IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 3

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## "Knock Knock, It's Knuckles!"

**IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 3** is the third issue of IDW Publishing's Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series.

## Summary

### Official Solicitation

Sonic and Knuckles team up, and it's just like old times-until two new villains show up. With a group of villagers under attack, will even the combined forces of these two heroes be enough to take down **Rough** and **Tumble**???

### Synopsis

*"Fallout" Part 3*

Sonic the Hedgehog arrives to the next town to find he is too late; the town is safe and there are no more badniks to destroy.  This is all thanks to Knuckles the Echidna who is there finishing off a Super Badnik, a Death Egg Robot sentinel. Sonic greets Knuckles and jokes that he is far from the Resistance HQ where he was commander during the war against Dr. Eggman.  Knuckles, as it turns out, has grown restless now that the war is over and is ready to return to both Angel Island and treasure hunting.

Sonic asks what the situation is and Knuckles explains that the town used to be a hub for Wispon distribution but has suddenly stopped.  When Knuckles announces that all the robots are destroyed, a nervous villager says he is under orders to not open the gates to anyone.  Both friendly rivals immediately scale the town walls to get inside and find many villagers hide in panic.  Sonic says they are there to help and the nervous villager explains that just before the war ended, a couple of mercenaries showed up.  They drove back Eggman's forces and promised to defend them but actually took all the Wipons and Wisps that power them for themselves and took over the town.  With no way to fight back and robots outside the walls, the villagers are trapped.  Sonic and Knuckles promise to take care of them and are pointed to a supply depot where the mercenaries are using as a base.

Sonic and Knuckles break in quitely and find the Wisps trapped in pods.  Knuckles explains Tails had given the Resistance his cipher for the Wisps' language and they volunteered to help in the war.  They would wait in deployment pods like the ones they are in now for troops to enter an area.  Sadly, these Wisps are being horded as prisoners.  Just then a laugh is heard in the depot.  Sonic and Knuckles sneak up on two skunks laughing at the villagers catering to them.  Sonic remarks that their disgusting behavior makes the Hooligans look like "class acts" by comparison but Knuckles is just angry at the mistreatment.  Sonic warns him they need to be cautious and let the villagers get out of harms way first.  Both make their prescience known but the skunks are unimpressed.  The mercenaries introduce themselves, with a rhyming intro, as Rough & Tumble.  Knuckles warns they seem highly coordinated, Sonic can barely hold in his laughter after that intro.  All four begin to fight; Sonic gains the advantage over Tumble and Knuckles takes on Rough but has trouble breathing after the skunk uses a "Stink Bomber" technique.  Beaten but not defeated, both skunks decide to then arm themselves with Wispons.  Knuckles suggests they grab Wispons as well but Sonic has a better idea.  He calls out to all the Wisps that power the Wispons and reminds them all how he helped them save their planet from Dr. Eggman and how they helped him on the Lost Hex and in the war.  He asks that they all be brave and not let the skunks bully the villagers with their powers.  Suddenly, all the Wisps leave their Wispons and surround Rough & Tumble, leaving them powerless and letting Sonic and Knuckles deliver a knockout blow.

Soon after, both skunks are tied up and the village is free again.  The nervous villager from earlier thanks Sonic and Knuckles but are interrupted by a happy Wisp. The Wisp goes back into the Wispon the villager is holding and Sonic deduces that the Wisps plan on staying to help defend the town which makes the villager very grateful.  Rough & Tumble are led to jail but not before stating they will get out soon and will be coming for Sonic & Knuckles; Knuckles gives them a look that scares them straight and the villagers laugh.  Knuckles thanks Sonic for the help and hopes that things will start to settle down.  Sonic informs him that while a vacation would be nice, he needs to find out who is now in charge of Eggman's remaining forces.  First, however, they feel a party with the Wisps and the villagers is in order.

Still watching Sonic's progress via Flapper drone, the mysterious figure that is coordinating Eggman's army takes notice that Knuckles is still on the planet's surface.  They realize this means that not only is Angel Island left unprotected but the Master Emerald as well; which they could use to accelerate their plans substantially.

