IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 58 is the fifty-eighth issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by IDW Publishing.
Official solicitation[]
- Sonic to Restoration HQ: Requesting backup immediately!
- The Eggperial City is too much for Sonic, Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin to handle on their own, so it's Tails, Amy, Silver, and Blaze to the rescue! With two teams on the case, surely victory will be achieved without a hitch, right?![1]
Featured stories[]
Urban Warfare, Part 2[]
- Story: Ian Flynn
- Art: Thomas Rothlisberger
- Colors: Matt Herms
- Letters: Shawn Lee
- Editors: Riley Farmer, David Mariotte
- Special thanks to: Mai Kiyotaki, Michael Cisneros, Sandra Jo, Sonic Team, and everyone at Sega for their invaluable assistance
Synopsis[]
Sonic is fighting another wave of Badniks, taking them out with some ease. Despite this, he rhetorically asks them to leave him alone so he can save his friends. A large group of Caterkillers and Batbrains are then forced into a ball in the air. It is revealed Silver is holding them and Blaze lets out a jet of fire, destroying them. Tails and Amy then join in and defeat an Egg Pawn with Sonic. Amy says Jewel called them to back up Sonic and she asks if he's hurt. Sonic says he's fine and thanks them for showing up, specifically apologizing to Blaze for working during her vacation. Blaze tells him to think nothing of it and Silver says he's happy to have some direction. Tails asks where the Diamond Cutters are and Sonic explains they discovered the city is auto-building itself by strip mining the earth. They got ambushed and the rest of the team got trapped in a portal similar to the one in Eggman's Tower. Tails asks if they have time for Blaze to return home and use the Sol Emeralds to save them. Blaze says that wouldn't work, as the Emeralds can only transport her between her world and Sonic's. Silver says he can't freely travel through time either, so Blaze suggests they find a solution in the present. Amy asks if only way to rescue them is with Eggtech, which Tails says yes. He is confident he can use if he can access it. Tails says he needs to access one of the giant crystals around the city, as he suspects they are the key to everything in the city. The group then charges on to clear a way for Tails.
At the same time, Tangle tries to wave the heroes down, but they don't see or hear her. Tangle rants about they can't fight Badniks or talk to anyone. She asks Lanolin, calling her "boss lady", if she has a plan. Lanolin, sitting with her head in her knees, says she is not the boss. Tangle goes down to her and says she is since she organized the group and the mission. She also says her and Whisper aren't cut out to be the leader. Lanolin replies by saying she isn't cut out to be the leader. Tangle then asks why she created the team then. Lanolin explains she was desperate and didn't want anyone to feel as helpless as she did when the Badniks attacked her town. She admits she isn't prepared for this and the mission was a complete failure. Tangle says they failed together as a team, which doesn't make Lanolin feel better. Tangle then says it is OK to make mistakes, as she's made plenty of mistakes and always had Jewel and other to help get her out of them. Tangle encourages her saying they will walk away from this smarter and more experienced. Lanolin asks how she can be so sure, and Tangle says it's because they are awesome and never give up.
Tangle asks Whisper if she agrees. The wolf simply asks her "why?". Tangle asks for her to clarify, and Whisper asks why she named the team after her lost team. Lanolin is confused, saying she thought Whisper's old team was disbanded after the war. Whisper tells her they were betrayed and destroyed. Distressed, Tangle holds her tail and tries to explain herself, fumbling her words. Whisper tells her to say it. With tears in her eyes, Tangle says she is sorry. She thought her old teammates were close friends, cool, and competent. Tangle says she wanted that for her and Whisper so they wouldn't drift apart again. Whisper pauses and recalls all the people who have helped her on her last few adventures. Tangle sobs and says she was caught up in the moment, apologizing again. Lanolin comforts Tangle and says they can change the team name. Whisper holds up a hand and Lanolin lets go of Tangle as she wraps her head with her tail.
Whisper takes off her mask and says her old team were there for each other. She says their Wisps are here for her now. Whisper explains she tried to be on her own, everyone has come to support her. She says the only person not trying to help everyone is herself. Lanolin says she doesn't know Whisper's whole story, but understands if she has trouble trusting others after being betrayed like that. Whisper replies only one person took her friends and hurt her and says she can't let him take this team from he too. Whisper says she won't let his fear poison her anymore. She then apologizes for being a bad friend and teammate and asks if they will be patient with her as she moves on. Lanolin says she can if Whisper can be patient with her being bossy and inexperienced, and Tangle also asks for patience with her being herself, though this is muffled by her tail wrapped around her face. Whisper pulls it down, and says she knows what Tangle said before she can repeat herself, and that "she will". The group joins hands and Whisper tells them they can remain the Diamond Cutters, as her old team would be honored for them to continue their cause. Tangle then gets them in a group hug, and Lanolin says there has to be a hard count on the number of group hugs.
