Sonic the Hedgehog #03IDW PublishingU.S.A.April, 2018
Retrieved from Grabber Zone
(https://grabber.zone/comics/sonic-idw/2018-2019-neo-metal-sonic-saga/sonic-the-hedgehog-03/),
an online Sonic comic collection gathered for educational purposes
A value of 'NNC' for the cbml:panel element's
@characters attribute is an acronym standing for No Named Characters, meaning no
characters with names appeared in the panel.A value of '???' for the cbml:balloon's @who element
means that the speaker of the line is unknown or unclear for some reason. In certain
scenes, the comic might be implying a line is said by a character, but really have it
be a different character.A '(?)' within a note with a type value of
'panelDesc' means that the encoding author saw something unidentifiable, or else is
unsure of their own identification.Encoded by Reece Cullen, Alyssa Hopple, and Kayla
Hopple.
A small corner box at the top left of the comic
cover.IDW ISSUE 3 COVER A
The word 'Sonic' is in big gold and blue lettering, 'The Hedgehog'
is in white on a red backdropSONICTHE HEDGEHOG
Knuckles the Echidna is pictured in front of Green Hill Zone, pumping his
fist at Sonic as he scowls at him. Sonic, who is behind Knuckles, is upside down,
and he appears to salute Knuckles. Two Choppers are below Sonic and Knuckles, one
of them in the air, and the other in a river near a waterfall.
SEGA
A render of Sonic pointing forwards poking out of a red and blue star is
centered on the page, framed with small golden rings
Written by Ian Flynn Art by Jennifer Hernandez Colors by Heather Breckel Letters
by Corey Breen Edited by Joe Hughes & David Mariotte Published by Greg
Goldstein
Special thanks to Anoulay Tsai, Mai Kiyotaki, Aaron Webber, Michael Cisneros,
Sandra Jp, and everyone at Sega for their invaluable assistance. For
international rights, contact licensing@idwpublishing.com
IDWwww.IDWPUBLISHING.com
Greg Goldstein, President & Publisher • Robbie Robbins, EVP & Sr. Art
Director • Matthew Rozicka, CPA, Chief Financial Officer • David Hedgecock,
Associate Publisher • Laurie Windrow, Sr. VP of Sales & Merketing • Lorelei
Bunjes, VP of Digital Services • Jerry Bennington, VP of New Product Development
• Eric Moss, Sr. Director, Licensing & Business Development Ted Adams,
Founder & CEO of IDW Media Holdings
Oh, shoot! For once I'm too late. Sonic witnesses a Death Egg Robot fall in front of a
fortress. "Looks like Knuckles hogged all the fun!" Knuckles rips the wires off of the fallen Death Egg Robot as
Sonic runs down a hill, approaching them.
Yo Knux! Save any for me? Sonic! Long time no see! Knuckles greets Sonic by raising his fist. What brings you out here? I ran into Amy in the next town over. She
said you were looking into trouble here. I thought I'd lend a hand. Knuckles jumps down in front of Sonic, who taps his foot. Y'know, you're awfully far away from the
HQ, Commander Knuckles. Ugh... don't remind me. Sonic grins as Knuckles brushes the Death Egg Robot parts off himself. It was more interesting when we were
fighting to save the world. Now that we're focusing on rebuilding, it's all
scheduling and inventory and... peh! I've got no patience for it. I'm ready to get
back to Angel Island and go on a good old-fashioned
treasure hunt. I hear ya. Amy tried to get me to enlist
full time. Ha! You? She
should've known better. Sonic winks at Knuckles as they stand in front of the fallen Death Egg Robot. So, what's going on here? This town is a hub for Wispon
distribution. The shipments suddenly dried up, so I came to see why. Sonic points at the Barricade Town wall. Knuckles folds his arms.
Hey! I'm the commander of the resistance! I took out all of
Eggman's robots! Let me in! Sonic and Knuckles look up at the top of the wall. Knuckles shouts with his eyes closed. S-sorry, sir, but I'm under orders not to
open the gates to anyone! A dog-like character peeks out at Knuckles.
Says who?! I-I-I can't say! Knuckles snarls angrily. Sonic crosses his arms. Knuckles and Sonic look at each other with determined looks
on their faces. Sonic and Knuckles climb the walls of the fort as the
dog-like character leans out a window, shocked.
