Lightmare is a magically inclined criminal from the Special Zone. She is a member of the Sidewinder Gang and the daughter of Lord Sidewinder himself. She makes her first appearance in Sonic the Comic Issue 85 along with the rest of her cohorts, but unlike Mister Fry and Bio-Hazard, she is always of a calm demeanour and relies on stealth, cunning and trickery in battle rather than brute force. Her face is nearly always hidden beneath a white hood and a gold faceplate, with Issue 98 being the only occasion where she has revealed her face.
History[]
Lightmare first appeared in Heroes & Villains along with the rest of the Sidewinder Gang, though at this point her gender and her true relationship with Lord Sidewinder are unknown. She became involved in a heated battle with Sonic, Super Sonic and the Chaotix Crew, subjecting Charmy Bee to her Box of Nightmares. The fight ended when the Omni-Viewer trapped Super Sonic within its workspace and tried to suspend him in time.
The Sidewinders escaped, returning in Issue 88 when they infiltrated Chaotix HQ to steal the Omni-Viewer. Lightmare was instrumental in incapacitating the Crew, locking the heroes into a constant nightmare. This plan failed when Sonic defeated them again and the gang had to retreat, returning in the three-part story Doomsday.
Lightmare reveals herself. Art by Richard Elson and Steve White.
With Lord Sidewinder fixated on enslaving Super Sonic, Lightmare believed him to have gone insane and sought out the Chaotix Crew to warn them of his plan. The Chaotix attacked Lightmare on sight, believing her to be a threat, but Espio gave her a chance to explain herself. At this point Lightmare revealed her true face and told them that she was Sidewinder's daughter, which meant that she could not desert him completely. After warning the Chaotix, Lightmare rejoined her father as he led his gang to the Black Asteroid where Super Sonic was imprisoned. Although she had betrayed him by warning his enemies, Lightmare still fought against the Chaotix when they arrived to stop him. She and her comrades were all defeated and taken back to New Tek City.
Lightmare's final appearance was in Hunter & the Hunted, she was with her father and Mr. Fry observing Bio-Hazard's status during his mission on Mobius to hunt down Super Sonic. However, the New Tek Police discovered Sidewinder's scheme and arrested him and all of his cohorts. They have not appeared since and have most likely perished when the Special Zone was destroyed by the Syndicate.
Alternate history[]
When Doctor Robotnik became a god and warped history, events were set into motion that benefitted Lightmare and her associates. The Chaotix Crew never formed (with Vector becoming a lowly janitor), so Sidewinder became ruler of the Special Zone. Lightmare revelled in the status and mocked Sonic when Robotnik took away his powers. Unfortunately for her, Sidewinder revealed that he planned to steal Robotnik's powers. For his treachery, Robotnik turned them all to stone. However, upon history being corrected, these events no longer had occured.
Abilities[]
Lightmare is a stealthy character with a talent for sowing misconception. With her Box of Nightmares, she can force her enemies to experience their worst fears. For example, she has caused Charmy Bee to flee in terror from imaginary bug spray, caused Sonic to go blind and Vector to believe that he's perpetually falling. She has also been known to possess some form of teleportation. Lightmare also appears to be able to fly, or at least hover.
Relationships[]
Lord Sidewinder[]
Despite being a loyal daughter, Lightmare was often dismissive of Sidewinder. She was often the only sane man of the team and, as such, often tried to convince her father that what he was doing was wrong. Such defiance, including her insistence that it was "folly" to trust Super Sonic, betrayed any signs that the pair were related.
Lightmare began to fear that Sidewinder had "gone insane" and turned to the Chaotix Crew, confiding in them her knowledge of his plans to capture Super Sonic. It was then that she revealed herself and her reasons to never leave her father's side. Eager to protect him (and, perhaps, herself), she urged Chaotix not to let Sidewinder know she'd seen them.
Up on the Black Asteroid, Lightmare continued to defend her father, ordering the rest of the Sidewinder Gang to follow his directions - no matter how dangerous they were.
Sidewinder Gang[]
It was often quite clear that Lightmare only put up with Mr Fry and Bio-Hazard to please her father. One sane woman in a gang of incompetents, Lightmare resorted to insulting her colleagues, with Bio-Hazard getting the brunt of the abuse. Although he believed him to be a "fool", she gave the robot some credit, saying that he wasn't "that stupid" when Sidewinder believed him to be using toxic waste. Her faith was unfounded, as Bio-Hazard was, at that minute, hurling his poison at multiple Super Sonic copies.
Chaotix Crew[]
Lightmare may have been a recurring enemy of Chaotix, but her antagonism may only have been due to working for Sidewinder. When her father began showing signs of insanity, Lightmare gladly went to the heroes in secret, sharing as much information about Sidewinder's plans as possible.
Even so, Lightmare pulled no punches in battle and held particular animosity towards some of the members. She was particularly dismissive of Charmy, at one point regarding him solely as an insect and, at their next meeting, completely ignored him in the heat of the battle. Lightmare also seems to see Mighty as little more than a nuisance that can't be reasoned with and pretended to lock him in a cage.
The only one that Lightmare seems to show any sort of reverance for is Espio. During her meeting with the team, she demanded to know his whereabouts and was surprised by his powers... although she went on to call him an "idiot". The two talked amongst themselves and she addressed him directly when she revealed her identity.
Trivia[]
- "Lightmare" is a pun on 'light' and 'nightmare'.
- She is the answer to one of the questions in the Quiz Zone feature in Sonic the Comic Online.
Errors[]
- Lightmare's tail is coloured blue in "Doomsday", when it is usually brown.
- When standing face on in "The Ultimate Nightmare", Lightmare appears to have obvious breasts, potentially spoiling the big reveal ten issues later. However, this may just be a large fold in her cloak, particularly when you consider that the artist (Nigel Kitching) helped create the character.
Appearances[]
- Issue 85 to Issue 86 - Heroes & Villains
- Issue 88 - The Ultimate Nightmare
- Issue 98 to Issue 99 - Doomsday
- Issue 98 - cover
- Issue 100 - The Final Victory
- Issue 116 to Issue 118 - Hunter & the Hunted
- Issue 130 - Showdown
- 15th Anniversary Special - pin-up
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Lightmare at Sonic News Network, the Sonic Wiki
| Sidewinder Gang |
|---|
| Current Members: Lord Sidewinder - Bio-Hazard - Proctor Speckle/Mr Fry - Lightmare
Former Members: Super Sonic - Nack the Weasel |