The In-Depth Look at Julie-Su Part 4: Knuckles 7, 8 & 9
After the visit with the Freedom Fighters, Knuckles and Julie-Su return to the Floating Island. Where Julie-Su opens up for the first time and confides in Knuckles about her life.
For the first time Julie-Su does not snap at Knuckles when he offers her help.
After this Julie-Su finds herself back at the Dark Legion's campsite. I guess Enerjak teleported her there off panel.
Here she exaggerates how her encounter with Knuckles went. We also see how her life must have been before she met and befriended him.
In issue 9 she is still with the Legion and Enerjak appears speaking as if he has truly done away with Knuckles after their battle.
Although she took part in subduing the Chaotix she (not so conspicuously) leaves behind supplies to aid them. I guess no other legionnaire thought to double check on the Chaotix before departing.
Just including this scene that I've always liked.
The Dark Legion make a attempt to take over Echidnapolis which doesn't end well for them.
She quickly gets caught off panel and the issue ends with her heading to jail.
After the smoke and mirrors from yesterday’s April Fools Day, it’s official. Knuckles: Endangered Species #2 is live on our website! Come check out the penultimate issue in the battle for the echidna race!
The In-Depth Look at Julie-Su Part 5: Knuckles #10, 11 & 13-15
Issue 10 starts with Julie being interrogated before heading off to a jail cell.
issue #11 is when she officially joins the Chaotix.
This scene just raises too many questions. If Remington didn't recommend her, who did? A judge? Jury? Parole Board? And why does Remington even have a say over who gets to be part of the Chaotix? They became a team way back in the Knuckles Chaotix One Shot special before Remington was even created. And as far as I know they answer to Knuckles.
Issue #13 is the start of the Chaotix Caper. It's my favorite arc in the whole series. It shoves Knuckles to the background thereby cutting out any overly complicated echidna lore that's been so prevalent. By doing so it allows the Chaotix to actually be showcased instead of being a afterthought. Not only that but it actually gives Julie-Su a leading role. Unfortunately, after this Julie-Su's role and prominence in the series declines quite a bit until the dating arc in Issue #26.
Charmy is being questioned due to his friend Mello getting sick after eating food at a amusement park.
Julie-Su uses the term copacetic which I've never seen in a comic book since. Here's the definition:
Turns out the food is laced with Lemon Sundrop Dandelion. I didn't know it when I first read it but it's abbreviated form is LSD. Charmy is on drugs and on a wild acid trip. This is how Issue #13 ends.
I still can't believe this actually got to the printed stage and didn't get rejected or changed by the editor at the last minute.
Issue #14 starts off with a beautifully drawn cover by Spaz of Julie-Su reloading her gun.
The Chaotix are in the hospital recovering from food poisoning. This means that Julie-Su has to team up with Remington for the rest of the issue. I'm not going to lie, I've always found Remington to be a super boring character. I think a better choice would have been if instead of eating the food along with everyone else Vector had been chided by Julie-Su into not eating it. Then he could have teamed up with her bringing their rivalry into the forefront of the issue.
Saffron the Bee appears for the first time in Charmy's flashback. Her design here is simply Charmy with blue hair and a dress. It won't be until later on that she gets a vastly improved new design.
After some more sleuthing the two notice that Renfield appears to be in cahoots with a suspicious rabbit character. Julie-Su is set up to be the bait in order to gather new information that may help their investigation of Happyland.
Issue #14 ends and Issue #15 begins with Julie-Su being tossed off the roof of a building.
I love that as soon as she's thrown off the roof she's already working on a way to save herself.
She's definitely not the stealthy type.
They sneak back into the Rabbit's headquarters to stop him once and for all. For the life of me I can't remember the rabbit's name.
Here we see how terrible Remington is at his job. He doesn't even fine Renfield. Way to go Remy! Now that the rat barely got any kind of competence he's free to poison people again if he so chooses. Remington really should of threaten to bring in a health inspector on a daily basis.
Meanwhile Charmy Bee gets a send off as he is written out of the series. His next appearance is only a wordless cameo during the upcoming dating arc. He won't really appear again until somewhere around Sonic #100.
Boy, I really miss pre Sonic Heroes Charmy. His character was never the same after that.
Coming up a whole slew of Knuckles issues (16-25) as Julie-Su is regulated to being a mere side character once again.
