As discussed in the other article posted this week, I think the Sonic IDW comics are incredible. However, they wouldn’t be half as incredible if the characters weren’t as fantastic as they are. Through a combination of some excellent usage of pre-existing returning characters, alongside a plethora of amazing new additions, the Sonic IDW series has no shortage of memorable characters to fall in love with (or to love-to-hate).
Let’s go ahead and take a look at the characters I’d place in my Top 10!
10) Doctor “Eggman” Robotnik
It’s refreshing to know that one of the most iconic villains in all of gaming is still a consistently enjoyable presence in the world of comics too. A part of this is helped by one of the strongest aspects of the Sonic IDW series, which is giving characters moments of genuine depth, growth, and development, instead of just relying on nobody ever changing and just being the same sort of surface-level archetype for all time. Eggman has some moments that are really interesting throughout the comic, ranging from a few moments of almost-heartfelt introspection, and also some of his most threatening acts in the entire Sonic franchise.
9) Clutch the Opossum
Clutch is an interesting antagonist, because he doesn’t make too much of an impression during his first appearance. He’s basically a one-off villain with a cool appearance. However, he makes a grand return as the primary antagonist for an entire arc (maybe the best arc in the comic), and he’s much more noteworthy in that appearance. He’s your typical sleazy manipulator sort of villain, but he does a really believable job in hoodwinking a lot of our protagonists into thinking he’s a standup guy. It’s a rather realistic and threatening scheme that almost works out for him, and his persistent tenacity has me really interested to see how his character develops next.
8) Mimic the Octopus
For a game series that primarily revolves exclusively around Eggman (who is an entertaining baddie), the Sonic IDW comics really excel in the villain department (as you might’ve picked up so far, and you definitely will as this list goes on). Mimic is a shockingly violent villain and a really memorable foe that pops up a few times through the comic storylines, and has some strong personal ties to a few protagonists in particular. He’s pretty heinous and irredeemable, and that just makes it all the more infuriating (in a good way) to watch him get away with so many vile acts, as you just keep rooting for his eventual downfall. He’s a love-to-hate villain, for sure.
7) Metal Sonic
Metal Sonic has always been one of the coolest characters in the entire Sonic franchise, both because robots are cool and robotic doppelgangers are cool. It’s hard to dislike this sleekly-designed evil robot copy of Sonic, and the Sonic IDW series makes him even more fascinating. Sure, he’s still got his typical villainous moments, and he’s even the central villain of the story’s first arc. But it’s in the surprising moments of depth where he really shines. There’s an entire dialogue-less one-off comic about him questioning his existence and his purpose in life, and it’s really compelling stuff. He’s such an interesting presence each time he’s on the page.
6) Sonic the Hedgehog
By-and-large, Sonic isn’t usually the most interesting character within his own stories. He’s an easy character to like, and it’s not like he’s ever anyone’s least favorite. He’s just usually a standard protagonist. That’s mostly true in the comic stories, but he does get more depth than I expected, and I found myself genuinely invested in his battles against evil and his bonds with his friends. One of the story arcs pushes him to the breaking point, and in another he has to risk his reputation to subvert the villain’s plan (temporarily making himself a target to former friends). The comic pushes him past just being a cocky way-past-cool speedy dude, and I appreciate that.
His connections with a certain green-colored character especially shine…
5) Doctor Starline
As if one evil doctor wasn’t enough to plague the world of our furry heroes, the Sonic IDW series introduced another iconic mad scientist villain to spice things up. Eggman will always be more iconic, but I ended up vastly preferring Starline’s scenes and schemes compared to the rotund doctor’s. Starline has a really interesting hook, beginning as an Eggman-obsessed fanboy, before eventually deciding that he will surpass Eggman instead, and he starts hatching his own schemes. Under his flamboyant and egomaniacal posturing and aesthetics, he’s surprisingly cruel and clever, and uses all sorts of gadgets to great effect.
