Rough and Tumble-r

You lookin to scrap? Then get ready to crumble! Brace yourselves for- ROUGH AND TUMBLE-R! (This is a page where a dorky artist known as PeridottoPuffu/AugustChao/WolfyPuffu in other places talks about the Sonic IDW comics. Also, this should go without saying, but spoilers ahead.)

[roughandtumble-r]

Like I did last time with Issues 82 and 83, this time I'll be talking about both Issues 84 and 85! YEAH!

Eggman tries to remotely control Belle, but it's revealed that Belle has a safety measure in place for this specific situation, so Eggman quickly loses control. However, Eggman is still able to communicate to Belle, so he asks her to help locate Metal Sonic, who has gone missing along with some of his tech.

Belle is only willing to help if Sonic can come along, which Eggman agrees to, and he also sends Sage along with them to help as well, and the three meet in Holoska to begin their search.

Belle evidentally has a bit of a grudge against Sage as soon as they meet due to her thinking Sage is her replacement as Eggman's daughter, but Sonic later reassures her that she can't be replaced, and her and Sage begin to be more friendly with each other.

Anyway, they do eventually find Metal Sonic, but there's a device on him that keeps him from being controlled by Eggman or connected to by Belle, and he begins attacking the trio.

Without any other options to regain control of Metal Sonic, the trio then escapes to a nearby Eggman base, where they find the rest of Eggman's machines that have gone missing...

Sonic splits off from Belle and Sage to explore the base and possibly find who's behind all of this, but in doing so, he finds a coffin that teleports him to a strange room with copy of himself, and Sonic and his look-alike have a race while Belle and Sage look through the stolen machinery and run away from Metal Sonic when he appears again. They also begin working on a weapon to use against Metal Sonic using some of the parts that they found...

Sisters bonding over building weapons of mass destruction :3

Metal Sonic finds them just as they're finishing the weapon, and they're able to fire it just in time to both blast Metal Sonic and break Sonic out of wherever he was, but the moment of peace is cut short as Metal Sonic gets back up and runs away with Sage in hand.

That's it for Issues 84 and 85, but we also got the solicit and covers for Issue 87, which is set to come out in June...

Attack on the Master Emerald!

With all of the Chaos Emeralds in the world going missing, Sonic, Amy, and Tails travel to Angel Island to warn Knuckles that the Master Emerald is in danger. Although the four friends together are near-unstoppable, everything changes when Angel Island passes beneath a powerful storm, separating the team!

Trapped underground, Amy and Sonic find themselves facing eerily familiar opponents, while on the surface Knuckles and Tails are left to weather the raging storm. But the tempest isn’t the only danger on the island—in the midst of the chaos and confusion, a shrouded figure has arrived with their own plans for the Master Emerald…

A new arc on the Road to 100 starts here!

It was also revealed that there will be a Sonic X Godzilla crossover starting in the Summer as well as a 35th anniversary special that will come out at some point this year and will be getting a deluxe edition in December. Also, Tangle and Whisper are now in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds :3

[roughandtumble-r]

Sorry it's been a couple of months again, but I'm finally ready to talk about Issues 82 and 83! Also, first post of 2026! Woo!

So after Sonic and Tails find Lunar and the Chaos Emerald, Lunar reveals that Lunar's real name is actually Soleil...

Soleil was a part of an acrobatics team made up of Soleil's family called the Celestial Troupe, but Soleil was removed from their acts due to choking from fear and not meeting their expectations, which led Soleil to becoming a fan of Sonic and his acrobatic maneuvers by watching videos of him online. A side effect of this however is that Soleil's internal love of acrobatics and knowledge gained from watching Sonic manifests itself into an alter ego named Lunar, and Lunar is the one who stole the Chaos Emerald before Soleil regains control. After all of this is revealed, Soleil's parents Apogee and Perigee arrive with Lunar's siblings, and they begin fighting Sonic due to them blaming him for Soleil's recent acts of defiance, which also prompts Soleil to change back into Lunar, who once again tries to escape. Sonic however is able to convince Lunar that Soleil has what it takes to prove Soleil's self to Soleil's parents without Lunar taking control, which prompts Lunar to change back into Soleil just in time for Soleil to do just that.

After a little bit more help from Sonic and Soleil confronts Soleil's parents about how Soleil's been feeling, Apogee and Perogee finally realize that they were wrong to force their expectations onto Soleil and drive Soleil away, and they agree to support Soleil from now on.

...wait, did they have that confetti and sign on them this whole time just in case something like this happened? :3

Their celebration is short lived however, as Shadow and Rouge show up and start fighting over who gets the Chaos Emerald, which is then followed by Eggman suddenly appearing as well, which leads into Issue 83.

