Before I go into the comic itself, there's one rather interesting thing about this issue that many people that read the preview descriptions may have noticed after reading it, or to put it better, what was missing from this issue.  What I'm talking about of course, is the mysterious figure that was supposed to be tailing Sonic and friends, yet suddenly doesn't even exist anymore and won't exist for the foreseeable future.  Why do they no longer exist?  Because of orders from the higher ups.

Now normally something like this wouldn't be that big of a deal, but many believe, especially through interviews with Flynn, that the figure would have ended up being Hershey and that she was going to make her return soon back into the story.  However, due to orders from above she will be forced to remain fake killed off for now, without any chance of returning any time soon.  I can't help but find this funny, since one of my largest fears I brought up during my more ranty days was the fact that even if Flynn had the best story in the world planned leading up to 250, at any moment mandates could strike from above and more or less ruin everything, much like when Robotnik destroyed the original city and left Sonic and his video game buddies behind (who anticlimactically saved the day an issue later with ease) or when Sonic and Tails were having problems and it resulted into them physically fighting each other with Tails hating Sonic (yet with a snap of a finger it all got resolved and they were as good as new).  Both stories were weak and anticlimactic due to mandates from above, sure Flynn might have had much better ideas for what was supposed to have happened, but what we got was rushed lameness that was out of his hands.

With the mysterious figure, we have already seen the mandates start to sink their teeth into the story leading up to 250, and if we're lucky, they won't strike again.  However, my largest fear of all was that the ending we get for 250 won't be anywhere near as good as it HAS to be, in order to make up for the shock value arc that ended around 235 (even if people think the shock value arc by itself was awesome), and even if Flynn truly does have one epic story planned out, who knows what we'll actually end up getting if mandates keep taking bites out of the side of his plot ideas?  It would really be a shame to have a story build up for 2 years just to have it end anticlimactically due to mandates, yet again.  Prior arcs were able to deal with the poor endings since the buildup wasn't as huge as the current one was, or not as long, but if we get something that gets wrapped up quickly or in a bad way, I really don't see it being able to whether the backlash it will get.  If anyone knows how this whole mandate thing works, btw, that would allow for a story to get changed a mere 3 months before it's getting released and therefore send a backlash down all the rest of the comics after it, I'd sure love to know.  You'd think after almost 20 years they'd have worked out a better system for SEGA and Archie to work together, so that they just need to get approval and move on with life...instead of having stories get changed last second so that they're nowhere near as good as they should have been   (as a side note, even if Hershey wasn't the mysterious figure, Flynn's still on record saying that he planned to use her, but due to powers above, those plans have been scrapped for the foreseeable future).

But anyway, on to the comic.  We begin with Robotnik yelling at Drago about over a video feed about how the base he's scheduled to refuel at is behind schedule, and it's due to the Wolf Pack and Felidae being allied that's causing it.  However, the feed gets cut short due to the Death Egg being virtually out of power due to Robotnik chasing after Snively for so long and for the events in 230-236 (Was nice knowing you Snively, seem you've lost the game for now D:  Take a seat with all the other comic originals till you're allowed to appear in the comic again I suppose :/).

Robotnik is grumbling about the alliance until he realizes that Sally, one of the people that brought them together in the first place, is his slave and orders him to tell her how she'd go about destroying the alliance she helped to create.  Her answer is simple, remove the leaders and shed some doubt, and they'll tear each other to pieces.  As Robotnik goes to refuel, he sends Sally to do just that, kidnap the two leaders and make it look like the other nation is responsible.  We begin with Sally going to Lupe who at first thinks she's come to visit as she stands in the shadows, but quickly learns about Sally's fate as she gets kidnapped, saying to come along peacefully or the villagers will die (how she snuck into the village completely unnoticed though, iono...you'd think as leader of her nation she'd have some kind of security...especially when living right next to a recently waring nation that they don't fully trust...).  Sally then strikes Queen Hathor and easily captures her as well (more lack of guards, and on the outskirts of town to boot, how convenient.  She even left a jet trail that her subordinate could easily see, making it obvious something mechanical kidnapped her and it couldn't be an attack from the Wolf Pack...).

We then move on to Sonic, Tails, Amy and the Tails dog robot arriving at the city, saying they are going to update Lupe on all the madness that's been going down since 230.  As they arrive though, they find Lupe's kids as well as Leeta and Lyco (even though not once in the comic do we get told their names...great characters for the Secret Freedom Fighters eh?) spying in on a meeting, and telling them that Lupe's been kidnapped and that they think the Felidae did it (although as said before, how Sally snuck in, grabbed Lupe and got out without anyone noticing is beyond me...).  Sonic and co. tell them that they think Robotnik did it and explained what happened with Sally.  They want to tell the village chiefs all this but are told they wouldn't listen and that they'd love a reason to start war again.

Sonic and co decide to go and rescue Lupe themselves and Leeta and Lyco tag along, getting updated on what's been happening in the world.  After hearing Sonic's side of life, they mention how bored they are and that they wished for more action in their life (woo tying in why they end up joining the Secret Freedom Fighters).  However, soon into their talking they run into the Legion trying to recapture Hathor.  Sonic and co send them packing and Hathor tells them about their capture and how Lupe let herself stay behind in order to allow Hathor to escape (although since she left her Queen clothes behind, she's apparently not the Queen right now...or something).  Some Felidae grunts arrive ready to start fighting but Hathor is able to talk them into not starting a fight.

We end off with Robotnik, where we learn that the roboticizer is still broken and that Lupe may still be immune to it, but Robotnik is ready to cut her arms off and legionize her, along with brainwashing.