Lanolin asks how Whisper's old team would handle their situation. Whisper clarifies there was no chain of command and they relied on each other. She then says they would ask Claire for insight and if she saw nothing, they would scout the area. Tangle guesses Whisper is going to scout for them, then Lanolin comes up with a plan. Since the Badniks can't attack them, they can bypass security and scout the entire city. Once Sonic and the others get them back to the normal world, then they will have plenty of intel for them. Whispers says they should go to the central control tower since it has the most critical resources and the Diamond Cutters move out.
Meanwhile, Amy, Blaze, Silver, and Sonic are working together to beat Badniks while Tails goes to hook up the Miles Electric to the Eggtech connected to the crystal. A Super Badnik comes around to attack the heroes. Silver is able to stop its hammer from slamming into Sonic, who retaliates by spinning into the Badnik's face. An attack by Blaze causes the Badnik to drop its hammer, giving Amy an idea. She asks Silver to give her a boost and tells everyone to get back. Using both hands, Amy picks up the giant hammer with Silver's help and smashes it into the Badnik, destroying it. Shocked, Silver says she held up most of it and Sonic gives Amy a high-five. Tails asks if he missed anything cool, and Blaze tells him they stopped a wave for now. She then asks if he found anything. Tails explains the giant crystals around the city are actually Giant Fake Chaos Emeralds. Tails says they are cheap replicas that have the same properties and wavelength, but are under-powered, yet more potent than other energy sources Dr. Eggman uses. Sonic asks why they are so big, and Tails says its to increase their power output and their size is at a great cost to the environment.
Sonic concludes they need to destroy the crystals to destroy the city and suggests to use the hammer again, which Silver excitingly asks if he can do. Tails frantically tells them that's a bad idea and Blaze agrees. Tails shows on his Miles Electric that would blow up the city block and themselves, making the city devour more to rebuild itself. Sonic suggests destroying the city themselves, which Blaze thinks isn't possible. Tails shows the crystals power regional growth, but they are all powered by the command tower. Sonic remembers Eggman controlling the city there from last time and tells everyone to head there. Tails flies by him and says they need to reverse the energy of the command tower to save their friends, which Sonic thought was given. Silver flies by and says his work needs a delicate touch and Sonic smugly grins at him. Sonic thinks to himself that Lanolin was right and this is a lot easier with help. He thinks solo missions are fun, but doing it as a group is also fun. His thought is interrupted by an explosion in the city. Amy asks what that was and Sonic tells everyone to head for the tower while he and Tails check it out.
The two arrive at the explosion site and Sonic asks if Jewel was sending more help. Tails says none that he knows of and they look to see who arrived; surprised to see Team Dark fighting Badniks.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Amy Rose
- Badniks
- Batbrain (first appearance)
- Caterkiller
- Egg Pawn
- E-2000
- Fullboar
- Kuraa (first appearance)
- Nebula
- Stegway (first appearance)
- Super Badniks
- Death Crab (flashback)
- Egg Hammer
- Blaze the Cat
- Diamond Cutters
- Claire Voyance (mentioned)
- Dr. Eggman (mentioned)
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Mimic the Octopus (flashback)
- Restoration
- Belle the Tinkerer (flashback)
- Jewel the Beetle (mentioned)
- Diamond Cutters
- Silver the Hedgehog
- Team Dark
Races and species:
- Black Arms
- Human (mentioned)
- Wisps
- Blue Wisp
- Cyan Wisp (flashback)
- Green Wisp (flashback)
- Magenta Wisp
- Orange Wisp (flashback)
- Pink Wisp (flashback)
Locations:
- Multiverse
- Blaze's dimension (mentioned)
- Sonic's universe
- Sonic's world
- Eggperial City
- Restoration HQ (mentioned)
- Riverside (flashback)
- Tails' Lab (flashback)
- Sonic's world
Items:
- Air Shoes
- Chaos Drives (mentioned)
- Egg Spear
- Giant Fake Chaos Emeralds
- Golden Bell
- Limiter Ring
- Miles Electric
- Piko Piko Hammer
- Power Cores (mentioned)
- Sol Emeralds (mentioned)
- Sonic's shoes
- Variable Wispon
Misc.:
- Bomb
- Chaos Spear
- Concealer
- Hammer Attack
- Omega Machine Gun
- Propeller Flying
- Psychokinesis
- Screw Kick
- Spin Attack
Continuity[]
- Amy, Blaze, Silver, and Tails arrive in the city after Sonic called Jewel for backup in the previous issue.
