IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 43 is the forty-third issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by IDW Publishing.
Official solicitation[]
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG VS. SIX DEADLY ZETI! Who will win the battle?! Find out in the action-packed "Zeti Hunt," part three! It's all hands on deck as Sonic and friends struggle to defend the newly rebuilt Restoration HQ from the Deadly Six.[2]
Featured stories[]
Zeti Hunt, Part 3[]
- Story: Ian Flynn
- Art by: Jamal Peppers (p. 1-10), Bracardi Curry (p. 11-15), Thomas Rothlisberger (p. 16-20)
- Additional Inks by: Reggie Graham (p. 6-10)
- Colors: Reggie Graham (p. 1-10), Valentina Pinto (p. 11-20)
- Letters: Shawn Lee, Nathan Widick
- Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer
- Editor: David Mariotte
- Special thanks to: Mai Kiyotaki, Michael Cisneros, Sandra Jo, Sonic Team, and everyone at Sega for their invaluable assistance
Synopsis[]
In Restoration HQ, Sonic has begun fighting the Deadly Six, who are under orders from Zavok to destroy him. As Zomom is about to deliver a blow to Sonic, the hedgehog swiftly dashes out of the way, causing Zazz and Master Zik to be hit instead. Sonic lands a Spin Attack on Zavok and slides under a kick from Zeena, expressing his disappointment that the group decided to pick a fight instead of enjoying the world they were on. Inside the control room, Tangle attempts to open the sealed door so she can help Sonic, but he tells her not to as they need the Zeti Zappers from Tails first. Jewel puts in a call to Tails and the Chaotix, urging them to hurry as there was no one else close enough to help. Tails tells her that he is en route and is flying in to arrive faster. Vector also confirms that the Chaotix are on their way, but believes that they would get there faster if he pushed their ride there since they were stuck in traffic. With this, Jewel tells Tangle and Whisper that Sonic was on his own for now. Whisper disagrees and asks Tangle to brace her by wrapping her up with her tail. Once Tangle does this, Whisper asks her to hold still while she aims her Variable Wispon through the hole in the door, and proceeds to shoot and hit Zomom's rear. Sonic thanks Whisper and kicks Zomom. Master Zik deflects a shot from Whisper with his cane but is knocked down by Sonic. Zeena dodges Whisper's attacks and tries to reach through the hole in the door to grab her weapon, but is punched by Tangle's tail.
Zavok catches Sonic and slams him into the wall.
Sonic hits Zazz with a Spin Attack, only for him to demand another, much to the hedgehog's confusion. When ordered by Zavok to join the fight, Zor states that he was looking for the right time to strike, resulting in Zavok picking him up and throwing him into the fray. As he is about to hit Sonic, he is hit by a shot from Whisper's Variable Wispon. Sonic thanks Whisper again while Zazz continues to get excited during their battle and declares that he will tear the whole place down. After being hit by another shot, Zavok becomes fed up and uses his electromagnetic powers to short circuit Whisper's mask scope and Variable Wispon, which disorients the wolf. Tangle attempts to attack Zavok through the hole in the door, only for the Zeti to grab her tail use it to slam her several times against the door until she fell. Sonic continues to battle Zazz until he gets dizzy. The hedgehog tells him to stop, only for Zazz to state that he will not until he is dead as he attacks Sonic. Sonic knees Zazz and hits him with another Spin Attack, causing him to fall. Zavok punches Sonic and tells him that he admires his tenacity but considers it to be a lesser form of ruthlessness. Sonic dodges a swipe from Zavok but is kicked back to him by Zeena, resulting in Zavok smashing the hedgehog into a wall.
Sonic falls to the floor but manages to get back up, with Zavok acknowledging him as a mighty warrior and the most challenging foe that they have ever faced. However, he adds that challenges are meant to be overcome as the rest of the Deadly Six stand at his side. Sonic jokes about Zavok's monologue and goads the Zeti into attacking him. He is able to hold his own until Zomom catches him in a hold. Zavok demands for him to be held so that the rest of the Restoration can hear his defeat. However, Zomom receives a shock and forcefully drops Sonic. Tails reveals himself and it is shown that he used a Zeti Zapper on Zomom. The fox passes the bag containing the rest of the Zeti Zappers to Sonic so that he can tag the rest of them. The two dodge Zavok when he tries to intervene, and Sonic manages to tag Master Zik, Zazz, and Zeena, albeit a slight struggle with the latter. The hedgehog is then slammed to the ground by Zavok, who holds him up to taunt Tails. The fox decides to use Sonic's moves on Zavok and Spin Attacks him. Despite this, Zavok catches Tails and slams him against a wall, telling him that his skills have failed him as he now holds both of him and Sonic. Due to this, Tails opts to use his own tricks, and uses his tails to grab a Zeti Zapper and place it on Zavok, which incapacitates him. Sonic and Tails send the last Zeti Zapper to Zor, although the latter simply relishes in the pain.
