Recap / Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): The Last Minute Arc

If a comic cover could convey Darkest Hour and Despair Event Horizon, it would be this. ^note Issue #24 Cover A by Jonathan Gray. Colors by Reggie Graham.

Written by:	Ian Flynn
Year:	Two
Saga:	Metal Virus
Arc Duration:	#21 - #24

Tails tries to research a cure for the Metal Virus while Tangle and Whisper help the locals in Central City evacuate following another Zombot outbreak. Due to Zombot Cheese and Chocola's interference, Tails fails his mission. At Restoration HQ, Vector butts heads with Gemerl over whether or not an imprisoned Zombot Charmy could be kept there. One of the refugees reveals that they were infected, which causes a Zombot outbreak in the HQ. Despite all efforts, many survivors were infected in the process, including Vector and Vanilla. Elsewhere, Sonic uses Tails' bio-scanner to help discover how his speed counters the Metal Virus. He finds Dr. Eggman and Dr. Starline in Barricade Town attempting to find ways to control the Zombots once again. Though Sonic foils their plans, the bio-scanner is destroyed. Following this, Sonic helps the Restoration in evacuating Spiral Hill Village after a Zombot outbreak occurred there but at the cost of losing Tangle to the virus. Meanwhile, Dr. Starline meets the Deadly Six and proposes an alliance that they accept, with each party having external malicious intent.

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Tropes

• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Restoration HQ falls to the Zombots.
• And Then John Was a Zombie:
  • Vanilla is caught in the crowd when a Zombot monkey and the Zombot-ifed Charmy get loose and infect the others. All she can do is beg Amy to get Cream out of there.
  • Vector gets infected when trying to prevent Charmy from infecting others.
  • Tangle gets infected offscreen by a turned Jewel, though at least she goes down fighting.
• Aside Glance: Espio's Dull Surprise reaction when Sonic announces Tangle's infection to the others. Sonic himself gives off one after seeing how upset Whisper is over the bad news, a look of shame crossing his face as she's dragged off and restrained.
• Big "NEVER!": When Sonic asks Tangle if she's going to let her infection bother her, she cheerfully replies with one of these.
• Big "NO!":
  • Cream yells two as she watches her mother be Devoured by the Horde, whilst being whisked away by Amy at Vanilla's plea.
  • Sonic lets out an even bigger one when, after finding a working radio frequency, Eggman and Starline prepare to finally retake control of the Zombots.
• Both Sides Have a Point: Sonic felt like he had done the right thing by sparing Eggman in his amnesic state as Mr. Tinker; at least it gave him a chance to do some good for once, even if he wasn't in his right mind. However, like Shadow, Espio had contemplated arresting, or eliminating, Eggman at his most vulnerable because... well.. let's face it. The doctor is a mad man. One would think Sonic would get the hint based on all of the wrongdoings Eggman has committed prior to the Metal Virus. Instead, he thinks Espio is just 'assuming the worst about everyone and everything'.
• Break the Cutie: Cream and Whisper, both cute in their own right, suffer this trope more than anyone else as they lose their family and friend, respectively, to the Metal Virus.
• Captain Obvious: Gemerl, during Vector's Heroic Sacrifice moment. Vector's response is basically telling Gemerl to shut up.
• Chronic Villainy: Sonic calls Eggman out on this in Issue 23. As he points out, even if Starline restored his memories, Eggman could have simply gone back to living peacefully as Mr. Tinker in Windmill Village, but instead, he chose to continue his villainous ways of his own volition. While Eggman laughs off the idea, he does briefly reflect on his time as Mr. Tinker and admit those days were relaxing.
• Darkest Hour: This arc is pretty much the low-point for the heroes. Nothing they try works (with some of it only making things even worse), they continue to lose friends to the Metal Virus, and they're ultimately forced to flee with their tails between their legs. There's also the fact that Sonic's ability to fend off his own infection is starting to wane. Not even getting into what the Zeti have planned.
• Deal with the Devil: Dr. Starline negotiates with Zavok, who looks like a devil, to control the Zombot horde. Both parties are planning to screw each other over, but we soon find out that Zavok held a better hand.
• Death Glare:
  • Two from Starline, both directed at Eggman. The second is given when Starline calls in the Zeti.
  • Espio gives an intense one to Sonic while blaming him for the whole nightmare. The ensuing argument peaks with them glaring angrily at each other.
