Awesome / Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW)

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Teamwork at its finest.

General

• A number of characters, heroic and villainous, are much more competent in this comic compared to some recent games, giving them moments to shine without Sonic or Eggman overshadowing them. Tails, Metal Sonic, and the Deadly Six particularly stand out in this regard.
• THE ARTWORK. Need we say more?

Year One

"Fallout" arc (Issues #1-4)

• Seeing Sonic and Tails working together again in the first issue is a refreshing breath of fresh air after Tails’s portrayal in Sonic Forces where he was nothing more than Sonic's cheering squad and even cowered in fear when Chaos attacked him.
• Sonic and Amy's teamwork in the second issue, culminating with both performing a Fastball Special at a Badnik dropship.
• Rough and Tumble managed to free an entire town from Eggman's forces by themselves. Shame they had to follow it up by turning it into their own personal kingdom.
• During their first fight, Tumble manages to overpower Sonic's spin attack.
• Rough nailing Knuckles with his "Stink Bomber" attack.
• When Rough and Tumble bring out the Wispons, Sonic turns the tables on them by appealing to the Wisps' outrage at being abused for their power and convincing them to turn on the skunk brothers.
• Tangle's introduction quickly establishes her as a fighter on par with the other heroes, easily taking down badniks twice her size.
• Blaze's first appearance has her dropping down in a column of fire to save Sonic and Tangle.
• Tangle using her tail as a slingshot to launch Sonic and Blaze into the carrier ship dropping badnik reinforcements into the town. The two then tag team it, Sonic smashing it up on the inside and Blaze shooting it down from the outside.

"The Fate of Dr. Eggman" arc (Issues #5-8)

• Issue #5 opens with Sonic and Espio working together to destroy a group of Badniks. One key moment is Sonic grabbing ahold of a rope Espio tosses him and letting himself be spun around like a mace. Then they destroy a larger group of Badniks sent to attack the village.
• Issue #6 has Sonic talking Shadow down from killing the amnesiac Eggman by citing his own forgiven past crimes.
  • It turns out that Rouge arranged for Sonic and the Chaotix to show up in Tinker's village, counting on them being able to prevent Shadow from doing anything rash.
• The debut and fight with Neo Metal Sonic in Issue #7 shows us why we never squared off against him in Sonic Heroes. He easily overpowers Sonic, thanks to his Power Copying and home field advantage.
  • At the end of the issue, Neo Metal holds Sonic, demanding that the hero reveal Eggman's location... or fall to his doom. Sonic simply says "I never fear the fall", kicks Metal in the face and seemingly falls to his death, much to Metal's joy... until the reveal that Tails was flying down below in the Tornado, ready to catch his friend.
  • Neo's Badass Boast at the end of the issue, accompanied by the Egg Fleet approaching Angel Island.
  Neo: Take all the time you want, Sonic. I've already won.
• Issue #8 gives us the introduction of Whisper the Wolf, a One-Man Army who easily takes down everything in her way. And it seems she's saved the Resistance on numerous occasions during their war with Eggman, earning the nickname of "Guardian Angel".
  • We also have Neo Metal Sonic's Badass Boast once it's discovered he's taking over Angel Island in Knuckles' absence.
  Neo: The Master Emerald. "The Controller." One of the most powerful gems in the world, with the ability to neutralize the Chaos Emeralds. So come to me, Sonic. As yourself, or as Super Sonic. Either way... you will be powerless to stop me.

"The Battle For Angel Island" arc (Issues #9-12)

• Issue #9 has the Resistance splitting into three teams to liberate Angel Island. The first "team" is composed only of Blaze in her Super Mode, as she begins single-handedly tearing through the Egg Fleet.
  • Shortly after, we get a full-page splash panel of all the other heroes mowing down an army of Badniks.
  • Neo Metal Sonic decides to take a page out of Mecha Sonic's book, using the Master Emerald to transform into his own Super Form, Super Neo Metal.
• Blaze single-handedly brings down an Egg Fleet ship, while Tangle commandeers a cannon onboard another ship and turns it on the Badniks manning it. Tails then hijacks another ship and uses it to ram the Resistance's way past the rest of the Egg Fleet.
• Just when Super Neo Metal has the upper hand on Sonic and Knuckles, Shadow comes from out of nowhere to run him with through with a chaos spear. Then Neo one-ups him by taking Shadow's biodata, mixing it with Sonic's and the Master Emerald, and becoming Master Overlord.
• Tails dealing a major blow to Master Overlord by ramming the ship he's piloting right into it.

Year Two

"Infection" arc (Issues #13-16)

• Rough and Tumble, now armed with new weapons courtesy of the restored Eggman, lure Sonic into a rematch, with Tails tagging along. The villainous brothers don't stand a chance once Tails is no longer distracted by getting the bystanders to safety and is able to join the fight. He pulls a Catch and Return on Rough, throwing his own acid bomb at him, then grabbing the launcher off his back and smacking him over the head with it. Sonic, meanwhile, just lets Tumble chase him until he's worn down before smashing his artificial tail off.
• Doctor Starline's first encounter with the heroes, specifically Sonic and Silver, sees him using the Warp Topaz to constantly open portals in their paths and redirect them elsewhere. And when they finally get ahold of him after catching him off guard, he tricks them into opening a vault he's rigged with explosives, nearly managing to kill them.
• During the fight, Sonic keeps Metal Sonic distracted long enough that Silver is able to telekinetically grab him and toss him into the distance. Later, after they fall for his explosive trap, Silver manages to save both their lives by putting up a barrier to shield them from most of the blast.
• When Starline has seemingly killed Sonic and Silver, Eggman grabs his throat through the portal he opened, effortlessly lifts him up with one hand, and slams him into one of the containers with the metal virus test subjects so hard it cracks. Rotund though the good doctor may be, he is far from weak.
  • Eggman then proceeds to furiously declare that if he merely wanted to kill Sonic then he could easily do so by carpet-bombing the entire region that Sonic happened to be in. Knowing Sonic he'd find a way to survive anyway, but the idea that Eggman's desire to win in a way that's personally satisfying to him is the only thing keeping from winning a swift victory is fairly terrifying.
• Being chased by Rough and Tumble in a drill tank, Sonic and Amy lure them onto a pathway above a mine shaft that's too narrow for them to turn around on. They then circle around and attack from behind, Amy smashing open the cockpits and Sonic destroying their wheels.

"Crisis City" arc (Issues #17-20)

• Omega being Omega, utterly annihilating every zombot he comes across until Shadow is infected, the superior zombot eviscerating him. And even after this he STILL wants to destroy things.
  • Speaking of Omega, his response to Shadow telling him to safeguard the fleeing civilians;
  Omega: Considering. The truck and refugees will be the Zombots' primary target. This will bring additional targets to me. Orders approved.
• Silver showing off his power, revealing he has been conducting rescues SOLO.
• Cream manages to convince Gemerl, who was going borderline Knight Templar in his efforts to protect the family, to start considering the zombots to be victims rather than enemies and not use lethal force on them.
• Cheese and Chocola's Heroic Sacrifice. Doubles as a Tear Jerker.
• Doctor Starline, despite his worship of Dr. Eggman, being willing to see the flaws in his leader's plan and take action on his own.