Sonic and Knuckles land into the fort grounds, and two
animals are shocked about their entry. The Badnik attacks have been getting more aggressive lately. Maybe that's what's got them
spooked? I don't think so. Something else is going
on... As many animals panic, run away, and hide in their homes,
Sonic and Knuckles wander further into the town. You shouldn't have done that!
You shouldn't be here! Why? Whatever's wrong, we can fix it. The brown dog descends from above, looking worried. Sonic and Knuckles turn to face him. No-- you can't! They took all the Wisps and Wispons! Without those Wispons, or a
way to power them, we don't stand a chance! They're unstoppable now! "They" who? Listen, buddy-- you just watched my friend
here solo a Super Badnik. We can handle ourselves. Start from the beginning--
what's up? The dog-like character shakes nervously. Sonic crosses his arms and Knuckles puts his hands on his hips.
Gulp True enough... okay... ...Just before the war ended, a couple of
mercenaries showed up and they were ferocious. They
drove back Eggman's forces and saved the town.
They said they were going to improve our defenses... The brown dog recalls Rough and Tumble standing atop a pile of broken Badniks in front of a wall of flame. ...But what they really did ws take our
arsenal and took us prisoner within our own town!
Now we have to do everything
they say. We have no way to fight back. And we can't escape with all the robots
stalking outside the wall! The brown dog recalls their town being surrounded by Egg Pawns. Well then. I think we need to take our
complaints straight to the management, eh, Knux? Absolutely. Sonic looks over at Knuckles, smiling. Knuckles slams his fists together angrily. Where can we find these clowns? Th-they turned the supply depot into a
fortress. Just down this road on the right-- you can't miss it. Cool. Sit tight. We've got this. The brown dog points to the right. SOnic and Knuckles run that way, Sonic flashing a peace-sign back at the resident.
Knuckles glides into a room where there are crates and Wisp
containers everywhere. Sonic watches Knuckles investigate the room from the window. Yo! I found the Wisps! Sonic notices Deployment Pods, including a Blue Cube, White Boost, Red Burst, and Yellow Drill Wispon. Just before he... went solo... Tails
gave us the cipher for the Wisps' language. We asked for their help in fighting
Eggman.
They volunteered happily, even choosing to wait in deployment pods like
these for when our troops could enter an area.
But these guys are being horded.
This is inexcusable. Knuckles pets a Yellow Drill's container sadly a Green Hover and Blue Cube sit behind them. HA! HA! HA! Hang tight just a little longer. We'll free
all of you! Knuckles hears a laughing sound as Sonic whispers to a Blue Cube.
HA! HA! HA!
Nice one, idiot! Yeah! Now get us another round before we
beat some sense into ya! Rough and Tumble sit a food-laden table, surrounded by residents looking worried or annoyed. It's clear they've been forced into servitude for the skunks' enjoyment, acting as waiters, jesters, and frond-wavers. Wow. They make the hooligans
look like class acts. I'm gonna break them in
half! Sonic looks unimpressed. Knuckles appears furious. Steady. Let's take this one
slow. Give the villagers a chance to get out of the line of fire. Right. Then I'll break
'em! Sonic puts a hand on Knuckles' shoulder, who is gritting his teeth.
Hey! Tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dumber! Rough and Tumble look surprised. Rough spits out his chocolate milk. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. Maybe you've heard
of me? This is Knuckles the Echidna, commander of
the resistance.
You guys are guilty of theft, extortion, kidnapping, and being
grade-A jerks.
So you can either come along quietly, or we're gonna get loud.Sonic grins cockily, Knuckles settles into a boxer's pose. Who said you could come into our town,
huh?! Who said you could ruin our fun?! Yeah, we've heard of you, hero! But you clearly ain't heard of us! Tumble breaks a glass in his anger. Rough begins to get up. The residents hurry out of the room.
You lookin' to scrap? Then get ready to crumble! Brace yourselves for-- Rough and Tumble begin to approach. Tumble slams his fists together. --Rough &
Tumble! Rough and Tumble strike epic poses. Confetti materializes around them.