• Do Not Go Gentle: Tangle would rather do down fighting than just lie there and await her Zombotification. She is last seen facing other Zombots before she finally succumbs to the infection.
• Downer Ending: Pretty much all the stories have the heroes failing to fight the ongoing outbreak and forced to retreat. Starline makes things worse by summoning the Deadly Six.
  • Issue 21: Tails loses the data for a cure to the virus and has to sacrifice his walker mech to fend off the Zombots.
  • Issue 22: The Restoration base ends up compromised due to one of the citizens hiding that he was infected. That, and Zombot Charmy breaking free from the container Vector and Espio put him into, turns a majority of the survivors into Zombots including Vanilla and Vector, with the rest of the heroes just barely escaping. Amy reveals to Tails the lone ship is all that remains of the Restoration.
  • Issue 23: While Sonic stops Starline from saving the frequency to control the Zombots, Eggman and he escape and the device Sonic was using to collect the data for a Zombot Cure ends up busted in the fight.
  • Issue 24: Spiral Hill, Tangle's hometown, is overrun and she herself is infected, though she goes out fighting before she fully converts, much to the dismay of Whisper (who just got over the trauma of losing her previous teammates in the Tangle and Whisper mini-series). If that wasn't bad enough, Starline decides to bring in the Zeti to help control the Zombots with them all set to betray the Eggman and him.
• Dramatic Irony: In Issue #2 of Tangle & Whisper, Whisper didn't want Tangle involved in her ordeals because she fears of losing another friend. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens at the end of Issue #24, even though it's from a different matter. Both incidents have Eggman more or less involved.
• Dramatic Thunder: A thunderstorm occurs throughout Issue #23, providing the backdrop for Sonic's fight with Eggman and Starline. The storm is still raging at the end of the issue, with a huge lightning flash streaking through the Lost Hex as Starline revisits the Zeti.
• Face Framed in Shadow: Tangle's Zombot form after she succumbs is presented in this manner. She is lit from behind and her left, but her front and right side are draped in shadow, with her face fully blacked-out except for the iris and pupil of her left eye (which, eerily enough, resembles Metal Sonic's). Just before the scene cuts away, she fades into the shadows completely.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: Before sending Sonic back to tell the others that she's staying behind, Tangle warns him that Whisper will take the news about her infection the hardest, given her past. Sure enough...
• From Bad to Worse: And how. As if to drive the point home, the To Be Continued text at the end of Issue #24 literally says this.
• Gory Discretion Shot: Tangle's Heroic Sacrifice moment averts this. Whereas all prior Zombot transformations happened offscreen, hers plays out entirely on-page and in much greater detail.
• Harmful to Minors: As if Cream wasn't traumatized enough since losing her Chao to the Metal Virus, now her own mother is one of the many growing Zombot victims added to the roster, and she can't do anything about it without infecting herself. Unsurprisingly, she's uncharacteristically depressed by the end of the arc, having lost her whole family except for Gemerl.
• Heroic RRoD: Having been running at mach speed for several hours — if not days — just to keep the infection from consuming him, on top of trying to save civilians and trying to keep Eggman from regaining control over the situation have certainly taken a toll on the Blue Hedgehog.
• Heroic Sacrifice:
  • Vector is forced to tackle Charmy when he gets through the exit before it's sealed, getting infected as a result. He willingly goes back into the building and keeps the Zombots back to allow the others to escape.
  • Tangle, already infected with the Metal Virus thanks to getting sneak-attacked by Jewel, stays behind to hold back the Zombot horde and allow the Restoration and the Spiral Hill survivors to escape, fighting back against them until she finally succumbs and becomes a Zombot.
• Hope Spot: One per issue.
  • Tails manages to find a possible cure or vaccine for the virus, but the wifi ends up cut before he can upload it to Restoration HQ, and the Server Blade is destroyed when he tries to flee with it. Not that it would've mattered because...
  • Vector and Espio capture Zombot Charmy and plan to isolate him in case Tails finds a cure to test on him. When another infected is loose inside Restoration HQ, the ensuing chaos frees Charmy and makes thing much worse as almost everyone inside is infected, including Cream's mother.
    • Amy, Cream, Vector and Espio nearly all escape together along with other refugees, but a Zombot-ifed Charmy manages to jump through the exit before they can seal the building, forcing Vector to carry him out of the escape shuttle, at the cost of getting infected himself. The HQ has fallen, and the shuttle they are in is the only thing left that is not compromised.
