A Guide to Sonic #103: Who's Supposed To Be Who (Very Minor Spoilers)
Posted by MIKEON-LINE  on November 06, 2001

Hey gang.

Before I get into anything else, I should point out that this is my first post to Ken's
board; I usually just stick to the mailing lists, like Sonic-Powerzone and Ron
Bauerle's list. I have been checking Ken's board off and on for the last few years,
however, and I've decided to post this message (originally sent to Powerzone and
Ron) in case anyone who *only* frequents this board was confused as all get out by
Sonic #103. More specifically, they need some sort of a guide as to which FF was
supposed to be what member of the Guardians of the Galaxy (or had never heard of
GOTG before this issue): here you go! Consider it an act of community service ;)

Enjoy, and don't hesitate to reply or use my e-mail if you have a more specific
question about the GOTG - I'm always obtaining 'new' issues.

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Well, by now most Sonic fans have probably picked up StH #103, read it, and
enjoyed some decent art in the main story for a change. If you're like me, you flipped
out when you heard about this issue a few months ago - becoming a fan of the
"Guardians of the Galaxy" 2 years ago after obtaining a copy of issue #24 in a
grab-bag (and promptly going through quite a few back-issue bins is search of
more GOTG, which ceased publication around 1996 [I think]), this was another
comic cross-over between two of my favourite (albeit completely unrelated)
properties; first came the Image crossover (which was pretty good) also drawn by
Jim Valentino, then the Sailor Moon one (which was okay). So, when StH 103
arrived last week, I dove in with great expectations, and was not disappointed - I
was even surprised (more on that later).

However, if you're *not* like me and have never been into GOTG (or perhaps not
even hearing about it before this issue was announced), chances are you might be
a little lost when reading this particular Sonic story; which FF member is paying
homage to/satirising which Guardian? Or, *what* are they supposed to be?

"And who the heck were the Guardians, anyway?" -> someone's gotta be
wondering about that, especially if they had never heard of GOTG before.

Well, for those of you who are in the latter camp, I'm going to help you out. I'll
present a listing of who's supposed to be who, and list various tidbits of information
about each character. You can also surf on over to http://www.wizardworld.com
and view old GOTG covers in the price guide, so you can see Jim Valentino's
characters in their original forms, and judge for yourself how the new FF character
designs (also designed by Valentino) turned out against the original material; I'd
provide direct links, but WW uses JavaScript; try clicking on the issue numbers
which correspond. You can also try this link:

http://www.wizardworld.com/pg_srch_db.cfm?pgtype=cb&crd=CB&skip_count=0&pagenum=1&title=GUARDIANS%20OF%20THE%20GALAXY%20%20&records=100&thumbnails=&pgview=&images=&comm=comic

It lists the issues in text, with no thumbnail scans - you'll have to click on an issue
number before you can get any sort of idea what the cover looks like. In any event,
the covers and story art of GOTG are amongst the strongest representations of
Valentino's pre-Sonic work.

Before we get into characters, it is worth noting is that both this Sonic-Alternaverse
and the GOTG continuity feature origins so similar, it's not necessary to type all of
the differences out - what you read in this Sonic story is a SatAM/Archie-fied version
of the events which took place a thousand years before GOTG's chain of events.
What happened that millennia ago in the GOTG timeline was revealed to Yondu and
Vance (and readers) in a pseudo-holographic recording in GOTG #1.

As for the backstory to GOTG: the series took place in the 31st century Marvel
universe (FANBOY NOTE: this is 7 years before 'Earth X' was ever conceived), and
followed the Guardians of the Galaxy as they stopped evildoers from destroying
worlds/civilisations or stepping out of line; you know, standard hero stuff. The
'Galaxy' in question was the galaxy containing Earth. GOTG often took 'current'
Marvel characters, shook them up, and re-introduced them (or characters similar to
them) with a 31st century makeover. Since this was an alternate Marvel continuity,
touching base with pre-established continuity was not always a necessity
(remember the 'similar characters' bit?). In any event, the series was/is lots of fun,
and the Guardians still exist beyond cancellation with 62 issues published (and
likely still available in back-issue bins), and will also appear in the upcoming
'Paradise X' miniseries (some of the team's members, anyway). 

And now, the key players of both universes:

Sonic: Major Vance Astro - "First Earthman to the stars, last survivor of the 20th
Century! His body forever sheathed in the silver and black suit that preserves his
life, he is the master of the mutant power of Psychokinesis!" [GOTG #1]. More or
less the 'Leader' of the Guardians from the start, Vance would later take off his suit
in GOTG #20 (check it out using the links above) and be revealed as the heir of
Captain America - right down to the 'American' costume and indestructible shield.
I'm willing to bet that Sonic takes on a similar form in StH #104...or maybe Jim and
Mike will have Knuckles fill that role...

