IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 15

IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 15 is the fifteenth issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by IDW Publishing.

Official solicitation

 * “Patient Zero.” Having finally come face-to-face with Dr. Starline, Sonic needs to learn more about this new threat. He and Amy investigate an old Eggman lair but find it less abandoned than they thought when Rough & Tumble return for revenge!

Patient Zero

 * Written by: Ian Flynn
 * Art by: Jack Lawrence
 * Colors by: Matt Herms
 * Letters by: Shawn Lee
 * Assistant Editor: Megan Brown
 * Editor: David Mariotte
 * Special thanks to: Anoulay Tsai, Mai Kiyotaki, Aaron Webber, Michael Cisneros, Sandra Jo, and everyone at Sega for their invaluable assistance

Synopsis
Sonic and Amy arrive at Echo Mine, where Amy tells Sonic this place was where the Resistance had one of their biggest counter-attacks against the Eggman Empire. According to Amy, despite the fact that they liberated several people, they also lost a lot of good people too. Sonic comforts her saying that she made that battle worth it. Amy then says that the computer in Echo Mine command hub will help locate Dr. Eggman by using the Eggnet, through Sonic suggests that the base could have already been emptied by Eggman. The duo arrive at the command hub and after Amy locates the back-up generator, the power in the Echo Mine is reactivated. Sonic finds disappointment that not even reserve Badniks were near. Amy begins to work on accessing files on the Eggnet, with the duo unaware that they were being spied on by a camera.

At the Final Egg, Eggman is putting his Metal Virus in containers, only to be interrupted by Dr. Starline who tells him that Sonic and Amy have entered his base located in Echo Mine. Eggman however, finds the hedgehogs' timing impeccable, telling Orbot and Cubot to meet him in hangar three. While carrying backpacks with Metal Virus containers, Starline questions Eggman on how can he be so calm about the infiltration. Eggman simply tells Starline that he must enjoy "dramatic deadlines". Eggman finds Rough and Tumble, who threatened that they may take over Eggman's base. Ignoring this, Eggman gives the skunk brothers the Metal Virus backpacks that they will use to fight Sonic in case he gets the upper hand. When Rough asks what they will lead with in their attack since the backpacks are back-ups, Eggman then pulls down a tarp to show them his latest invention.

Back at the Echo Mine, Amy manages to log into the Eggnet, finding schematics for a contraption that beared a large resemblance to the Space Colony ARK. Amy confirms to Sonic that it is not the ARK and appears to be smaller, with the schematics detailing something on "payload distribution". Before the duo can learn more, the computer is sealed off by a hatch, leaving Sonic to realize that Eggman has detected their presence in the mine. Sonic and Amy then witness the wall beginning to rumble, leaving them to quickly jump out of the way of an incoming tank driven by Rough and Tumble. They introduce themselves with their usual showmanship and rhymes, only to engage in an argument about their choice of rhymes. During this, Amy tries to smash the drill on the tank with her hammer, only to be propelled backwards without leaving so much as a dent. Rough and Tumble decide to focus on their targets and begin shooting at Sonic and Amy. Sonic carries Amy and starts running from the skunk brothers. The duo arrive at a refuse pit, realizing that they could only escape back out the way they came. Sonic notices that the path was barely enough to hold Rough and Tumble's tank, meaning they would not be able to turn around. Sonic and Amy then look at each other with determined smiles.

Rough and Tumble crash through the entrance. As soon as Tumble notices that there was a dead end, he yells for Rough to make a hard right turn. Sonic manages to run up behind the tank and throw Amy overhead. Amy then brings out her hammer and smashes down onto Tumble's glass pod. Sonic performs a Spin Attack on the tank's left side wheels. Both skunk brothers are forced to bail and jump off of the tank as it falls into the pit. With Rough and Tumble cornered, Amy demands to know Eggman's location. Having planned for a situation like this, Rough and Tumble pressed the buttons on their cross-straps to begin their back-up plan. However, the backpacks open and spill the Metal Virus onto both of the skunk brothers. The duo panic, wanting to get the liquid off but the transmutation is quick and they both become metallic. Amy is horrified at the sight, believing Rough and Tumble turned into robots while Sonic believed they became something worse.