  • Sonic was essentially the "Plan B" for the virus cure by collecting data for his health while running. But in his fight with Eggman, he ends up breaking the device that does so.
  • Tangle seems to be handling herself just fine against the Zombots...until she reveals to Sonic that she already got infected by a Zombot Jewel before he arrived, and is just stalling for time while evacuating the remaining uninfected people in her village.
• I Can Still Fight!: Tangle's last words before the Metal Virus claims her (which mutes her on the spot) are something along the lines of this.
  Tangle: C-C'mon! I'm s-still standing! Still fighting! Still—!
• Ignored Epiphany: When Sonic finally confronts Eggman face to face he asks him why he gave up being Mr. Tinker. Even beyond the amnesia, Sonic wanted to know why Eggman threw away his new life. Eggman responds by sardonically listing off all of the accomplishments Mr. Tinker had that he considers meager, only to find that deep down a part of himself might actually miss that life. He quickly brushes it aside and states he prefers the loftier ambitions of his old evil ways.
• It's All My Fault: The worse things get, the guiltier Sonic feels, since for whatever it was worth, his decision to spare Eggman's amnesiac persona was the catalyst for the Zombot Apocalypse. He twice has a guilt-induced Heroic BSoD: first after losing the virus cure data, and then when he finds Tangle infected (right after seeing how miserable his other friends are). Whisper's breakdown over losing Tangle adds to Sonic's shame, evoking a remorseful Aside Glance from him. Even after Tangle pep-talks him out of a slump, Sonic's regrets are no lower.
  Sonic: I put my faith in the idea everyone has a little good in them, and Eggman's made me pay for it every day.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Sonic's fight with Eggman destroys Tails' bioscanner, further decreasing their chances of finding a cure for the Metal Virus. Tails and Amy refrain from blaming Sonic, but cross the Despair Event Horizon after he tells them.
  • Espio blames the whole situation on Sonic's decision to spare "Mr. Tinker" (Eggman's amnesiac self), since that indirectly led to the plague. Sonic himself subsequently admits to Tangle he doubly screwed up by letting Metal Sonic go.
• Nightmare Face: Whisper's anguished snarl during her breakdown over Tangle's infection.
  • The Zeti also demonstrate as Starline warps them onto the Faceship.
• Not So Stoic:
  • Espio is actually reduced to tears after watching Vector sacrifice himself and later lashes out at Sonic in grief-stricken anger.
  • Whisper implodes into a tearful mess upon hearing Tangle is about go be Zombot-ified and has to be dragged kicking and screaming back to the airship. All she can do thereafter is sob into Cream's lap, having lost yet another friend to Eggman's machinations.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • Cream is prone to crying or just being sad, which is obvious for a child as young as her. The fact that Cream is outright depressed and cold the next time she and Sonic meet signifies just how dire the situation has become.
  • Sonic has gone through great lengths to avoid touching anyone and risk infecting them with the Metal Virus. The fact that he was willing to infect Eggman is a clear sign that he is fed up with his longtime nemesis's madness. He doesn't go through with it due to the legions of Zombots surrounding them.
• Rage Breaking Point: Eggman drives both Sonic and Starline to this in Issue #23, causing the former to go on the attack and cementing the latter's disillusionment with his idol.
• Say My Name: Whisper screams Tangle's name in anguish after learning she got infected.
• Simultaneous Arcs: Issues 21-23 all take place at the same times. #21 dealing with Tails trying to make a cure in the midst of an attack on his hometown. #22 focuses on Amy trying to coordinate rescue efforts from her base that's housing survivors only for it to be compromised when an infectee gets in and turns, and #23 is Sonic running into Eggman and Starline and getting into a brief scuffle with them.
• Stunned Silence: When Sonic announces that Tangle got infected, his remaining friends are horrified speechless. Whisper's above-mentioned Say My Name breaks the silence after a few seconds.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
  • Tails seemingly finds a cure for the Metal Virus, though Starline believes that it may mutate later, rending the potential cure moot. It's not unheard of for viruses to change and adapt to make medications and the like less effective, requiring researchers to update and improve to combat them.
    • On that note, Eggman Didn't Think This Through. He made the virus to control the planet and it was a weapon that Sonic can't easily destroy. And so he blatantly chose not to set up a contingency for him or Starline, and continues to simply let things run, even though he knows he is rapidly losing control of the situation.
