Sonic the Hedgehog #86

Sonic looks genuinely rattled on the cover of this September 2000 Archie issue, as a massive, sleek white-and-pink creature looms over him while a wide-eyed Tails scrambles nearby — and the snappy cover exchange ("Hey! Didn't I beat you last month!?" / "Not exactly!!") makes clear this rematch is going to be anything but easy. Cover pencils by Pat Spaziante and inks by Harvey Mercadoocasio give the scene a lively, kinetic energy that perfectly sets the stage for "Heart of the Hedgehog, Part 1: Evil's Return." With a creative team that includes writer Danny Fingeroth and artist Sam Maxwell handling the interior, this is a fun entry in Archie's long-running series that promises some serious unfinished business.