Eggman just so happened to arrive in Sequin in a mech called the Egg Juggler without realizing that Sonic, Tails, Shadow, and Rouge were there with a Chaos Emerald as well, but once he realizes that Sonic and the gang are there, Shadow and Rouge set aside their plan to take the Emerald to help Sonic, Tails, and Soleil beat Eggman, eventually culminating in Shadow attempting to use Chaos Control but getting cut short when Eggman takes the Emerald for himself.

As the others continue fighting, Tails and Rouge begin messing with the Egg Jugglers power supply, and with a little help from the Celestial Troupe, they succeed in destroying the Egg Juggler and Eggman flees.

The Chaos Emerald is also nowhere to be found after the scuffle, but everyone begins to part ways, unaware that the mysterious figure carrying the other Chaos Emeralds in a coffin is watching from above and has gotten their hands on the last one...

And that's it for Issues 82 and 83! We also got a few covers and the solicits for Issues 85 and 86, which are set to come out in March and April...

In their quest to find Metal Sonic, the now-trapped Sonic, Belle, Motobud, and Sage discover that someone has used stolen Dr. Eggman tech to take control of creatures. During their search, Sonic becomes trapped in a cryptic illusion, leaving Sage and Belle to work together to fend off the controlled Metal Sonic. Will these three creations of Dr. Eggman be able to find common ground? Or will these relationships explode?

With Sage captured by a corrupted Metal Sonic, the favorite daughter of Dr. Eggman is about to be deleted. The only way to survive? Combine forces with her "sister," Belle. As the two overcome their pain and fight to survive, they find themselves caught with Sonic under the whim of a mysterious ghostly figure.

Imprisoned in its sinister lair, will the children (and ultimate enemy) of Dr. Eggman be trapped forever beneath the harsh ice?

I also mentioned in one of my last posts that Sonic Frontiers takes place between Issues 82 and 83 leading to Sage's introduction in Issue 84, but that info is no longer on the Sonic Wiki and some have noted an obvious discrepency given that the Chaos Emeralds are both in the hands of the mysterious coffin person and involved in the plot of Frontiers at seemingly the same time, so Frontiers taking place in between Issue 82 and 83 might not be accurate anymore and Frontiers' placement in the timeline of the comics might just be ambiguous. It was also revealed back in November that the Chasing Shadows one-shot has officially been canceled, but some elements from it could appear in the main series at some point in the future including a new villain named Bones the Falcon, but we'll have to wait and see.

[roughandtumble-r]

I finally drew Lunar :3

https://www.deviantart.com/peridottopuffu/art/Lunar-the-Sugar-Glider-1261141893

[roughandtumble-r]

Sorry I haven't done a post talking about the comics in over a quarter of a year, a lot of life stuff happened in August and September that kept me from being able to do as much, and I've been busy ever since. That being said though, I've been meaning to talk about both Issue 80 and 81 for a while and finally decided to crack down and do that this weekend, so that's what I did!

Starting off with Issue 80, Sonic and the Chaotix have arrived at the Clean Sweep Inc base they've come to investigate, and they're greeted by both robots who want to fight them as well as Shadow and Rouge who join in their battle as well.

Rouge explains that the Chaos Emerald she stole from the Mineral Museum back in the 2022 annual has gone missing, and she was also sent by GUN to gather intel on Clean Sweep Inc following their downfall and Shadow decided to tag along with her. More robots then appear from the base, and Espio and Rouge go inside to try to get the info while everyone else stays outside and fights. Rouge has trouble shutting off the base's systems that are controlling the robots, but Espio deploys the method he learned from Shadow to fix the issue...

With the base's defense systems down, Rouge is able to download the info she needs from the base's computer, and Shadow sets out to use said info to stop the rest of Clean Sweep's remaining operations before everyone else goes their seperate ways. What they don't know however is that someone has been watching them and has six of the Chaos Emeralds including the two that went missing in a coffin...

Moving on to Issue 81, Sonic and Tails continue their search in the city of Sequin, which is holding an event called the Grand Carnival and has the seventh Chaos Emerald on display. They end up bumping into Shadow and Rouge again, and they reveal that they're all there for the same reason, to monitor the Emerald and see if the same person who stole the two previous Emeralds makes an appearance. That person does in fact arrive during a performance by an acrobat troupe called the Celestial Troupe, and that person is revealed to be a master thief named Lunar.

Through fire, justice is served!

Heeeeeeeeeere's Lunar! :3

Lunar makes a getaway with the Emerald, and Sonic, Tails, Shadow, and Rouge all follow in pursuit, but Rouge wants the Emerald for herself and Shadow wants to take matters into his own hands, so they end up competing to see who of them can retrieve the Emerald. In the end, Sonic and Tails are victorious and Tails plants a tracker on Lunar to find out where Lunar took the Emerald, and they use it to find Lunar in a warehouse with the Emerald. However, Lunar doesn't know how Lunar got the Emerald and gives it to Sonic and Tails, meaning Lunar might not have been in control of Lunar's own actions when taking it. Also, Eggman's here too!