The In-Depth Look at Julie-Su Part 2 Knuckles #4 Continued
She continues to act hostile towards Knuckles while he recurrently agrees to let her tag along.
If you're ever wondering which moment was the start of there being way too many echidnas in the comics, it's right here:
The city disappears then reappears but not before this scene in which Julie-Su rescues Knuckles. I'ld like to think this is the start of their friendship:
The final page features the first appearance of Remington and what looks like to be a bunch of cosplay Knuckleses.
Almost forgot to mention this is part 1 of a 3 issue arc called Lost Paradise. Julie-Su is featured the most in this issue appearing in 21 out of around 24 pages.
Parts 2 & 3 are in Knuckles #5 & 6. There's not much JS in the next issue and a whole lot of exposition which I'm going to skip as none of it pertains to Julie-Su or her character arc at all. Issue 6 is where it gets more interesting again. Posts about those issues coming soon. Hope you enjoyed this glance at past Knuckles comic book history.
(Dug an old-ish small mini-fic first-draft of Remington learning of his heritage. This takes place in a split-off timeline; If things do not match up to canon; feel free to ask politely about them ^^)
Remington sat back on the sofa, wondering what on earth he was doing. He was following a case; the downtime of which had lead him right into the penthouse suite of none other than that damned nuisance, Julie-Su. He had entered through her goodwill, which was already awkward enough; but the fact that he was being welcomed and weighted on by two elderly echidna had made it so much more awkward. It was more than awkwardness - he felt uneasy. He noticed the way that they whispered, how their stares seemed to linger on him.
“Ma’am, I’m not here to cause trouble for you, being ex-legion and all, if that’s what’s making you worried...” Remington nervously remarked, rubbing the back of his neck as Floren-Ca handed him a cup of tea.
She looked up, seeming surprised that he had caught on to their hand-wringing so quickly. “Oh, no, dear… We’re not worried” She smiled sweetly.
Remington tried not to show his mistrust of that; something was clearly wrong. “Right…” He nodded, keeping his wits about him. “It’s simply that your, erm.. Daughter, and I, are working on a case right now, concerning the deceased Grandmaster Kragok.” He looked up, only to catch Floren-Ca’s shocked face as the fine porcelain teapot she held tumbled the the ground.
“Oh, oh dear…” Floren-Ca shook, looking down at the mess. “I’ll… I’ll go clean that up, don’t you worry, dear”
Remington looked at Julie-Su in surprise, who seemed equally confused. He looked back, using a napkin to pick up the broken porcelain. “That’s quite alright, Ma’am, I’m sorry if I startled you…”
Floren-Ca wouldn’t look him in the eyes as she shook her head. “No, no…” She seemed to mutter, her voice sounding strangely quiet and strangled.
Simon had now entered the room fully from where he was lingering in the doorframe, seeming antsy. He put his hand on Floren-Ca’s shoulder, whispering something into her ear.
Remington was now REALLY quite uneased by this situation. Something was just not adding up, and he did not like it one bit. “I’m sorry to press on what seems to be a sensitive topic,” He began, pausing as Simon sat down next to him, “but I feel as if there’s something crucial that’s missing from this story… I need to know anything you know.” His voice trailed off into uncertainty as he caught Simon’s sad eyes; he knew that look. That was the look of somebody about to tell of news that would shake the foundation of his world. Remington sat up in alert, sitting straightly.
Simon sighed deeply, a remorseful sounding exhale from the depths of his lungs. “I .. Was once the chief advisor of Grandmaster Luger, predecessor and father of Kragok, Kommisar, and dear Julie-Su here…” He spoke slowly, watching Remington’s reactions gently.
Remington nodded slowly, side-eyeing Julie-Su. “Well… I hadn’t known she was related to him.” He kept his gaze on Julie-Su for a moment. “But, I’m sorry, sir, this is a lot of unnecessary information - what of you and the man himself?"
Julie-Su squinted back at him for a moment, wrinkling her nose.
Shaking his head slowly, Simon leant back in the chair. “I oversaw the twins… Not as closely as I should have, but alas… I witnessed them grow up. I wish I could tell you that I knew what was going on him their minds… I could not. I can tell you, of a boy born to Kragok and his mistress…”
Remington seemed confused. “…You’re telling me Kragok has a son?” He blinked. “So, it’s him we should be looking out for, as he’s next in line, is that how it works?”
