Writer: Angelo DeCesare
Pencils: Art Mawhinney
Colors: Barry Grossman
Hey, remember how we got Uncle Chuck back a couple issues ago? Well, you might have been wondering what happened to Muttski in all this. Turns out, he's still under Robotnik's influence, and he's ready to tear some throats out!
Luckily for Sonic's life, but unfortunately for his feels, Uncle Chuck is there with some stolen equipment to order Robo-Muttski and the other swatbots away from attacking the Freedom Fighters and to return to base. As they're getting ready to head back, Antoine takes a rather spectacular tumble and uncovers a frozen cavemobian, which they name Mobie (this is legit like naming some old proto-human fossil "Earthy") and decide to take back to Knothole to defrost.
When Rotor explains that they'll have to take things slowly, Sonic, having an immediate panic attack upon hearing that anything must be done slowly, hits the defrost button and sets Mobie free from the ice immediately. Mobie immediately proceeds to smash up some equipment with his club and try to murder the Freedom Fighters. Bunnie, remembering that they found him with a paintbrush and wondering if he was a cave painter, decides to draw him a picture to explain that they want to be friends, which gives Mobie a flashback to his ancient wife, kid and dog. He runs away, presumably to find them, unaware that he's eight thousand years into the future.
Worried for his welfare what with swatbots and robo-dogs around, the others send Sonic to find him and bring him back. Sonic quickly finds him being cornered by, you guessed it, swatbots and Muttski, and rescues him. In turn, Mobie rescues Sonic from an attack from Muttski, and after some quick explanation that Muttski is in fact a friend…
Mobie helps him bring back the disabled Muttski back to Knothole. Uncle Chuck is able to restore Muttski's mind - which, remember, Muttski is an ordinary dog, not an intelligent Mobian, so this basically just means Muttski starts acting like a normal dog again - and the Freedom Fighters bring Mobie to a jungle much like his prehistoric home so he can live there in peace for the rest of his days.
Prisoners!
Writers: Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders
Pencils: Ken Penders
Colors: Barry Grossman
This is another two-page continuation of the stuff that went down in the Knuckles Chaotix special and last issue. The Chaotix find themselves in a dark room, wondering who's taken them and where, and when a door opens, they walk through to investigate.
Turns out, they've been captured by Archimedes! But we're still not certain yet whether Archimedes is a friend or foe, or even who he is… looks like we'll have to wait a little longer to find out his identity for ourselves.
Tundra Road (Part Two)
Writer: Mike Gallagher
Pencils: Art Mawhinney
Colors: Barry Grossman
After a quick recap of what happened to Rotor last issue, we find him coming to on an ice floe, having been rescued by none other than Sealia of the Arctic Freedom Fighters! Apparently she's super French and we never knew it since she had no speaking lines in StH #26. She explains that she and Augustus the Polar Bear saved him, and after he explains the problem with his herd, they agree to help him stop Robotnik's plans. And they do this… by reenacting the siege of Troy!
Of course, Rotor, Sealia, and Augustus are hiding inside the horse, ready to burst out and trash the place. However, Robotnik gets his last shot in by telling his mindless walrus slaves to destroy Rotor, and as such Rotor gets to watch as his entire family of clones of himself turn on him. Luckily, Augustus has a plan…
This issue ends on a rather bittersweet note. They are unable to find a way to free the minds of Rotor's family, and so they are forced to set them adrift on an ice floe, which Rotor sticks a tracker to, so he can at least know where his family is. They're left drifting aimlessly still muttering about destroying Rotor, with Sealia's promise to keep an eye on them as they drift being the only thing that gives Rotor solace as he heads back to Knothole, and a promise to readers that this isn't the end - but only if they write and ask for more, of course!
Were they just like, really unconfident about their writing and stories? Or was the whole "write in if you didn't hate this plotline" thing more like, a formality or something?
I guess all those "write in if you didn't hate this" stories in the backs of issues and stuff are like pilots. Archie probably didn't want to risk devoting time and energy and valuable pages to stories that wouldn't sell well, and it's hard to gauge interest based on sales alone when there are multiple stories in each issue, so they just outright asked for feedback from the kids reading the comics to see if anyone liked their new ideas. This was also long before they could just hop on social media to see how readers (kids especially) felt about new plot elements and side stories
So this issue didn't really resolve Rotor's story with his family being brainwashed by Robotnik, they just pulled the old "write in if you actually liked this and we'll finish the story" thing