And that's it for both Issue 80 and Issue 81! We also got the solicits for Issues 82, 83, and 84, which are set to come out in November, December, and January...

The Celestial Troupe strikes back! Sonic and Tails thought they’d be in for a fight with the mysterious thief Lunar, but what they really should have been worrying about was Lunar’s family! Meanwhile, Shadow and Rouge are still on their trail. As enemies close in on all sides, will they be able to make it out with the Chaos Emerald and discover what’s really happening here?

Dr. Eggman knows how to party hard, and he’s here in the town of Sequin to show Sonic & Co. how it's done! The scuffle for the Chaos Emerald continues as Eggman attacks in his latest mecha, the formidable Egg Juggler. Will the heroes prevail? And who will finally claim the seventh, and final, Chaos Emerald?

Metal Sonic has gone missing! In his desperation, Dr. Eggman promises Belle the Tinkerer that he'll remove her connection to the ruthless robot if she uses it one last time to find him. Not trusting the mad scientist, Belle agrees only as long as Sonic comes as protection. Backed into a corner, Dr. Eggman concedes with a condition of his own. As Belle and Sonic set out on their quest, they must be accompanied by one of his greatest creations—the artificial intelligence Sage! How will the robotic "family" react to this unexpected reunion? Don't miss Sage's official IDW debut as the next arc on the road to #100 starts here!

It's also been revealed that the events of Sonic Frontiers take place sometime between Issues 83 and 84, which is why Sage is making her introduction in IDW in Issue 84.

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 79 came out almost a week ago, so it's time for me to finally talk about it! However, since this issue marks the end of the long-running arc between Whisper and Mimic that's been going on since the first couple years of the series' run, I'd recommend reading the issue first before reading this post talking about it if you don't want to see spoilers.

Anyway, picking up where the preview in Issue 78 left off, Mimic approaches Whisper at the Rainbow Ravine while disguised as Cream, but Whisper quickly sees through his disguise, and the two make it clear that they both intend on ending their feud once and for all.

By the way, I really like the buildup leading into their fight, and I especially like this bit right here where it highlights Mimic and Whisper's different viewpoints on working with others because I think it connects really well with everything that's happened involving the two of them up to this point...

And going along with Whisper's idea of friends being important, she surprises Mimic by revealing that she didn't come into this fight alone, as both Silver and Tangle are also here and ready to fight Mimic alongside her. The four then duke it out for a while before it's revealed that Mimic brought an explosive power core with him, and he activates it to blow himself up in an attempt to take Whisper out with him, but Tangle quickly swoops in and grabs her as Mimic falls down into a river below, seemingly dead.

And with that, the battle between Whisper and Mimic has finally come to an end, and Whisper has avenged her lost friends and is ready to move on with her wisps and new friends by her side.

Happy awoo :3

Also, Sonic and the Chaotix are nearing the Clean Sweep Inc base that Clutch told them about in Rainstorm Forest...

And that's it for Issue 79! I really liked this issue and think it was a pretty good conclusion to Whisper and Mimic's arc, although I feel like both Mimic and Starline's "deaths" were set up in an intentionally ambiguous way so that their stories have a conclusion but the two could possibly show up again later as a surprise reveal, so it's possible that we'll see more of Mimic in the future if given enough time.

We also got the solicits and covers for both Issue 81 as well as the Chaotix 30th anniversary special which are set to come out in August and September, the former of which also introduces both a new character as well as a new location called Sequin...

The carnival has come to Sequin - this is a party you don't want to miss! Trouble is brewing: Six of the Chaos Emeralds have disappeared without a trace, and Sonic and Tails are on the hunt for the seventh. They've tracked it to the intricate and opulent city of Sequin, where it's serving as the centerpiece of a citywide carnival. Sonic and Tails hope to catch the mysterious Emerald thief in the act, but they've got competition. Shadow and Rouge intent to claim the gem themselves, and they are not afraid to go through Sonic and Tails - or anyone else - to do it. Who will be the first to the Emerald? New faces, strange secrets, and plenty of adventures await!

When an elusive master thief threatens to rob the Mythsonian Museum, which detectives are better on your side than Team Chaotix?! Can Vector, Espio, and Charmy get to the bottom of the museum's true mystery and crack the case? Sure they can! If they could just get their story straight... Join Daniel Barnes and a rotating cavalcade of artists in this Chaotix 30th anniversary caper that shifts art styles as our heroes recount the tale!

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 78 came out a week and a half ago, and I'm finally ready to talk about it!

While Sonic and the Chaotix are heading towards the Clean Sweep Inc base that Clutch told them about following their search for him, Amy, Tails, and Blaze begin traveling around to various Restoration bases to see how they're functioning following the destruction of the main HQ in Emeraldville Ruins. Along the way, they find that the Restoration is mostly still operating as it had before but it's members are mostly unaware of what happened to the HQ, and they also run into the monkey who brought the Metal Virus into the HQ all the way back in Issue 22, who now works for the Restoration in Glass Hill to make up for him causing the HQ's downfall during the Metal Virus arc. After making stops in both Barricade Town and Glass Hill, the trio ends up in Turtleshell Island, where they find Surge and Kit hanging out before one of the town's buoys suddenly explodes.

