Slinger the Ocelot[3][1] is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing. He was an anthropomorphic ocelot and was the marksman of the Diamond Cutters. He was betrayed by their infiltrator; Mimic the Octopus and killed by Shadow Androids.
Quick Answers
What role did Slinger the Ocelot play in the Diamond Cutters?
How did Slinger the Ocelot meet his end in the comics?
Who betrayed Slinger the Ocelot in the Sonic comics?
How is Slinger the Ocelot connected to Mimic the Octopus?
What are the distinctive features of Slinger the Ocelot?
Appearance[]
Slinger was a teal-furred, anthropomorphic ocelot with pink eyes and a dark pink nose. He had triangular ears with tan canals and had white fur on his muzzle, chest and tail tip. He also had turquoise markings on top of his head, above his eyes and his tail.[3]
For attire, Slinger wore a large, gray and dark gray poncho and a similarly colored military beret, which he hung on his right ear, as well as a dark gray belt with revolver holsters. Like the other Diamond Cutters, he wore dark gray gloves with gray palms and gray boots with dark gray toes and soles.
History[]
Slinger along with Diamond Cutters, from Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper #3.
Past[]
Around the time when the Eggman War began, Slinger volunteered to fight against the Eggman Empire, eventually meeting Smithy the Lion, Claire Voyance, and Whisper the Wolf. Together, they would become the Diamond Cutters, an elite anti-Eggman mercenary team, as their marksman. His Wisp companion was a Cyan Wisp.
One day, as he was looking over blueprints with Smithy and Claire in their base, Whisper excitedly showed them Mimic the Octopus impersonating her. They were all baffled by his shapeshifting abilities, with Slinger saying that he had finally lost it. As Mimic reverted to his true form and introduced himself, he complimented them on their base, to which Smithy replied that the base was their reward for taking the hard jobs that no one else wants. Slinger added on by saying that war is great for business, which Smithy berated him for.[4]
A few missions after Mimic joined, the Diamond Cutters would accept a job to take down an Eggman base surrounded by snow. As Mimic attempted to infiltrate the base, an Egg Walker saw through his disguise, and the Badnik fleet started to shoot at him. Before an Egg Hammer could crush him, the rest of the group jumped in front of him, their Wispons at the ready, covering Mimic as he went to deactivate the whole fleet. As Slinger, Smithy, and Claire lunged forward, Slinger called dibs on the Egg Hammer. Smithy let out a laugh and wished him luck as he ran towards the large Badnik firing at its face. This barely phased the robot, and Claire had to save him, which was the ninth time she had done so during a mission, from getting crushed. When Smithy called out to Slinger as he was shooting at the robot he had called dibs on, Slinger vocally expressed his frustration. Once Mimic had accessed the main control hub, Smithy started to dramatically express his dismay, saying that he was about to show off. Slinger responded by calling him a big baby, and Claire told the two to stop joking around since she saw a platoon advancing toward the base's entrance. Mimic decided to shapeshift into Eggman and order the reinforcements to leave. His plan was successful, and Slinger joined the group in congratulating him, though he did still insist that he could have handled the "small army".[4]
After several successful missions, Smithy would eventually bring the team out to a spot in the middle of a forest. Slinger jokingly talked with him, claiming that Smithy started to laugh, or chortle, every time Slinger said "pew pew" as he shot at Badniks in the middle of a battle, while the others watched on. When Smithy proceeded to hand out his newly built Concealers to the team, Slinger was excited at the prospect of getting a "cool new toy". Whisper noted that Slinger's mask was different than hers, and Slinger told her that the difference was likely on purpose. As Smithy started to give a speech about the masks and the team, Slinger laughed at the notion of him talking about "friendship mathematics". When Claire postulated the possibility of becoming a faction of their own, similar to the Resistance, he replied by saying that their faction would be way cooler. Claire told him that his "genius" never stopped, and Whisper told him that he was hilarious, to which he winked and responded that he knew he was. The team, save for Mimic, then proceeded to cheer "Diamond Cutters". Mimic stepped away from the group for a moment, feeling hurt by the team's extended friendship, and Slinger continued to talk with the rest of the group, completely unaware of Mimic's inner turmoil.[4]
During one mission at an Eggman base, Slinger, along with Smithy the Lion and Claire Voyance, pretended to be captured by Mimic, who had shapeshifted into an Egg Pawn. After they managed to fool the guarding Egg Pawn there, Claire sensed a formation of Badniks on the far end of the base and two more on the inside that were recharging. This prompted Slinger to shoot down several Egg Pawns that stood in their way. He soon followed Mimic out of the facility after he created an exit with his Cube Wispon.
Demise[]
Slinger perishing, from Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper #3.