"Last Minute" arc (Issues #21-24)

• An off-hand comment by Sonic reveals that Silver is handling Ice Paradise all on his own.
• Tails DOES manage to find a cure! If it weren't for a Zombot attack destroying his computers, the arc would have been over! He even manages to hold off a horde on his own with the help of the Tornado 2.
• Amy looks over a horde of Zombots. Her response? Glare at them like a badass and smash her way through them with her trademark hammer without getting touched once, even managing to rescue Cream with a hammer jump.
• Vector's Heroic Sacrifice. Since preventing Zombot!Charmy from reaching the escape shuttle infects him, too, Vector promptly charges the other Zombots without hesitation. On his way, he basically tells Gemerl to shut up for stating the obvious, salutes Espio, and with a smile on his face...
  Vector: Hey, Espio, you're lead detective now.
• Eggman's Creepy Awesome Badass Boast after his Ignored Epiphany, followed by his and Starline's fight with Sonic above a Zombot horde.
  Eggman: You can't stop me! No one can! The Metal Virus's infection has spread exponentially! I couldn't stop it now even if I wanted to! All that's left is to find a way to command the Zombots, and then I will finally RULE THE WORLD!
  Sonic: (Loses it) Fine! Tails will handle it! And I'LL handle YOU!
  Eggman: HAHAHA! One last battle before you're my Zombot slave?
  Sonic: One last butt-kicking before we lock you away forever!
• Turns out, Starline is aware that the Zeti are planning to double-cross him after they take over the Zombots, and is planning to take control of them in turn.
  • The chilling, but epic Wham Shot at the end of Issue #24 when he reveals his intentions to Eggman, summoning the Deadly Six onto the Faceship after Eggman tries to dismiss listening to his plan. His Death Glare while doing so shows he is done with Eggman blowing him off.
    Starline: No, sir. I insist.
• Tangle's Heroic Sacrifice is this, a huge Tear Jerker, and Nightmare Fuel all in one. Upon being infected, Tangle chooses to use her tail as a living barricade to hold off the Zombots so that the evacuation shuttle can escape. And she also still finds the time to give Sonic a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech regarding his guilt over how letting "Mr. Tinker" live indirectly led to the plague. She finally turns right as she throws one final punch at the horde.

Year Three

"All or Nothing" arc (Issues #25-29)

• Love him or hate him, you have to be a bit impressed with Zazz for his quick headbutt and allowing Zeena to take the Conch away from Starline.
• Points to Orbot and Cubot for pretending to defect to the Zetis' side so they can act as The Mole for Rouge.
  • And, of course, there's Rouge. She managed to infiltrate the Faceship without being detected, and is now working to undermine the Zeti's control and plans. Not just that, she'd been there for days, working out how to take the emeralds, and was nearly about to when the Deadly Six arrived.
• Cream gets an understated one when she talks Whisper down from shooting Eggman in the head...by stepping in front of her crosshairs before she can pull the trigger. Sure, Whisper wouldn't shoot through a civilian, much less a kid, but it takes courage to do something like that.
  • Crossing over with heartwarming, Cream admits she's willing to trust Sonic and the others to see the matter through. For her to still have hope in the Darkest Hour - to trust Sonic, despite this whole mess sort of being his fault for depending on Eggman's amnesia - speaks volumes of Cream's inner strength.
  • Keep in mind that Cream has lost her mother and two Chao because of Eggman. Defending him is not easy for her to do.
• Near the end of the issue, Starline tried to say, "Screw This, I'm Outta Here" when the others proposed to use the Warp Topaz, intent on finishing the original plan. Cue Metal Sonic grabbing him, wrenching the Warp Topaz gauntlet away from him, and kicking him through his own portal. Considering the whole mess was Starline's fault, this was pretty much Laser-Guided Karma at its most therapeutic.
  Eggman: Starline? You're fired.
  • Sonic's reaction to this is awesome in that for once, he's not interested in intervening in favor of letting Starline get what he deserves. Clearly, the Blue Blur's had enough.
  Tails: Are we okay with this....?
  Sonic: The guy brought Eggman back to his old self and tried to blow me and Silver up. Yeah, we're okay with this.
• Another subtle one. Most of the Zeti keep a safe distance away from the zombots they control. Not Zeena, who's so confident in her abilities, that she's perfectly willing to have them carry her around and fan her.
  • Her control is demonstrated quickly when she takes over G-merl within an instant of his appearing through a portal to attack Cream without even acknowledging his existence. Damn...
  • However, Gemerl can resist Zeena's control. He and Cream proceed to team up and get the Chaos Emerald off of her, and when she's deprived of its power, Gemerl delivers a satisfying Curb-Stomp Battle before throwing her into the zombot crowd, infecting her.
  Gemerl: You. Hurt. Cream.
  • Props to Zeena as well for not just proving a fierce opponent, but also for going down fighting rather than in fear.
• Big ups to Cream in the fight who actually spin dashes Zeena directly to save Gemerl from her control. Even Zeena is shocked she got decked by a kid. Even better Cream's ultimately the one to get the Chaos Emerald off her, allowing Gemerl to finish Zeena off (even though Cream still ends up getting infected in the process).
• Tails and Amy team up to defeat Zomom by dropping a gate on him. Once they have the emerald, they simply leave him to the zombots.
• Whisper takes down Zor with an incredible shot from her Variable Wispon, blasting the Chaos Emerald off his chest and vaporizing the energy clones holding Silver with one ricocheted Laser blast. Once Zor's weakened, Silver psychokinetically crushes the owl mecha the Zeti was riding on and leaves him to the Zombot horde. Even Zor is impressed that they would leave him to such a fate.
• Espio's purple vs. purple duel with Zazz is equal parts awesome and funny. At first, he attempts to sneak up on Zazz and get his Chaos Emerald while invisible, but Zazz picks up his scent and throws him to the Zombots. Espio keeps his cool and goes all-out, chaining his camouflage, speed, and ninja moves in rapid succession to overwhelm Zazz and escape with the Emerald. In the end, Espio's calmness and maturity win out over Zazz' craziness.
  • Props to Zazz as well. Even shrugs off Espio's No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on him and is still standing, ready for "round two", when Espio disengages. He ends up being the only Zeti besides Zavok who isn't left to the mercy of the Zombots.
• The Babylon Rogues attack Zik, who immediately hijacks their Extreme Gear, leaving Wave and Storm surrounded by Zombots. Jet, though, eventually delivers a Pre Ass Kicking One Liner and knocks Zik off his perch with a powerful blast of wind, allowing Storm to give the Zeti a knockout punch and Wave to snag the Chaos Emerald with her wrench. Wave and Storm lose their airboards in the fight, so Wave tells Jet to leave them behind, which he refuses to do. After sending his Extreme Gear back through the return with the Chaos Emerald attached, the trio make an Old West-style Last Stand against the Zombots, determined go down fighting.
  Zik: Humor an old man and beg for mercy? It's been so long since I crushed the enemy under my own heel.
  Jet: We're the Babylon Rogues. We don't beg. We don't give up. AND WE DON'T LOSE!
  • Issue 30 ups the awesome factor by confirming that not only did they successfully fend off the Zombots, but none of them got infected at all!
• Rouge's spectacular theft of the Chaos Emerald powering the Faceship as it approaches Angel Island. She sits pretty on Eggman's throne and taunts Zavok before making her getaway.
  • And yet, Zavok, Orbot, Cubot, and the assembled Zombots survive the Faceship's destruction completely unscathed.
• After the Faceship crashes, Zavok summarily has a Villainous Breakdown and transforms into a giant. Compared to its appearance in Sonic Lost World, IDW's take on his giant form, with its sheer size and power, is as awesome as it is terrifying. And what's more, he's got a Secret Weapon on his side: Sonic's Zombot-ified friends.
  Zavok: This is your last show of resistance? This is all you can muster? You may have destroyed my means of creating more Metal Virus, but I still command the Zombots! I will have them infect every inch of the globe! I will see your precious world grow sick and perish!
• Knuckles's Heroic Sacrifice. Against Sonic's warning not to, he slugs Zombot!Shadow so hard that the latter is momentarily stunned. This infects him, and Shadow manages to strike back at least once, but Knuckles has the upper hand until his infection overtakes him and he becomes a Zombot, too.
  Knuckles: We've got to keep them away from the Master Emerald and refugees! So save the day already!
  • Worth noting is Knuckles told Espio he'd take care of the Metal Virus refugees. Half his motivation here is keeping that promise.
• Doubling as Black Comedy, Eggman gets infected with his own Metal Virus—by Froggy, no less! Laser-Guided Karma at its finest.
• Sonic and Silver's offensive on Zavok, aided by Metal Sonic, in order to get the final chaos emerald. Metal proves exactly why he's Eggman's finest creation, protecting Sonic from an onslaught of thrown Zombots, Zavok's fire breath and getting Sonic close enough to grab the emerald, resulting in, for the first time in the IDW comics, Super Sonic!
• Super Silver just showing up is this, mainly for the fact that, outside of small cameos, this is the first time Silver has transformed since his debut game.
• It's not uncommon for several pencillers to work on each issue, swapping over halfway through. In issue #29 however, the pencils are supplied by Adam Bryce Thomas for the entirety of the book, and it wouldn't be unreasonable to say he supplied the comic book equivalent of an Animation Bump . Not only does his art absolutely sell the desperation Sonic & co. are feeling as he teeters on the edge of being completely overtaken by the Metal Virus, ABT also pencils some stellar action, with a particular highlight◊ being Sonic performing what's effectively a Raging Demon on Zavok once he's finally able to go Super, putting the Zeti down quickly and effectively.
  • Super Silver points out how anti-climactic that was, with Super Sonic responding that they've exhausted all time for flashiness. This implies that he could've mopped the floor with past enemies if he'd wanted to and was Just Toying with Them.
• Super Sonic and Super Silver combining their powers to suck up every last trace of the Metal Virus and sending it through the Super Warp Portal into the sun.
  • This also highlights just how powerful Super Silver is when you think about it. Keep in mind that the Metal Virus infects people on a molecular level, so the fact that Super Silver was able to remove the entire virus from every living being on the planet with precise accuracy and detail while moving at well over the speed of sound is really impressive.
• The fact that, along with Silver and the Babylon Rogues, Rouge, Espio, and Whisper ultimately avoided infection altogether. Whisper merely lucked out (she froze and left herself open when Zombot!Tangle went for her), while Espio got double-teamed by Zombot!Vector and Zombot!Charmy but managed to dodge circles around both of them. Rouge, meanwhile, pulled it off by sneaking over to the Master Emerald and lounging on it the whole time.

