IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 2

IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 2 is the second issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by IDW Publishing.

Official solicitation

 * Sonic’s new adventure continues, and when he comes across another town in need of saving, his old pal Amy arrives just in time to join the fight! The banter is fun, and the stakes are high, but things get really serious when Amy presents Sonic with a big request: rejoin the Resistance!

Fallout Part 2

 * Written by: Ian Flynn
 * Art by: Adam Bryce Thomas
 * 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 Jo, and everyone at Sega for their invaluable assistance

Synopsis
Near another town, Sonic the Hedgehog is tangling with the Death Crab Super Badnik, determined to not let it trample the town. Running up the Death Crab, Sonic lands on top of its face and revs up a Spin Dash, before blasting directly through the entire robot. As the Death Crab begins to fall down on the terrified townspeople, Sonic jumps high up into the air after setting off from the Death Crab's leg. He then comes slamming down on the Death Crab's shell, forcing it into the ground.

Landing next to the robot, the confident Sonic is greeted by the townspeople, who begin hailing and praising the blue hedgehog. Suddenly though, the townspeople leave the scene in fear. Taking a look around, Sonic notices that the Death Crab is still functioning. Before Sonic can do anything however, Amy appears and gives the Death Crab a good whack with her Piko Piko Hammer. While Amy teases Sonic about his sloppy work, Sonic is just surprised to see Amy, who explains that she, after having heard about how he and Tails saved the neighboring town, came to this town knowing she would find Sonic there. Though intrigued about how fast the news traveled, Sonic dismisses it and prepares to head to the next town now that everything is under control. As he thanks Amy for the save, however, Amy tells him that she came to the town specifically to find him. She asks Sonic to come back to the Resistance, though Sonic wonders why he should since the last time he saw the Resistance they were cleaning up from the war. Amy explains that the task of cleaning up was bigger than they imagined, as the leftover robots from the Eggman Empire were everywhere and randomly attack anyone they can find. As such, she states that the Resistance is working to finish the fight, by working from a centralized, organized position so they can be more effective.

Much to Amy's frustration, Sonic passes up the offer to rejoin the Resistance. As to why, Sonic explains that, after Tails brought it up, he has noticed that the Badniks they have been facing have been way more organized. What makes this more mysterious is that Dr. Eggman has not showed up to claim responsibility, which is something that does not fit the Doctor. Lastly, Sonic notes how coincidental it is for Amy to show up in time to help him stop a Super Badnik, as if someone is playing them. Amy sees the point Sonic is making, but insists that it is another reason for him to join the Resistance. Sonic disagrees however, saying it is better for him to hit the road and find out what is going on. Exasperated, Amy notes how much of a waste of time it is, but Sonic thinks it is beneficial to everyone. Suddenly, a female villager shows up, saying that they are under attack. Sonic thinks she refers to the Super Badnik they just took out, but he is wrong: the civilian is referring to a Badnik army invading from the west side of the town. Realizing the Death Crab was a decoy, Sonic and Amy set out to rescue the town before it is overrun. While Sonic runs ahead to thin out the Badniks, Amy, on her request, is taken to the town hall, which had been turned into a bunker during the war.

Inside the town, Amy rallies the town's militia and volunteers and organizes them by getting Wispon-wielding residents into positions on the roofs and instructing the rest on how to get the remaining civilians into the bunker. Meanwhile, Sonic tackles some Egg Walkers head-on, but is forced on the defensive when some Egg Pawns join the fray. Much to Sonic's annoyance, too many Badniks ultimately slip past him. Fortunately, just as the Badniks enter the town square, the residents open fire on them upon Amy's order and manages to take out the first wave of Badniks. Impressed, Sonic jokingly tells Amy that he thought Knuckles was the commander of the Resistance, to which Amy replies that she was the one keeping the Resistance organized while Knuckles commandeered. As Sonic asks what the plan is now, Amy notes that despite the advantages the town has now, there are still too many Badniks. If the villagers are to stand a chance, they have to find out where the Badniks are coming from and thin out their advances. Sonic and Amy thus advance through the invading Badniks to do just that, taking out hordes of Badniks with flashy combination moves. Amidst the fighting, Amy, hoping that Sonic has changed his mind (and that she can spent more time with him), once again invites Sonic to come back to the Resistance. However, Sonic still refuses. Amy argues that he is not even considering it, but Sonic notes that is because he knows what is best for him. Amy subsequently tries convincing Sonic to do it for the Resistance, then her, and then their friends, but Sonic shoots each of her arguments down with counter-arguments.