It turns out that the town in the middle of Turtleshell Island is kept afloat by six buoys and that the loss of one of them is causing the town to slowly sink, so the citizens begin to evacuate, and Amy, Tails, Blaze, and Surge and Kit stick around to find anyone who hasn't evacuated yet and stop the town from sinking. Surge unknowingly makes the situation worse by destroying one of the other buoys due to her thinking it would be an easy solution to the problem, but Tails comes up with a plan to utilize Blaze's powers to cause a wave of bubbles from a nearby volcano to hold up the city, and Kit uses his powers to help Blaze go to the bottom of the lake to do it.

...also, it's implied that Kit was the one who planted the bomb on the buoy to blow it up so that Surge would save the town and get the spotlight for doing so, but it's unknown whether or not Surge was in on the plan or if she was unaware of it.

Anyway, with the day saved, the issue ends with a preview for the next issue involving Whisper and Mimic...

We also got the solicit and a couple covers for Issue 80, which is set to come out in July...

As Sonic and the Chaotix struggle against dangerous robots... Wait, what are Shadow and Rouge doing here?!

Banding together to figure out Dr. Eggman's next scheme, Sonic and the Chaotix follow their last lead into a rain-drenched secret base full of dangerous robots. As the situation quickly turns scary, they must ask themselves: Will they find the answers they're looking for? Or have they walked right into a trap set by Dr. Eggman?

But that's not all! Everything gets even wilder when Shadow and Rouge arrive, leaving our heroes wondering whether they're here to lend a hand...or make things even more dire for our heroes.

The Chasing Shadows one-shot was also originally planned to come out in March and later got pushed to May and then July, but there have apparently been some complications between the editors and Sega that have made it hard to come up with a concrete release date for it, so the tentative release date for it has been pushed all the way to March of next year, but it might come out earlier if those complications are resolved sooner.

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 77 is out, so I'm going to talk about it!

(Also, while I won't be talking about it in detail, the first issue of the Sonic X DC crossover came out and I'm also reading it, and on the topic of series published by DC, I've also spent the past month or so reading Fables and have almost finished its main series :3)

Sonic and the Chaotix start their search for Clutch by going to the place where Sonic first met him, being the White Chateau.

Upon their arrival, they see what appears to be someone inside, so they venture inside to find out who it is, and they find none other than…

After fighting Rough and Tumble's army of Eggman robots, they reveal that Clutch is also there with them and now works for them.

Clutch explains that after his plan failed, he escaped from Eggman and went back to the White Chateau to go into hiding and gave ownership of it to Rough and Tumble, and Clean Sweep Inc is only still functioning because its robotic employees are carrying on with their work while all of the non-robotic employees have left. Clutch gives Sonic and the Chaotix the address of a nearby Clean Sweep Inc base so they can see for themselves if he's telling the truth, and they decide to check it out. What Sonic and the Chaotix don't know however is that Clutch is now working for Eggman due to a device Eggman implanted into his head and is actually sending them towards a trap.

That's it for Issue 77, but we also got the covers and solicit for Issue 79, which is set to come out in June…

The long-running feud between ace sniper Whisper and sinister assassin Mimic is coming to a climactic showdown!

Only one of these former comrades will walk away! Can Tangle and Silver help turn the tide of battle? Or will Whisper suffer another friend getting caught in the crossfire? It’s a thrilling battle years in the making!

…and to end this off, here's another funny piece of fan art that was included at the end of Issue 77 :3

[roughandtumble-r]

This is the second year in a row that I don't get to talking about the first issue of IDW for the year until February (although in this one's case, the issue itself also didn't come out until February) :3

Anyways, for my first post of 2025, here's Issue 76!

A little bit of time has passed since the end of the Clean Sweepstakes and the destruction of Restoration HQ, and Sonic pays a visit to the Chaotix Detective Agency to see if the Chaotix will help him find Clutch and figure out who's still running Clean Sweep Inc as well as maybe find Tails' lost Chaos Emerald along the way...

Back at the now destroyed Restoration HQ, Silver and Blaze are assessing the damage done to their garden...

(I really like the interaction between Silver and Blaze here :3)

...before Tails and Amy show up and explain that they're also checking to see how much of the main Restoration HQ's network is still running, and Blaze agrees to help them. Silver then checks in on the Diamond Cutters as well as Jewel and Belle who are hanging out nearby. Jewel thinks that she shouldn't keep running the Restoration after her decision to destroy the HQ, and Lanolin also apologizes for not listening to Silver and Whisper and unknowingly playing into Mimic's plan, but the two agree to help each other rebuild the area around the HQ, and while Whisper once again wants to go out and end Mimic once and for all, Tangle and Silver convince her to dial it back a bit and agree to help her stop him when the time comes. Belle also decides to take a bit of a vacation and help anyone she meets along the way, and with all their choices being decided between them, the group has a parting group hug.

