Every now and then, a sequence from the comic comes along that perfectly encapsules the trend that the comic is taking.  The first two pages are just such a sequence, and they don't bode well for Sonic.  I usually save my in-depth analysis until after the synopsis, but this is too blatant to pass up.
     The story opens with Rotor showing off a weapon which...well, let's just say you gotta have some pretty poor self-esteem to be fooling around with something like this!  He calls it the "Party-Hearty Quadra-Sonic Rock'N'Roller"; let's just call it the "BFG" to save time.  Rotor never gets a chance to use this monstrosity in the story, but Freddy assures us that we will see it in use soon enough.
     I don't know about anyone else, but one of the things that sucked me into the "Sonicverse" was a certain "romance" about the notion of a group of small, outnumbered and outgunned creatures taking on the likes of Dr. Robotnik and his SWATbots armed only with cunning, conviction, and occasionally with paintballs.  The Knothole residents were never "technologically impaired" (to borrow a phrase from Weird Al's "Amish Paradise"), but they were closer to nature than Robotnik ever was.  Rotor's digs were NEVER as high-tech as they've come to be in the comic, and in the SatAM show the weaponry never got more advanced than catapults and slingshots {with the occasional remote control explosive device).
     But it's clear that Archie plans a SERIOUS move away from the SatAM canon.  Unfortunately, this also involves undercutting one of the defining characteristics of the Knothole Freedom Fighters.  Arming the group is a step in the worst possible direction.  And never mind the visual joke with the "Star Wars" vehicle in the background on page 2--what the heck is Rotor doing with a canister of poison gas (first page, third panel)?
     Let's get on with the plot synopsis before I get any more depressed.  After an alarm signals that there's trouble on the Floating Island, most of the Knothole crew (guess who DOESN'T make an appearance) boards a plane.  The "Hanger 18" joke didn't work when Art Mawhinney tried it in the Sally miniseries and Manny Galan can't make it work here, either.  On the Island, Knuckles checks on the Chaos Emerald only to discover the Antisonic.  In a serious continuity error, the Antisonic's shown wearing sneakers throughout the story instead of his customary engineer boots.  Knuckles also runs into, and gets beaten up by, the Antiknuckles.  There must be a poor continuity virus going around; Antiknuckles sports a beret which changes from blue to green and back again throughout the story.  The only thing more changeable is his pseudo-Irish accent, which has to stand as the second-worst excuse for an Irish brogue I've ever heard.  BTW, I'm part Chicago Irish myself, so I think I speak with authority on this matter.  Knuckles gets knocked out and the two Antis leave empty-handed.
     Knuckles may have gotten the two Antis out of his dreads, but soon company comes calling as Archimedes and the Knothole freedom fighters show up in rapid succession (and, in Tails' case, SERIOUSLY off-model).  Sonic recognizes the description of his old counterpart and an idea forms behind his baby browns (Note: isn't this the first time that Sonic has ever been depicted having eyes of ANY color other than black?).
     Quick cut to the Cosmic Interstate.  Here we temporarily abandon the plot for a short interlude about how Sally met Knuckles.  This actually fits the facts better than the mush Mike Gallagher tried passing off in "Mecha Madness".  There's been some speculation as to what "rules of apprenticeship" may have been violated, but having been in the Boy Scouts I could figure it out easily enough.  Every year at summer camp a couple of members from each troop would be tapped to undergo an indoctrination for something called "the Order Of The Arrow."  One of the conditions of the ordeal was that you had to maintain strict silence for a 24-hour period.  My guess is that by even talking to Princess Sally, let alone being seen by her, the young Knuckles must have violated some rule against contact with strangers.  Sorry to say, I found this sequence to be the most interesting thing about the story.  Knuckles also lets drop the information that his "quest" hasn't gone well; in effect, after several issues where the health of King Acorn has been of prime concern, we finally discover on page 11 that his condition hasn't changed and let's keep this story moving, shall we?
     They arrive on the world of the Antisonic.  There's a brief recap as to what the place is about, though we don't see much of it or of the Antisonic's gang this time around.  By the way, did you figure out who's been missing?  Yep; once more in the Antisonic saga, both Bunnie and the Antibunnie are conspicuous by their absence.  It seems that the Archie crew still hasn't been able to figure out whether Bunnie's counterpart would be partially roboticized as well.  So (shameless self-promotion coming!) it looks like I've got that particular market cornered with my fanfic "When A Bunnie Meet A Bunnie".