Tailon (Tails): Talon - Introduced in #17, but wasn't 'revealed' (or 'seen outside of a
shadowed silouhette [sic?]') until #19. Talon is a cat-man (appears to be in his
mid-to-late teens, human-wise), born on the moon, and a would-be magician; his
mentor gave up on teaching him when it became obvious that Talon was more
interested in performing 'tricks' than actually learning about mystic stuff. He's quite
an outgoing, 'everybody's pal' sort of character, with a healthy sense of humour
and an affinity for taking the bright side of things - he's quite a jokester. He's kind of
got the personality of a party-animal teenager or surfer dude (note the 'kind of'). He
once said of himself, "Hey, I may be a flake, but I'm a loveable one!" [GOTG #24]. I
would say he's got a personality more akin to Sonic (sans the sarcasm and vanity)
than Tails, but since Sonic was taking the lead role (literally and figuratively), Tails
was a far better choice to fill Talon's shoes than, say, Geoff St. John or Rotor - or
even Knuckles. On the other hand, considering that Talon has the kind of
personality that, unfortunately, Tailon doesn't seem to exhibit (despite being
*around* the same age range), I guess it's kind of a moot point...

Captain Rotor-27 (Rotor): Captain Charlie-27 - "Fifth-Generation Militia-Man and last
survivor of Earth's Jupiter Colony" [GOTG #1]. Charlie-27 is the team's
heavy-weapons guy; when the Guardians went into battle against a
revamped-for-the-30th-century Marvel villain, Chuck would usually run in
brandishing a home-made BFG [as for what 'BFG' stands for: if you have to ask,
you'll never know ;)]. Possessing a personality that is equal parts 'tough guy' and
'nice guy,' Rotor fits into Charlie-27's role like a glove. 

Saleta (Sally): Aleta - though her physical form was shared with Starhawk (see
below), Aleta still managed to hold her own in the team, and was Vince's love
interest to boot. That is, right up until Starhawk secretly took on a 'God' form (I
think) and 'swallowed' her very being, trapping Aleta within his realm, where she
stayed in a torturous state of limbo until...ah, skip it! I'm missing a few of the early
issues anyway, so there's probably a bunch of details I'm gonna unintentionally fail
to mention. Needless to say, she escaped, Starhawk reverted (again, I think), and so
on. It's worth mentioning that Saleta and Sonic's costumes are the most similar in
detail and design to their 'original' counterparts. So further kudos to Jim Valentino,
everyone!

Bunni (Bunnie): Nikki - "Last child of Earth's mercury colony; the agility of her limbs
is exceeded only by the unerring skill of her marksmanship - and the sting of her
sarcasm!" [GOTG #1]. Nikki, as the above description implies, can best be described
as a fire-girl, with flames for 'hair'. Mike Gallagher does a joke on this aspect of the
original design when he writes that those from Bunni's planet had hair that only
resembled fire due to static electricity - somewhat clever! I don't particularly mind
that Gallagher removed the sarcasm aspect of Nikki's character for translation to
'Bunni' - this was a better move than removing Talon's personality from Tails.

Twan-Du (Antoine): Yondu - "Last son of Earth's only extra-stellar colony, Centauri
IV; Primitive Mystic and Weapons Master" [GOTG #1]. Yondu, being the supposed
last of his alien species, carried on his civilisation’s traditions - among them wearing
his 'fin' with pride. Like Bunni, Mike makes a joke out of this, stating that Twan-Du's
people comb their toupees to look like fins. It might be two hair jokes in one issue,
but it works. Also, Yondu lost his hand in battle, and replaced it with a multi-purpose
wrist-thing (picture a pirates hook without the hook, and you'll get the idea),
something that doesn't apply to Twan-Du - guess someone figured this
Alterna-verse was 'dark' enough already :|. However, Yondu, did use a bow and
arrow a few times in the Guardians' battles; here, Twan uses an arrow with a boxing
glove on it, which could not only be considered another in-joke, but could also be a
reference to Green Arrow, a DC comics character who uses a bow and 'trick' arrows
(including a boxing-glove arrow).

Hawkhawk: Starhawk "Enigmatic mutant from the Planet Arcturus...shares his
physical being with the woman, Aleta" [GOTG #1]. Starhawk was one of those
characters in every team book who, despite being an original member, left the
series at one point, only to return later, for better or worse. The stuff listed in
Saleta's section about him is more or less all I know about him right now, though I'll
go out on a limb and assume that not many here will be too interested in the
character beyond his connection to Sonic.