- Blaze helps Sonic during her vacation which started in Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022, "Guardians".
- Silver is happy to help Sonic after being conflicted on his direction in Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022, "Future Growth".
- Sonic recalls the portal he went into in Sonic the Hedgehog #37, "Test Run, Part 1".
- The Diamond Cutters are partially displaced from reality after falling into a portal in the previous issue.
- Lanolin recalls the Badniks attacking her home town in Sonic the Hedgehog #2, "Fallout, Part 2".
- Whisper recalls losing her teammates to Mimic, which she first explained in the Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper mini series.
- Whisper remembers leaving Restoration HQ in Sonic the Hedgehog #45, "Trial by Fire, Part 1", losing her Wisps in #53, "Overpowered, Part 2", and Belle helping repair her Variable Wispon in #54, "Overpowered, Part 3".
- Sonic remembers Eggman using the control tower in the Eggperial City in Sonic the Hedgehog #50-Sonic the Hedgehog #52, "Battle for the Empire", "Escaping the Empire", and "Overpowered, Part 1".
Trivia[]
- On page four, Tails can be seen closely examining an Egg Spear, which is promptly shown discarded on the following page. According to artist Thomas Rothlisberger, the brief focus on Tails and the Egg Spear is a remnant of an earlier version of the page, where Tails would have rewired the spear to create an explosion in the final panel. When the script for the issue was changed, the majority of the page artwork (excluding the final panel) was kept, and Rothlisberger explained the spear's sudden disappearance by depicting it as part of a bonfire on the next page.[4]
- On page ten, Tangle is seen trying to say something, but is muffled by her own tail covering her mouth. While it is not known for sure what she was trying to say, writer Ian Flynn has stated that it could be, "And if you'll be patient with me being me".[5]
- In the flashback of Whisper's recovery, she appears to be wearing the same headband Tangle wore in Sonic the Hedgehog #45.
- On page fourteen, Silver and Sonic's combo attack is near identical to the one used in Sonic the Hedgehog #8.
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, Jewel, Tangle, Whisper, Lanolin, Amy, Tails, 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.
Quotes[]
- Tangle: First off, we failed together! It was a team effort!
- Lanolin: Strangely, that doesn't make me feel any better.
- Tangle: Secondly, take it from someone who's sling-shot herself off a cliff once or thrice: it's okay to make mistakes. Jewel's carried me out of some bad situations in the past, and you've got a team that can help you out of this one.
- Tangle: I thought...I didn't...I wanted...
- Whisper: Just say it.
- Tangle: (crying) I'm sorry! I didn't think of it like that! Your old teammates were such close friends! They were so cool and competent! I wanted that for us! So we wouldn't drift apart again!
- Whisper: I can't...I won't let his fear poison me anymore. I...am sorry. I have been a bad friend and a bad teammate. It...will take some time to fully move on. May I ask that you be patient with me?
- Lanolin: I can be if you'll be patient with me being bossy and inexperienced.
- Tangle: (mumbles something, Whisper moves her tail off her face.) Thanks. I said-
- Whisper: I know. I can. I will.
- Silver: You did most of that. How...
- Sonic: 'cuz she's awesome! (high-fives Amy)
- Amy: (tired) Thanks!
Trivia[]
- This issue was initially slated for release on 1 March 2023, but was later delayed to 8 March 2023. Later still, it was reverted back to its original release date.
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Cover A colors. Art by Tracy Yardley, colors by Min Ho Kim.  Cover B thumbnails. Art by Abigail Oz.  Cover B colors. Art by Abigail Oz.  Cover RI colors. Art by Nathalie Fourdraine. |
Early covers[]
Interior artwork[]
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 #58 Variant A (Yardley). Penguin Random House (18 November 2022). Retrieved on 28 February 2023.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #58 Variant B (Oz). Penguin Random House (18 November 2022). Retrieved on 18 November 2022.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #58 Variant RI (10) (Fourdraine). Penguin Random House (18 November 2022). Retrieved on 18 November 2022.
- ↑ Thomas Rothlisberger on Twitter. Twitter (29 April 2024). Retrieved on 5 May 2024.
- ↑ Ian Flynn on Twitter. Twitter (1 March 2023). Retrieved on 1 March 2023.