The Chaotix also agree to team up with Sonic to look into Clean Sweep Inc and find Clutch, and everyone sets out to fulfill their new goals.

And that's it for Issue 76! We also got the solicit and covers for Issue 78, which is set to come out in April...

“Scattered Pieces” Part Three! Amy, Tails, and Blaze set out to assess the fallout from the collapse of Restoration HQ. Did the goodwill network endure? Or did Clutch's grand scheme ultimately destroy the last beacon of hope left in the world? More importantly, will Surge and Kit's arrival make things even worse?!

[roughandtumble-r]

Merry day or two after Christmas! I didn't expect it to take me two months to talk about another issue, but Issue 75 came out a week ago and has concluded the arc that we've been on for a while, so it's about time I talk about it!

Most of the crew is either on board the Restoration's ship or are one their way to it as it continues falling towards the city below, but just as the Diamond Cutters are about to join them, Duo (...or should I say Mimic) gets a suprise call from Clutch that unintentially blows his cover.

While that's going on and Sonic, Surge, and Kit are fighting Mimic in the ship's control room, everyone else is still trying to break out of the engine room, and just as it seems like they won't have enough strength to open the door, Rough and Tumble decide to stop working for Clutch and volunteer to help them.

...and the day was saved by the power of friendship and big strong skunk men :3

As the others are fighting, the Eggstreme Gear also suddenly turns into a robot remotely controlled by Eggman, and he joins them in their battle!

...but Surge uses her powers to knock everyone out, and Eggman takes the opportunity to take Clutch and leave.

With Clutch no longer around to fight and everyone who was in the engine room now being free, they all direct their attention back to the ship still falling towards the city, and while they can't keep it from falling at all, they can direct it to fall somewhere else, and Jewel gets the idea to drop it on Restoration HQ since at the very least, the city won't get destroyed that way.

Sonic and Jet still have enough time however to go to Restoration HQ and get everyone out before the place gets destroyed, and while they're on their way to do that, the Diamond Cutters are searching for Mimic before they decide to instead focus on helping everyone around them.

Once they've finally gotten to Restoration HQ, Sonic and Jet start helping everyone there evacuate, and Tails and Belle also go to the base's workshop to help everyone there leave as well. Motobud is still laying in the workshop and has yet to be finished getting fixed, so Belle decides to quickly finish his repairs so he can escape with them, and Tails and the Restoration's chief machanic stick around to help her. They aren't able to finish fixing him before the ship crashes, but both Sonic and Jet managed to get everyone else out, and Sonic goes back into the now destroyed HQ to find everyone who was in the workshop. Once he finds them, it's revealed that Belle has succeeded in finishing Motobud's repairs, and they use his new abilities to help them escape from the remains of the HQ.

And with that, all of the heroes are accounted for, and while a lot of work needs to be done to fix the damages caused by the Clean Sweepstakes, everything seems to be settled for now.

...that is, until Sonic and Tails go to Tails' place and find that a Chaos Emerald Tails had has been stolen. Welp.

And that's it for Issue 75!

It was also revealed that we'll be getting a 30th Anniversary Chaotix special at some point in 2025 as well as a Shadow themed one-shot in March called Chasing Shadows, the latter of which also has a couple covers and a solicit...

“Chasing Shadows” Shadow the Hedgehog is off on a solo-adventure where he finds himself in an old isolated village away from the modern world. As strange happenings begin to occur, he finds haunting clues that point to a dark secret not only in the town but among the villagers who inhabit it. Can Shadow escape their clutches and unravel the dark secrets of the village?

[roughandtumble-r]

Happy Halloween! Issue 74 came out yesterday, so it's now time for me to talk about it!

(Also, on the topic of comics and Halloween, I alongside this issue also bought the new Scary Godmother compendium and a couple Werewolf by Night comics and have also been reading those :3)

Clutch and his boys fight Tails, Amy, Belle, Don, and the Chaotix for a while, but Charmy manages to escape with the flash drive filled with info that could incriminate Clean Sweep Inc, so Clutch rushes after him and locks everyone else in the room they've been in.

Charmy succeeds in getting the drive to Nite, who quickly looks through the files on it and reveals the secret of Clean Sweep Inc to the Clean Sweepstakes' viewers...

Jewel then sets the shuttle to self-destruct, but Clutch puts it on a collision course for the stadium where the viewers and racers are watching from below.

Sonic, the Diamond Cutters, the Babylon Rogues, and Surge and Kit are all watching as the shuttle begins crashing towards them, but Sonic quickly begins moving towards it to stop it, with the Diamond Cutters and the Babylon Rogues following after him.

And that's it for Issue 74!

We also got the covers and solicit for Issue 77, which is set to come out in March...