"Out of the Blue" arc (Issues #30-32)

• Zavok, now back to his normal size, recovers and tries to hijack Gemerl. Like Zeena before him, though, he makes the mistake of underestimating Cream, who stands up to Zavok and sics Cheese on him even as Vanilla and the surrounding crowd cower. The whole scene is one big CMOA for Cream, and even better, it's immediately followed by a combined assault from Tangle, Whisper, Silver, and the Chaotix, who lay yet another Curb-Stomp Battle on Zavok and arrest him.
  Cream: Mr. Sonic will come back and stop you!
  Zavok: Then you won't be here to welcome his return! Any last words, whelp?
  Cream: Yes, sir. CHEESE! GET 'IM! (Cheese comes down, punches Zavok in the face, and does an Eyelid Pull Taunt)
  Zavok: You dare?!
  Tangle: (Joins the fray, smiling in the face of danger as always) Yeah, we do!
  • Zavok himself impresses with his tenacity. Keep in mind that surviving a beatdown from Super Sonic is no easy feat, much less with only minor injury. To give him even more credit, he manages to more or less shrug off everything the heroes throw at him, with only Silver's telekinesis stopping him. And even then, it takes all of Silver's focus to keep him pinned down.
• Horrifying though it is, Metal Sonic shows once again why he's Eggman's most dangerous creation. He manages to stab Gemerl In the Back to rescue Orbot and Cubot, so quickly that no one even sees him coming, then fights Shadow long enough for Eggman to ensure his escape. In fact, not only does he fight Shadow, he wins, sending Shadow crashing into the ground and taking him out of commission just long enough.
• Rouge preempting the Babylon Rogues' attempt to rob Jewel's museum.
• The heroes managing to rally and take on Eggman's Party Crusher mech even without Sonic around.
  • Tails and Rouge working together to free Gemerl from the mech's control.
  • Cheese, of all people, actually getting a hit on Eggman himself.
• Blaze using the Sol Emeralds to restore Sonic's memories.
• To give Eggman credit, he doesn't just rely on his mech's weapons, but actually takes several shots at the heroes with a personal handgun. Plus, he very nearly wins before Sonic returns.
  • Not just a handgun, he pulled out a Heterodyne-class death ray. That's probably the most practical weapon he's ever used.
• Sonic returns just in time to save the others. He proceeds to pull Omega out of the mech, which the enraged robot proceeds to destroy.
  Omega: Unleashing stockpiled wrath!

"Chao Races and Badnik Bases" arc (Issues #33-36)

• Cheese's Heroic Second Wind and amazing comeback at the end of the Chao race's qualifying round.
• Shadow, furious at Clutch's abuse of his Chao, knocking the opossum out cold with a roundhouse kick.
  Omega: Analysis complete. Shadow's plan is better than Rouge's!
• Belle saving Tails from an Egg Keeper twice, with him returning the favor the first time.
• Two more from Tails: first he lures a horde of Beats into suicide-bombing a door, opening an escape route, and then he chews Sonic out for wanting to leave Belle behind, forcing the blue blur to let her tag along.
• Clutch living up to his species' reputation and fooling the heroes into thinking he's still unconscious (even beating Gemerl's scanners), then taking a shot at Amy with his cane gun before fleeing.
• Amy taking on a huge Snowy solo, complete with an epic Badass Boast. And then taking it down with help from Gemerl and Clutch's freed Chao.
• Shadow catching Sonic after the latter falls off a roller-coaster.
• Rouge freeing herself from bondage right under Starline's bill after he kidnaps her and Tails on the roller-coaster. Then attacking him with Omega's head, which unleashes a sonic attack to knock him off the ride.
• Rouge and Amy tag-teaming Starline in the chateau.
  Rouge: Oh, no, I can't seem to stop hitting you. Could this be a side effect of that hypnotism and kidnapping.
  • When Starline slips away from them to grab Tails, Tails responds by pulling Belle's cord, causing her to kick Starline in the beak. Then the heroes run off and leave Starline to be crushed by his own avalanche.
• For all the beatings and humiliation Starline suffered, he actually did get what he was really after. A sample of Tails's DNA, taken from a handful of fur. All of the other cartoonishly villainous theatrics were just a distraction, leaving the heroes thinking that he was utterly defeated.