## Key Events

* Sonic meets up with Knuckles, who manages to take down a Death Egg Robot sentinel.
* Sonic and Knuckles learn that the local town, which is known as a hub for Wispon distribution, has been taken over by the skunk brothers, Rough and Tumble.
* Sonic and Knuckles battle Rough and Tumble, and manage to convince the Wispons' power source, the Wisps, to turn on them.
* As Rough and Tumble are taken away, the mysterious figure, watching the whole thing, plans to steal the Master Emerald from Angel Island.

## Appearances

*Characters*

* Sonic the Hedgehog
* Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik
* The Hooligans ***(Mentioned)***
* Neo Metal Sonic
* Resistance
	+ Knuckles the Echidna ***(First appearance)***
	+ Amy Rose
	+ Miles "Tails" Prower
* Rough the Skunk
* Tumble the Skunk
* Yacker ***(First appearance)*** ***(flashback)***
* Badniks
	+ Egg Pawn
	+ Flapper
	+ Death Egg Robot sentinels ***(First appearance)*** ***(flasback)***

*Races and species:*

* Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Blue Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Cyan Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Green Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Indigo Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Ivory Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Orange Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Pink Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Red Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Violet Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ White Wisp ***(First appearance)***
	+ Yellow Wisp ***(First appearance)***

*Locations*

* Sonic's Dimension
	+ Lost Hex ***(Mentioned)***
	+ Planet Wisp ***(Mentioned)***
	+ Sonic's World
		- Barricade Town (unnamed in this story) ***(First appearance)***
		- Angel Island
		- Riverside ***(Mentioned)***

*Items*

* Chili dog ***(Mentioned)***
* Deployment Pod ***(First appearance)***
* Master Emerald ***(First appearance)***
* Wispons
	+ Asteroid Wispon (multiple) ***(First appearance)***
	+ Burst Wispon (multiple)
	+ Drill Wispon (multiple) ***(First appearance)***
	+ Hover Wispon (multiple) ***(First appearance)***
	+ Lightning Wispon (multiple) ***(First appearance)***

*Misc*

* Stink Bomber ***(First appearance)***
* Climb ***(First appearance)***
* Eggman Empire ***(Mentioned)***
* Eggman War ***(Mentioned)***
* Glide ***(First appearance)***
* Spin Attack

## Quotes

**Tumble**: You lookin' to scrap?

**Rough**: Then get ready to crumble!

**Tumble**: Brace yourselves for-

**Together**: ROUGH & TUMBLE!

**Knuckles**: The tables have turned.

**Sonic**: They certainly bumbled.

**Together**: It's butt-kick time for ROUGH & TUMBLE!

## Other features

* **Sonic Letters Squad**: Sonic Letter Squad is a section where the comic staff can post fan artwork and fan letters that have been sent in to them.
* ***Yo-kai Watch* #1 - Free Digital Ashcan**

## Variant Cover Gallery

### Other Variant Covers

Second PrintingBox Set -
Virgin Variant

## Background Information

* The actual story is unnamed in the issue itself. The title comes from the graphic novel volume in which it’s reprinted.
* Cover A is the third in a series of four connecting covers by artist Tyson Hesse.

### Cameos and References

* Knuckles making his IDW debut in issue #3 and teaming up with Sonic is a reference to *Sonic 3 & Knuckles.*
* Jennifer Hernandez’ original characters make cameos throughout the issue.
	+ The nervous dog villager featured prominently in this issue is based on Hernandez's real life dog, Knick.
	+ Jade and Crystal the Cat are seen serving Rough and Tumble. Additionally, Ruby Ringtail, Emerald the Iguana, and Sapphire Flutterby are seen with the rest of the townsfolk.
* Sonic compares Rough and Tumble to the Hooligans, a group that, in the Archie Comics continuity, consisted of classic game characters Nack the Weasel, Bean the Dynamite, and Bark the Polar Bear.
* Rough & Tumbles choreographed introduction may be a reference to Team Rocket from Pokemon.
* Sonic reminds the Wisps of how he saved their home planet, and how they, in return, helped the hedgehog out on the Lost Hex, referencing the games *Sonic Colors* and *Sonic Lost World* respectively.

## External Links

1. ↑ https://www.newsarama.com/38304-idw-publishing-april-2018-solicitations.html
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/ChibiJenHen\_Art/status/986627821694013440

*IDW Sonic Comics*