“Scattered Pieces” Part Two! Sonic and the Chaotix Detective Agency are on the move. After the epic events of issue 75, Clutch the Opossum is still at large. It's up to our heroes to discover what has become of the dapper-dressed villain! Can Sonic and the Chaotix uncover the truth before his next big move?

[roughandtumble-r]

RoughandTumble-r talks about the Sonic IDW 2024 Annual!

The 2024 Annual came out a few days ago, so it's time for me to talk about its stories! This one only has three stories, so let's start with the first one...

(Also, spoilers ahead)

Hero's Calling:

Surge and Kit are trying to stop a runaway trolley filled with people in Westopolis, and while they do eventually succeed in stopping it, they cause so much damage and injuries that one of the people they save is mad at and yells at them. It gives Surge a lot to think about, and when Kit returns to their room at the Restoration later and finds her still thinking about it, Surge tells Kit that she now believes that Starline was right about the cycle of Sonic beating Eggman and how Sonic just lets it continue, and she also calls the civilians that he and them save not bad but weak for also just letting Sonic save them and not saving themselves. She then uses this line of reasoning as fuel for her and Kit to continue their plan to eventually overthrow Sonic and Tails as well as beat Eggman, and Kit decides to go along with it and also gives him the idea to cause some mischief in order for Surge to not run out of people to save. I think this story's alright and gives some insight on Surge and Kit's thought process as they try to continue living with their built-in hatred of Sonic and Tails, although it feels more like a teaser of stories to come rather than a story of its own and also supposedly leads into Issue 75 (...although one of the asterisks referring to a past event refers to something in Issue 75 that apparently already happened? I don't really know what's going on there, it could be a typo)

For my Destiny:

Knuckles is hanging out on Angel Island and wondering what Sonic and the others are up to when the Master Emerald begins showing him visions of his past adventures with them, and he realizes how thankful he is for both his friends and for his duty to protect the Master Emerald before Sonic, Tails, and Amy suddenly show up to see how he's doing. I also think this story's alright despite not much happening in it, and it shows how Knuckles is doing while everyone else is busy with the plots of the main story and is also apparently a teaser for Issue 80.

Shattered Diamonds:

Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin are all waiting for Sonic to arrive at their campsite in the woods, and while they do, Mimic is watching them from afar and internally tells the story of how he became one of the Diamond Cutters and why he betrayed them. He was originally an actor who wanted to use his shapeshifting skills to upstage other actors, but he would always be casted to the sidelines until the war began and ended his career. He noticed during the war however that there were various groups standing together to fight against Eggman's forces, some of which he ended up joining before abandoning them to save himself. Whisper ends up catching a glimpse of his shapeshifting powers when the two randomly meet one day, and she requests that he join the Diamond Cutters, who accept him into their group with open arms. Everything seems to be going well for him for a while and it seems like he may have finally found his place, but when Smithy reveals that he made masks to help with their work and unify the team to each other, Mimic feels a deep pain that he never felt before due to him actually growing close with them and his prior ditching of his other teams, and not wanting it to hurt even more when he inevitably has to do the same with them, he seeks out a way to break away from them as soon as possible, which he finds in a partnership with Eggman. Back in the present, Mimic pulls out his knife and is intent on finally eliminating the last remaining remnant of that past connection he had with the Diamond Cutters, being Whisper, but he's cut off at the last second by Sonic's arrival, and he, Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin all prepare for their attack on Eggperial City (revealing that this story takes place right before the events of Issue 57) without ever knowing that Mimic was there watching them. I think this story was easily the best of the three, and it does a great job explaining why Mimic did what he did and also shows us what Whisper was like prior to Mimic's betrayal.

And that's it for the 2024 Annual! I would have liked to have seen more than three stories in it, but the three stories it had were overall still pretty good and I especially liked Shattered Diamonds, so I'd recommend checking it out if you're a fan of the series.

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 73! It's here! YEAH!

Jewel isn't too happy about Clutch having his guards all over the Restoration's ship and how they're handling the Phantom Rider situation and wants him and them out, but Clutch now has so much control over it that there isn't really a whole lot Jewel can about it, so she goes to Tangle and Whisper, who she tells about Clutch and also reveal to her that Sonic is the Phantom Rider.

Shortly after, the final race of the Clean Sweepstakes begins, and Sonic arrives to cause a commotion as he's been doing, and a fight breaks out that ultimately leads to Surge removing Sonic's disguise, revealing his identity as the Phantom Rider to everyone.

While all of this is going on, Tails, Amy, and Belle are still aboard the ship and are trying to sneak away from Rough and Tumble when they suddenly run into Don, who's there to find the Chaotix. Belle has an idea of where they could be, so she leads them to where they are in fact being kept and have info that can be used against Clean Sweep, only for Clutch to arrive just when they're free...

That's it for Issue 73, but we also got covers and the solicit for Issue 76, which is set to come out in February...