Year Four

"Test Run" arc (Issues #37-40)

• Tangle zooming into the machine shop from out of nowhere and using her tail to save a boat accidentally destabilized by Belle.
• Belle performing a Hassle-Free Hotwire on an Extreme Gear bike, which she and Tangle then ride to Eggman's towering new base. Despite crashing the bike due to her inexperience, Tangle actually does pretty well for a first-time driver.
• Tangle and Belle infiltrating Eggman's tower without any of the Badniks inside noticing them.
  • And then, Tangle ambushes Orbot and Cubot, trapping them in the coils of her tail.
• Eggman using a VR headset to manipulate the tower's interior and push Sonic, Tails, and Amy to their limits. Every time they think they've got the better of him, they're met with a nasty surprise, and using a trio of Egg Vipers, it isn't long before he has the heroes at his mercy.
  Eggman: Don't worry, I won't crush you too quickly. I haven't had this much fun in ages! HA-HA!
• When Tangle sees Sonic, Tails, and Amy struggling against the Egg Vipers, she ties her tail to a pipe and—disregarding the risks in doing so (as Belle points out)—bungee-jumps through a portal into the fray.
  Tangle: Whatever happens, happens. Trusting your gut and accepting the consequences is just what heroes do. Trust me on this.
  Belle: (Reluctantly steps aside) ...Okay.
  Tangle: HERE GOES NOTHING!
  • Not only does Tangle drop in just in time to save the others, she also makes the fight with the Egg Vipers easier, as Eggman gets distracted with Belle when he vents at Orbot and Cubot. With the Egg Vipers now on autopilot, Sonic, Tangle, Amy, and Tails easily cripple them before Eggman resumes control. Tangle then hoists Sonic (as well as Amy, until Tails picks her up to lighten the load) to safety through the portal she came through.
    • Additional props to Amy for using an Egg Viper's tail as a weapon, instead of her hammer.
      Amy: It's nice to branch out a little from time to time!
• To give Tangle even more credit, she ends up destroying the tower because she unwittingly left her tail in the portal, overloading it and causing the whole place to implode, which in turn clears up the storm it was causing. So, not only does Tangle save her friends, she saves the whole day, by accident!

"Zeti Hunt" arc (Issues #41-44)

• A villainous one for Zavok in his Badass Boast about the Zeti species:
  Zavok: And I thought I'd found Zazz in a pathetic state...
  Zomom: I was weak with hunger! Now I only get three meals a day lemme out so I can eat 'em up!
  Zavok: You are Zeti. You are of the Deadly Six. You do not accept rationed feedings. (frees Zomom) You consume all.
• Zeena kicking a pair of Restoration soldiers while imitating Sonic's pose on the cover of Sonic Adventure.
• Starline sneaking into Restoration HQ the back way and kidnapping Belle, using the Deadly Six's attack on the base as cover. No one but the machine shop foreman (whom Starline poisons to coerce Belle into surrendering) notices a thing.
  • Before grabbing Belle, Starline unknowingly saves her and the foreman from Zomom by hypnotizing the latter into leaving. He does it easily enough to impress even himself.
• Sonic absolutely books it to Restoration HQ the second he hears about the Zeti's attack. He zooms across the landscape, leaving sonic-booms in his wake everywhere he goes, until finally he intercepts the Zeti outside the base's control room. The look on his face until he gets there tells all.
  Sonic: Heya, jerks! Am I late for the party?
  Zavok: No party, hedgehog. But you're just in time for your funeral.
• Whisper providing cover fire for Sonic through the hole the Zeti punched in the control room's doors. And when Zeena tries to reach in and grab her Wispon, Tangle punches her in the face with her tail.
• Sonic putting down Zazz, who refuses to stop fighting.
  Sonic: Dude! Stop! You're done!
  Zazz: Not done till I'm DEAD!
  Sonic knees him in the face and then spin dashes into the wall, knocking him down.
  Sonic: Nah. You're done.
• Just when it seems that the Zeti are about to win, Tails shows up with his Zeti-Zappers and saves Sonic from Zomom, with the pair then quickly taking out most of the others.
  • Zavok briefly retakes the upper hand by grabbing Sonic by the head and mocking Tails, which he doesn't take lying down.
  Zavok: You're out of tricks, boy. Now what?
  Tails: I use the skills Sonic taught me, that's what!
  Tails spin dashes Zavok in the stomach and face.
  • And then, when Zavok grabs Tails, Tails uses the opportunity to slip a zapper onto him, taking him down.
  • And to finish things off, Sonic tosses the final zapper at Tails, who then deflects it at Zor, putting him out of commission.
• When Zavok mocks Sonic for showing the Zeti mercy and that they'll return to make him regret it, he has a brief bit of PTSD as he recalls the consequences of likewise being merciful to Eggman and Metal Sonic. However, he brushes it off, stating that he won't abandon his principles out of fear, and promising to beat the villains no matter how many times it takes. Zavok actually respects Sonic for this commitment.
• A villainous example: Starline ends the arc getting what he wants. He goads Belle into an emotional enough state that he can get all the data he needs for his plans, and when the Chaotix show up to save her, he reveals that he's already transferred the data to his real HQ, before using his Tri-Core to escape.

"Trial by Fire" arc (Issues #45-47)

• To get the panicking crowd's attention, Amy breaks the campground's central boulder in half with her hammer. Wow.
• As Belle and Tangle are falling down a hill towards a cliff edge while riding a friendly Motobug, Belle has Tangle pull her tail, causing her legs to kick out at just the right moment to launch the three across the ravine.
  • Tangle then gets a moment when she grabs a rock on the other side to finish pulling them across when their momentum starts to slow down.
• All four heroines banding together to stop the wildfire, with special mention to Amy and Tangle's synergy and Belle—in one of her few truly badass moments—helping Jewel evacuate the camp while riding the Motobug.
• Jewel gets an understated one. Until now, she lacked the inner strength to lead the Restoration without Tangle's support, but handling the fire situation steels her enough to go it alone. This frees Tangle up to freely adventure with Whisper.

Year Five

"Hit the Pavement" (Issue #48)

• The damaged cables the Chaotix find in the sewers implies that Kit, albeit off-screen, went ahead with sabotaging Central City's power grid from underground while Surge wrought havoc in the streets. More proof that the kid can be just as dangerous as his partner.
• The Chaotix thwarting Clutch's scheme after stalemating Rough and Tumble.
  • Clutch himself gets one when he swipes a pair of Espio's smoke bombs and pulls a vanishing act with the skunk brothers in tow.

"Wound Up" (Issue #49)

• Sonic defending Tails from a Brainwashed and Crazy Belle, even blocking her first strike barehanded.
  • Tails in turn saving Sonic from Belle and an also-brainwashed Motobud by tagging the former with a spare Zeti Zapper, freeing her from the control signal.
• Belle deciding to confront Eggman head-on after her latest misfortune—which, judging by the look on her face, was one too freaking many.
  Belle: I am going to find that man and give him a piece of my mind because I am tired of being yanked around.

