Sonic the Hedgehog: Knuckles' 30th Anniversary Special[1] is a one-shot comic book special published by IDW Publishing in celebration of Knuckles the Echidna's 30th anniversary in 2024.
Official solicitation[]
- There's trouble brewing on Angel Island and there's only one hero who can stop it... Join Knuckles for an all-new Classic adventure to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the world's most famous echidna! This is an addition to Knuckles' history that you won't want to miss![1]
Featured stories[]
Story one[]
Knuckles notices Northstar Islands from above.
On Angel Island, Knuckles is thinking about his duty to guard the Master Emerald, and how he thinks he's doing a good job. He begins recalling when he fended off evil geniuses, scheming thieves, nasty robots, annoying blue hedgehogs, or even blue robot hedgehogs. He further goes on to say after all that everything's still intact and commends himself for his actions. Suddenly, he notices that Angel Island is passing by the Northstar Islands from above. He remembers how it wasn't long ago he bailed out Sonic and the others to stop Eggman's evil ambitions and also rescuing Trip in the process. Knuckles then begins to think about Trip being the guardian, thinking that her having that role is iffy and says he'll go and teach her about being a guardian.
Trip and Knuckles meet again.
Soon Knuckles glides above Bridge Island while Trip was playing with the animals. Knuckles lands in front her, causing Trip to hide in her helmet before recognizing him as Amy's tough friend. Knuckles explains that he's here to toughen her up, further saying that if he was a real threat Trip would not be able to help the animals. Trip responds saying that he's not a threat, leading to Knuckles telling her he knows what it's like to be on her own with no one. Trip rebukes, revealing that she's not the only person on the islands. Soon they arrive to a village of Sungazers deep within the Speed Jungle that greet Trip. Knuckles then asks where they came from, prompting Trip to tell him that they have always been here. Knuckles recalls that when he ran through there was nothing but Badniks and traps. Trip answers by explaining that when she heard Eggman arrived, she warned her people to hide until he was gone, but she got stuck with him. She then laments the fact that she was supposed to be the new guardian but ended up being bullied into helping the bad guys. Knuckles nervously responds when Trip asks if he'd also been bullied like she was.
Trip's grandfather scolds her.
Suddenly Trip is called over by her grandfather, who berates her for belittling herself again, telling her that's no way for a guardian to act. Trip apologizes to her grandfather, who tells her to stick to her training and wear her ceremonial armor with pride. Trip refuses, saying that the armor is heavy and clunky. Her grandfather tells her she'll grow into it as she gets used to her role. Trip asks Knuckles about his armor, but Knuckles tells her he does not have any. Trip's grandfather's attention is caught by her mentioning that Knuckles is also a guardian. Trip confirms this to him and tells him that he is going to train her to be the best she can be. Knuckles nervously agrees saying how there were close calls last time but after she's done training with him that Trip will be ready for anything. Her grandfather agrees, telling them to have fun and not to run off into trouble. Trip thanks him, but then nearly falls over, before telling Knuckles they can start training over there. Soon, Knuckles teaches her the first lesson which is to patrol her territory quickly and efficiently. Trip says that she's pretty quick, but Knuckles tells her there's more to it, mentioning it's also about maneuverability and knowing the terrain. He further tells her to know what her body can do and move in sync with herself and her surroundings without thinking.
Not the best training session.
Trip tells him that she already is all those things and Knuckles tells her to prove it. Soon they start racing, with Knuckles having the upper hand, but then Trip uses her Ring Rolling technique to catch up. The race eventually leads them into Sky Temple, where Trip asks for a lunch break. Knuckles yells at her, as they had just gotten started. Trip tells him that she is already tired, but Knuckles continues onto his next lesson to test her endurance. Knuckles tells her to get her helmet and says they're going to spar. Trip tells Knuckles that she doesn't want to hurt him, but Knuckles ignores her worries and assures that she won't. The fight starts, and Knuckles starts moving too fast for Trip to keep track. Knuckles swings at her helmet, causing it to spin around and hurting his hand. Trip gets dizzy and falls over, with her helmet hitting Knuckles' foot, causing him to yelling in pain. Trip asks if she won while Knuckles helps her adjust her helmet. Knuckles demands for a second round, but Trip asks for a break. Knuckles continues push her to fight, but it becomes too much and Trip runs off crying. Later on, Knuckles recalls times where he also pushed Amy and Tails too far. He thinks further to the resolutions of those conflicts, remembering that he caused Tails to loosen up his fear of lighting and taught Amy how to properly swing her Piko Piko Hammer. He at first thinks about acting more like Sonic, but he denies wanting to be more like him and instead decides to change his approach his own way.
