| Written by: | Gale Galligan, David Mariotte |
| Year: | Four |
| Release Date: | August 14, 2021 |
| Story Count: | 2 |
A special one shot issue for 2021's Free Comic Book Day. Like the 30th Anniversary issue, it's set in the past, featuring the classic incarnations of Sonic and his friends.
Amy invites Tails over for some lunch, but he quickly finds out that she really called him over for material for a comic book she's making based on their past adventures. Tails convinces her to let others read it which Amy reluctantly agrees to, though is apprehensive on what others may think of it. Being especially worried when the book is shown to Sonic himself.
Also included is a brief recap of the IDW series since it's inception to get new readers caught up. Covering from the "Fallout" arc to the (then current) "Zeti Hunt" arc, this summary helps readers get set up for Issues #44-49 and the Imposter Syndrome mini-series.
This Free Comic Book Day special and the celebratory anthology released earlier in the year would get printed together as part of Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary: Deluxe Edition (sans the aforementioned recap portion).
Amy's New Hobby contains examples of:
- Color Failure: When Tails goes show Sonic the comic, there's a panel where the colors drain completely, showing Amy and the crowd's nervousness on how he'll react.
- Continuity Cameo: Bean, Bark and Honey the Cat (this being her first appearance in the IDW series) make some quick appearances in the crowd shots. Also three of the animals seen in the crowd are actually the animals that were part of Sonic's band back in his prototype phase.
- Continuity Nod: The story Sonic tells Amy at the end is his recount of some of Eggman's Badniks attacking him for Eggman's birthday which happened in the 30th anniversary issue.
- A Day in the Limelight: The story is focused on Amy and her hobby of making comics about her friends.
- Does Not Know His Own Strength: One comic depicts Ray giving Mighty a stacked hamburger for lunch. Mighty tried to lightly squeeze it down a bit and ended up with condiments sprayed in his face.
- Mythology Gag:
- Amy's car from the Sonic Drift games, Breeze, is seen at the start of the comic greeting Tails and later watching Tails show Mighty and Ray Amy's comics.
- A "Future" sign from Sonic CD adorns part of Amy's house.
- One of the comic pages depicts Sonic fighting Metal Sonic while quoting some lines from the Sonic OVA.
- The cover has a sticky note that is covered by Sonic's hand. Taking a close look at it reveals it to be part of the lyrics for "Fastest Thing Alive," the intro theme of Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM).
- Sonic praises Amy's drawing of him by calling it "way past cool!"
- Self-Insert Fic: An In-Universe example that is also Played for Laughs, where there are some strips that show Amy being part of the adventures that she possibly wasn't there for or never been on. There's even a strip that shows Sonic confessing to Amy, though the top portion has been ripped out while a tiny Amy doodle squees at the possibility.
- Shout-Out: Amy being an artist references Doryan Nelson's fake commercial
for Sonic Mania Plus, which depicted her as the game's cutscene animator. - Show Within a Show: The comic is about Amy making a comic about her and friends past adventures.
- Stylistic Suck: The portions showing Amy's comics are done in a simplified manner, like someone drawing with colored pencils and the like while being drawn on notebook paper (one of the pages of such even being ripped off). This is to show how Amy's still developing her drawing skills and finding her own style.
- Villains Out Shopping: One of the comics Amy draws has her retelling how Sonic and his friends lined up at a new Chili Dog stand, with Bean and Fang also wanting to try it out. Bean and Bark later show up at Amy's place to read her comics, even worried about how Sonic would react when he arrives.