And Silver Snively, of course, is the Silver Surfer (I suppose the words "Bad Boy"
on the bottom of his board is a play on the surfer/boarder aspect of the character),
heralding the coming of Galactus (or Robo-Galactus), his creator, and the Eater of
Worlds (literally). Originally appearing in a Golden-Age issue of the Fantastic Four,
the Silver Surfer and Galactus spelled doom for planets across the Marvel universe -
right up until the Surfer turned against his master and became a hero. As I said in an
earlier post to Powerzone, this 'Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy' arc is *very* similar
to the events of GOTG 24-25, where the Surfer seeks out the aid of the Guardians to
stop Galactus from attempting to consume Earth (again).

And, going back to GOTG covers: if you’re looking for good group shots, I can
recommend #17, 20 [left-right: Charlie-27, Vance Astro (out of the Black suit), Talon,
Nikki, Yondu], 21, 24, and 25.

*whew* So, there you have it - a semi-guide to the Guardians of the Galaxy, for use
with Sonic #103. Looking over all of this, I can honestly say that this post has
somehow managed to reach a length in content usually reserved for Dan Drazen's
reviews ;) And yet my fingers aren't tired...

Oh, and as for that 'surprise' I mentioned way back in the first paragraph? It's a
funny story, actually: when I got to the letters section of this issue (Sonic #103),
imagine my surprise when I discovered that my letter had been published, and
replied to! So, what's funny?

I never sent them a letter. 

I never have - what was published was a post I had made to both Powerzone and
Ron Bauerle's list about Sonic being mentioned in 'Wizard' magazine - specifically,
that Sonic and Sally were reuniting is StH #100. The message was never sent to
Archie; I assume Ken or J.F. Gabrie saw it and decided that it was worth printing
and commenting on. Don't get the wrong idea - I'm not ticked that they didn't inform
me beforehand that my message was going to be re-published in printed form; far
from it. I was just pleasantly surprised to find it staring back at me when I got to the
letter section - I was *not* expecting it. At all. So you can imagine the width of the
smile that crossed my face when I saw it ;) Anyway, it was a very nice surprise, and
since this post is about #103, I thought I'd mention it. 

Looking back on the stuff in this issue, I can say that this particular fan got to have
his cake *and* eat it, too. I mean, a great crossover story involving two of my
favourite properties, *and* the first time any of my fanboy words ever appeared in a
comic book (one of my all-time favourites, no less). I don't know about you, but
Sonic #103 really made my day...and week, for that matter ;)

MIKEON-LINE

....my fingers are tingling from all this typing.....
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A Little Note...
Posted by Magma Dragoon 

:Originally appearing in a Golden-Age issue of the Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four didn't appear in the Golden Age (1938-1949). 
Fantastic Four #1 made it's debut in November (I think) 1961. 
So Silver Surfer and Galactus appeared in a Silver Age (1956-1970) issue. ^^ 
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Re: Your "Letter"
Posted by Ken Penders on November 08, 2001

In Reply to: A Guide to Sonic #103: Who's Supposed To Be Who (Very Minor Spoilers)
posted by MIKEON-LINE on November 06, 2001 at 01:13:19:

Mike, that was pure serendipity, as I had no idea what a big GOTG fan you are. Glad you
enjoyed the issue and the surprise.

Regarding my policy as far as the letters page is concerned, any comments in a public
forum are fair game to share with the audience, as that was the reason they were posted
in the first place.

When I selects letters for inclusion to be published, one of the toughest aspects is finding
enough letters that simply comment about the stories and art, as opposed to letters simply
asking questions like "How old is Bunnie?" or "Will Sonic and Sally ever get married?". I
remember the letters pages I read when I was buying comics as a kid, and they were filled
with comments telling the editors what they liked and/or disliked about a recent issue. I
found myself either agreeing or disagreeing, and soon began participating in the process
myself.

I edit primarily due to space limitations. If a person makes their point in three paragraphs
with the remaining three or four simply filler that repeats the point in another way, out the
extra stuff goes. I also sometimes correct for grammar and spelling, and I try not to discard
any negative comments if I can find an appropriate term that can be used in place of the
original jargon I know will never make it past upper management. (Frankly, saying
something is bad in a harsh tone doesn't take much effort. Doing so in a subtle and clever
way takes infinitely more talent, and is more fun to read.)

I've said this before and I'll say this again: if anyone wants to stand a serious shot at
getting their letter/comments published, all I ask is that they be coherent thoughts
expressed in the form of sentences arranged in paragraphs explaining what you
liked/disliked and why. Questions are okay, but let's do away with the lists, please. Most of
the personal stuff will be eventually supplied in the Data Files, and as for what happens,
you'll only find out if you read the stories.

Thank you.
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