Official Solicitation
Being the Phantom Rider isn’t easy, but there’s no rest for the wicked. Sonic is caught in a literal perfect storm of a traffic jam, all while he’s pursued by the relentless Jet the Hawk! Perhaps an unexpected meeting-and reveal-will help raise his spirits? Meanwhile, aboard the Restoration’s ship, Tails and Amy’s luck finally runs out!
Featured stories[]
Story one[]
- Story: Evan Stanley
- Pencils: Aaron Hammerstrom
- Inks: Matt Froese
- Colors: Reggie Graham
- Letters: Shawn Lee
- Associate Editor: Bixie Mathieu
- Editor: Thea Cheuk
- Production: Johanna Nattalie
- Special thanks to: Mai Kiyotaki, Afia Khan, Michael Cisneros, Sandra Jo, Sonic Team, and everyone at Sega for their invaluable assistance
Synopsis[]
Surge being enraged.
Surge and Kit walk up to Clutch announcing they quit. Clutch bursts out laughing, causing Surge to insist that they are serious. After composing himself, Clutch explains to them that the fame Surge and Kit are experiencing does not belong to them, and that, depending on his needs, he can make them monsters just as easily as he made them heroes. He tells them that they still get glory, fame, and the opportunity to be violent now and then so long as they maintain appearances. Clutch also states that he has a "hedgehog problem," and orders Surge to destroy the Phantom Rider the next time she faces him.
Later, on the deck of the Battleship, Surge, enraged over being told what she can do, uses her powers to shoot large amounts of electricity into the sky. A large caravan of vehicles is seen following the Battleship across the sky, with Sonic hiding amidst them aboard the Eggstreme Gear. He tries to equip his mask but to no avail, and hopes that Tails and Amy are faring better than him. A bolt of lightning suddenly strikes nearby, alerting the hedgehog to the sudden change in weather, and causing a couple of the cars to crash into each other. Some of the driver's spot Sonic, who uses a hood to conceal his face, with one of them questioning if "Phantom Rider" is responsible for the storm. A bolt of lightning hits a nearby car and causes it to start falling. However, Storm arrives and catches it, and tells the other two Babylon Rogues to take care of the rest. Jet claims that his plan will get them back on top, to which Wave argues that it was her plan and he knows it. Jet remarks that he gets the credit due to being the leader, and they begin making a path for the vehicles to follow through. In the middle of this, though, he spots Sonic amidst the crowd and begins chasing him down, determined to stop whatever Sonic is up to. Sonic throws his hood at Jet, distracting the hawk long enough for Sonic to lose him.
Jet spotting the Phantom Rider.
Nite introducing Sonic to his vehicle.
However, before he can plan his next course of action, he and the Eggstreme Gear are grabbed by Nite the Owl and pulled into his van. Sonic prepares for a fight, only to recognize Nite's voice as that of the event announcer. Nite is amused by Sonic's reaction and introduces himself and his vehicle the Bad Investment to the hedgehog. Sonic also meets Nite's partner, Don, who comments the events in Misty Spire. Sonic states that that was not him, which Don had already suspected to be the case. Don sees Jet ahead of them and pushes Sonic out of sight until the hawk leaves, after which Nite offers Sonic cocoa. After listening to Sonic's explanation of what happened, Nite asks if he is worried about them possibly revealing his identity, but Sonic answers that it is a bit late for that. He explains that although he would have preferred to keep it a secret, he will still do what he needs to do regardless of what the world thinks since his friends are counting on him. Sonic asks Nite what he and Don are up to. Nite explains that the Chaotix Detective Agency have been investigating Clean Sweep Inc. for a while and were going to search around the shuttle, but he and Don have not heard from them since, which is why they approached Sonic. Sonic tells them that Tails and Amy are on the shuttle and might know something about the Chaotix if they can find them. Don returns from repairing the Phantom Rider's control panel, and Sonic is able to transform into his full disguise again, setting off to get to the bottom of the situation.
On the deck of the Restoration shuttle, Surge laments the fact that no matter what she and Kit do, someone is always controlling them, be it Starline or Clutch. Kit comforts her with a hug, stating that he has a plan. Inside the shuttle, Tails, Amy, and Belle head for Jewel's office, where they find Doctor Yolk and Nick guarding the entrance. Amy sends Belle forward to tell Jewel what is happening, but Doctor Yolk does not let her inside, stating that Jewel is too busy to see anybody. Belle notices that Doctor Yolk's bow tie is missing, only to realize it is the same bow tie she was tied up with. Doctor Yolk grabs her and prepares to lock her up again, causing Tails and Amy to rush to her aid. However, Nick appears in front of them. Belle pulls on her tail, causing her to kick Doctor Yolk and free herself from his grip. Tails pulls down the zipper on the back of Nick's mascot costume, revealing a familiar tail and smell to Amy. Rough and Tumble reveal themselves to the three, only to immediately start calling for backup. With Clean Sweepstakes Security on the way, Tails, Amy, and Belle are forced to flee, with the skunk brothers in pursuit.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Amy Rose
- Babylon Rogues
- Belle the Tinkerer
- Chaotix (photo) (mentioned)
- Charmy Bee (photo) (mentioned)
- Espio the Chameleon (photo) (mentioned)
- Vector the Crocodile (photo) (mentioned)
- Clutch the Opossum
- Dr. Starline (mentioned)
- Don the Rooster
- Jewel the Beetle
- Kitsunami the Fennec
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Nite the Owl
- Rough the Skunk
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Surge the Tenrec
- Tumble the Skunk
Locations:
- Sonic's universe
- Sonic's world
- Apotos (cameo)
- Misty Spire (mentioned)
- Sonic's world
Items:
Vehicles:
- Battleship
- The Bad Investment (first appearance)
Misc.:
Trivia[]
- On page six, a hovering cyan car can be seen, with a license plate reading "01082008". This is a reference to the North American release date of Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity on 8 January, 2008.