The Dr. Zachary Story ▸ Sonic the Comic's OTHER Echidna 

"Short but sweet" is pretty accurate. Helps that Fleetway published comics MUCH faster than Archie did.

The whole floating island and ancient robot guardians, even their design, is entirely lifted from the Studio Ghibli movie, Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

Dr Zachery is someone the games desperately needs. A dangerous antagonist who isn’t connected or in league with Dr Eggman and finally giving Knuckles a foe of his own. Him along with Commander Brutus in the games would finally give Game Sonic a kick up the rear he so desperately needed should Sega start acknowledging the Fleetway, DiC and non-Ken Penders created Archie characters. The tired writing style of Colors to Forces with Sonic rarely taking anything too seriously is something the games needs to do something about.

Hey could you maybe do a video on scourge? Always wanted to know more about him but theres next to no content about him on youtube. Thanks

He definitely reminds me a bit of Finitevus from Archie, and even a bit of Dimitri too after his robotic changes. Although now I'm a little more interested considering Dimitri eventually stopped being as much of a "bad guy" while Finitevus still tries to find ways to save the world by ending the world in some way. I miss the Archie comics, they were so fun. I need to collect some more. I'm only up to 273 in StH and the last SU one I got was Silver Age. I know there isn't exactly much after, but I still would enjoy having those few after to read!

I'm both kinda dissapointed, and kinda happy with the STC continuation's decision to still keep Zachary's past a secret. Zachary feels like an intriguing character, and a missed oportunity, all at once.

For a short one, you could do Breezie Hedgehog, how she was originally portrayed in the AoSTh to her appearance in Archie.

Awesome video. If you do another, I'd love to see one about Errol Blackthorn.

I remember the online story having a funny moment when Dr Zachary had Super Sonic under his control. He monologues so much that he was surprised when Sonic was able to move. Sonic stated that Zachary talked so much that he bored Super Sonic to sleep.

I never really liked the idea of Knuckles being the last echidna as it doesn't really make sense considering the fact he is roughly the same age as Sonic but also the fact that echidnas in real life are still alive and well so that's why I liked how the Archie comics portrayed the echidnas as being alive and well but I also like how they were pretty much portrayed is the most advanced race on Mobius with echidna City pretty much being the Sonic equivalent to wakanda

Fleetway’s Sonic the Comic is one heck of a chapter in the decades long history of Sonic, but at least it didn’t end up going through any nasty drama just as Archie Sonic did. As for other characters to cover, there are so many. But, if there was one character I request for you to cover, I’d love to suggest Metallix.

Even though I haven't read the Fleetway Comics myself, I've come to love Zachary myself, because he's the predecessor of Dr. Finitevus and Dr. Starline, who I both absolutely love

The Fleetway illustrations are so charming. They certainly tell a story in a way the Archie comics couldn't. Thanks for the video. I grew up in the States reading about Knuckles and Dr. Finitevus, and always wanted to read Fleetway, so it's always great to hear from a pro on the subject. Oh, and if you'd like to cover an Archie villain, I'd suggest Mammoth Mogul!

Wait... so they did the story with destroying Master Emerald and falling of Angel Island way before and independently from Sonic Adventure or I misheard smth?

I never realized until now that the Guardian Robot takes some inspiration from the Robot from Castle in the Sky... Old robot from a floating island in the sky. He even has the wing-arms

You know, at first I wasn't that convinced about the british Sonic comics until I watched this video, and honestly I like how they keep echidnas as nearly-extinct like in the games unlike the Archie comics where Ken Penders has his thousand echidna OCs. I personally think the art-style of Sonic the Comic is really weird looking but the composition, lighting and shading of the panels is really great! And I feel like the fan comics have better more modernized art, I might consider on reading these sometime.