     As I said, there's no one in sight until Antisonic and Antiknuckles show up and start beating up on their counterparts.  Several readers have asked: "Why didn't Sonic remember that it was useless to fight against himself, as he discovered in "When Hedgehogs Collide" (#24)?."  I've got a better question: "Why are Tails, Rotor and Sally just standing around like this doesn't concern them?"  Then maybe Tails wouldn't have to complain about how boring the fight is getting, as he does on page 14.
     OK, let's take a break.  Carey Brown's fan art is EXTREMELY interesting, but why did the Archie people color his "companion" Pepto pink?  Remember, Archie insists on black-and-white submissions only so they're at fault for not knowing what color a female fox should be.
     Back to the action, which has taken an unexpected turn when the Aniknuckles drops both the pugilistics and his accent.  I've read his speech at the bottom of page 15 several times and his motivation STILL isn't all that clear to me.  Anyway, it develops that he's the Guardian of a Sunken Island on this world, and it's running out of air.  Interesting concept, actually.
     One quick ride in a sort of shuttle later, the gang arrives at "Atlantinopolis" where they detect a sinister presence.  Nicole takes time out from downloading an Alfred Hitchcock film and an Ayn Rand novel to give the gang directions where they encounter Dr. Robotnik.  Not the benign Robotnik, but the crud from their old world.  Seems he wants to use the Chaos Emeralds from the Antiworld to power some device that creates "interdimensional doorways" and to do so without alerting the Knothole crowd as to what he's doing.  That way he could steal the Floating Island's Chaos Emeralds as well from the comfort and privacy of another dimension.  But now that he's been found, he orders his SWATbots to send the furries out to sleep with the fishes.  In trying to save his own skin, however, the Antisonic lets slip that he and Robotnik have been in league all along.  The gang starts ganging up on Robotnik who begins praising the flavor of "roasted hedgehog" -- so THAT'S why we haven't seen Uncle Chuck lately!  Anyway, both Knuckleseses (YOU know what I mean) use the resident Chaos emerald to bounce the weapon's beam back onto itself, sending Robotnik back where he came from.  They do a quick restoration job on the air supply unit and the crew is returned to the surface.  In his final scene, the Antiknuckles takes one more shot at his bogus brogue and still can't pull it off.  As for Rotor, he's bummed that a scanner unit he deployed earlier proved to be useless.  "BACK to the drawing board for YOU," Sonic says.
     Which is where this story should have gone.  The basic plot was workable, but Galan's artwork was no help at all.  Aside from Sally's flashback sequence, it was as lame as always.  PLEASE, let Galan work on the Chaotix, let him do flashbacks (his drawings of the young Sally were far more appealing than his drawing of the adult Sally), but keep him away from the regular cast members!  I know Art Mawhinney has been busy warming up for Sally's demise, but come on!
     And while we're at it, let's STOP and enjoy the MISPLACED emphases in Vickie Williams' lettering WORK.  Just for fun, try reading the word balloons out loud and YELLING out the words that are heavily shaded, such as Archimedes' line "I HURRIED over as soon as I HEARD there was TROUBLE!"  Or Sally's line: "We would TRAVEL to locations ONLY my father knew of!"  Ending that last sentence in a preposition is the least of its problems.  Next time, Vickie, try speaking the dialogue out loud so you GET a better SENSE of which WORDS to EMPHASIZE!  Hey, you're in a business where a lot of people probably go through the day talking to themselves anyway.
     Sonic-Grams: Plug for "Knuckles; The Dark Legion".  Freddy seems more concerned about the covers of the story than what's inside.  He also speaks of the "future of Mobius" and "Endgame."  He tries his best at hinting darkly at something; like the cyber-Mobians don't already know what's coming!  Mobie's back in #45, and Knuckles' quest continues.  And he gives over a whole paragraph to promoting "Sonic Blast", the Glorified Print Ad (a.k.a. "comic adaptation) for the new video game.  Don't ask me what the game is about: I've been stuck in the second scene of the Jungle Level of Sonic 1 for Game Gear so long I'm beginning to feel like Robin Williams in "Jumanji".  Letters: Freddy hedges on Amy Rose's next appearance and spells out the difference between "Metal Sonic" and "Mecha Sonic".  "Notes From The Net" FINALLY gives out the address where to send e-mail.  The "Sonic Checklist" not only features a 3D Sonic rendering and background signage in Japanese, but also (with no fanfare whatsoever) advertises the reprinting of the Princess Sally miniseries.  They also offer a "Sonic & Knuckles" reprint for $3.  Heck, for the cover price I got a copy of the REAL THING that had been languishing in the comic rack of a local Rite-Aid for over a year.