Julie-Su squinted. “… I’ve never heard of this before now."
Simon seemed to smile wistfully, though it was not a smile of amusement. “Hmm… Perhaps I should tell of the memory neutralising chips implanted in every Dark Legion soldier, next…”
Remington seemed impatient. “No, that’s quite alright… I was around when ‘Su gave the rundown to her muckabouts. Can you please get to the point, sir? I’m sorry, I’ve had a long day of winding loose ends that have run nowhere.”
“Hm… Then I shall tell you of the woman who bore Kragok’s child…” Simon seemed as if he were struggling to meet Remington’s eyes. “A woman who fled with her child from the Legion, with the help of the Brotherhood… On the condition that their memory chips were engaged.”
By this point, both Remington and Julie-Su were on the edges of their seats. Remington nodded along, waiting breathlessly.
Sighing heart-fully, Simon closed his eyes tight shut, putting his hand on Remington’s shoulder. “A woman, if I’m not mistaken, whom you know by heart… Eli-Za.”
“… Excuse me?” Remington blinked. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand what you’re trying to tell me.” He smirked in confusion. “Surely, you don’t mean my mother.” He seemed incredulous, meeting Simon’s soulful eyes.
He nodded, “I do mean your mother. Remington, you were that child.” Simon sighed. “Your memory neutralising chip…” He gestured to Remington’s head; “You should have a spot with disrupted fur… I, Floren-Ca, even Julie-Su, we all have the same… Scar tissue from the procedure”
Remington clutched his head, the pace of his breathing picking up. “…No. No, how did you know…? It’s not, it’s a birth mark. It’s…” He seemed confused, blinking as memories started coming back to him.
Julie-Su leapt up in surprise, stepping over. She had been through this; the migraine of reactivating those memories. But, there was something she was more concerned with. “Wait… Wait, Remington’s my cousin?!” She was long past caring about her blood relatives, or so she thought - none of them had ever been any good to her. She had put it all to rest.. Yet, now, here, things were changing in real time.
“Nephew…” Simon spoke softly, trying not to overload poor Remington, who was now nursing a headache.
A groan escaped from Remington as he held his hat over his eyes, feeling as if his brain were being cleaved in two. “No.. Don’t tell me…” He moaned, “She’s my aunt…”
Simon smiled softly at his exasperated voice, finding his jocular approach endearing. “Indeed…” He rubbed the poor boy’s back. “But, I’m afraid, there is another implication…”
“My father…?” Remington peered out from the shadow of his hat, “It doesn’t mean anything to me that my father is dead… He was a horrible man, and I never knew him…” He gritted his teeth as he saw images flash through his mind of a childhood he never knew he had. Though, it did hang heavy in his heart, that the man holding him seemed to be smiling… He groaned, a new type of mental anguish taking shape. “Why did you tell me this…?” He glanced at Simon, only to sigh. “No, that’s… I’m sorry. Thank you for telling me…”
Simon seemed remorseful, rubbing his back. “I’m sorry, boy… I wasn’t sure if anybody else could ever tell you the truth. We knew it was you, the second you walked through that door, and announced yourself as Remington…” Simon had held that baby in his arms; he knew him well. He felt relief to see him alive and well; it was by his suggestion that Eli-Za flee… Kragok had intended for Remington to take on the title of Grandmaster after he had stepped down. He knew those twins… He saw the way Kommisar had watched that child like a hawk. He would catch her in the nursery, leering over the baby’s crib… He knew her heart.
Remington sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. “… Thank you for telling me.” He repeated, standing up, looking quite pale. “I.. Am off to visit my mother.”
“Do visit us again soon..” Simon waved him off.
He thanked them for the tea and departed off on his lonesome, meandering through the park as he worked through it all in his mind. He finally walked his way to his mothers’ place, knocking on the door in his own unique fashion.
“Remy, dear! What a lovely surprise!” Eli-Za beamed, hugging her boy. She noted his solemn appearance, stepping back.
Remington’s heart ached as he saw how jovial she was; he had always known she had a nervous disposition, that something had worn her down all of these years; something she had always explained as a ‘ghost of a memory’ … She had come so far from when he was a boy, and it made him smile to see her so happy.
She put her hand to his cheek, unnerved by his silence. "What’s wrong, dear…? Has somebody died…?”
Remington snapped out of his haze, shaking his head with a smile.
