IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 9

IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 9 is the ninth issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by IDW Publishing.

Official solicitation

 * "The Battle for Angel Island," Part 1. One of the greatest threats Sonic has ever faced descends upon Angel Island, home of the mystical Master Emerald, seeking to take the Emerald's power and control the world. Can Sonic and his friends stop the attack on the island-or is it already too late?

The Battle for Angel Island Part 1

 * Written by: Ian Flynn
 * Art by: Tracy Yardley
 * Colors by: Matt Herms
 * Letters by: Shawn Lee
 * 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
The issue begins with Neo Metal Sonic narrating about how he has taken over Angel Island, as well as securing the Master Emerald. He mentions that he has baited the heroes into bringing him the last thing he needs for his ascension, claiming that he has won. A shot of Angel Island, which has been converted into a gigantic airship, in the middle of a thunderstorm is then shown.

Meanwhile, in Resistance HQ, Sonic and Amy stand before their allies (Tails, Silver, Blaze, Tangle, Rouge, Shadow, Whisper and the Chaotix) while an angry Knuckles paces around in the background. Amy thanks everyone for coming as Sonic tells them they are all needed in their upcoming battle.

Appearances
Characters:
 * Amy Rose
 * Blaze the Cat
 * Burning Blaze
 * Chaotix
 * Charmy Bee
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Neo Metal Sonic
 * Super Neo Metal
 * Rouge the Bat
 * Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Super Sonic
 * Tangle the Lemur
 * Whisper the Wolf

Locations:
 * Angel Island
 * Angel Island Zone
 * Carnival Night Zone
 * Marble Garden Zone
 * Blaze's world
 * Resistance HQ

Items:
 * Chaos Emeralds
 * Master Emerald
 * Sol Emeralds
 * Variable Wispon

Vehicles:
 * Egg Fleet
 * Resistance Aircraft

Trivia

 * The giant Eggman statue that appears on Angel Island resembles a pose from one of Dr. Eggman's artworks from Sonic Adventure 2.
 * In the double-page shot of the heroes in Resistance HQ, Silver's hands are backwards.
 * Shadow leaning against boxes in Resistance HQ is a nod to him doing the same thing in Sonic Forces.
 * The laptop next to Rouge on page five is the same one used by Amy in the Sonic Forces.
 * The pose assumed by Burning Blaze after transforming is similar to the one that appears on the regular cover for Sonic Universe #58.
 * Super Neo Metal's quote "Come. Show me what you're made of" is a reference to the song "What I'm Made of..." that plays during the battle with Metal Overlord in Sonic Heroes.

Trivia

 * The RI cover shows Sonic and Knuckles riding Extreme Gear from the Sonic Riders series.
 * The RI cover depicts Burning Blaze to have red highlights on her ponytail instead of them being purely pink and spiked.
 * Tracy Yardley's B cover is done in the style of a propaganda poster.