"Battle for the Empire" (Issue #50)

• One of the main draws for the Issue #50 is the long-awaited showdown between Dr. Eggman and Dr. Starline — the original Big Bad versus his self-styled Superior Successor. And from start to finish, it doesn't disappoint.
  • Starline's Evil Gloating about how things are going as planned is interrupted when he sees something out the window: Eggman, piloting the Egg Emperor.
    Eggman: Excuse me, Doctor...you're in my seat.
  • Starline doesn't stay flat-footed, however, and dodges the Egg Emperor's lance before counterattacking the Humongous Mecha with the Tricore's Power setting. He then flees and stays out of Dr. Eggman's sight long enough to work out where Eggman got his mech from. Cue him raiding the Memorial Garage too, and busting out the Egg Robo!
  • In the ensuing mecha duel, Starline rants about how everything he's done has been to prove his tactics are superior to Eggman's, so that the latter can join him in world domination. Dr. Eggman isn't having any of it, and demonstrates his superior piloting skills by overpowering the Egg Robo and impaling it with the Egg Emperor's lance.
  • Once again, Starline demonstrates the power of the Tricore by unleashing a full-powered blast of all three of its Power Cores, destroying the Egg Emperor and leaving Dr. Eggman to continue the battle on foot. With Starline's Tricore, the Big Bad is at a disadvantage...or rather, would be, except that Eggman baited Starline into busting out that Death or Glory Attack, leaving the Tricore drained and powerless!
  • As a final, desperate ploy, Dr. Starline uses the hypnotizer device on his glove to try and enslave Dr. Eggman...who responds by flipping down the goggles that he's always worn above his brow, their protective lenses cancelling out the hypnotic lightwaves. One last desperate kick from Dr. Starline is blocked, followed up by Eggman slamming the platypus into the ground, and establishing once and for all who deserves to be the Big Bad.
    Starline: (attempts to use hypno glove) ...Why aren't you...
    Eggman: You told me all about your inventions, remember? You were so very, very proud of that glove in particular. Did you honestly think I'd let you stay by my side with that kind of power on hand without taking some precautions?
    Starline: Y-you... actually listened to me? B-but you n-never said... Acknowledged... NO! This isn't fair! You've never shown this much foresight!
    Eggman: I've made my mistakes. One of them was tolerating you for this long.
    Starline: I refuse to lose! Not when I'm this close!
    (Eggman catches Starline's kick and whips him into the floor, knocking him out)
    Eggman: Little man, what makes you think you have any choice in the matter?
• The other much-hyped showdown for issue 50 was Sonic & Tails going up against Surge & Kitsunami, and that tag-team match is worth the wait, too!
  • Surge & Kitsunami quickly separate Sonic & Tails, isolating them from each other and ensuring that the ensuing duels are properly one-on-one.
  • Surge is quick to sneer at Sonic's moral code and carefree outlook on life, vowing to burn everything to the ground out of spite. Sonic doesn't give in to anger, however; even as he finds himself evenly matched with the murderous Surge, he takes the time to explain his outlook on life, and how he won't give up on taking the high road just because it doesn't work EVERY time.
    • It's worth noting that Sonic doesn't discount the fact that some of his enemies will spit on his mercy — when Surge tries to twist his words about ensuring everyone's free to make their own choices to justify her own actions, Sonic points out that Surge's violence would deprive others of their freedom and happiness, and he won't let that happen.
    • Sonic's unwillingness to give in to anger lets him keep a cool head, allowing him to overcome Surge's enraged, wild attacks with precision blows, tripping the latter up and sending her tumbling off ravines, twice. The second fall leaves Surge clinging to a ledge over a high chasm, leaving her at Sonic's mercy and ending the fight.
    • Even in defeat, Surge is Defiant to the End; giving Sonic a static jolt when he tries to pull her to safety was practically sealing her own doom, but she manages a spiteful smirk of satisfaction.
    Surge: Heh. Got the last hit.
  • Tails proves that he's taken after Sonic by likewise appealing to Kitsunami's conscience, both by showing admiration for the latter's hydro-tails, then convincing the latter to stop fighting long enough to explain his actions. Even when Kitsunami ultimately refuses to surrender peacefully, it turns out Tails was ready for that, too — he took advantage of his counterpart's unstable outbursts to trick him into using up all the water in his hydro-pack, leaving Kitsunami powerless when Tails disconnects it.
• Then there's Belle, who has the bearings to track down Dr. Eggman and confront him. Re-affirming that the kindly Mr. Tinker is well and truly gone, she promises Dr. Eggman that she'll be moving on from him, repairing all the robots that he callously abandons and helping the good guys.
  • Mixed over with a potential heartwarming moment, Dr. Eggman's impressed that Belle was able to override Dr. Starline's hacking of his robots by using herself as a router. Even when she turns down his offer to join him as a mechanic, Eggman's still willing to let her leave without any hassle.

"Escaping the Empire" (Issue #51)

• Surge's escape from the waste disposal plant. Although weakened from her fall, she manages to climb out via a garbage chute through sheer force of will.
• While Tails and Belle hijack a shuttle with Kit in tow, Sonic takes on a HUGE amount of Badniks by himself to stall for time. Except...
  • Eggman correctly guesses he's being baited, so he pretends to fall for it while sending Metal Sonic to intercept the shuttle. Once Sonic's on board, Metal tears clean through the shuttle like a hot knife through butter, crashing it and crippling Sonic's leg in the process (thus taking away his Super-Speed). Two birds, one stone.

"Overpowered" Arc (Issues #52-56)

• Tails running back into the wrecked, burning shuttle to save Kit.
• Freshly-restocked on water, Kit effortlessly takes down Metal Sonic while Sonic, Tails, and Belle make a run for it. Bonus points for the badass Death Glare he gives off prior.
  • This moment also shows how powerful Kit is if you think about it. Keep in mind, Surge was no match for Metal Sonic without Kit's help, and he took a hit or two himself while following her lead. Here, Kit kicks the robot's ass without needing Surge, proving that with free rein and enough water, he's more than capable of handling himself.
• While it leads to a Tear Jerker moment, Belle throwing herself between Sonic and Metal Sonic and daring the latter to go through her is her boldest act thus far, proving how far she's come.
• Using the Dynamo Cage, Surge manages to overpower Whisper in a fight, absorbing her Wisps to power herself up even further.
  • Whisper herself is no slouch even after losing the upper-hand, grabbing a shard from her broken Wispon and attempting to stab Surge until she flattens her with Blue Cube. She even lends Sonic her last Wisp, and heartbroken as she is when this backfires, she still doesn't want to give up.
• To stop Surge's rampage, Tails and Sonic set a trap for her, and although she resists, she incapacitates herself in the process.
• Kit intervening on Surge's behalf, and Tails likewise defending Sonic from Kit.
• When Surge gets the jump on Eggman in Starline's abandoned base during #55, he responds by grabbing her by the locks and yeeting her off of him. To Surge's credit, she manages to absorb its Chaos Drive to further bolster her powers and uses her Wisp powers to their fullest.
  • Starline gets a posthumous one via a pre-recorded message of him telling Eggman that he found the latter's private access codes and deleted them, which leaves Eggman at Surge's mercy. Starline's work on Kit and Surge is also acknowledged by his idol, who considers his work to be impressive.
  • The whole "Overpowered" arc can be considered one final and unexpected Who's Laughing Now? for Starline. After being a total No-Respect Guy in life, he actually manages to deconstruct it by having a legitimate Villainous Legacy, with a disturbed Sonic and Tails and an amused Eggman acknowledging him as a genuinely dark and calculating character from all the chaos he caused them even in death.
  • Once Sonic, Tails, Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic corner Surge, she flees because she knows she doesn't stand a chance against their combined power. It also helps that Metal Sonic's art accentuates his intimidating design, complete with purple flame from his back and a glint in his eye.
• The climatic showdown in Issue #56 has Sonic, Tails, Metal Sonic, Surge, and Kit duking it out, with Starline's imposters putting up an impressive fight against the game cast. The art really helps accentuate the fight with fine details and wonderful panel composition, with Surge getting a badass-looking rainbow aura as the fight progresses.
  • Thanks to the Dynamo Cage, Surge manages to put up a decent fight against both Sonic and Metal Sonic. She manages to fake-out the latter by going for Eggman, only to grab Metal Sonic at the last second and start swinging him into Sonic. This is followed up by Metal Sonic using his Black Shield, which Surge absorbs for herself using the Dynamo Cage, allowing her to copy his V-Maximum Overdrive Attack and take the robotic double out of the fight.
  • Despite Sonic's efforts to try to get Surge to stand down, Surge rejects his offer, pins him down into a body of water, and begins shocking the hell out of him. If the Dynamo Cage didn't give out when it did, Sonic likely could've died there.
    • To give Surge even more credit, Sonic's expression after she finally drops, and the lengthy pause before his Gasp of Life, suggest that his heart momentarily stopped while she electrocuted him. If so, then Surge would be only the second person (after Mephiles) to ever succeed in killing Sonic, however briefly. And unlike Mephiles, she pulls it off in a straight fight.
  • Tails gets Kit to stand down early in the fight, seemingly managing to reason with him. Kit later pulls a Villainous Rescue when Sonic and Tails are getting double-crossed by Eggman, rescuing Surge in the process. Then he tries to bury them all in the remains of Starline's lab before escaping to fight another day, implying that he only pretended to be talked down so as to keep Tails occupied; in other words, Kit literally outfoxed Miles Prower. He gives a really brutal takedown to Sonic before leaving, too.
    Kit: Starline. Eggman. You. You're all the same. You don't need me or Surge. You want us. All that matters is what we can do, how you can change us. So you can prove that your way is right. I'm going where I'm needed, and that's with Surge.
  • After Sonic, Tails, Metal Sonic, and Eggman have managed to escape the Collapsing Lair, Eggman tries to skedaddle, only to be met with one hell of a Death Glare from Sonic, complete with a detailed Extreme Close-Up. Eggman meekly asks for the truce to continue for a little longer, to which Sonic, clearly fed-up, agrees, conceding that he has to bring the Wisps back to Whisper. Shows that despite Sonic's own morals, you wouldn't want to mess with him when he's truly angry.

