IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 63 is the sixty-third issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by IDW Publishing.
Official solicitation[]
- Stuck in the past with no clear directive, Silver decides to spend some time with the Diamond Cutters and their new member. But he’s too busy being star-struck over Whisper to notice that he’s interrupting their training! Elsewhere, Sonic takes Blaze sightseeing so she can enjoy her vacation.[1]
Featured stories[]
Misadventures, Part 1[]
- Story & Art: Evan Stanley
- Colors: Valentina Pinto
- Letters: Shawn Lee
- 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, Belle finishes repairing Whisper's Variable Wispon before leaving to help the Chief Mechanic with a separate task. Tangle and Whisper also set off for their training with Lanolin, only to bump into Silver on the way out. When he reveals to them his fears of wasting time in the present and not working hard enough (despite wanting to enjoy what he has), Whisper invites him to train with them, much to the hedgehog's excitement.
In Green Hill, Lanolin explains to the Diamond Cutters their training objective for the day, which is to re-green the surrounding area, starting with clearing out the rocks in a nearby canyon. She adds that it will also be a good opportunity to practice communication and coordination due to the new additions to their team. As they get started, "Duo" recognizes Silver and the trouble he could cause him if not handled appropriately. The two introduce themselves to one another, and Duo attempts to appeal to Silver's ego by recalling some of the latter's recent heroic acts and calling him a legend, although Silver remains rather humble about his involvement in those situations, simply stating that he helped. When asked how much he can lift with his psychokinesis, Silver demonstrates his powers by casually picking up several boulders, bragging to Duo that although this was easy for him, he did not want to bring down the entire mountain by overdoing it. At the bottom of the canyon, Lanolin asks Silver to bring the rocks down to her location, but Duo kicks Silver's shoe, which causes him to lose his balance and drop the rocks, sending them plummeting toward the other Diamond Cutters. Silver attempts to fly down and help them, but a Giant Chopper suddenly bursts out from behind the rocks and ambushes him and Duo, its entrance causing water to flood into the canyon.
Lanolin asks Whisper if she can fly them out, to which Whisper answers that her Wispon's Green Hover mode is not fast enough. Tangle uses her tail as a grappling hook to grab onto a ledge above, allowing the three to escape the oncoming rocks. However, several smaller ones are still obstructing their path, forcing them to briefly split up. Whisper uses her Green Hover mode to manuever around while Lanolin uses her own Wispon to destroy some of the rocks, after which the two land on the clifftop with Tangle. Tangle spots Silver and Duo under attack by the Giant Chopper, with Silver trying to keep its jaws open while Duo yells at him to destroy it. Noticing Silver is struggling, Duo takes the opportunity to flee, during which his eyes and irises briefly revert back to their original black-and-white coloring. Before the Giant Chopper can completely consume Silver, it is shot down by Whisper's Orange Rocket mode. Lanolin asks Duo where Silver is, to which the cat answers that he could not save him due to the Badnik's huge teeth. Immediately after, however, Silver forces the Giant Chopper's mouth open and slams it into the side of the canyon with relative ease. Silver then accuses Duo of ditching him, although the cat claims he was going to call for help, which Silver is doubtful of. Lanolin tells Silver not to point fingers and that he should have better control over such dangerous powers, adding that, whether or not it was an accident, he must do better next time.
While Silver sulks at his garden in Emeraldville Ruins, Whisper suddenly appears behind the hedgehog, startling him. He tells her about his suspicions regarding Duo, mentioning how he seemed to be a completely different person during their fight with the Giant Chopper. Whisper confirms that she saw Silver get kicked by Duo, instead of tripping like the others were led to believe. Silver also recalls Duo's eyes seemingly changing color in front of him, describing the white part becoming black and his irises white. This information alerts Whisper, causing her to put on her mask and declare that they are going hunting.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Badniks
- Giant Chopper (first appearance)
- Motobug
- Master Overlord (mentioned)
- Mimic the Octopus
- Restoration
- Silver the Hedgehog
Locations:
Races and species:
Items:
- Container
- Golden Bell
- Metal Virus (mentioned)
- Variable Wispon
Misc.:
Continuity[]
- Belle is still working for the Restoration after joining them in Sonic the Hedgehog #37, "Test Run, Part 1".
