Sonic the Hedgehog: Endless Summer is a one-shot comic book special published by IDW Publishing as part of their "endless summer" lineup of licensed comics.
Official solicitation[]
- Do you ever wish summer could last forever? Well, at IDW, it can! We're bringing you an endless summer with everyone's favorite characters in four unique one-shots! Wave goodbye to the office and say hello to the beach! Sonic drags Jewel on a well-deserved beach day to spend time with her besties, Tangle and Whisper! But when they all settle in for some rest and relaxation...they realize the Babylon Rogues had the same idea... at the same beach. The only way to settle this is with a totally tubular beach showdown![1]
Featured stories[]
Story One[]
Synopsis[]
Sonic visits Tails behind his lab in Central City and invites the fox to come hang out with him due to the good weather. However, Tails is busy modifying the Tornado and asks Sonic to check if Restoration HQ's metal shop has a part he is missing. While passing through the HQ, Sonic comes across Jewel and learns that she has been hard at work while also missing the company of Tangle and Whisper, who have been busy with their missions and training as the Diamond Cutters, causing Jewel to feel left out. She attempts to pretend everything is fine and returns her attention to her paperwork, and Sonic leaves to collect the missing part for Tails. However, he gets an idea and rushes back to Jewel's office, telling her they have a very important mission.
Soon after, Sonic, Jewel, Tangle, Whisper (along with her Wisps) arrive at a beach near Green Hill, where Tangle and Whisper set up their umbrella and mat and start playing in the water. Jewel is initially unimpressed, but Sonic tells her that if she pushes herself too hard and holds back her feelings, she will be burnt out and unable to help anyone. Jewel thanks Sonic and joins Tangle and Whisper in the water. The four of them later play a game of volleyball, during which Tangle accidentally sends the ball on top of a small hill. Jewel goes to retrieve it, only to find the Babylon Rogues on the other side, arguing about where to place their own equipment. Sonic appears and asks what the holdup is, but is stopped short when he spots the Rogues as well. Jewel tries to shush him but they are already discovered.
The two groups stand face-to-face on top of the hill, with Jet claiming there is not enough room on the beach for all of them, which Tangle denies. Wave tells Sonic's group to stay on their side while the Babylon Rogues stay on theirs, but Jet objects, believing Sonic will ruin their "vibe". Tangle, Jewel, and Whisper recall their past encounters with the Rogues, and Tangle bluntly tells them to get off the beach. Wave proposes that the matter be settled with a tournament involving the volleyball, net, and a flying disc the Rogues brought, with the winning team being the one that gets to stay.
The first round is Disc Catch, which is won by Team Sonic. The second round, Swim Relay, is won by the Babylon Rogues. Team Sonic wins the Sand Sculpting round, while the Rogues win at Surfing. The final round is a game of volleyball, in which the Rogues get the first serve. However, Storm hits the ball too hard and sends it out of bounds, giving Team Sonic the first point. As the teams continue playing, Jewel begins feeling left out again, recalling all the times she was stuck working alone while her friends were training or having fun together. Sonic gives the team a quick pep talk as the end of the game draws near, motivating Jewel enough for her to form a plan.
The plan involves isolating Jet and exploiting his ego by keeping Wave and Storm away from the net, thus making Jet feel left out, and then creating a false opening for him, allowing Team Sonic to score. With the last point being scored by Jewel, the game is won by Team Sonic. While they cheer and celebrate, Jewel notices the Babylon Rogues leaving and begins to feel bad. She decides to let them stay and the three teams enjoy the rest of the day at the beach eating marshmallows over a campfire. During the campfire, Tangle goes over to Jewel and says she has missed hanging out with her. Jewel agrees and they decide to hang out together next weekend.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Babylon Rogues
- Diamond Cutters
- Duo the Cat (flashback)
- Lanolin the Sheep (flashback)
- Tangle the Lemur
- Whisper the Wolf
- Chief Mechanic
- Jewel the Beetle
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Sonic the Hedgehog
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Chili dog (mentioned)
Vehicles:
Continuity[]
- Tangle recalls Jewel being kidnapped once by the Babylon Rogues in Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2019, "Bonds of Friendship".
- Whisper recalls stealing Jet's calzone once in Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022, "Another Grand Adventure for Jet the Hawk".
Trivia[]
- The outfits worn by the Babylon Rogues come from various sources:
- Wave's outfit is based on her Tidal Wave costume from Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
- Storm's outfit is based on his Tropical Storm costume from Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
- Jet's outfit is based on one he wore in a piece of artwork from Sonic Channel.
- Jewel's swimsuit and flats are identical to Amy’s swimsuit and flats from the Mario & Sonic series, but with the red parts colored pink and white stripes on the flats.
- In page 5, when Sonic is talking to Jewel, he states, "If saving the world 900 times has taught me one thing...". This is a reference to the title of the-then upcoming comic Sonic the Hedgehog's 900th Adventure, which celebrated being the 900th English-language Sonic comic issue.
Other features[]
- Cover Artwork: Raw cover artwork of all four covers.
Quotes[]
- Sonic: Listen, Jewel. If saving the world 900 times has taught me thing...it's that you have to be in this for the long haul.
- Jewel: I am!
- Sonic: Yeah. But it's about more than just working hard. If you push yourself too much...if you hold your feelings back...you're going to burn out, and you won't be able to help anyone.
- Wave: You stay on your side, and we'll stay on ours.
- Jet: Absolutely not! He's gonna ruin our whole vibe!
- Sonic: Excuse me? I'm all vibes.
Trivia[]
- The popsicle of Sonic featured on cover RI is directly based on the real-life Blue Bunny Sonic the Hedgehog Bar, infamous for its facial expression.
- The B cover is the last part of a complete image only shown when combining the B covers of the other series by IDW Publishing utilized in the Endless Summer lineup; the other three, in order, are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, the 2022 series of My Little Pony, and Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures.
- When the image is completed, Sonic is revealed to have run over Donatello's sand castle.
- In the indicia for the comic, it is called "IDW Endless Summer - Sonic the Hedgehog"
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
Early covers[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Cover A. Art by Tracy Yardley.  Cover B. Art by Jack Lawrence. Colors by Reggie Graham.  Cover RI (10). Art by Tracy Yardley.  Cover RI (25). Art by Natalie Haines. |
Preview pages[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Credits page  Page 1  Page 2  Page 3  Page 4  Page 5 |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 IDW Endless Summer—Sonic the Hedgehog Cover A (Yardley). Penguin Random House (20 May 2023). Retrieved on 20 May 2023.
- ↑ IDW Endless SummerSonic the Hedgehog Variant RI (10) (Coloring Book Variant). Penguin Random House (20 May 2023). Retrieved on 20 May 2023.
- ↑ IDW Endless Summer—Sonic the Hedgehog Variant B (Lawrence). Penguin Random House (20 May 2023). Retrieved on 20 May 2023.
- ↑ IDW Endless Summer--Sonic the Hedgehog Variant RI (25) (Haines). Penguin Random House (20 May 2023). Retrieved on 20 May 2023.
