally praised, with Team Mobius providing a magical setting for the story. The introduction of Blaze was also welcome, although readers were eager for her to be a good character. On the other hand, there were some criticisms of the strip, particularly in the dialogue. Sonic's utterings of "Bub" and "Ciao!" were deemed to be more suitable for "Wolverine" than the British Sonic people know. There was also criticism of a couple of robotic lines and word balloons being in odd places. Note was also taken of Ebony's pose when she was being rescued, regarded as "fanservice" when her cloak lifts up.

The second part has been criticised of having slightly lower quality artwork, although to be expected over eighteen pages. The fight scene is said to be somewhat confusing.

Timeline[]

The previous Sonic the Hedgehog story was The Universe Game. The next is War of the Rose.