Earthbound is a 2-part Amy & Tekno story beginning in Issue 114 of Sonic the Comic. The adventure continues directly after Spaced Out.

Staff

• Lew Stringer - script
• Roberto Corona - B&W art
• John M Burns - colouring
• Tom Frame - lettering

Story

After their adventure on the planet of Kaamdaarn, Amy Rose and Tekno the Canary have been loaned a spaceship and are using it to find their way back to Planet Mobius. However, they find themselves lost in the Milky Way, so Amy suggests they stop at a blue planet for directions. The pair enter the planet's atmosphere and the ship begins to burn up. As the vehicle comes shooting down towards the surface, a professor spots the arrivals and is ecstatic that aliens are finally landing on the Planet Earth. Tekno successfully prevents the ship from crash-landing thanks to its anti-gravity brakes and are welcomed by a slow-talking, cautious, Professor Cratermass. Amy is confused as to why Cratermass is talking so slow, and is further baffled when Cratermass points out the Earth version of a hedgehog. Even so, Cratermass excitedly invites the aliens into his house.

Some miles away, a secret underground base detects the new arrivals. Colonel Granite, leader of Operation Starwatch, immediately mobilises his troops and plans to catch the aliens. Back at Cratermass' house, he reveals he is building a "Gateway to Infra-Space" that'll enable him to access any planet in the universe. However, the data is incomplete, so Tekno leaps in to finish things off. The professor is impressed at the computer-literate canary but his gaze is soon averted when his door comes crashing in. Several soldiers surround the trio and Granite orders Tekno from the computer. Deducing that Amy and Tekno are, for some reason, contacting an invasion fleet, Granite forces them all to become prisoners.

Later, at the secret base, Granite continues to ask why the girls are trying to invade Earth. Amy pleads her innocence, but Granite insists they plan to contact "googly-eyed, six-tentacled aliens". Not getting anything from the Mobians, Granite turns his attentions to Cratermass and accuses him of plotting to take over the world with the girls. The professor laughs off the claims, insisting he wanted to help them to return home with his scientific know-how. In the other cell, Tekno tires of being held prisoner, so decides to throw her explosive earring at the door, blasting open an exit. The bomb stuns the guard and Tekno flies Amy out of reach of Granite. The heroes meet up with Cratermass and he directs them to the two-seater spaceship, which Tekno flies back to the Cratermass residence. Back there, Cratermass and Tekno continue their work on the infra-space gateway, but the house is soon surrounded by Granite's men. Sure enough, the gateway begins to work and Amy and Tekno return to Mobius. Granite enters the house and scowls, reminding Cratermass that he could just follow the girls through the portal and recapture them. However, the professor simply deletes the program, ending all links to Mobius.

Back in the Emerald Hill Zone, Johnny Lightfoot asks what Earth was like. Amy isn't so sure, saying it was okay for a day trip, but she wouldn't have wanted to stay any longer.

Trivia

• The spaceship that Amy and Tekno flew to Earth in was generously donated between issues.
• Although the story is set in the present day, a satellite is seen to be orbiting the Sun, something which doesn't really happen. In fact, all of the planets in the Solar System seem to be in plain view of each other.
• Cratermass spells "welcome" as "well...come".
• Amy is affronted at being called an alien, despite being on a different planet.
• "Good-looking" is spelled "goodlooking".
• Real band Oasis are mentioned as being highly newsworthy.
• Tekno is revealed to know the exact co-ordinates of Mobius.
• Granite calls a computer the "'puter", something nobody would ever say.
• Granite seems to believe that Mobians are "googly-eyed, six-tentacled". However, he has proof in front of him that not all aliens are like that.
• Tekno's explosive earrings never make an appearance again.

Timeline

The previous Amy & Tekno story was Spaced Out. The next is Spooked.