Issue 73

Issue 73 is the seventy-third edition of Sonic the Comic. Released on the 2nd of March 1996 at the price of £1.20, the issue contains four original stories (all of them new) as well as several features.

Contents[]

Control Zone
Sonic the Hedgehog - Spinball Wizard
Graphic Zone
Knuckles the Echidna - New Master Emerald
Photo Zone
Shining Force - The Curse of Zeon: Part 1
Q Zone
Tails - Fox On The Run: Part 1
Speedlines
Next Issue

Strips[]

Sonic the Hedgehog[]

Spinball Wizard is a complete story by Mark Millar, Keith Page and Ellie de Ville. Tails walks into the caravan to discover Sonic with mounds of fanmail - and there's nothing for Tails! Jealous, Tails heads to the Casino Night Zone to prove himself but only succeeds in getting captured in Doctor Robotnik's Spinball Murder Machine. Sonic hears of this and speeds off to help, but gets captured himself. Tails eventually comes to the rescue, rolling the pinball into the generator.

Knuckles the Echidna[]

New Master Emerald is a complete story written by Nigel Kitching, with art by Nigel Dobbyn and letters from Elitta Fell. Knuckles has finally acquired a new Master Emerald and is ready to transfer power into it from the Guardian Robot's head when it reactivates and attacks him. Eager to protect the Chaos Emeralds launches a failed sneak attack on the threat until he learns he is not dangerous and ceases the transfer, earning him possible new information about his people.

Shining Force[]

The Curse of Zeon is a 6-part story written by Kitching, drawn by Martin Griffiths, coloured by Gina Hart and lettered by Tom Frame. Bowie and Taya are practising their skills on the peaceful Granseal Island but it isn't going well for the human. The pair are interrupted by the arrival of a metal "bird" piloted by Zynk who is desperate to find old friend Maximillian. Meanwhile, archaeologists have discovered an ancient stash of weapons in Ribble.

Tails[]

Fox On The Run is a 4-part story by Lew Stringer, Carl Flint, Mike Hadley and Steve Potter. Tails is enjoying a walk in the Spring Flower Zone until a troop of Buzzer Badniks attack. Tails easily beats them, but rescued organic battery Tantrum the Mouse is lost and wants returning to the Metropolis Zone. To make things worse, Tails is being targeted by Fleabyte the Bounty Hunter and his new charge has just fallen into a pothole, starting a whole new adventure.

Features[]

In keeping with the new Tails story, the Control Zone is "cowboy"-themed, with Megadroid introducing his "pardners" to this issue's stories and features. There's also mention of the Knuckles Knock-Out Special, the forthcoming UKCAC and an apology for a printing Hume Error in Issue 70. Leaders in this week's Sega Charts are mostly different; FIFA Soccer '96 remains top of the Mega Drive chart, but B.C. Racers has returned to the Mega-CD chart at Number 1, while Sonic 2 and CJ's Elephant Antics move up to the top of the Master System and Game Gear charts, respectively.

The Graphic Zone continues the general theme with "Howdy Doodles", a collection of Western pictures earning Boomers a pack of Crayola Overwriters. A Sega Sonic & Knuckles disposable camera is the prize for submissions to the Photo Zone, with one Boomer wearing a Zonerunner jumper.

Chris Jones presents the Q Zone, giving tips for MD games Micro Machines 2, Ristar, Skeleton Krew and Theme Park. Finally, cameras are also handed out for Speedlines letters concerning questions about Knuckles, Megadroid, a grandma obsessed with Sonic slippers and the end of Marko's Magic Football.