Issue 14

Issue 14 is the fourteenth edition of Sonic the Comic, the UK's official SEGA comic. Released on the 27th November 1993, at the price of £1.10 (a 15p increase from Issue 13), the issue contained four original stories, one of them new, as well as several features and a free gift of a Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas decoration.

Contents[]

Control Zone
Sonic the Hedgehog - Hero of the Year
Review Zone
Ecco the Dolphin - Ecco the Dolphin: Part 2
News Zone
The Legend of the Golden Axe - Plague of Serpents: Part 2
Q Zone
Decap Attack - Starring Chuck D. Head!
Speedlines
Next Issue

Strips[]

Sonic the Hedgehog[]

Hero of the Year is a complete story by Nigel Kitching, Brian Williamson, Steve White and Ellie de Ville. Sonic has been nominated for the titular award and, disguised as Bob Beaky, has dragged Tails along to collect it. Sonic inevitably wins it and has a message to his supporters, but the coyote host has a Mega Mack trap for him. The pair escape the city, but it's all a trap to lead Badniks back to their secret base. However, being in the Emerald Hill Zone gives Sonic the chance to really let loose on his enemies and saves the day once more.

Ecco the Dolphin[]

Ecco the Dolphin is a 6-part story written and lettered by Woodrow Phoenix, with art this issue by Chris Webster. Ecco has arrived in the ancient past, to a land filled with dinosaurs and a sea containing new, strange creatures. Unable to tell friend from foe, Ecco leaps to a quiet area of the ocean but is attacked by an odd machine that is surely also foreign to these waters. The device proves more than a match for Ecco, but the dolphin uses a fragile rock structure to crush the machine. Unfortunately, the ensuing explosion pushes him upwards and into the claws of a pterodactyl.

Golden Axe[]

Plague of Serpents is a 6-part Golden Axe story by Mark Eyles, Mike White and de Ville. The battle is still raging in Rockguard; Tyris-Flare narrowly avoids death at the hands of a wizard priest and teams up with Gilius-Thunderhead, using magic to finish off the rest of their enemies. As a hypnotised Ax-Battler wanders the caverns, elder Growlus-Stormbreaker reveals that Cobraxis has kidnapped Queen Silpantia-Dragontamer in order to retrieve the dwarf hoarde of enchanted metal. Gilius agrees to take the Golden Axe to the Hammerynth caverns and rescue her, but he is first interrupted by the menacing Yuki-Plantcharmer...

Decap Attack[]

Starring Chuck D. Head! is a 6-part Decap story by Kitching, with lettering from Steve Potter. Professor Frank N. Stein is still trying to make an army of the undead, and has decided to hook Head up to the Clone-O-Matic and get a being with half a brain. Elsewhere, Chuck D. Head has woken up for the third time from an early death, only to walk right into Max D. Cap. Accountant Rupert encourages the start of a fierce battle and they scuffle their way into Frank's laboratory, only to discover he has finished work on a horrifying creation.

Features[]

The Control Zone, hosted by Megadroid, welcomes Boomers to this Christmas warm-up issue, producing the "Xmas Deco" and a competition to win one of the Mega Drive Power Tips books advertised in a previous issue. Megadroid also excitedly covers this issue's strips and almost spoils a forthcoming new story (probably starring Tails). The rest of the page is set aside for instructions on how to assemble the Xmas Deco, safety tips on how to fit it and a diplomatic note that older Humes may want a traditional decoration on the tree. The Sega Charts are once again the same as last issue; Batman Begins tops the Mega-CD chart and Mortal Kombat reigns over the rest.

There are a few high-scoring titles in this issue's Review Zone; David Gibbon awards Thunderhawk (MCD) 93%, Chuck Rock 2 87% and F1 (both MD) a massive 92%. Vincent Low is more conservative, giving MD title Ottifants just 70%, although Masters of Combat for the Master System receives 90%.

The News Zone is packed with forthcoming games and ideas for Christmas. Although mentioned before, four new Sonic games get another preview - Sonic Spinball, Sonic Chaos, Sonic the Hedgehog CD and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. There is a chance for readers to go out and buy a Sonic cycle helmet, 15p packets of crisps or a Sonic the Hedgehog watch (over a hundred issues before a similar watch becomes a Graphic Zone prize). 'New Year Newcomers' teases the arrival of 1994 games Eternal Champions, Mean Bean Machine and Toe Jam & Earl 2. The STC Newies Guide is an extensive checklist that acts as a shopping list for young Boomers who want their parents to go out and buy them a new game for Christmas.

Q Zone this week is a standard affair, with Gibbon giving tips on Batman Returns (MCD), Taz-Mania, Jurassic Park and Chuck Rock (all MD). Speedlines has Megadroid answering questions on Tails' age, a "SEGA Snacks" range, missing out on issues of STC and why there isn't a Sonic cartoon (despite there now being at least one, maybe two, by this point). All successful entries won readers a Tomy Sonic the Hedgehog Water Fun Game.