Sonic The Hedgehog Amy 30th Anniversary Review

Sonic The Hedgehog Amy 30th Anniversary Review

In the last decade, Sonic the Hedgehog has blown up even bigger than his appearance in the hit Sega game franchise. With the release of Sonic The Hedgehog in 2020, featuring John Marsden and Jim Carey, including the voice of Sonic, Ben Schwartz, and Sonic The Hedgehog 2 in 2022, adding Idris Elba to the cast as the voice of Knuckles and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the voice of Tails, the franchise has been revitalized among an entirely new generation of kid and teen fans.

The success of the renewed interest was immortalized with the release of a brand new game, Sonic Frontiers, that captures the elements of the open world and classic two-dimensional playstyles to bring a new generation of fans an all-new Sonic experience. But as the franchise has grown on the name Sonic alone, the Blue Devil hasn’t always been alone.

As the movie franchise unfolds the origins and tells taller tales with secrets of Shadow Sonic coming to the next big Sonic sequel, Sonic has always had friends.

From the 90s Sonic the Hedgehog animated series to the newest Netflix animated series Sonic Prime, Sonic has had a handful of team-ups and friends to help thwart the dastardly Eggman and his goony gif antics from coming to fruition. Among some of his cohorts are Tails, Knuckles, Sticks, Big’s, Blaze, Silver, Wave, and the focus of today’s Sonic rogues—Amy!

IDW is honoring Amy’s 30th anniversary with a one-shot of her own, and Geek Network got a chance to preview the issue. A lot of our newest readers and modern-day fans of the franchise may not know this unless you know someone who’s into retro gaming, but Amy the Pink Hedgehog debuted in her first video game appearance in 1993 with the release of Sega CD’s Sonic CD title exclusive to that console. If I’m being honest, it was one of maybe four titles that were really worth playing on a Sega CD.

It’s definitely not gaming history’s finest hour, but it did give some very awesome content to the pantheon of the Sonic franchise. Amy’s first appearance was actually in a Sonic the Hedgehog manga in Shogaku Ninensei.

The opposing force, which I’m happy to see gracing Amy’s 30th anniversary, is Metal Sonic, which is not by chance because he too debuted the same year on the Sonic CD. Amy finds her enjoying her animal company in the Flower Field Zone, practicing the power of the cards—yes, cards of fate. That is, until Amy draws the card of the Grim Reaper, a very negative card to see during a reading of the fates of anyone.

After hiding in a sense of danger, her hunch and reading prove true as Metal Sonic comes crashing into the scene, running off after finding the place abandoned. Amy draws another hand and reads that she must be about to go on another adventure, daydreaming about Sonic. She runs off with optimism, wishing her animal friends good tidings. Amy stumbles upon an Eggman capsule and busts it open, fearing the worst about Sonic, but it’s just Fang, the purple fox.

The preview wraps up as Amy teams up with Fang, who seeks to get back at Eggman for stealing from him. Could the cards be wrong? Will she see Sonic again? What is Eggman scheming about now? What does Eggman have Metal Sonic looking for? All this and more in Amy’s 30th Celebration Anniversary Edition One Shot, available wherever comics are sold.

I’m honored to have covered this small but meaningful part of Sonic’s history in comics. I remember late sleepovers where friends and I would stay up all night drinking cheap soda and eating crap food to beat Sonic I, II, and III without falling asleep. I can’t wait to read what happens next! Don’t forget to support your local comic store or visit your favorite artists and creators at cons.
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