- Silver is still with the restoration and struggling with personal issues after returning to their time in Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022, "Future Growth".
- Mimic remains disguised as Duo after infiltrating the Diamond Cutters in the previous issue.
- Mimic recalls Silver's involvement in defeating Master Overlord and ending the Metal Virus pandemic, from Sonic the Hedgehog #11, "The Battle for Angel Island, Part 3" and Sonic the Hedgehog #29, "All or Nothing, Part 4", respectively.
- However, he refers to Master Overlord as Metal Overlord instead. It is unknown if this is an error or if Mimic misremembered the correct name.
Trivia[]
- A Reliant Robin can be seen in the in the Restoration workshop in the first panel.
Speed Sightseeing[]
- Story: Ian Flynn
- Inks: Rik Mack
- Art: Aaron Hammerstrom
- Colors: Reggie Graham
- Letters: Shawn Lee
- Editor: David Mariotte
- Special thanks to: Mai Kiyotaki, Michael Cisneros, Sandra Jo, Sonic Team, and everyone at Sega for their invaluable assistance
Synopsis[]
Sonic and Blaze rush through the sewers of Spagonia, with Blaze not having expected this area to be the "scenic route" Sonic had mentioned. Sonic believes she would have wanted to see more interesting locales after all of the peaceful ones they had been to, to which Blaze agrees despite having heard of Spagonia's beauty as a city. They reach the sewer exit and jump outside, leaping and running across the rooftops. Sonic asks Blaze if she is willing to scale the town's clock tower, promising a good view, and she agrees despite her acrophobia. While standing on the clock's arms, Blaze admires the surrounding architecture, being reminded of her world by it. Sonic offers to get them some food from one of the city's restaurants, only to notice her distracted by something, which turns out to be neither the view nor the heights they are standing at.
Blaze explains that all the sights Sonic has shown her have given her a love for his world matching that for her own world, and as such, she feels the need to show it an equal amount of dedication by striving to protect it. However, Sonic reminds her that her world has already been saved and she is here on a vacation, one that does not involve working. His words remind her of what Knuckles told her, causing Sonic to jokingly remark that if the concept was obvious to Knuckles, it should be easy to understand. Blaze tells Sonic she is envious of his ability to balance recreation with duty, and wishes to learn how to do this during their travels. After being briefly interrupted by the clock hands moving, Sonic tells Blaze that he does not want to be in charge of how she spends her time, instead only wanting her to enjoy herself. Sonic asks if she wants to get their food on the go as he was already intending to bring Tails and Amy some lunch. Blaze accepts, once again questioning Sonic's definition of a scenic route when he brings it up, and the two descend the tower.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Amy Rose (mentioned)
- Blaze the Cat
- Dr. Eggman (mentioned)
- Jewel the Beetle (mentioned)
- Knuckles the Echidna (mentioned)
- Lah (cameo)
- Miles "Tails" Prower (mentioned)
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Su (cameo)
- Uh (cameo)
Races and species:
Locations:
- Multiverse
- Sol Dimension (mentioned)
- Blaze's world (mentioned)
- Sonic's universe
- Sonic's world
- Holoska (flashback)
- Mirage Saloon (flashback)
- Spagonia
- Station Square (flashback)
- Sonic's world
- Sol Dimension (mentioned)
Items:
Misc.:
- Axel Jump
- Boost
- Burst Hover
- Fire Boost
- Slide
- Sol Empire (mentioned)
- Spin Attack
Continuity[]
- Blaze is still on vacation after leaving her dimension in Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022, "Guardians".