Wasting no time, Rough and Tumble immediately attack Sonic and Amy. Sonic tries to calm Tumble down by mocking him but the skunk ignores him and continues to attack. Amy realizes that both Rough and Tumble became soulless as well, leaving Sonic ask if "Zombots" was a good term for them. After Tumble ignorantly dashes at Sonic once more, the hedgehog leaps over him and confirms the term. Amy swings her hammer at Rough's left arm, which appears to fall off following the impact. However, the arm swiftly moves back into place, leaving Amy to realize that they cannot hurt the skunk brothers. Sonic performs more Spin Attacks on Tumble, leaving his body badly damaged. However, Tumble grows back his parts swiftly. Sonic confirms Amy's theory, wiping his mouth, only to find that the Metal Virus liquid was on his hand after having touched Tumble. Sonic quickly warns Amy not to let Rough touch her. Tumble punches Sonic backwards with this opening. As Sonic realizes that if Tumble cannot be hurt, fighting him would be hazardous to everyone else's health. Sonic thus hits Tumble into the pit with a Spin Attack. Sonic quickly kicks Rough off as well to end the battle.

Sonic confirms to Amy that he is truly in trouble as the liquid that changed Rough and Tumble is infectious. He then asks what he is supposed to do. Back at the Final Egg, Eggman looks on with glee and decides to use the name "Zombots" as he felt it was catchy. When Starline asks what the next phase of the plan is, Eggman tells him that they will share the Metal Virus with the world, stating it was time to start "clinical trials".

Appearances
Characters:
 * Amy Rose
 * Badniks
 * Cubot
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Dr. Starline
 * Orbot
 * Pocky
 * Resistance
 * Rough the Skunk
 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Tumble the Skunk

Locations:
 * Barricade Town
 * Echo Mine
 * Final Egg

Items:
 * Death Egg
 * Metal Virus
 * Piko Hammer
 * Space Colony ARK

Misc.:
 * Eggnet
 * Spin Attack
 * The War

Continuity

 * Sonic and Amy arrive at the Eggman base they set out to find in Sonic the Hedgehog #14, "Misdirection".
 * Sonic recalls his and Silver's trip to the Eggman base on Frozen Peak in Sonic the Hedgehog #14, "Misdirection".
 * Amy recalls how Rough and Tumble managed to take over Barricade Town, as detailed in Sonic the Hedgehog #3, "Fallout Part 3".

Trivia

 * The network icon for the Eggnet that is seen on the computer screen when Amy boots up the Echo Mine's Eggman base is an image of the Death Egg.
 * Dr. Eggman's quote when revealing the tank ("Get a load of this!") is the same quote said by his game counterpart in the boss battle with the Egg Viper in Sonic Adventure, which has since become a popular meme on the Internet.
 * Dr. Eggman's password for the Eggnet in the Echo Mine ("H4T3TH4TH3DG3HOG") is leet writing for "hate that hedgehog", the same signature quote used by Dr. Robotnik in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series and the various incarnations of Eggman in the Archie Comics.
 * This is the second comic issue in the history of the Sonic franchise in which profanity is used (the first one was Sonic the Hedgehog #8) as Rough exclaimed "Oh, crap!" when he was about to drive the tank into the refuse pit.

Other features

 * Previously: Previously is a summary of previous issues' key story moments. It features a page of relevant panels from the previous issues.
 * Roll Call: Roll Call acts as a quick reference guide to new readers about the characters. This issue provides data files on Sonic, Amy, Dr. Eggman, Dr. Starline, Rough and Tumble.
 * Sonic Letters Squad: Sonic Letters Squad is a section where the comic staff can post fan artwork and fan letters that have been sent in to them.
 * Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #0 - Free Digital Ashcan

Quotes

 * Dr. Eggman: What impeccable timing! Cubot, tell Rough and Tumble to meet me in hangar three.
 * Dr. Starline: How can you be so casual about this? The Metal Virus may be viable, but you haven't finished-
 * Dr. Eggman: Starline, you need to learn to enjoy these dramatic sudden deadlines.


 * Sonic: If that's going to be your thing, it has to actually rhyme!
 * Rough: We did rhyme!
 * Tumble: Well... not exactly...
 * Rough: What?!
 * Tumble: "Rubble" and "Tumble" only kinda rhyme at best!
 * Rough: I offered to go by "Tumble and Rough!"
 * Tumble: That doesn't flow and you know it!
 * Amy: How did these guys take over a whole town?


 * Amy: They're... They're robots! Not Badniks, but-!
 * Sonic: Something worse.


 * Amy: They're not responding! It's like they're completely soulless!
 * Sonic: Eggman somehow turned them into zombie robots. So... "Zombots"? Yep! I'm going with "Zombots"!

Trivia

 * Diana Skelly stated that Sonic's shadow on cover B was originally going to resemble Metal Sonic.