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Knuckles the Echidna 01 (Archie)

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Knuckles Archie Comic 01.jpg
Knuckles the Echidna #01
"The Dark Legion"
Cover date: April 1997
Release Date RRP Code Rating
Comic
US
1997-02-05[1] $1.50 ?
Comic
CA
1997 $1.65 ?
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Knuckles: The Dark Legion #1, retroactively known as Knuckles the Echidna #1, is the first issue of Knuckles the Echidna published by Archie Comics. Originally the first of a three issue mini-series, it became the premiere issue of Knuckles' ongoing title due to fan demand.[2]

Stories

The Dark Legion Book One: Army of Darkness

In a hidden complex in the forbidden zone of the Floating Island, an alarm goes off. The mysterious being running the complex enters the room and orders the alarm to deactivate, while also ordering the room's monitors to activate. He takes a seat in front of the monitors, noticing the sensor readings are off the scale. He suspects that his brother, Dimitri, may have returned, but is proven incorrect as the monitors show many groups of cloaked and robotic figures emerging from a vortex. He instantly recognizes the beings as The Dark Legion.

Elsewhere on the Floating Island, Archimedes and Knuckles are relaxing, finally finding some free time from all the adventures they've recently encountered. Their quiet day is quickly interrupted as Archimedes senses something wrong, but Knuckles doesn't believe him. Archimedes has a telepathic link to Knuckles' father, but he is reluctant to reveal that fact to Knuckles. While trying to figure out some way to convince Knuckles of the issue, they both hear a sound...

In the past, during Dimitri and Edmund's attempt to convince the Echidnapolis council of their plans to lower the island to the ground, a number of fire ants and the sons of both Edmund and Dimitri are present. They are both impressed by their fathers' efforts and think that the council will accept their idea to lower the island with the Chaos Syphon. The council rejects the plan, shocking Dimitri's son, and leading him to shame as he watches his father storm out of the council in anger.

Back in the present, Knuckles follows the sound to assess the situation, with Archimedes closely following. While on their journey, Archimedes notes to himself how impressed he is about Knuckles' hearing. They finally arrive at the origin of the sound, noticing a bright light coming from a nearby clearing. They peak out from some bushes, noticing a large group of cloaked beings in floating vehicles, tanks, and robotic humanoid drones. While Knuckles and Archimedes assess the situation, one of the drones detects heat signatures nearby. One of the cloaked beings orders the drone to investigate.

In the past again, during the events of the destruction of Mount Fate, Edmund and his magistrate followers were able to escape just in time, arriving to the kids, who were waiting at the bottom of the mountain. Edmund gives his son a hug, while Dimitri's son, Menniker, runs for the mountain to find his father. One of the magistrate guards stops him, despite his pleas, as the entire mountain crumbles. With the mountain destroyed, Menniker runs to the rubble and tries to find Dimitri, but Edmund stops him, having seen what happened to him. He leads both kids away from the mountain to go back home.

Knuckles and Archimedes both see the drone approaching them, and, with such a large force, they decide that they are unable to attempt an attack. Just as the drone arrives at the bush, Archimedes uses his magic to get both of them out of sight, confusing both the drone and the cloaked being that ordered it. Knuckles and Archimedes appear nearby, but their efforts don't fool the drones of the Dark Legion, as they detect their heat signatures right away. Archimedes assesses the situation again, noting that the group appears to be good at making a first impression. He then thinks to himself, remembering that the group has already made a first impression 400 years prior...

With the Echidnapolis referendum to get rid of technology a success, the effort to collect all technology in the city begins, however, there are some that are hesitant to obey the new legislation. Edmund, working with the government, arrives at a house with a number of workers, talking to the owner through a visual door bell. The citizen is quite reluctant to give up his belongings, demanding that those who are against the legislation should be able to keep their technology. While Edmund and the citizen continue to argue, the door to the household opens as the citizen's wife, Marta Arrunda, allows Edmund's crew in. Her husband can't believe what he sees as the government crews empty his house out, with Marta helping, especially to stop her husband from watching football. Leaving the house, Edmund retorts that he is just doing his job with the law, while Marta ends up holding her husband back.
Next door, Menniker gives up his possessions to Edmund's son, Steppenwolf, joking about Mr. Arrunda's temper regarding the policy, especially since most of the population supports it. Menniker, noting that he has no need for the technology, thanks Steppenwolf, and enters his house. As the door closes behind him, he takes out a remote control and presses a button on it, opening up a portal in the nearby wall...