“Scattered Pieces” Part One! Sonic and his friends are forced to deal with the aftermath of Clutch's grand scheme! While some set out to seek justice, some stay behind to pick up the pieces. What unlikely pairs will join forces? Which bonds will be broken? Who can be trusted? A new chapter in the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog series begins here!

Also, to close this off, here's a piece of fanart that was included at the end of Issue 73 that I thought was funny and also think would make a great off-panel :3

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 72 is here, so it's time for me to talk about it!

Surge and Kit quit their jobs!

Clutch however isn't okay with it and doesn't allow them to leave, which neither Surge or Kit are too happy about, and Surge is so mad that she causes a storm and disrupts a nearby highway, which Sonic just so happens to be hiding in and is blamed for being the cause of the disruption. After losing his disguise to throw off the Babylon Rogues who were on his tail, Nite suddenly pulls him into his and Don's RV for cover, and he explains that they were working with the Chaotix before they went missing at the start of the Clean Sweepstakes...

As Sonic mentions, Tails and Amy as well as Belle are still aboard the Restoration's shuttle, and they want to go see Jewel and tell her about the shady stuff that's going on, but her office is being guarded by the Clean Sweepstakes' mascots. A battle breaks out between them, and it's revealed that the mascots are actually...

And that's it for Issue 72!

We also got a whopping six covers as well as the solicit for Issue 75, which is set to come out in November...

The higher they fly...the harder they fall. It's time for a double-sized arc finale! If Clutch can't win, he'll take everyone down with him... trapped in a flying battleship set to explode, on a collision course with Central City! Can Sonic find a way to thwart Clutch's maniacal vengeance? Identities are revealed, plans are in motion, and there's no going back now.

:)

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 71 came out a week ago, so I'll jump right into it!

Tails and Amy have just found Belle tied up in a closet aboard the Restoration's ship where their extreme gear was being held, and she reveals that it was Clean Sweep's security as well as Clutch who tied her up because of something she wasn't supposed to see.

Also, something I was wondering about while I was reading this part is why Belle didn't remember or recognize who Clutch was despite them being in the same place during the Chao Races and Badnik Bases arc, so I looked back at a couple of it's issues and found that the closest interaction they ever had was this one panel in Issue 35...

...so I guess it makes sense that Amy would remember who Clutch is, but Belle wouldn't.

Anyway, another competition has started in the Clean Sweepstakes, and Sonic arrives to cause a scene as he's been doing, but Mimic shows up disguised as a second Phantom Rider and knocks Lanolin out of the arena before making everyone else fight each other, and amidst the chaos, he sneaks up behind Sonic and removes his disguise, revealing his identity to Tangle and Whisper, Surge and Kit, and the Babylon Rogues.

Mimic later goes and tells Clutch about Sonic being the Phantom Rider, but only Tangle and Whisper finding out about his identity while Lanolin wasn't there puts them in a difficult position where they want to tell her but also don't because they know Sonic is probably doing it for a good reason, and Whisper reveals that she was recording the whole event with her mask and noticed that there were in fact two different Phantom Riders at the scene.

And that's about it for Issue 71!

We also got covers and solicits for Issue 74, which is set to come out in October, as well as both the Knuckles 30th Anniversary Special and this year's annual, which are set to come out in September and October...

With everyone trying to discover the Phantom Rider's identity, will Sonic, Tails and Amy be able to fly under the radar and find the info they need to topple Clean Sweep Inc.? Some secrets should stay buried, so if they fail, they will be trapped forever! Is this really it, or will our heroes find a way out of Clutch's, well, clutches? Sonic and his friends are racing to the finish of the Phantom Riders arc, which concludes with the double-sized issue #75, and things are about to get dire... Hang on tight!

There's trouble brewing on Angel Island and there's only one hero who can stop it... Join Knuckles for an all-new Classic adventure to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the world's most famous echidna! This is an addition to Knuckles' history that you won't want to miss!

The Sonic the Hedgehog Annual is back for 2024! Join Sonic and his friends in four exciting stories as they adventure together across the world in this 40-page anthology!

[roughandtumble-r]

I'm finally ready to talk about Issue 70, but before I do, there's something else I feel I should mention that I'm honestly ashamed to admit...

I was one of the only 166 people who pre-ordered The Lara-Su Chronicles: Beginnings. I am now severely re-evaluating my life decisions.

I've also been seriously considering giving even more money to more creators and works that I actually want to support, and if you're a fan of the official Sonic comics like I am, than I'd highly recommend buying them, in an official capacity that supports their creators if possible. Also, outside of just the Sonic comics by IDW, Archie, and Fleetway, and also excluding other series I've read or have had since years prior or am planning to or will buy in the future, some other series that I've bought in the past couple years that I can actually recommend to you if you're interested include The Bad Guys (book 19 just came out :3), Scott Pilgrim, Scary Godmother, Little Gloomy, Boneyard, The Underburbs, Rascal Raccoon's Raging Revenge, the Darkstalkers comics, and the Beastars, Beast Complex, Dragonball, and Soul Eater mangas. And no, it's not a coincidence that most of my favorite comics are themed around hot wolf dudes and monsters and anthros in general :3

And with that out of the way, it's time for our regularly scheduled Sonic IDW!