Year Six

"Urban Warfare" Arc (Issues #57-61)

• During Sonic and co.'s stand against Eggman's forces while Tails accesses and analyzes one of Eggperial City's crystals, the group manage to separate an Egg Hammer from its... well, hammer. Amy, with help from Silver, promptly goes for the obvious upgrade and gives the giant Badnik a good PIKO.
  Silver: You did most of that. How...
  Sonic: 'Cuz she's awesome!
  Amy: (Exhausted) Thanks!
• Once Team Dark enters the city, Eggman decides to break out some Badniks he'd been saving for a special occasion: The Shadow Androids. They're so powerful that it ends up putting the heroes on the back foot.
• While the Shadow Androids are overwhelming them, Rouge suggests that Shadow uses his Chaos powers to help level the playing field, with Shadow rebutting that he doesn't have a Chaos Emerald that could allow him to. Tails then relays to him that the city is filled with fake Emerald crystals that emit Chaos energy. Shadow, while dismissive of the crystals for being a cheap imitation, is able to tap into them like they were normal Chaos Emeralds. What ensues is him using Chaos Control to lay a beatdown on the Androids across a single page, while everyone else (sans Sonic naturally) stares in awe. While Shadow's body ends up overloading with Chaos energy, it also causes a momentary power surge across the city, forcing Eggman to activate a limiter and reboot his systems.
• The Neo Diamond Cutters have managed to infiltrate inside the tower, but Eggman's reboot of the city causes them to be seen. Eggman takes advantage of the three's helplessness, managing to capture both Whisper and Lanolin, while maintaining an air of intimidation as well.
• As Tangle uses her waning intangibility to evade him, Metal Sonic pulls a Trick-and-Follow Ploy to track down Sonic and the others. However, Amy isn't in the mood for his crap and collapses part of a building onto the robot before he gets a chance to attack.
  • Despite this, Metal Sonic somehow beats the heroes to the elevator in Eggman's tower and jumps them there. When he tries to knock Sonic down the shaft, however, Tangle gets fed up with his sneak-attacks and blindfolds him with her tail, then piggyback-rides him all the way to Eggman's throne room.
• When Tangle and Team Sonic enter his throne room and overwhelm him—which his chief hench-bots do nothing about—Eggman takes matters into his own hands and turns the tables. He shoots Amy's hammer clean out of her grasp with his laser handgun, allowing Metal Sonic to knock Sonic down, and when Tails disables the limiter, Eggman switches to Plan B and turns his tower into quite possibly the biggest mech he's ever built.
  • Eggman doesn't stop there, capturing Sonic himself with his improved portal traps, siccing Metal Sonic on Tails and Amy, and restraining Tangle when she tries to interfere. Tangle tries to sneak-attack him from behind with her tail...only for him to hold his gun against her head. Tangle promptly desists because she knows she can't hit Eggman faster than he can pull the trigger.
• Lanolin and Whisper, having been freed from Eggman's traps offscreen, reveal themselves just as he and Metal Sonic have Tangle, Amy, and Tails at their mercy. Complete with a Badass Boast from the former two.
  Eggman: (to Tangle) You made a serious mistake siding with these idiots.
  Lanolin: (steps out from behind Eggman's throne) Perhaps...but it's better than letting you have your way.
  Eggman: You-- Who are you people?!
  Lanolin: I believe you met our namesake, the Diamond Cutters. We serve as a small, specialized strike team that assesses danger and offers aid in extreme conditions. But mostly, we intend...
  Whisper: (pounces) To be a problem.
• While Team Sonic and the Neo Diamond Cutters confront Eggman in his tower, Silver, Blaze, Rouge, and Omega struggle to free Shadow from his Crystal Prison. As Silver prepares to bust him out, Shadow wakes up and has a Heroic BSoD, telling Silver to leave him. Not only does Silver refuse and give him some pep-talk, their dialogue all but denounces Silver's infamous Character Catchphrase.
  Shadow: I'm fine. Go. Your effort...is of no use.
  Silver: No use? NO USE? I'm not giving up that easily, and neither are you! You're the Ultimate Lifeform, aren't you? Are you going to let an overgrown rock tell you what do do?! (busts Shadow free) Well?
  Shadow: (Beat) You're right...I am the ultimate.
• Since shutting down the citywide network disabled Eggman's traps, Sonic is released from them along with Whisper and Lanolin. And as soon as he is, he knocks Metal Sonic out the window, crushes Eggman's handgun underfoot, and tells the doctor straight to his face that, at long last, he's pushed his luck too far and he knows what comes next, while clenching his fist, followed by a shoulder-high panel of Eggman screaming and falling to the floor. While not shown fully, it's heavily implied that Sonic slugged Eggman hard in the gut over everything he done.
• Metal Sonic hijacks a Turtloid in a final attempt to take out Sonic, but the ensuing chase lands him in Omega's crosshairs—the chance of a lifetime for the latter. Sonic himself, clearly fed up, knocks his doppelgänger into Omega's gunfire, reducing Eggman's Magnum Opus to a limp, smoldering junk-pile. "The ultimate E-Series robot", indeed.
• With Eggman's city crumbling around him, he decides to just cut his losses and attempts to bury everyone and everything in the city in a last-ditch attempt to claim victory. Shadow, on the other hand, is having none of it. He takes complete control over the crystalized Chaos Energy and encases Eggman's mech in it, giving everyone else enough time to help Sonic land the finishing blow. And right as the city is about to explode and take everyone with it, Shadow uses one final Chaos Control to transport the entire city into the sky as it explodes.
  Shadow: This city is a true monument to your hubris, Doctor. I'll show you the monster you've made! CHAOS CONTROL!