Zavok being electrocuted by the Zeti Zapper.
Sonic and Tails check up on each other to make sure they are okay and share a fist bump. Tangle calls out to make sure that the duo are all right, which Sonic confirms, jokingly remarking that it was nothing a chili dog would not fix. Tangle states that they have a big problem; Sonic believes she is talking about the Deadly Six and confirms that they have been defeated. When she says that she is not talking about that, Tails notes that the doors are in bad shape but the tracks are intact and he can get them open easily. Tangle tells him to forget the doors and reveals her real concern, which is that Belle has been kidnapped by Dr. Starline.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Chaotix
- Deadly Six
- Dr. Starline (mentioned)
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Restoration
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Whisper the Wolf
Races and species:
Locations:
Items:
- Chili dog (mentioned)
- Wispon
- Zeti Zappers (x6)
Vehicles:
- Beat Monster (first appearance)
- Tornado 2 (first appearance)
Misc.:
Continuity[]
- Sonic continues to fight the Deadly Six, which he began to do in the previous issue.
- Jewel, Tangle, and Whisper are still locked within the Restoration HQ's control room following the previous issue.
- Tails and the Chaotix are still on their way to Restoration HQ following the events of the previous issue.
- It is found out that Belle has been kidnapped by Dr. Starline, which occurred in the previous issue.
Trivia[]
- On page one, the pose Sonic is drawn in is highly reminiscent of his official artwork from the cover of Sonic Lost World.
- In the previous issue, it was suggested that Tails would fly the Tornado to Restoration HQ. In this issue, he is instead piloting the Tornado 2.
Other features[]
- Story so far: "Story so far" is a summary of the current plotline for the comic.
- Roll Call: Roll Call acts as a quick reference guide to new readers about the characters. This issue provides data files on Sonic, Tails, Tangle, Whisper, Jewel, Belle, the Chaotix and the Deadly Six.
- 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. Only one page is featured in this issue. The other pages showcase raw artwork of the variant covers for the issue.
- Creator Corner: Creator Corner is a section where one of the staff that works on the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series is interviewed. In this case, the section is dedicated to Jamal Peppers.
Quotes[]
- Sonic: Couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? A whole world to explore and enjoy, and you just had to pick a fight.
- Vector: The Chaotix are on our way! Maybe even faster if I got out and pushed!
- Sonic: You're bitter your poetry circle didn't like your stuff. I get it. Can we jump to the part where you actually do something?
- Zavok: And now your skills have failed you.
- Tails: Guess I'll just go back to tricks, then!
Trivia[]
- This issue was originally scheduled for release on 28 July 2021, but was delayed to 25 August 2021, and later again to 1 September 2021.
- Whisper's "Roll Call" picture in this issue comes from her default artwork, whereas in prior issues it was taken from story panels.
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Cover A concept artwork. Art by Thomas Rothlisberger.  Cover A colors. Art by Thomas Rothlisberger. Colors by Valentina Pinto.  Cover B colors. Art by Matt Herms.  Cover RI colors. Art by Nathalie Fourdraine. |
Early covers[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Cover A. Art by Thomas Rothlisberger. Colors by Valentina Pinto.  Cover B. Art by Matt Herms.  Cover RI. Art by Nathalie Fourdraine. |
Interior artwork[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Page two colors. Art by Jamal Peppers. Additional inks and colors by Reggie Graham.  Page three colors. Art by Jamal Peppers. Additional inks and colors by Reggie Graham.  Page four colors (early). Art by Jamal Peppers. Additional inks and colors by Reggie Graham.  Page four colors. Art by Jamal Peppers. Additional inks and colors by Reggie Graham.  Page five colors (early). Art by Jamal Peppers. Additional inks and colors by Reggie Graham.  Page five colors. Art by Jamal Peppers. Additional inks and colors by Reggie Graham.  Page six colors. Art by Jamal Peppers. Additional inks and colors by Reggie Graham.  Page nine colors. Art by Jamal Peppers. Additional inks and colors by Reggie Graham. |
Preview pages[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Credits page  Page one  Page two  Page three  Page four  Page five |
References[]
- ↑ Sonic The Hedgehog (2018-) #43. comiXology (26 August 2021). Retrieved on 26 August 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #43 CVR A ROTHLISBERGER. Previews World (23 April 2021). Retrieved on 23 April 2021.
- ↑ SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #43 CVR B MATT HERMS. Previews World (23 April 2021). Retrieved on 23 April 2021.
- ↑ SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #43 CVR C 10 COPY INCV FOURDRAINE (. Previews World (23 April 2021). Retrieved on 23 April 2021.
External links[]
- IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 43 at IDW Sonic Hub Wiki, the IDW Sonic wiki.