To be fair to the Archie comics, Knuckles had his own 32 issue comic series, that ran along the main sonic book, and aside from Knuckles, the Chaotix, and Ray, it had a completely original, Knuckles-centric cast of characters, the most important of which were then rolled into the main comics, when Knuckles' series ended

In the second most recent issue of sonic the comic online (issue 278) Knuckles, Tikal, Porker Lewis and a team of Knuckle Metallix are attempting to locate and re-capture Zachary (who has removed his cybernetic eye). While Knuckles and the gang are investigating a bunker Zachary recently frequented, Knuckles discovers Zachary's removed cyber eye which he has converted into a bomb and explodes. Knuckles, Tikal and Porker survive the explosion, but the Knuckle Metallix and the scrolls in the bunker were destroyed. However, Porker was still holding onto some documents from the bunker, to which Knuckles sighs and responds: "It's a start, Porker...". Zachary is still out there and it's only a matter of time for his return...

Great vid! The Fleetway stories are always super fascinating to me, and the way you break down info is fun to listen to lol. For a future video, could you break down Fleetway's Adventure adaptation? I wasn't sure if Tikal's presence in the fan continuation was something that originated from there, or the original Fleetway run, but it got me thinking I'd love to see what they did in general. Regardless of Tikal's involvement, I imagine things went very differently just based on what I know of this series so far lol.

The character called ‘Toxic’ always fascinated me , he was in ( I think) the early issues or the sonic annuals

Good to see people talking about this comic after all these years 👌 this was my Sonic as a kid

Be a nice story for Sonic 3. Everyone's expecting Amy, but if they were smart, they would introduce some obscure enemies, and refrain from bringing Eggman back until they are ready to bring mecha or metal-Sonic in.

This is the first one I Never heard of lol

Here's a couple more Fleetway videos if you fancy another: - Commander Brutus -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_DTETxmokVg.html - Evil Super Sonic (aka Fleetway Sonic) -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lIXjfssZStI.html - Tails' Adventures in the Nameless Zone -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7Km2J9br-Yk.html

Damn I thought this was going to be about wechnia but this is still great!😊 P.S I would still like to see an episode on some of the other robot sonics if that’s something you want to do

Do Fleetway Amy next! I heard she is significantly different from her canon counterpart.

I love to see your Sonic characters' stories videos! Can you make one about the brotherhood of Metallix?

Yes, totally why i like Fleetway more than Archie, they knew when to stop and just leave some stuff unanswered, sometimes you dont need to expand the lore of a character because it could literally ruin its mystique and what makes it so special, the whole point of why Shadow and Knuckles are so cool is because there is tons of unaswered questions and mysteries that surrounds said characters, sometimes is good to expand on said stuff but you have to know where and when you need to do so, if not you risk them to over exposure and eventually the whole appeal of them ends up dissapearing. Knuckles doesnt need 4 quazillion of relatives to be a cool character, the appeal of the echidna race is that they are a very ancient civilization that people forgot over time and it became the stuff of legends, heck even to a point where people thinks its just a myth or a made up tale. The idea of the Nocturnis Clan was one of the best modern adaptations of a "modern echidna race motivated by pure technological advancements to a point that they became a serious threat for the entire world" it felt like this version of the echidnas in fleetway but more canonical and with a better angle, it was a shame that Bioware couldnt explore said concept well enough to make them have a lasting impact on the overall franchise as how Penders echidnas or Dr Zachary did for fans of both Archie and Fleetway. I could wish if sometime in a near future Sega can re-introduce the Nocturnis Clan, Shade and Imperator Ix because they have a very cool potential and it could be a shame that this characters and concepts gets the boot for ever out of the franchise because some person couldnt take that they also made their own Legion of Doom and Finitiveus better than him.

That abandoned plot point about Zachary releasing a bunch of echidna criminals sounds inspired by General Zod and the other Kryptonians from the House of Zod in DC's Phantom Zone.

Talk about Great Battle Kukku (and his army)

I never knew what happened after robotnik and zachary see that explosion in the sky. Finally, closure Great content bro!

A little error I noticed: The biological super computer was meant to use the brainpower of the Emerald Hill Folk, not their life energy. Which incidentally was the original idea in the Matrix. Which made more sense, really.

My idea for an origin is that he was the og guardian of the emeralds, but harnessed there power to fight off another Echidna, so he was banished by the Echidna society.

Mogul Mammoth from the Archie comics would be neat to see you cover if you get the chance!