"Misadventures" Arc (Issues #62-66)

• Clutch and Mimic spend the whole arc playing Knuckles, Silver, the Restoration, the Chaotix, and the Babylon Rogues like a baby grand piano. By the finale, they've successfully infiltrated Restoration HQ with the heroes overall none the wiser, putting Mimic within arm's reach of revenge on Tangle and Whisper while Clutch cons the unsuspecting Jewel into a business arrangement.
• Vanilla gets an understated one when she comes home to find it ransacked by Rough and Tumble, who were trying to take Cream hostage. All she has to do is calmly scold them with a Grin of Rage on her face and they beg for mercy, putting the kibosh on their break-in even before the Chaotix show up for a planned dinner outing.
  • There's something to be said for the fact that Vanilla—one of the normalest, calmest, and least-combative characters in the entire Sonic franchise—can strike fear into heroes and villains alike when she's displeased, especially if they somehow put Cream's life at risk. Actual Pacifist or not, NO ONE messes with a mother's child!

Miniseries

"Tangle and Whisper” (Issues #1-4)

• Whisper in general. Her badass combat skills aside, her Cool Mask is revealed to have several neat bells and whistles installed: along with the targeting scope, it has a video playback function and, cooler still, a Universal Translator that lets the mask's wearer(s) talk to Wisps.
• Tangle is initially The Load, being duped by Mimic twice among other incidents.^note The miniseries itself even starts with her crashing upside-down into a chili-dog vendor's cart For all her clumsy mishaps, however, she does get her moments to shine. The trap she and Whisper set for Mimic in Issue #4 was Tangle's idea, and her elastic tail is ultimately too powerful for him to escape.
• Whisper's fight with Mimic (disguised as Tangle) in Issue #2, which for all intents and purposes she wins handily. Mimic only gets away because he locked Tangle in an airtight safe and left her to suffocate, forcing Whisper to back off so she can go to the rescue.
• The flashback sequence at the beginning of Issue #3. Via Whisper's mask, Tangle watches a video recording of Whisper and her old team, the Diamond Cutters, in action. The whole scene is basically two straight pages of nothing but them kicking ass and looking cool doing it, effortlessly mowing down Badniks en masse as they level one of Eggman's compounds. The group's tragic fate is quite a shame, because they were one badass team.
  • One highlight of the recording comes from Whisper herself (who back then was much cheerier and more talkative):
    Whisper: (Outside the compound with a Rocket Wispon) Actually, looks like Eggman was expecting us. Tank inbound. (Promptly one-shots said tank) Nevermind—hee hee!
• The Diamond Cutters' leader, Smithy the Lion, was a genius mechanic who made all the team's equipment, including Whisper's Variable Wispon. Judging from what little is seen of him, he would've given Tails a run for his money!
• Mimic himself is a very dangerous adversary^note The Bad Guys miniseries even rates him as the second- or third-most dangerous IDW Sonic villain, behind only Eggman and the Deadly Six, and the the faces he makes are nothing to laugh at, but his disguises aren't perfect and he's not very resilient, so he loses the advantage once his targets know his game. His Omnipotence Extreme Gear is pretty neat, though.

"Bad Guys" (Issues #1-4)

• Starline showing he can, in fact, engage in physical combat when he needs to, although he refrains from it unless necessary since he lacks Sonic and co.'s physicality and martial arts skills.
• The ease with which Starline infiltrates a high-security prison is Creepy Awesome. Then all the villains show off their individual attributes during their Great Escape.
• Starline's group attacking the Power Core factory and the Eggnet Hub.
• The robotic T-Rex that confronts Starline's group in the second issue has EM shielding that prevents Zavok from hijacking it. Has Eggman finally found a way to protect his machines from the Zeti?
  • Rough and Tumble take the robo-rex down in a manner badass enough to impress Starline and Mimic.
• Mimic and Zavok figure out Starline's true intentions and expose him to the skunk brothers during the Eggnet Hub raid. But Starline manages to use his new Tricore to escape, incapacitating the skunk brothers on his way out using his poison heel spurs.
• Eggman amassing a whole air force (comprised of the Egg Hawk and a bunch of Balkirys) to take down whoever's attacking his bases.
• Starline and the skunk brothers flee after Mimic rats them out to Eggman and leaves them to die, framing Zavok in the process. When Eggman shows up, Zavok turns the base's defenses against him, damaging the Egg Hawk, but Eggman simply bombs the place into oblivion. That's right: Eggman defeats (and almost kills) Zavok without needing to team up with Sonic and co.! Zavok just barely survives and is reduced to using an Egg Pawn as a crutch as he sets out to find his fellow Zeti.
  • Eggman's Badass Boast before departing the scene puts the cherry on top:
    Eggman: And that is what you get when you mess with the best.
• While Zavok loses outright, Eggman suffers major damage to his infrastructure, and Rough and Tumble go empty-handed (albeit as free men), Starline and Mimic get what they wanted out of the whole ordeal. Starline scores himself a new base, new powers, a sizable chunk of territory, and the resources to enact his plans, while Mimic has been erased from Eggman's records, rendering him all but invisible as he sets out to get revenge on Whisper.
• The fact that Rough and Tumble almost seem to be holding the Sanity Ball in this arc. Not only do they actually prove effective to the mission plan, but they're the only villains really trying to invoke genuine camaraderie while everyone else is plotting to backstab the group out of mistrust or self-gain. When it's obvious their allies are no good, they simply up and leave, managing to just avoid the carnage between Eggman and Zavok.
• The miniseries ends with a badass shot of Starline on his throne in his new HQ as he declares independence from Eggman, disavowing his former idol for good. Thus, a new villainous faction is born in Sonic's world.
  Starline: I won't be conquering the world to prove myself to Dr. Eggman. I'll conquer it to prove it to myself. And I won't be proving I'm Eggman's equal. I'll prove I'm his superior replacement.

"Imposter Syndrome" (Issues #1-4)

• The imposters successfully conquering an Eggman base in no time flat.
  • After an Egg Breaker injures Surge, a very pissed-off Kit grabs its mace with his water tentacles and throws it back with enough force to puncture the Super-Badnik's chest armor like paper. This allows Surge to finish it off easily when she recovers.
• Learning the true extent of what Starline has done to them, Surge and Kit turn on him, eventually overpowering him. They then give him a taste of his own medicine and hypnotize him into thinking they're still loyal, all while plotting to hijack his plan and destroy him along with Eggman and the heroes.
• Working together, Surge and Kit manage to take down Metal Sonic.
  • Metal Sonic himself deserves props for being the only robot who actually gives Surge and Kit a serious challenge. Even when they use teamwork, he still doesn't go down easy.
• When Starline seizes control of all of the badniks and thus takes over Eggperial City, Eggman doesn't panic for a minute, merely knocking out Orbot and Cubot when they try to restrain him and calmly fleeing through an escape chute to a hangar full of Humongous Mechas so that he can start fighting back.
  • In what may be his most grave miscalculation yet, Starline assumes that Eggman is a sitting duck now that his control systems have been turned against him. But the "memorial garage" he escapes into is filled with some of his biggest and greatest machines from final encounters across the series. Said mechas are also operable offline, setting Eggman up to Break Out the Museum Piece for his confrontation with the platypus in Issue #50.