Just as Sonic teasingly agrees to join the Resistance when Amy bribes him with a chili-dog, he takes out more Egg Pawns, only to notice a Blowfish Transporter outside the town with plenty of Egg Pawns onboard. Since they believe they cannot get through the crowd through conventional means, Sonic and Amy decide to do their Croquette Bomber combo, where Amy knocks a Spin Dashing Sonic into the Blowfish Transporter with her hammer. Taking the Blowfish Transporter out in one shot, Amy finds a dazed, but happy Sonic among its remains. Amy then notices that the invasion is over and sadly concludes that Sonic is leaving now. Sonic agrees, explaining that this is his way of life. Getting flustered again, Amy quickly shakes it off and agrees with Sonic, much to Sonic's surprise. Amy then tells him that the way he is is why she loves him and why she does not want to change him. Getting slightly embarrassed, Sonic offers Amy to come along with him as compensation for him refusing to rejoin the Resistance. Amy turns down his offer however, insisting that the Resistance needs her to keep everything in order. However, to give Sonic some guidance, she tells him that Knuckles went to investigate a town to the south and since she has not heard from him in a while, he might need help. Accepting the assignment, Sonic heads off, not noticing the Flapper watching him.

Back in the Eggman-themed based, an unseen figure is displeased with their failure to eliminate Sonic. Noting that they had not taken Amy's growth into account, they see that Sonic is now deviating from his projected path, much to their frustration. Meanwhile, Orbot and Cubot enter, with Orbot informing his "boss" that Sonic is heading towards the location of Rough and Tumble. Pleased with this, the unseen figure thinks that maybe the skunk brothers can finish off Sonic.

Appearances
Characters:
 * Badniks
 * Blowfish Transporter
 * Egg Pawn (multiple)
 * Egg Walker (multiple)
 * Flapper
 * Super Badniks
 * Death Crab
 * Cubot
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Orbot
 * Resistance
 * Amy Rose
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Rough
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Tumble

Items:
 * Chili-dog
 * Piko Piko Hammer
 * Wispon
 * Burst Wispon
 * Void Wispon
 * Unnamed pink Wispon

Misc.:
 * Boost
 * Croquette Bomber
 * Eggman Empire
 * Homing Attack
 * Spin Attack
 * Spin Dash

Continuity

 * Sonic is still traveling around destroying rogue Badniks. He began this quest in Sonic the Hedgehog #1, "Fallout Part 1".
 * Amy mentions how Sonic and Tails saved a town in Sonic the Hedgehog #1, "Fallout Part 1".
 * Amy invites Sonic to rejoin the Resistance, but Sonic refuses. Sonic would recall Amy's proposal in Sonic the Hedgehog #3, "Fallout Part 3", and Sonic the Hedgehog #4, "Fallout Part 4".
 * Sonic mentions Tails' theory about something controlling the Badnik gangs from Sonic the Hedgehog #1, "Fallout Part 1".
 * Sonic and Amy take out a Blowfish Transporter. Sonic would mention this in Sonic the Hedgehog #4, "Fallout Part 4".
 * Amy tells Sonic to go check up on Knuckles. Sonic would carry out that task in Sonic the Hedgehog #3, "Fallout Part 3".

Trivia

 * Sonic complimenting the Death Crab for giving him a good race may be a nod to the Death Crab chase segment in Guardian Rock in Sonic Forces.
 * In this issue, the Egg Pawns are erroneously drawn with three fingers on each hand instead of four.
 * When Amy assumes Sonic will be leaving the village after the invasion, Sonic tells her he's living "by my way. My own way". These words are loosely derived from the lyrics of Sonic's theme song "It Doesn't Matter" from the Sonic Adventure games.

Other features

 * Sonic Letter Squad
 * Skylanders: SuperChargers - Free Digital Aschan

Quotes

 * Amy: Sonic—wait! I came out here specifically to find you!
 * Sonic: I know. It's kinda your thing.
 * Amy: Not like that!


 * Sonic: I thought Knuckles was commander of the Resistance?
 * Amy: Oh, he commanded alright. But who do you think kept things organized?


 * Amy: That's it for the invasion. I guess... you'll be going then...
 * Sonic: Yep! It's what I do. Just keep moving, doing good, saving folks, and living as free as the wind. Living by my way. My own way.

Trivia

 * Cover A for this issue is the second of four connecting covers.
 * On Cover A, to the left of Amy's head, one of the flowers appears to be a Hidden Mickey.
 * The "future" sign on cover RI-B is a reference to the Time Warp Plate, a gimmick from Sonic the Hedgehog CD, which was the game in which Amy debuted in. This may be a nod to Amy's appearance in this issue.
 * Adam Bryce Thomas made a sketch of the villager who appears on cover B and who alerted Sonic and Amy of the incoming Badnik force, naming her "Lanolin". He later did the same for another background character whom he named Meringue.
 * This issue had sold out within a week of its release and it was stated that it will receive a second printing on 16 May 2018, alongside the third printing of Sonic the Hedgehog #1.
 * This is the third Sonic-related comic to have sold out, following Sonic: Mega Drive and Sonic the Hedgehog #1.