WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary FCBD Special, on sale now from IDW.
Amy Rose has a reputation for being the damsel in distress of Sonic' the Hedgehog's world. Her first appearance in Sonic CD saw her taken hostage by the menacing Metal Sonic, with the Blue Blur being her only hope of escape. Though she's come far in recent years, with subsequent games showing her independence as a capable fighter, it's hard to catch up to Sonic's accomplishments when he's the fastest thing alive. This is especially true for Classic Amy, who hasn't entirely moved out of Sonic's shadow, unlike her modern counterpart. Fortunately, she has one hidden talent that will show everyone what she's truly worth.
In the story "Amy's New Hobby" by Gale Galligan, Thomas Rothlisberger, Nathalie Fourdraine and Shawn Lee from the Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary FCBD Special, a tea date with Sonic's sidekick Tails takes an unexpected turn for the hammer-wielding hedgehog. As Tails goes on about how Sonic has left them both behind to do his own thing, Amy secretly scribbles something down as he talks. Her actions don't go unnoticed, forcing her to reluctantly reveal what she's been working on.
As Amy nervously hands him a thick binder, Tails opens it to find a variety of wonderful comic strips chronicling the adventures, both large and small, of Sonic and all his many friends. The two-tailed fox is clearly amazed at how good they are, but the artist behind it all isn't convinced.
Noticing that his friend isn't confident in her abilities, Tails sets out to prove to her just how good she is. Best friends Mighty and Ray just happen to be passing by and are the perfect target audience for one strip in particular. Tails shows them a comic titled "Mighty and Ray Adventures #13" which features Mighty testing a burger with a "light squeeze" only to have its contents fly out and splat him in the face. Whilst Amy is clearly incredibly nervous about other people viewing her art, the reactions from her friends show she has nothing to fear. Her works are so popular that soon the whole town is gathering to read them, even occasional troublemakers like Bark and Bean join in.
Such a large and visible gathering grabs the attention of Sonic, who races back to town from miles away just to see what's up. When he eventually pushes his way through the throngs of people, Tails shoves the comics into his hands, much to Amy's utter terror. While at first it seems Sonic might object to the unauthorized use of his likeness in comic form, the opposite is true - he's absolutely delighted by them.
It just goes to show how comics, like this one and the rest of IDW's stellar Sonic the Hedgehog series, can bring people together in a way that other mediums can't. It's as much a testament to the love people have for comics as it is to the kind heart of Amy Rose, who was only making them for fun and not for any of the praise she's now getting. This love is further proven by Sonic, who adores them so much that he's eager to share even more stories with her so she can make even more.
While Classic Amy isn't exactly going to go up against Eggman one-on-one any time soon, she doesn't need to. Sonic can and will take down the mad scientist alone but it's the way Amy tells those tales, and the tales of others, that bring everyone together.
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