"Scrapnik Island" (Issues #1-4)

• The start of Issue #2 reveals that E-117 Sigma was the first of Dr. Eggman's Badniks to reawaken on the island. In response, he ends up carrying the torch of his older brother Gamma in giving his fellow robots a chance at having a life that was robbed from them by rebuilding them by hand with what was available between the remains of the Death Egg, the Egg Carrier, and the assorted nonvital components. Sigma helped hand-craft an entire civilization, one free from the machinations of their original creator at that.
• Mecha Sonic and Mecha Knuckles get into an all-out brawl over Sonic's presence on the island, making use of their respective "prosthetic" limbs to take each other off guard. After it seems like Mecha Knuckles has knocked Mecha Sonic down for the count he comes back online enraged by the reminder of his defeat at the real Knuckles, grabs Mecha Knuckles by the back of the head, and drags him into a brutal Spin Dash that leaves the robotic echidna a smoking heap on the floor.
• Once Tails is notified of Sonic's capture by Mecha Sonic, what does he do? He grabs whatever he can find from the island to build himself a makeshift blaster and targeting scope.
  Tails: Let's go save Sonic.
• Mecha Sonic's assault on Tails and the other ally Scrapniks is a total Curb-Stomp Battle in his favor, picking off each member of the team like he was a Xenomorph.
• Once Tails is all alone, Mecha Sonic asks him to hand over the Miles Electric. Despite the odds against Tails, however, he won't give it up.
  Tails: Come take it.
• The beginning of Issue 4 sees him try to enact his Grand Theft Me plan between himself and his biological counterpart, but some friendly Scrapniks jump in and spare Sonic from having his mind wiped. However, this ruins Mecha Sonic's plans, and in a fit of rage, roars out the most infamous and iconic line from his Super Mario Bros. Z counterpart.
  Mecha: It's gone... it's all gone... all my work... now I'll never get off this island... ...you ruined EVERYTHING. I'LL CRUSH YOU!!!!!!!!
• After being freed by the Scrapniks, Sonic starts fighting Mecha Sonic as they run throughout the Death Egg. Despite Mecha's taunts about his injured leg, Sonic pushes through the pain and starts running at full speed, eventually managing to out-maneuver his metallic foe and land a kick to the face powerful enough to shatter his makeshift leg brace.
  Sonic: Ah, but see, that's the thing about limits, though... [performs the Super Peel Out] ...they're meant to be broken!
• The sheer fact that Sonic managed to talk through a foe after many previous failed attempts in the series beforehand, with said foe being Mecha Sonic, of all characters! To put this into perspective, he redeemed a major and — despite his wear and tear in the present — formidable antagonist from one of the most beloved games in the series, and a fan-favorite one, at that. Not only is it a significant change in the status quo, but it proves that Sonic's idealistic approach to villains isn't completely without merit.
  Sonic: (in response to Mecha Sonic's Despair Speech) CUT THE CRAP, WILL YA?! You give yourself value and purpose! No one else! You gotta live for you! That's what it really means to be free! NOW! TAKE! MY! HAND!
  (Mecha takes Sonic's words to heart and grabs his hand)

One-Shots

"Sonic the Hedgehog: Annual 2019"

• Whisper jumping off of the Babylon Rogues' airship to save a falling Jewel, with Tangle leaping after to save them both (and stealing back the stolen gems while she's at it).
• Rough and Tumble face off against an Egg Golem in an abandoned Eggman base and destroy it. Then Rouge scares off the pair by taking advantage of their fear of a supposed curse on the place.
• Sonic and Tails using the Tornado's new souped up booster engine to chase down a badnik stealing Resistance supplies, driving it into a volcanic geyser to destroy it.

"Sonic the Hedgehog: Annual 2020"

• Considering Big's obliviousness to the Metal Virus' existence, let alone its effects, the fact that he didn't get Zombot-ified sooner is pretty impressive. Near the end of his story, he fights a small pack of Zombots with his fishing rod and ties them to a tree before hightailing it. The only reason he got infected in the end is because he didn't notice that Froggy got infected; aside from that, he got out completely unscathed.
• Nite the Owl's resolve, especially the part where he states that if even his radio broadcasts save only a handful, it's still Worth It to him. Doubles as a heartwarming moment when his speech touches Don the Rooster enough to forego escaping and come back to help.
• Vector and Espio capturing Zombot!Charmy with a Smoke Out. Also, Zombot!Charmy playing hard-to-catch by surrounding himself with Zombot Flickies, which is pretty smart for a mindless robo-zombie (or Charmy in general, for that matter).
• Jewel volunteering, in Tangle's absence, to help the Sonic Fan Club's president find his missing friends, managing to save the club's vice-president, and outrunning an attack from the Faceship and several Zombots. While she gets infected in the process, she doesn't outright panic (which is remarkable, considering how timid she is) even as Eggman attacks with more of the Metal Virus. Also, her distress call to Tangle gives at least some of their neighbors a chance to get out even though she and Tangle don't make it.
  • As sad as her story is, Jewel proves she's a hero in her own right even though she's not an Action Girl. In a way, it foreshadows her becoming the Restoration's new leader after relieving Amy in Issue #31.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special"

• Knuckles versus Metal Knuckles over a Chaos Emerald. If Metal Knuckles hadn't cheated, the real Knux would've won.
• The Hooligans^note Fang the Sniper, Bean the Dynamite, and Bark the Polar Bear versus Team Sonic and later Team Rose (comprised of Amy, Mighty, and Ray). Also chalk-loaded with Funny Moments.
  • During the second fight, Ray grabs one of Bean's bombs with his Prehensile Tail and flings it down at Fang and Bark before diving in to save Amy.
• The climactic battle with the Heavy King.

"Sonic the Hedgehog: Annual 2022"

• Blaze boarding a pirate ship and swabbing the deck with its crew? Awesome. Her Unflinching Walk across lava as she approaches Knuckles? Epic.
• The whole fight between Omega and Gemerl, especially when the latter gets a Heroic Second Wind after initially being beaten down.
• Cream and the Sonic Fan Club attacking Orbot and Cubot, whom they tie up. Also a funny moment.
• Whisper riding Jet's Extreme Gear and shooting down a Super-Badnik which kidnapped him. Extra props for shouting at him to be quiet.

"Team Sonic Racing One-shot"

• Everyone and their Wisps attacking Eggman all at once.

"Tails' 30th Anniversary Special"

• With this being an earlier point in Tails' life, he's still a nervous Kid Hero in comparison to Sonic. Once the blue blur ends up being captured by the Witchcarters, it's all up to the fox to save the day.
• With the help of the Flickies, Tails manages to defeat each of the Witchcarters one-by-one thanks to some clever planning and improvisation when his initial plans go out the window.
• When confronting Witchcart herself, Tails manages not only to free Sonic, but defeats the old witch without the help of the blue blur.

"Familiar Territory"

• Sonic returns to the very first town that he helped save all the way back in Issue #1, Vista View. There, Sonic finds the local with a hammer Wispon he saved in that same issue, now more confident and stronger than before and able to bust Badniks. It turns out after meeting the blue blur, the local was inspired by heroics, even trying to protect his neighbors when the Metal Virus hit. Granted, he ended up being infected like the rest, but it's a testament to how Sonic can inspire those around him to become better than they were. The one-shot ends with the two ready to team up against another wave of Badniks looking to attack.

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