11:35 and of course this glitch would also be the inspiration for the idw comics character Dr Starline even though he is a very different monotreme as he is a platypus instead of an echidna

I too really liked Dr Zachary when I read the comics back in the 90s. Did wish he officially returned before the comic run ended. Was fortunate enough to buy for £20 at Summer of Sonic 2009 one of Nigel Dobbyn's comic pages he did from his own portfolio, which was ironically the one you show at 7:35 - 7:52 (minus the speech bubbles).

There's this underrated character known as Lonk from the irish comic series of sonic the hedgehog only the pros know of this, I beg please do him, he only appeared once and i would make my day : D.

I found a way to read these comics. I'm excited to start reading them.

Great video. This isn’t a character suggestion but I would be interested in hearing more of your thoughts on Sonic the comic online

I'd love to see Dr. Zachary return as a game character as the Robotnik to Knuckles' Sonic and be combined with Finitevus from Archie. Before anyone ask, Ken didn't create Finitevus as he was a creation of Karl Boller's, I also think it'd be interesting if the only other Echidna besides Knuckles was evil.

Hey have you did a episode on Fang?

Great character ☺️

I know I’m a year late but in a quite obscure fan game called sonic the fighters blitz one of knuckles’ alts has white fur with yellow chest fur and purple shoes

10:45 dark brotherhood does not have the best mechanics but dang it’s a good sonic game to me .

I miss the archie comic variants. I have every single comic issue they made on my hard drive, but while i COULD say its a complete collection, its abrupt stop leaves it unfinished.

I legit thought the thumbnail art was from Richard Elson himself, lol, that guy's style is spot-on!

johnny Lightfoot plz he needs to be remembered again

Can you possibly make a video about Mephiles the Dark? He’s starting to become popular again and there’s finally merchandise made of him! Sega has planned on bringing him back multiple times in Generations and Forces but those plans were scrapped.

This dudes so cool. Probably my favourite comic character.

You know it's ironic that Archie added so many Echidna characters even though in Sonic Adventure confirms that Knuckles is the last of his species I don't hear that brought up too often it's kind of sad when you think about it Knuckles is all alone, his friends is only family

goin goblin green mode

Hey! Can you do a video on Nack? He’s my fave character

I know you said that the egg brain machine had a Matrix vibe, but personally it gives me Akira vibes. Anyone ever read Domu? Brilliant. Anyway, these Sonic character videos are amazing and they got me thinking. Any chance you could do a Mario one? And I don't mean on a Nintendo created Mario character but any character NOT created by Nintendo (except Waluigi obv). I don't even know if one exists, but it would be cool to look into because SEGA just trusted these companies to make Sonic Characters and I'd love to see if Nintendo ever let anyone do that with one of their properties.

I know he’s not obscure but I’d like you to do a video on Bokkun from Sonic X. I think he’s cool.

I love this video it explained a lot about doctor zachary but at first when i saw him he reminded me of either a past or alternate dimension version of DR Finitevus becuase of them both being echidnas with metallic parts on them. Hey speaking of Dr Finitevus do you think you can make a video about him im intrested in learning more about him.

The robots wings look just like the wing arms from Castle In The Sky

Oh yeah, I've definitely heard of Dr. Zachary..but at least I'm not alone in not knowing much about him(I always figured it was because I was from Canada, not the UK, and I actively looked up the Fleetway comics online only a few times). As for the Archie continuity having way too many Echidnas...well...yeah, I guess they sorta did...but there were a few that I were kind of fond of...two that come to mind are Enerjak(Dimitri, not Knuckles...I don't care for the retconning they did where Enerjak is this evil spirit), and Guardian Spectre (Yeah, he's kind of cruel, but I still like him, probably for the same reason that he's a mystery to me...same as Dr. Zachary is to you). Well, as long as you're taking character suggestions, there's one I have in mind..he was shown in the video, but there wasn't any mention that you did a video of him already (If I can call this character a "him") And that's the Omniviewer, I saw pictures of him WAY back when (late 90s, early 2000s), and I get a kick out of him.

Could you do a video on Tekno from StC? It's kinda interesting that she's one of the few Fleetway characters that actually looks like she's a Sonic character.