- She also recalls what Knuckles told her in the same story.
Trivia[]
- When Sonic and Blaze are speeding through the sewers of Spagonia, Lah, Su, and Uh from Sonic: Night of the Werehog can be seen in the background.
- According to Ian Flynn, he stated that he and the others had to ask special permission to Marza Animation Planet for putting the greenlight on the cameo appearance of the ghostly trio, since it was their properties and not Sega's.[4]
- When Sonic and Blaze are seen examining a clothes store in a flashback, the two mannequins seen in the store window are wearing Blaze's outfit from cover A of Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022 and Amy Rose's swimsuit from Sonic X, respectively.
- During this story, Sonic says "What you see is what you get! I'm just a hedgehog that loves-" before being cut off by the sound of a chiming bell. Sonic's incomplete quote is a reference to Sonic Adventure 2, in which he says something similar: "What you see is what you get! Just a guy that loves adventure!"
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, Tangle, Whisper, Lanolin, Duo, Silver, and Blaze.
- 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. The other pages showcase raw artwork of the variant covers for the issue.
- Creator Corner: Creator Corner features an interview with a staff member. In this issue, Valentina Pinto is featured.
Quotes[]
- Silver: How do you know if you're working hard enough? I don't want to waste my time here, but I'm also supposed to enjoy what I've got...and with Blaze away, traveling, learning about the world, I--
- Whisper: Come train with us.
- Tangle: Ooh! Can we call this move "Scorpion formation"?
- Lanolin: Less naming, more surviving!
- Blaze: I envy your ability to balance recreation with duty. Perhaps I can learn your ways on our travels.
- Sonic: Not much to learn. What you see is what you get. I'm a hedgehog who loves--(the clock tower bell rings)
- Blaze: I was enjoying the view. I did not require a reminder of how high we are.
Trivia[]
- This issue was originally set for release on 26 July 2023 before being pushed back to 2 August and later 16 August.
- This is the first issue in the series to have a cover with a vertical logo (Cover A).
- This is the first mainline IDW issue to feature two separate stories.
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Cover A thumbnail. Art by Gigi Dutreix.  Cover A pencils. Art by Gigi Dutreix.  Cover A inks. Art by Gigi Dutreix.  Cover A colors. Art by Gigi Dutreix.  Cover B flat colors. Art by Reggie Graham.  Cover B colors. Art by Reggie Graham.  Cover RI colors. Art by Nathalie Fourdraine. |
Interior artwork[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Page thirteen pencils. Art by Aaron Hammerstrom.  Page nineteen pencils. Art by Aaron Hammerstrom.  Page twenty pencils. Art by Aaron Hammerstrom. |
Early covers[]
| Gallery |
|---|
Preview pages[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Credits page  Page one  Page two  Page three  Page four  Page five |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Sonic the Hedgehog #63 Cover A (Dutreix). Penguin Random House (21 April 2023). Retrieved on 21 April 2023.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #63 Variant B (Graham). Penguin Random House (21 April 2023). Retrieved on 21 April 2023.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #63 Variant RI (10) (Fourdraine). Penguin Random House (21 April 2023). Retrieved on 21 April 2023.
- ↑ BumbleKast Mini! for April 24th, 2024 - Ian Flynn Q&A Podcast (7:43). YouTube. BumbleKing Videos (24 April 2024). Retrieved on 15 July 2024. "Ian Flynn: Very recently in the IDW books, we had like a small cameo of Lah and the other ghosts, in Spagonia. And I tossed that in there as a "Can we maybe do that?" 'cause they showed up in the Werehog animated short. Turns out those are Marza properties specifically. Even though I'm pretty sure Sega owns Marza. It's still some weird division, so we had to get special permission. And kudos to the folks at Sega and Marza for, you know, navigating all of that and getting the greenlight just for this little cameo, for funsies."
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