...Oh no. I was not prepared for this. Careful, Sonic. They're highly
coordinated. Sonic holds back his laughter as Knuckles raises his fists. Knuckles... you're the salt of the Earth. Sonic laughs as he leans on Knuckles for support. Knuckles looks surprised and confused. Whatever-- let's get
'em! Sonic and Knuckles charge toward Rough and Tumble.
FASSSHH Rough vaults over Knuckles, dodging his punch. FASSSH SMASH Sonic spin-dashes into Tumble, who is forced backwards. Knuckles swings a punch at Rough across his face. ?! THUNNKKKK Tumble catches Sonic as Sonic tries to spin-dash into Tumble
again.
SMASH Tumble bounces Sonic like a ball. Tumble throws Sonic like a ball. WHAM Sonic hits a wooden pillar feetfirst. Tumble has a surprised look on his face. SOK Sonic spin-dashes into Tumble again, this time hitting his
face. Tumble falls backwards across the table.
FASSSHH Rough does a wall-jump above Knuckles. Stink bomber! Rough looks at Knuckles while grinning.
FASSSH Rough unleashes a big, green cloud of stinky gas on Knuckles, curling into a ball.
Knuckles, with tears in his eyes, launches at Rough, readying a punch.
WHOOOMM Knuckles punches Rough so hard that he drills into the floorboards.
C'mon bro, we ain't done yet... Tumble picks up Rough from the ground. Whugh... you okay, dude? I'mb fuhne. Sonic and Knuckles try to resist Rough's stench. Sonic holds his nose while Knuckles massages his jaw with bloodshot eyes. No more messin' around! Say your prayers, chumps! Rough and Tumble pick up nearby Wispons. Okay, that
might be a problem. Sniff I'll distract them. You grab a Wispon of
your own and-- Sonic and Knuckles crouch into defensive positions. No... I can do one better... Sonic smiles, recalling a high-five shared with Yacker, the Wispon ambassador.
Wisps! It's me-- your old buddy Sonic! I
saved your planet from Dr. Eggman, remember? Sonic calls out while Knuckles smiles. A bunch of you chose to stick around on
this world! You helped me on Lost Hex! You helped the resistance fight the Eggman
Empire! Rough and Tumble look confused as Sonic continues talking. I know fighting isn't your thing, but
you've proven you're all powerful and brave!
Don't let these jerks boss you
around! They need you to bully everyone, but you don't need them! Sonic ensures that the Wisps are strong, courageous
creatures, and he talks to the Wisps about Rough and Tumble. An Ivory Wisp is loaded inside Tumble's yellow Wispon. A Red Wisp is loaded inside Rough's red Wispon.
Gyeh! As the Yellow and Red Wisps escape from Rough and
Tumble's Wispons, Rough and Tumble reel back in shock. Many Wisps surround Rough and Tumble, including Red, Orange, Yellow, Ivory, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Pink, and White wisps. Sonic and Knuckles fist-bump each other smugly as Orange, Blue, and Ivory Wisps float angrily above them. C'mon
c'mon c'mon! One of you get in this thing right now! Click Click Click Rough smacks his Red Wispon, glaring at the Red Wisps above him. Tumble hits his Yellow Wispon frustratedly.
The tables have turned. They've certainly bumbled. It's butt-kick time for Rough and Tumble!Sonic stretches and Knuckles slams his fists together as they approach. Angry Wisps float around them.No no no!That's our thing! You can't do our thing! As Tumble opens a crate, Rough angrily throws down his Wispon. SOK SOK Sonic and Knuckles knock Rough and Tumble out as the Wisps cheer them on.
YAAAAY! YAAAAY! YAAAAY! As Sonic and Knuckles take Rough and Tumble out of the fort,
many animals and Wisps cheer for Sonic and Knuckles. You did it! How can we ever repay you? Serve up some chilidogs and we'll call it
even. The dog-like character from earlier approaches Sonic. This
time, the dog-like character has a Wispon. Er... what's it saying? ●♥▲♫! No idea. I don't have Tails' translator
handy. The Yellow Wisp happily speaks in its native language. Sonic and
the dog-like character look confused. The Yellow Wisp enters the dog-like character's Wispon. I get it now. It's saying the Wisps plan to
stick around and help you guys defend the town. Thank you! Thank you so much! The dog-like character holds the Wispon with tears in their eyes. Sonic winks and holds up a finger.
Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted. You two are going to be locked up for a long
time. Peh! A bat and a fox look at Rough and Tumble angrily. Their little cells won't hold us for long!
We'll be out-- and then we're coming for you! You've made lifelong enemies of-- --Rough &
Tumble! Rough and Tumble sneer backwards as they're taken away.Knuckles raises his fists at Rough and Tumble, who flinch backwards. Sonic laughs, doubling over. Everyone else laughs at Rough and Tumble as the two
perpetrators get taken out of the fort. Knuckles sighs and crosses his arms.
Thanks for the help. Not that I needed it... Nah, but you didn't share the Badniks
outside. You owed me this. Knuckles and Sonic tap their fists together. Hopefully this is the start of things
settling down. I really do miss home. I wouldn't mind a vacation myself. First
we've got to figure out who's controlling Eggman's leftover Badniks. Sonic and Knuckles pet some Wisps as they plan what to do in
their next adventure. But before that-- we party! YAAAAY! YAAAAY! YAAAAY! Sonic and Knuckles are surrounded by happy residents and Wisps, cheering. As Sonic and Knuckles celebrate with the animals and Wisps, a
Flapper watches them from above.
So... Knuckles is still playing hero on
the surface. A hidden figure sits on a chair with Dr. Eggman's symbol on it and watches Sonic and Knuckles through a large screen.
That means Angel
Island is unguarded. The Master Emerald is prone.
That will accelerate
my plans considerably...Next time: Sonic tangles with a new hero & another
returns in a blaze of glory! Details about Angel Island are shown on Dr. Eggman's screen.
A teaser about the next issue of this comic book series is shown on the
bottom-right corner of this panel.
A render of Sonic the Hedgehog stands and gestures in a presentable
fashion.
Hello Sonic fans! Hope you enjoyed Sonic the
Hedgehog #3 & Knuckles! Some very exciting action with the debut of
those bad boys Rough and Tumble, but they sure crumbled before Sonic and Knux in this
fantastic story by Ian Flynn, Jennifer Hernandez, Heather Breckel, and Corey Breen!
Nice work, team!
Now, as usual (oh man, we can already say "as usual"? Wow!) here's
your art, cosplay, and letters!
So I've been a Sonic fan for as long as I can remember.
Fanart of Super Sonic and two Chaos Emeralds
Art by Mecha the Techa
One of my earliest and clearest memories is when my big sis got my big bro a Sega
for Xmas. The one that came with Sonic 2 and had him and Tails on the box. I remember
doing my best to play Tails and help my bro get through levels as fast as we could.
The cartoon was why I woke up on Saturday mornings. I remember I'd be up before
anyone even without an alarm clock cuz I knew Sonic was gonna be on.
I grew up with the blue blur. I've caught up to the comics til just before the end
of the long run. Sonic has been my inspiration, motivation, and role model for
decades. I always wanted to be like him. I'm nearing 30 years old now and still love
everything Sonic. It's a kind of love and loyalty you cant lose. No matter how fast
you run. Love you Sonic, hope this comic run lasts even longer than the last.
Sadko Von Margolin
That's really wonderful, Sadko! I'm glad that we get to play some
small part in bringing Sonic to you. A lot of people have come to us and told us
about how Sonic is a massive part of who they are, just like you did. That's a really
amazing thing and we're so glad you shared!
If you'd like your fanart, cosplay pictures, or letters to show up
in this very space, send them to
Fanart of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in the air with a view of various
locations in the background.
Art by Dustin Wilkinson (OZKai)
A photograph of a man cosplaying as Sonic the Hedgehog in a running pose,
with a black background and a blue and white explosion behind him.
Cosplay by Christopher Wanamaker
letters@idwpublishing.com, include your name, and mark
them "OKAY TO PRINT!" Also, don't forget to join the IDW Sonic Comics Squad Facebook
Group to see even more amazing art and info on your favorite comic! We'll see you
back here with more letters and more fan art next week!
-Joe Hughes and David
Mariotte
Fanart of various Sonic characters accompanying the avatar from Sonic
Forces.