The first official race of the Clean Sweepstakes is beginning, and Sonic shows up with Eggman's Eggstreme Gear and a disguise known as the Phantom Rider to carry out the plan of distracting everyone while Tails and Amy sneak aboard the Restoration's ship to find how or why they were disqualified from the qualifer race.

Sonic is met with a lot of resistance from the Diamond Cutters and the rest of the Restoration's security, but he manages to evade and keep them busy for a while before Surge and Kit show up and put an end to his show for the time being, causing the audience to cheer for them, even though the Babylon Rogues end up being the winners.

Duo tells Clutch about what happened after the race, and Clutch comes up with an plan to keep Jewel (who might now be growing suspicious of Duo and Clutch) occupied and find the Phantom Rider's identity and decide what to do from there.

Meanwhile, Tails and Amy are still investigating aboard the Restoration's ship when they stumble upon Belle's disembodied hand, and they then find her tied up for reasons that will be revealed next issue.

And that's it for Issue 70!

We also got the solicits and covers for Issues 72 and 73, which are set to come out in August and September...

Being the Phantom Rider isn't easy, but there's no rest for the wicked. Sonic is caught in a literal perfect storm of a traffic jam, all while he's pursued by the relentless Jet the Hawk! Perhaps an unexpected meeting—and reveal— will help raise his spirits? Meanwhile, aboard the Restoration's ship, Tails and Amy's luck finally runs out!

This is it—the final event of the Clean Sweepstakes. Clutch closes the trap he's placed around the Restoration by using the Phantom Rider, a mysterious figure who's been disrupting the other racers, as an excuse to seize power. But with Surge and Kit about to spring a trap of their own, maybe Clutch shouldn't celebrate just yet! Meanwhile, Amy, Tails, and Belle find some friends who might hold the key to toppling Clean Sweep Inc.'s empire...if they can survive!

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 69 came out a week ago, so I'll get right into it!

The Clean Sweepstakes have begun, starting with a qualifier race to determine who will move forward, and Sonic, Amy, Tails, the Babylon Rogues, and Surge and Kit are all taking part in it while the Diamond Cutters act as referees to keep everything in order.

Everything is going fine until Amy's extreme gear starts acting up and becomes impossible for her to control, and it's revealed that it was a setup by Clutch and Surge and Kit to disqualify her, Sonic, and Tails from the race.

After the race concludes, Sonic, Tails, and Amy talk about what happened and agree that someone must have sabotaged them, and they begin coming up with ideas of how to investigate when Eggman suddenly shows up.

Eggman's pissed that he was mocked during the opening of the Clean Sweepstakes, so he makes his own extreme gear called the Eggstreme Gear, and he wants to team up with Sonic, Tails, and Amy for the time being to find out who the leader of Clean Sweep Inc is.

And that's it for Issue 69! I also haven't seen any solicits or covers uploaded for it on the Sonic Wiki, but I saw in passing that we might also be getting an annual this year, so I'll keep an eye out for that.

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 4 of Fang the Hunter came out a little over a week ago, and I'm finally ready to talk about it!

So after finding out that the eighth Chaos Emerald was actually the Warp Topaz and Fang has it in his grasp, him and Bean begin trying to escape while Bark stays behind and fights Heavy King. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails arrive at the ship and see that it's already on high alert due to the fight happening inside, so they decide to take a look around to find out what's going on.

Back inside, Fang and Bean have been fending off against the other Hardboiled Heavies until Fang summons the Marvelous Queen, and he uses power of the Warp Topaz to grab both Bean and Bark and escape.

Sonic and Tails then find the ship's reactor, and Tails comes up with a plan to overload it and blow up the ship, which Sonic agrees to, and the two make a swift exit as it blows.

Bean and Bark aren't too happy with Fang dragging them into danger this whole time even though their search was a success, so they decide to part ways with Fang for a while, and Eggman contacts Fang with an idea for his next job...

...and then Sonic Superstars happened! Also, that's the end of the Fang the Hunter miniseries! I always enjoy seeing Team Hooligan go on adventures together, so I liked seeing them get the chance to do so again and liked this miniseries overall.

Also, we got a couple covers and the solicit for Issue 71 of the main series, which is set to come out in July...

The Phantom Rider, framed! Sonic's secret identity has usurped during the next event of Clean Sweepstakes, leading him and the other riders into a vicious game of smoke and mirrors. Tensions run high as secrets are revealed and sides are taken. Don't miss it!

We also got the first preview page for Issue 69, which comes out on the 29th, and...

...hey, it's Nite! We haven't seen him in like, a couple years! :3