As for the side story, we have Mina entering Freedom HQ asking if Nicole is around, who stays in her computer and replies that she is where she can't hurt anyone and where nobody can hurt her back, which brings a tear to Mina's eye.  Mina replies that she needs Nicole back in the city, and Nicole replies that she's been exiled and that Mina got EXACTLY what she wanted all along.  Mina claims that this isn't what she wanted at all and that she simply wanted to empower the people, not turn them completely against Nicole.

Mina then goes onto explain that she had no idea that Nicole was a double agent during the Iron Dominion Arc and that she simply wanted to make sure Nicole was safe again instead of just blindly believing in her (once again bringing up one of the lazier plot points I had a problem with, where it should have been impossible for her not to know Nicole was a double agent all along...) and that she wants Nicole back, but Nicole flat out refuses, saying that she failed to save Sally, Antoine and Bunnie, but Mina says Sonic was there too yet still refuses to give up hope.  Mina goes on to say that she failed Nicole as well and that in the past she tried to be a Freedom Fighter (just to get into a relationship with Sonic to boot...) and nearly got herself and some kids killed and went on to become a singer because of it, yet all she ended up doing was turning everyone against Nicole.

Mina admits flat out that she missed the mark of the last concert and that she HAS to set things right again, begging to talk to Nicole, who finally lets out a holographic projection for Mina to talk to.  Nicole says it's cramped but it works, but Nicole says she wants her back in the city, to counter Naugus (makes you wonder how Mina would be right now if Naugus wasn't there, huh? >.>).  She also mentions how she can't forgive herself for causing all this grief to Nicole as well.  Nicole brings up how Dimitri once told her to face anger with reason (kind of funny how that was completely and utterly ignored all the way until now ) and that she'd have friends to back her up, and Mina said she'd be more then happy to be a friend to help her back into the city.

Mina finally flat out apologizes to Nicole for everything that's happened and Nicole flat out forgives her, saying that she has to learn how to deal with the bad emotions as well as good ones, as well as Mina saying she has a brand new concert in mind to help bring Nicole back.  Mina then wants to confirm that Nicole won't hide in the computer anymore and Nicole agrees to not hide anymore because none of the other Freedom Fighters would hide either.  As we end the story, Harvey Hoo comes in, saying he has a new project for Nicole to do for his secret little project (probably to create the Secret Freedom Fighter costumes.).

So that was 237, my thoughts?  Well first off, does anyone else at all find it silly how we don't ONCE get Leeta and Lyco called their names?  They're just wolf 1 and wolf 2 through the entire issue...and don't even appear on the character introduction page.  Not a very good way to re-introduce two characters that are going to be in the Secret Freedom Fighters if you ask me   I mean that was one of the main reasons this two parter story was done right, to reintroduce these two characters?

I also had a little trouble with the whole leadership kidnapping setup.  I mean the idea was sound and all, but Sally did a horrible job kidnapping them and left at least one gaping clue saying that something mechanical kidnapped the Felidae Queen, not to mention how ridiculous it is to believe that she could sneak right up to Lupe without a single person noticing.  This simply is NOt the kind of setup you'd expect to see between two nations that are barely at peace with each other. to leave their leaders completely and utterly open without any guards around.  I understand that you have to rush through setups like this since it's a comic and there are bigger stories to bring about, but some of the lazy storytelling just resurfaced here that I find hard to swallow...

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm certainly getting bored of the Mecha Sally angle too.  I mean how many times can you replay the "character sees Sally roboticez and is shocked" card over and over and over until you just say "get on with it already!"?  I mean it's nice that she's using her tactical mind and all instead of just being a mindless fighting machine, but the shock value is completely and utterly gone now and it's just a dragging plot point that makes you wonder when it will get an ending already.  However, in two issues she gets sent to assassinate her brother, so I'm guessing the climax of her arc will be reached in a few months and by around 242 or so she'll either get her mind back or be returned back to normal, time will tell.

If you toss all of that aside though, the issue itself was fine enough I suppose.  Just a lot of minor problems that don't add up but in general I wouldn't really say I disliked it or anything.  It just...was.

As for the side issue....it was glorious.  I know some people feel that Mina has nothing to apologize for, but to me she did one of the stupidest and poorly planned out things in the comic in a loooong time and she has a lot she needs to make up for.  I still find it highly poor and lazy writing to believe that she wouldn't know Nicole was a double agent, and I wonder what in the world the FF could have done in order to prove they trust Nicole completely and not just blindly, but at least this entire story was Mina owning up to the concert, how utterly stupid it was and how she didn't try to defend herself much at all, beyond what she meant to do instead of what happened.  It was nice seeing Nicole getting out of her self pity as well and ready to start saving the day again.  Of course, I still can't help but wonder if Mina would feel the same way if Naugus wasn't in charge.  Is she doing this complete and utter turn purely because he came on to the scene and Mina saw what it was like to have something worse come on in so she's putting her faith in the lesser of two evils, or is she truly repentant for everything and feels that she made a horrible mistake, even if you take Naugus out of the equation?  For having no brainwashing done, she went pretty quickly from "Nicole is a danger that must be kept in check!" to "What have I done!?!" in a rather unbelievable way that makes her seem a bit too much like a flip flopper, but at least she's making up for her stupid acts now, after all these months later.  

As I side note...I really hope Harvey isn't recruiting Nicole to make battle suits for his team and instead is going to have her crack into a database or something...cause if Nicole makes them battle suits, I'm going to cry foul even more about why Bunnie never got one for herself   But I suppose we'll find out on that one in SU 41.

All in all though, the main story gave no real strong feelings form me; it had a few rushed flawed and lazy points, but it was a fine enough chapter to just keep the story chugging until we get to the good stuff later on and for reminding us who the two twins are in the Secret Freedom Fighters...even if they aren't important enough for us to be reminded of what their names are...