Trip shows Knuckles the story of her ancestors.
In Golden Capital, Trip is still sad about the situation. Knuckles soon comes over wanting to talk, but she runs away and hides behind a giant Picky and Rocky. The two block him, but Knuckles is able to gently push them aside. Knuckles then tells Trip the reason why he acts the way he does is because nobody was there to teach him. Knuckles tells her about Angel Island and how he guards it by himself. However, Trip is amazed by this and praises him for his feats. Knuckles asks Trip if she guards a gemstone as well, to which Trip reminds him that she guards the Black Onyx. Trip takes Knuckles to a mural which he recognizes from his first time exploring the island. Trip tells Knuckles the meaning of the mural, explaining that it shows her ancestors protecting the Black Onyx by using the power of the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles asks if it's really been around that long to which Trip confirms, however she worries she may never measure up to her ancestors. Knuckles responds by reassuring her that she has potential to be a great guardian, causing the sungazer to hug him and thank him for his support. Knuckles waves goodbye, saying he needs to head home. Trip tells Knuckles that she looks forward to the next time they train together. Knuckles then realizes he doesn't know how he will get back up to his island. Trip then remembers that there is still Eggman tech on the island and the two find a leftover Egg Mobile, which Knuckles uses to fly back home. Later on, Knuckles thinks to himself again, telling himself how it's good to be him and that he's a good trainer.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Amy Rose (flashback)
- Badniks
- Hard Boiled Heavies
- Heavy King (flashback)
- Jellyfish Mecha (first appearance)
- Mecha Sonic Mark II (flashback)
- Hard Boiled Heavies
- Dr. Eggman (flashback)
- Fang the Hunter (flashback)
- Miles "Tails" Prower (flashback)
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Sonic the Hedgehog (cameo)
- Trip the Sungazer[4] (first appearance)
- Trip's grandfather (first appearance)
Races and species:
Locations:
- Sonic's universe
- Earth
- Angel Island
- Altar of Emerald
- Hidden Palace Zone (flashback)
- Sky Sanctuary (flashback)
- Newtrogic High Zone (flashback)
- Northstar Islands
- Angel Island
- Earth
Items:
- Chaos Emerald (flashback)
- Master Emerald
- Sonic's shoes (flashback)
- Piko Piko Hammer (flashback)
- Popgun (flashback)
- Black Onyx
Vehicles:
- Botanic Base boss (flashback)
- Egg Mobile
Misc.:
Continuity:
- On page two, Knuckles mentions the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic Mania, Sonic & Knuckles, Knuckles' Chaotix along with the Sonic the Hedgehog: Fang the Hunter miniseries.
- Knuckles later mentions his most recent adventure with that being Sonic Superstars.
- Knuckles remembers how he found the Sungazer lizards' mural at the end of his exclusive act in Golden Capital Zone from Sonic Superstars.
Trivia[]
- This is the first time that the Sungazer Clan is introduced. It is revealed that they were hiding in Sonic Superstars during Eggman's invasion of the Northstar Islands.
- In the past decade, attempts by licensed products to introduce family members to game characters have been rejected by Sega. Trip's grandfather therefore marks the first time such a character happens since the Archie Comics.
Trivia[]
- Cover B is a reference to the European boxart of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
- The logo used for "Knuckles" bares a small resemblance to the logo used for the Knuckles television mini-series. The whole story is also loosely based on the mini-series.
- This issue was originally set for a release on 30 October 2024, but later got to delayed to 20 November 2024.
- On October 20th, 2024, it was confirmed by Valentina Pinto that Trip will be in the comic thus confirming the story is set after the events of Sonic Superstars.[4]
- The newsletter announces that in the coming year, a Shadow the Hedgehog one-shot will be released, and a Chaotix special anniversary issue will be available the same year, and in year of 2026, the 35th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog will be celebrated with its 100th issue.
Gallery[]
Preview pages[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Page one  Page two  Page three  Page four  Page five |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Sonic the Hedgehog: Knuckles' 30th Anniversary Special Variant B (Fonseca). Penguin Random House (26 July 2024). Retrieved on 26 July 2024.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog: Knuckles' 30th Anniversary Special Variant B (Fonseca). Penguin Random House (26 July 2024). Retrieved on 26 July 2024.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog: Knuckles' 30th Anniversary Special Variant RI (10) (Hernandez). Penguin Random House (26 July 2024). Retrieved on 24 July 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Valintion Pinto, October 10 2024: BlueSky
