Ready to meet the new boss? note
| Written by: | Ian Flynn |
| Year: | One |
| Saga: | Neo Metal Sonic's Revenge |
| Arc Duration: | #5 - #8 |
The Chaotix Detective Agency receive an anonymous tip which leads them to a mountainous village where they find Dr. Eggman, only to discover that he is suffering amnesia and has become a model citizen. The tip was given by Rouge the Bat, who followed Shadow the Hedgehog in the research. Sonic convinces Shadow to leave "Mr. Tinker" to his new life. Sonic then discovers that the mysterious ringleader behind the Badnik attacks is Neo Metal Sonic, who took the leadership of the Eggman Empire once again, but only to conquer the world for Eggman in his absence. Sonic and Silver soon discover Neo's plans and alert Knuckles and Amy to gather their allies.
- Adaptational Badass: Metal Sonic never fought Sonic is his Neo Form in Sonic Heroes until the end, when he becomes a Mechanical Abomination known as Metal Overlord. This comic allows him to have a physical advantage over the hero for the first time.
- Arc Villain: It's eventually revealed that Neo Metal Sonic is the main villain for this and the next arc.
- Both Sides Have a Point: When Shadow arrives at the village, he states that even though Eggman has amnesia, there's still the risk of him regaining it and going back to his evil ways. Sonic, however, counters that they can't just kill him without least giving him a chance to live his new life, citing Shadow was all too willing to damn the world himself for Maria's death and Sonic likewise give him a chance after those events. The Chaotix is deadset in the middle; they want to arrest Eggman, but has a moral dilemma that he has forgotten everything. In the end, Sonic and a village chief are the deciding factors to leave Eggman be.
- Canon Foreigner: This arc marks the introduction of Whisper the Wolf, a sniper who fought in the war against Eggman but didn't really join The Resistance, instead opting to fight from afar with her Morph Weapon and Wisps that accompany her. Though her demeanor when she's on the verge of attacking one of the computers when Sonic, Silver and she get into the heart of the lab hints that she really has some personal beef with the doctor.
- Bittersweet Ending: After a brief clash, Sonic, Shadow, and the Chaotix all agree to leave the amnesiac Eggman alone at a remote village, now that he is no longer a threat. However, Sonic later discovers that Metal Sonic (back in his Neo Metal Sonic form) has filled in the Doctor's shoes and is the reason why the Badniks are much more organized then first thought. He learns from Silver that "something" is going to happen that will cause another Bad Future but, for now, they focus on gathering their friends and allies to stop Metal from achieving his latest goal: taking over Angel Island and the Master Emerald.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Despite all of his efforts, Sonic is unable to beat Neo Metal Sonic, who is backed by a large Egg Pawn army. He was able to escape, though, and leaves some damage to the ship.
- Death Glare:
- Shadow makes his first on-page appearance giving off one of these.
- Whisper opens her usually-squinting eyes and stares daggers at Eggman's computer while preparing to smash it. Even Sonic is a little unnerved by this.
- Debut Queue: Along with Whisper, this arc marks the IDW debuts of (in order) Team Chaotix, Shadow, Rouge, Metal Sonic (as Neo Metal Sonic), and Silver. Neo Metal Sonic had speaking lines in the previous arc, but doesn't appear on-page until Issue #7.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: When Shadow berates Sonic for showing leniency towards Eggman for all the atrocities he has committed, Sonic brings up all the atrocities Shadow had committed and how he was easily forgiven for every single one of them. However, Sonic's point isn't as valid or as fair as he makes it out to be. Eggman has willingly committed a larger number of crimes than a brainwashed Shadow has and, unlike Shadow, the mad doctor never attempted to atone for any of his past crimes and only became good because of amnesia.
- Foreshadowing: When Silver went home after the events of Sonic Forces, he found that the future world was totally empty, with only ruined buildings and metallic plant life remaining. This eerie account of Silver's latest Bad Future foretells the Saga following this one.
- Forgot About His Powers: In this case, Sonic forgot that Neo Metal Sonic can copy someone's biodata and abilities on sight. By the time he remembers, Neo already gets an edge.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Sonic already thinks that Eggman's new persona is just another trick. It takes him a while to discover it's not.
- Groin Attack: Sonic receives one from Neo Metal Sonic when the latter drop-kicks him. Due to the size of Neo's foot, the kick hits Sonic's entire front from the neck down, including right between his legs.
- I Will Find You: Neo Metal Sonic states that this is his goal as, while he'll lead in Eggman's stead, Eggman is the one true leader of his Empire, intending to ravage the world if he has to to find him.
- Know When to Fold Them: Sonic can handle a group of Badniks alone, and bring down battleships, but adding a powerful Neo Metal Sonic into the mix?Sonic: Nope. Time to bail.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Eggman's defeat at the end of the war led to him losing his memory, adopting a new persona called "Mr. Tinker".
- Missed the Call: Metal Sonic reveals that he was upgraded back to Neo as a backup weapon during the war, but it was over by the time he was reactivated.
- Mythology Gag:
- Sonic recalls Metal Sonic turning against Eggman when he upgraded into Neo, in Sonic Heroes, before he and his friends defeated him. He also remembered facing a "Phantom Metal Sonic" in Sonic Forces.
- Oh, Crap!: Sonic and Silver have this reaction when they raid one of Eggman's abandoned bases and see that Neo Metal Sonic has taken over Angel Island in the eighth issue, with Silver literally saying this trope by name.
- The Reveal:
- Eggman is found, but under a new name and personality as Mr. Tinker, and is currently living as an amnesiac mechanic.
- It's eventually revealed that Metal Sonic, upgraded to his Neo form, is the one in charge of the attacks from the last arc.
- Save the Villain: An odd inversion of this as Eggman has amnesia and is harmless, with Sonic having to keep Shadow from killing him.
- Spanner in the Works: Charmy manages to prevent one of the Neo's drones from filming the village when his badniks invade the area, which in turn keeps Neo Metal Sonic from finding Eggman.
- Time for Plan B: The combined might of Neo Metal Sonic and the Egg Pawns proves too much for even Sonic to handle alone, forcing him to retreat and find out Neo's plans are from an abandoned Egg Base.
- Who's on First?: Whisper introducing herself to Sonic and Silver triggers this exchange:Whisper: Whisper.
Sonic: Cool.
Silver: (Whispering) Okay. But...why?
Sonic: No, genius. Whisper is her name. - Wham Shot:
- Issue 6 Shows a different Eggman from the amnesic one Sonic and the others encountered.
- When Sonic confronts this Eggman in the next issue, he already knows this one is a fake, soon revealing that it's Neo Metal Sonic in disguise.
- Issue 7 ends with Neo Metal Sonic leading his forces to Angel Island.
- Issue 8 has him occupying it and securing the Master Emerald, sitting atop of it like a throne.
- Issue 6 Shows a different Eggman from the amnesic one Sonic and the others encountered.
- The Worf Effect: Sonic is used to taking on legions of Badniks and robot clones of himself, by himself, but his encounter with Neo Metal Sonic changes things.