His leading role in two later back-to-back arcs is especially noteworthy, and leads to some of the most shocking moments in the comic, with truly lasting consequences for the story.
4) Tangle the Lemur
One of the two biggest breakout stars from the entirety of the Sonic IDW series, Tangle was basically guaranteed to have a spot on this list even before I read the comics. She’s even playable in the new Sonic racing video game, the first comic character to ever cross over into the mainstream fandom like that. To be candid, Tangle is mostly this high on the list because of how fun she is. She makes funny quips, she has fantastically humorous facial expressions in each panel she’s in, and the comic’s creators really leverage her long springy tail in creative ways during action scenes and fight sequences. In terms of character writing, she’s quite simple.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, of course, and Tangle does have the benefit of becoming more interesting the longer the comic goes on…especially as she becomes rather quintessential to the storylines of Mimic (from earlier in this list) and also the two characters to follow in this article…
3) Whisper the Wolf
The second-half of the iconic duo that is Tangle-and-Whisper (they hardly ever appear without being a package deal), Whisper ends up being my favorite over Tangle by just a tiny bit. While she’s a bit less overtly fun due to her nature as a stoic, serious, and quiet ranged fighter, Whisper excels in the character department. With one of the more depressing backstories ever given to a character from the Sonic franchise, Whisper’s mere presence elevates the severity of any scene she’s in, especially if it’s a dramatic moment that involves her archnemesis, Mimic.
And while those dramatic moments involving her past, her strained attempts at trying to be friends with Tangle, and her fierce clashes with Mimic are all awesome, I don’t want to make it seem like that’s all there is to Whisper. She has some charming quirks of her own too, and her relationship with her little wisp buddies is super cute. And obviously her interactions with Tangle are all great, the two forming a truly inseparable duo.
2) Lanolin the Sheep
Easily the most controversial character in the entirety of Sonic IDW, which of course means that she ranks exceptionally high on my list of personal favorites (I am nothing if not consistent in my contrarian-ism). Lanolin is, ironically, one of the first characters we ever get introduced to in the comic, though just as a background character with a few lines. It takes quite a while until we ever get a name for her, though she persists in the background. Once she finally truly materializes as a full character, Lanolin continues to be a major presence from that point forward, though I do love how attentive readers are rewarded by catching all those glimpses of her beforehand.
(Scroll back up to the top of this article and take a close look at this article’s featured banner image if you want to see Lanolin during her first-ever unnamed appearance.)
Lanolin’s most interesting trait is that she’s probably the most serious character to ever exist in the Sonic franchise, even more so than her teammate, Whisper. Her entire arc is about how a vicious attack on her hometown (courtesy of Eggman) shattered her innocence and led to her becoming hardened, cynical, and (most importantly) no-nonsense and by-the-book. If you give her orders, she’ll fulfill them. If you break orders, she’ll make sure you’re punished for it. And it’s this unflinching resolve that leads to a ton of conflict, multiple very interesting moments, one of the comic’s most complex characters…and a lot of controversy in the fandom, sadly.
1) Surge the Tenrec
From the very first moment these comics introduced me to Surge, I knew she would end up at the top of a hypothetical future Contrarian Corner Top 10 article. She ticks a lot of the boxes in my invisible (but very real) ‘favorite character requirements‘ checklist. She’s evil, she’s a central antagonist with a lot of focus (not sidelined), she’s got a backstory that fuels her motivations and goals (and isn’t one-dimensional), she’s legitimately threatening and very powerful, she’s got a core connection with one of our major protagonists (namely, Sonic), and she develops and grows as a character in ways you’d never expect.
Ultimately, it’s Surge’s screentime (although, something like ‘page presence‘ is maybe more technically accurate) that cements my love of her. Even in her debut arc as an antagonist, Surge is treated as an equal focus as Sonic, which really sets up their multiple clashes wonderfully. Sprinkle in her dark, sympathy-inducing backstory, and some more interesting twists in her character in the subsequent storylines, and I can’t get enough of her. I’m so excited to see what happens next with her in the story.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