This was been replaced to Dr starline because IDW

Pretty good series I recently catched up with it and some suggestion for some characters are Bark the polar bear, and flicky.

Zachary just looks like that weird gray knuckles in chaotix

So, there's a bit of a Watsonian reason why Archie Sonic had so many major Echidna characters - apparently being connected to the Master Emerald grants an extremely long lifespan. Most of the Echidna characters were actually Knuckles' father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc. who only lived that long because of the Master Emerald. Honestly, story-wise they could have done without that, because they all end up taking on the same character roles, except for Aithar who went on to do his own thing and lead a nomadic tribe and was more of a mentor to Knuckles than ANY of the other Guardians. Honestly, if they just had Locke and Aithar and didn't bother with the rest, it wouldn't have changed much. Maybe keep Spectre for that one arc where Knuckles stumbles across Haven (and because he has a direct connection to the Tobor arc), Tobor for his arc, and Hawking for his. Meanwhile, Dr. Finitivus is basically Dr. Zachary but with a more busy design and more mustache twirling. Their connection may not be direct, but their roles are practically identical.

I'm going to nominate Enerjak for a future video. Though you may end up covering the rest of the Echidna legacy started by Edmund and Dimitri.

This guy is better than all of Ken Penders echidnas combined. God DAMN!

Could you do a video on the Egg Bosses from the Archie Comics because they all have different personalities and reasons for working Eggman. Sega really should include them as mini bosses in the game as they could each have different fighting styles and are more interesting that Eggman's robots.

Groovy character.

Robotnik’s old look actually feels cursed now ngl

I believe Dr Zachary would serve as inspiration for Dr Finetives the suppressive leader of the Echidna science syndicate the dark Legion

My sugestion for another character is Chaotix glitch Wechnia

Also appearently in the fleetway sonic comic, Knuckles crest om his chest is a necklace or chest piece. I didnt know that until now

8:17 Rick and Morty reference

I just realized knuckles doesn’t have ears

Keep this echidna train going with Doctor Finitevus?

I’m getting real Ristar vibes from those Gaurdians.

Dr N.Gin + Megaman + Knuckles = Dr. Zachary Prove me wrong.

Zachary also appears in the game sonic advance Zachary is the boss fight in angel island

I hope you talk about naugus

I think fleetway sonic series is probably the darkest sonic comics and has a wierd new cast that is only in the comics and not the games and cartoons

a lot of characters form archie comics are inspired by glitched characters lol

Can you talk about the Fan-made character from Shadic from Nazo unleashed

If you forgot the floating island is called angel island due to it being able float

10:15 So like the Phantom Zone in Superman which I think is located traditionally in the fortress of Solitude. Guess Fleetway weren't just inspired by Marvel! Lol

Can you make a video about the name of Dr. Robotnik/Kintobor?

Yes u made it

Hello big fan of your channel I just wanted to point out something I notice in the Fleetway universes is Knuckles little symbol on his chest a necklace because at 3:49 it kind of looks like one just asking because I'm curious keep up the great work

Would love to see a video on tails rogues gallery like Wendy witchcart and battle kukku

What's the font you used on the thumbnail?

I just want to know why he's a Doctor and in what field. You'd assume Archaeology or something similar, right?

For the first time in 15 years a new gauge 1 Thomas episode will be released

Do you think you'll be doing a look at the fleetways character Captain Plunder the sky pirate

i like not well known sonic characters i find them more interesting tbh edit: plz cover manic hes basically sonics green brother in underground show and manic is one of my favorite sonic characters

where can I read the online continuation of the comic?

If you’re taking suggestions, Fleabyte the Bounty Hunter is another incredibly obscure but criminally underrated StC character who needs more love. I’d also be interested to hear you talk about The Flock, Max Gamble, Death-Trap, Vermin and/or Commander Brutus.

dr zachary looks fanmade lol

I like it

the fact my irl name is zachary but cool video

He looks like knuckles and silver had a baby that became half robot

I wish someone words do a drawing on deviantart of Dr Zachary and how he would appear in the Archie Universe or even the games

I think that the questions about this character should be answered basically. :/

Wow could you explain the plumber in red.?