Running Wild is a 3-part Sonic the Hedgehog story beginning in Issue 80 of Sonic the Comic. It follows the growth in power of Super Sonic and his separation from Sonic.
Staff[]
- Nigel Kitching - script
- Richard Elson - art & script (Part 3 only)
- Ellie de Ville - lettering
Story[]
Sonic has come to visit Porker Lewis on the Floating Island, the Emerald Chamber still a mess after Knuckles the Echidna had a battle with the head of a Guardian Robot. Sonic generally wonders how Porker is doing and the pair joke about Amy Rose. Suddenly, the robot head recognises intruders and shouts. This surprise, combined with the unstable masonry around the Chaos Emeralds causes Sonic to fall into the Chaos Energy. Aware that all the energy will affect Sonic badly, Porker hides and, sure enough, an enraged Super Sonic climbs out of the shaft. Feeling murderous, he remembers talking about Amy and bursts out of the room to find and kill her. On his route, he crashes straight through a warship filled with Trooper Badniks. On the surface, Amy is teaching Tails how to fire a crossbow in case something happens to her when Johnny Lightfoot comes running. Porker has sent an urgent message, but before Johnny can pass on the news, Super Sonic has found them and is ready to kill Amy.
Super charges at Amy but misses and plows into Bob Beaky's Travelling Circus caravan, destroying it. He doesn't emerge from the inferno straight away, worrying Johnny, but Super comes out alive, unrelentingly mad. Super blasts at them with his new eye-beams, obliterating the landscape of the Zone. He takes another dive but misses, crashing straight into a cliff, which then collapses on him. Fortunately, and unfortunately, Super emerges unscathed. Johnny suggests Tails should fly and fetch Knuckles, but Tails refuses. However, it gives Amy an idea and they find their biplane undamaged. The plane flies off, which Super takes notice of. Fed up with his game, he blasts the Tornado out of the sky, causing it to explode upon crashing. Super maniacally cackles at what he's wrought, but slowly reverts back into Sonic. Upon seeing the devastation Super wrought, Sonic is utterly horrified, believing he'd murdered his friends.
At Spike's Place, a dangerous bar in the Metropolis Zone, some regulars are talking about the recent events. A hooded character makes a snide comment and when one of the barflies removes the figure's hood, revealing him to be an angry, distraght Sonic. As they all gang up on Sonic to collect on a bounty put on him from Doctor Robotnik, the upset Sonic warns them he's scared that he might hurt them, but in his grief he loses his nerve and transforms back into Super Sonic, attacking and injuring several patrons and trashing the bar. The Freedom Fighters, still alive, are tracing Sonic using the Kintobor Computer when Super smashes out of the bar. Amy reveals she remotely used Kintobor to fly the plane and tries to convince Super to revert back to Sonic. It doesn't work and he dives at her. Luckily, Tails and Johnny have removed the cover off a Star Post. Amy connects a line between it and Kintobor. The Star Post suddenly locks on to Super as he chases after Tails. As it drags him back, Super fights hard to pull free but is eventually sucked into the Post. Moments later, Sonic returns from it, his usual self. Amy reveals Kintobor removed all of Sonic's radiation, but Kintobor warns that his process in fact split Super and Sonic into two beings, and that Super is still alive and now roaming the Special Zone.
Trivia[]
- Running Wild is often regarded as one of the best stories in Sonic the Comic by the fanbase.
- This story saw Super separated from Sonic for the first time. He wouldn't be reunited in the same body until the final story, Point of No Return!.
- Nigel Kitching's original title for this story was "The Fury".
Reprint[]
This story was reprinted from Issue 202 to Issue 204.
Timeline[]
The previous Sonic the Hedgehog story was Return to the Miracle Planet. The next story was Bubble Trouble.