  • The Metal Virus remains extremely contagious by touch and can quickly infect everyone on contact. The moment an infectee turns into a Zombot in the middle of an overcrowded space, i.e. Restoration HQ, all hell immediately breaks lose. Only a small healthy handful manage to escape the chaos.
    • Those already infected speed up the process by additional contact with Zombots. Tangle doesn't have Sonic's speed to burn off her infection, so she tries to use multiple items to slow hers down as she holds off her Zombot-ified neighbors while everyone else escapes. Knowing that she will inevitably suffer the same fate, she continues fighting them even after running out of stuff to shield herself with.
  • Sonic has been fending off his infection so far thanks to his Super-Speed, but even he has limits. He has been running nonstop from the start, with little to no rest and, according to Gemerl, it's starting to wear him out. That's not even counting the discovery that the virus is staring to adapt in a way that is slowly bypassing this.
  • Starline takes matters into his own hands and calls upon the Deadly Six to help control the Zombots. However, he's not reckless enough to just bring them in, knowing their history with Eggman. He needs to prepare for an inevitable double-cross, which is why he found and stored a Cocophonic Conch after his first meeting, which its sound is the only thing that immobilizes them.
• Too Dumb to Live: Issue 23 reveals the extent of Eggman's Suicidal Overconfidence with the Metal Virus; not only has he not made a vaccine or contingency for the virus, he sees no need to; as far as he's concerned, just not touching the Zombots will be enough to avoid infection. Starline brings up other points, like the virus potentially mutating to become airborne, only to be enraged when Eggman blows his rants off as "nitpicking".
  Starline: (seething with rage) It's not nitpicking! It's common sense!
• Tranquil Fury:
  • Espio is clearly simmering with this when he and Sonic regroup. Losing Charmy was bad enough, but after Espio watches Vector get infected also, he's legit pissed.
  • Starline is left seething with this during the latter half of the arc, culminating in him summoning the Zeti to the Faceship after Eggman blows him off one too many times.
• Uncertain Doom: A one-panel cameo in Issue 21 is all we see of Silver during this arc, while Rouge is absent from the story altogether. Until the next arc, both characters' fates are left ambiguous.
• Wham Episode: This whole arc, pretty much, although Issues 22 and 24 are the real shockers.
• Wham Line: Several.
  • Issue 21 ends with Amy informing Tails that Restoration HQ fell to the Zombots, along with almost everyone inside.
  • Issue 23 has Starline calling out Eggman for not yet inoculating them both to resist the out-of-control Metal Virus. Eggman's reason? He never even considered a vaccine!
  • Issue 24 contains three:
    • Gemerl's revelation that the Metal Virus is gradually overcoming Sonic's Super-Speed, meaning his Plot Armor is deteriorating fast.
    • Tangle drops one while revealing her infection to Sonic:
      Tangle: I've been holding back, trying to keep from turning too fast. But I'm not going to last much longer.
    • A chilling one from Starline ends the issue and the arc as he presents the Deadly Six to Eggman:
      Starline: No, sir. I insist.
• What If?: One of the Issue #24 covers (as shown above) tease what the entire cast [left side] would look like as Zombots [right side]. The only exceptions are Eggman, who unleashed the Metal Virus, and the robots that end up destroyed (except for Metal Sonic, Orbot, and Cubot)
• What the Hell, Hero?: Pushed to his breaking point, Espio angrily snaps at Sonic that the Metal Virus outbreak wouldn't be happening if he had just let Shadow or the Chaotix deal with Mr. Tinker back in Windmill Village when they had the chance. Sonic argues it was worth giving Mr. Tinker a chance, but Espio is not convinced and only backs off because they have work to do.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Tangle shows Sonic her infection, he despondently kicks himself for unintentionally starting their situation because he spared Eggman and Metal Sonic way back when; he even calls himself a failure for being unable to protect his loved ones. However, Tangle snaps him out of his funk and tells him not to give up, saying he can still set things right and is responsible for no one's actions but his own.
• You Shall Not Pass!: How Tangle begins her Last Stand against the Zombots in her hometown. The horde keeps coming, but they are unable to get past her until she turns into a Zombot herself. By then, Sonic and the other survivors have gotten out of dodge.
  Tangle: Let's go then! You might as well turn back! You used to be my neighbors! You know I won't let you past!
• Zombie Infectee: A monkey ends up managing to get into the Restoration base having managed to hide his infection before he fully turns, citing he didn't want to be alone while apologizing.