Later, at the onset of the Eggman War, Mimic secretly betrayed the Diamond Cutters and aligned himself with Dr. Eggman. He brought a plan before the Diamond Cutters to take down an Eggman base that cause a blackout among his forces along the coastline. At the Eggman base that the team decided to take down, the Diamond Cutters found no opposition. Claire tried to use her powers but could not sense anything, deducing that Eggman must have been emitting alpha waves somewhere to block her. After Mimic went to scout for an ambush, Slinger, Claire, and Smithy pressed onwards to find large capsules where Claire believed the source of the alpha waves was coming from. In the capsules, the trio discovered Shadow Androids. Suddenly, the room was automatically locked and trapped them inside. Slinger was then forced to fight the Shadow Androids with all his might and tried calling contacting Mimic and Whisper for an evacuation but they did not respond. Slinger was soon killed in battle.[3]
Legacy[]
Slinger's death would weigh heavily on Whisper, who blamed herself in part for not being able to save him.
Whisper crying happy tears knowing she finally avenged Slinger after defeating Mimic, from Sonic the Hedgehog #79.
After Eggman discovered that Whisper was alive, he sent Mimic to go finish the job or else he would finish Mimic. Mimic went outside as Slinger to try and lure Whisper out of hiding; however, there was no sign of his former teammate. Finding her Wispon, Mimic decided to use it, as well as his own mask, as evidence that he had killed her.
Later, Mimic used Slinger's appearance as a means of traumatizing and intimidating Whisper.[5]
Sometime later, Mimic used Slinger's shape and and Smithy's ear tuffs to create a false identity: Duo the Cat.
Slinger is finally avenged when Mimic used his knife to stab his power core which killed himself, Whisper opens her eyes wide in public for the first time as she begins crying tears of joy, her voice becoming more audible as she calls out for Slinger and cries out that the battle is finally over.[6]
Personality[]
Slinger was quite a suave and casual person who knew how to fight with style. He believed in justice and personally opposed everything Dr. Eggman stood for. Though he took his missions seriously, he often found much fun and enjoyment in fighting.[3] His penchant for rushing into battle sometimes put himself into perilous situations, and Claire had to save him from getting killed at least nine times during missions.[4] Despite this, he was still quite calculated and often knew when to be cautious of his surroundings. He was also not very open about his past or motivations, remaining a mystery even to Mimic.[3] However, he always fought with his friends, who could rely on him.[3]
Laid back and confident, Slinger often mocked his mechanical opponents in the middle of a fight.[3] He also liked to juggle his Wispons, although it made his team nervous.[1]
Powers and abilities[]
Slinger was a skilled marksman. Due to him wielding dual revolver-styled Laser Wispons and twirling them casually in the middle of battle, it is possible he was ambidextrous.[3]
Slinger was also a trained soldier and thus, had experience fighting in war-like situations.[1]
Weapons and equipment[]
Slinger using the Laser Wispons, from Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper #3.
For missions he would wear a cyan, black and gray monocle-like eyepiece Concealer with a white wire on his left eye.[3] The eyepiece also had a built-in camera and was networked, so that all teammates could watch the footage as means of reviewing mission performance and studying each others' perspectives. It also had a built-in translator that let him understand the Wisps' language.[3]
Slinger also used two revolver-styled Laser Wispons, which were powered by his Cyan Wisp companion. Slinger would use its offensive functions during missions.[3]
Relationships[]
Diamond Cutters[]
Slinger was very close friends with his teammates, Whisper, Smithy, Claire, and Mimic. He enjoyed making jokes to make them laugh. Unfortunately Slinger, as well as his other teammates, had no idea of Mimic's true nature, which costed most of the Diamond Cutters' lives.
Slinger's Cyan Wisp[]
It's unknown how exactly Slinger's relationship with his Cyan Wisp was, but it is clear they were very close and loved each other.
Friends/allies[]
- Diamond Cutters (teammates)
- Claire Voyance
- Mimic the Octopus (impersonator)
- Smithy the Lion
- Whisper the Wolf
- Wisps
Enemies[]
- Eggman Empire
- Badniks
- Dr. Eggman
- Shadow Androids (killers)
Trivia[]
- Slinger's species of an ocelot and his choice of weapon being Wispon revolvers brings about a similarity to Revolver Ocelot from the Metal Gear series. He also used Revolver Ocelot's most iconic line "You're pretty good!" as another homage to the Metal Gear character. Slinger was also the youngest of the team at 14, mirroring Ocelot being a prodigy that was already a major in the Soviet GRU with his own elite unit at only 19 years old.
- Being fourteen years old at the time of his death, Slinger was the youngest of the Diamond Cutters.
Gallery[]
Concept artwork[]
Model sheets[]
Trading Cards[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Slinger's Trading Card.
- ↑ Evan Stanley on Twitter. Twitter (5 September 2019). Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved on 24 October 2019.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper #3, "Betrayal"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2024, "Shattered Diamonds".
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper #2, "Ambush"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #79, "Story one"
External links[]
- Slinger the Ocelot at IDW Sonic Hub Wiki, the IDW Sonic wiki.
