The Graveyard is a 4-part Knuckles the Echidna story that began in Issue 69 of Sonic the Comic. It was later reprinted, starting in Issue 189.
Staff
- Script: Nigel Kitching
- Art: Nigel Dobbyn
- Lettering: Elitta Fell
Story
Knuckles is having to visit the one place he never wanted to visit - the Kohenyu Graveyard. Unfortunately, he has no choice as he needs a new Master Emerald. With unpredictable winds and no zoom tubes, Knuckles has to glide down, armed with a gas mask and a poncho. Unfortunately, a rockfall sends him crashing to the ground, right next to a poison dryalid that chooses this moment to spray Knuckles with poisonous spores. He tries to resist breathing in the toxins, but he starts to hallucinate the image of a giant Kohenyu head. The "Spirit of the Herd" demands to know why Knuckles is here but does not believe his answer and summons the skeleton of his fallen kin to rise up and attack.
The hallucinations seem to be getting worse, until a close call from a skeleton convinces him this is all real. Knuckles starts well against the foes but the poison takes effect and he passes out. He later wakes up in a skeletal cage and the spirit "congratulates" him for recovering from the poison. Knuckles discovers he is in the Emerald mine but can't escape, so listens to the story of how his echidna ancestors hunted the Kohenyu to extinction. He is devastated to learn that they had hunted the slow and scarce males until the rest died out naturally.
The spirit chooses now to exact his revenge, causing the cage to cave in and crush Knuckles. However, Knuckles manages to dig a tunnel and springs out to attack the spirit. His attack does no damage, but at least it reveals to Knuckles that he can't be hurt, either. Upon digging up a new Emerald, he is attacked by the skeletons on a number of occasions, prompting him to fight back. During the scuffle, he comes across the Soul Crystal, the gem responsible for keeping the Kohenyu "alive". Noting that Knuckles wins if the crystal is destroyed, he gets ready to smash it.
Knuckles gives the spirit an ultimatum, telling him to call off the skeletons. The ghost does not trust echidnas and orders the attack, taking Knuckles away from the Soul Crystal. After destroying all of the skeletons, Knuckles returns to finish the job, but he decides against it, revealing how he was left by his own kind and doesn't know where they are. The spirit is surprised in Knuckles' kindness and allows him to leave and dig up an Emerald. As Knuckles returns to the daylight with a massive Master Emerald in tow, he says his farewells to the dinosaur and wonders what it would have been like to see hundreds of Kohenyu, hoping that his ancestors will be more understanding on their return.
Timeline
The previous Knuckles the Echidna story was The Homecoming. The next is New Master Emerald.