With the Dark Legion getting closer, Archimedes and Knuckles decide to finally take matters into their own hands. Using his teleporting technique, Archimedes transports onto the drone's shoulder, distracting it and calling out for an intruder alert. Knuckles takes the opportunity to jump out of the bushes, punching the drone back with a one-liner as well, forcing it to fall back onto a group of the cloaked beings. With the group temporarily incapacitated, Knuckles takes Archimedes and the two run away from the scene. The leader of the group, another cloaked being with a robotic arm and a red-glowing eye, notices the two, ordering the Legion to chase them.

During the technology round-up, despite being tricked by Menniker, Steppenwolf is able to notice the growing resistance to the legislation. He goes over to his father, who is cataloguing all the technology, taking him aside for a moment. He tells his father about the resistance, but his father already suspected that there would be such an issue. Steepwnolf is quick to retort that it is unlike what was expected, as this group sulks in the shadows, pointing to a cloaked echidna entering a dark alley.
Steppenwolf takes matters into his own hands, following the echidna through the alley and arriving at a large congregation of cloaked echidnas. He stands on a nearby pole to get a closer look, as the leader of the group calls out the error of their government, trying to put them back into the dark ages. However, Steppenwolf's efforts don't go unnoticed, as he causes the pole to creak, attracting the attention of the group. The pole breaks, causing him to fall to the ground near the group, forcing him to run.

Greatly outnumbered, Knuckles decides to meet up with the Chaotix to help even up the battle. He and Archimedes first arrive at Vector, who is resting on a tree. While Knuckles recovers from all the running, Archimedes updates him on the invading army, while Charmy Bee and Mighty arrive, noticing the commotion. Archimedes gathers the group around, telling them that their best bet for survival would be through covert actions, rather than a full-on assault. This prompts Knuckles to say that they have to be more sneaky than Espio, causing the chameleon to come out of his cover from a nearby tree, amazed that the echidna can see through his disguise. With the Dark Legion getting closer, Knuckles orders the group to separate and hide, then to wait for his signal to attack. While they run, Archimedes disappears from the scene.

The Dark Legion arrives in the area, while Knuckles hides in a tree, wondering if, because of his suspicious behavior, Archimedes knows more about the invaders than he has told. Their covert plans don't go so well, as one of the group of cloaked beings in a floating vehicle notices Vector in a tree, firing lasers at him. He jumps out of the tree before the branch he was on is hit, landing in front of two drones. Before he can attack, Mighty swings in on a vine, taking out the drones with a hard kick.

Another group of Dark Legion members in their vehicle notice the carnage, until their vehicle starts to malfunction. They lose control of their vehicle, as Espio appears and jumps off, while the vehicle uncontrollably crashes into a nearby tree. Knuckles finally enters the scene, jumping down from his tree and kicking a nearby Dark Legion member, then punches another. Mighty, meanwhile, takes one of the cloaked beings and throws him into a group of others. Despite their efforts so far, the Chaotix notice that the hordes of these invaders are endless. They decide to retreat for the time being to regroup.

Being chased by the new Dark Legion, Steppenwolf, although knowing his father would be against it, uses a floating vehicle to get away from them. Unfortunately, the Dark Legion catch up to his easily, firing lasers at his vehicle. One of the lasers hits Steppenwolf's vehicle, causing him to lose control, crashing into the ground. Although the crash seemed deadly, the Dark Legion members fly down to the scene to ensure there were no survivors.

While running to the north, the Chaotix' efforts are hampered as they come upon another horde of Dark Legion members. Now surrounded, one of the cloaked beings approaches Knuckles, telling him and the others to put their hands on their heads and to follow him. Doing so, Knuckles jokes that he'd rather go through the desert again, like Enerjak had done to him. One of the cloaked beings tells him to reconsider his thoughts, as Knuckles has more in common with them than he knows.

Shocked, Knuckles turns around, as the being introduces himself as Kragok, an echidna with a robotic left arm and eye, claiming that he can help reclaim their birthright, or be Knuckles' worst nightmare.

Continued in Knuckles the Echidna 2.

Other features

Production credits

Source: Knuckles: The Dark Legion #1 title page & letters page, Knuckles the Dark Legion #3 letters page

Variants

References

  1. https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.comics.info/c/ZilMee6wHfs/m/5EUKdTiTFYQJ (Wayback Machine: 2022-04-30 07:09)
  2. Knuckles the Echidna #3 "Post Cards From the Edge of the Floating Island"


Knuckles the Echidna (Archie comics)
Knuckles Archie Comic 01.jpg

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Development

Archie Comics ongoing series
Mini-series
Stand alone specials
Free Comic Book Day issues
Crossover issues
Digests & Compilations
Single Compilations & Digital Exclusives
Miscellaneous