Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Publishing)

The story begins shortly after the events of Sonic Forces.[8] Doctor Eggman has gone missing following his defeat by the Resistance, but the remnants of his Badnik army continue to attack small villages around the world.

When the robot attacks suddenly become more coordinated, Sonic must work together with his friends like Tails, Knuckles and Amy, along with new allies like Tangle the Lemur and Whisper the Wolf, in order to protect the innocent, fight against Eggman's robots, and find out who is controlling Eggman's forces. Along the way, they also battle Rough and Tumble, a pair of skunk mercenaries who took over a village during the war; the villainous duo quickly vow revenge on Sonic and his allies.

Sonic eventually discovers that Eggman has sustained amnesia after their last battle, taking on the friendly persona of "Mr. Tinker" in the village that found him. After observing Mr. Tinker's work, Sonic decides he is truly reformed, although he ends up having to convince Shadow of the same.

It is later revealed that Metal Sonic is leading the Eggman Empire in his master's absence, intending to eventually restore Eggman to his proper place. He eventually conquers Angel Island, leading the heroes to take him on. Utilizing the powers of the Master Emerald, Metal Sonic assumes a Super Mode to battle Sonic and Knuckles; when Shadow intervenes on their behalf, he copies his bio-data to transform into the stronger, monstrous Master Overlord. Through a combined effort by the Resistance and their allies, Metal Sonic is thwarted and Angel Island liberated. In the aftermath, Knuckles decides to resume his vigil over the Master Emerald.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tinker is kidnapped by Rough and Tumble at the behest of a new villain: Dr. Starline, a platypus who has become enamored by Eggman's work. With some help from Metal Sonic, Dr. Starline restores Eggman's memories, being rewarded with a position as the doctor's head assistant. Eggman then develops the Metal Virus, a contagion that turns organic material to machines under his control, and prepares to unleash it on the world from his new "Faceship" flying base. He tricks Rough and Tumble into infecting themselves during a battle with Sonic and Amy; the hedgehogs defeat the newly-coined "Zombots", but Sonic is infected in the process.

Eggman begins spreading his Metal Virus across the world, beginning in the village that took him in as Mr. Tinker. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails learn that Sonic's speed can temporarily fight back the infection. Sonic sets out to help evacuate communities affected by the Metal Virus, though several of his allies are lost to it despite his efforts: Team Chaotix lose Charmy Bee; Cream the Rabbit's chao Cheese and his twin brother Chocola sacrifice themselves to save her and her family; and Shadow accidentally infects himself while recklessly fighting Zombots, decapitating E-123 Omega while Rouge escapes with a group of refugees. With the crisis spiraling out of control and Sonic's own infection worsening, he, Tails, and Silver plan to develop a cure for the Metal Virus using Sonic's speed. Meanwhile, Starline, losing faith in Eggman's ability to control the Zombots, secretly devises his own plan to bring them under control using the powers of the Deadly Six.

Tails works on a cure for the Metal Virus using data gathered by Sonic, while Amy coordinates rescue operations from Restoration HQ. However, after another Metal Virus attack from Eggman, Tails' lab is destroyed by Zombots and the cure is lost, forcing him to flee with Tangle and Whisper. At Restoration HQ, the Chaotix return from a mission with refugees and a captured Charmy, but one of the refugees reveals himself to be infected and chaos ensues. Charmy escapes and Vector and Vanilla fall to the virus. Only Amy, Cream, Espio, G-merl, and a handful of survivors escape in one shuttle, and they pick up Tails, Tangle, Whisper, and the survivors they gathered. Meanwhile, Sonic encounters Eggman and Starline, who are attempting in vain to control the Zombots. Sonic fights them and thwarts their efforts, but loses the data he gathered for Tails in the process, and the villains escape to the Faceship. Sonic then rejoins his remaining friends in combating a Zombot invasion of Tangle's hometown, where G-merl reveals Sonic's speed is losing its ability to counter the virus. The town's remaining citizens are evacuated, but Tangle is infected in the process and sacrifices herself to let the others escape, leaving Whisper distraught as she and Tangle had become close friends. On the Faceship, Starline, disillusioned with Eggman after having deeming him self-destructive, confronts him and warps the Deadly Six aboard...

The Resistance soon arrives at Angel Island and Sonic leaves Tails and Amy to explain everything that's going on to Knuckles. On the Faceship, Starline presents the Deadly Six to Eggman. Eggman then accuses Starline of betraying him which Starline denies saying he was trying to help solve the problem Eggman couldn't solve. Starline tries to control them with a Cacophonic Conch, but his lungs give out, making the conch useless. The Deadly Six soon chase Eggman, Starline, and Metal Sonic out of the Faceship onto Angel Island. The Deadly Six then steal the Chaos Emeralds on board and come up with a plot to take over and terrorize the world. As Eggman, Starline, and Metal Sonic arrive on Angel Island, they explain what the Deadly Six had done to them. Rouge overhears everything on board the Faceship and then secretly notifies the Resistance. Eggman soon tells the Resistance that the Metal Virus cannot currently be cured because it is continually mutating and that the Zombots will soon disintegrate in two hundred years. The Resistance and Eggman try to come up with a way to cure the Metal Virus and handle the Deadly Six as Eggman soon fires Starline. Amy then calls the Babylon Rogues to help since they're thieves and have avoided the Metal Virus. In various villages, the Deadly Six take over each village one by one as they conquer the world with the Metal Virus.

After Dr. Eggman and Tails complete a multi-portal generator, the Resistance, Babylon Rogues, and Eggman try to figure out a way to fight the Deadly Six. They soon all agree to split up into teams to take on each of them. Espio and Knuckles gather the survivors to find them refuge on Angel Island. Meanwhile, Eggman builds a treadmill for Sonic to slow the progression of his Metal Virus infection. Eggman reveals to Sonic that Metal Sonic's software demands battle and conquest. Sonic and Eggman agree to become enemies again when their truce is over after an argument of their past. On board the Faceship, Zavok tries to search for where Eggman is hiding and then soon discovers Angel Island. As soon as he leaves, Rouge comes in and tells Orbot and Cubot to tell Amy the coordinates of each Deadly Six member and that The Resistance needs to attack them immediately. Soon after that, each group goes in the multi-portal generator to find their assigned Deadly Six member. Cream and Gemerl vs Zeena, Tails and Amy vs Zomom, Espio vs Zazz, Silver and Whisper vs Zor, and the Babylon Rogues vs Master Zik. During that battle Master Zik steals the Babylon Rogues' extreme gear and uses it against them which ends up putting Wave and Storm in the middle of surrounding Zombots. Meanwhile, Amy and Tails eventually defeat Zomom and then Cream and Gemerl eventually defeat Zeena. As a result of the battle of Cream and Gemerl vs Zeena, Cream ends up infected with the Metal Virus. Soon after, Zavok finds Sonic and Eggman on Angel Island with the Faceship he stole. Later, Silver and Whisper eventually defeat Zor and then Espio eventually defeats Zazz. Then, the Babylon Rogues eventually defeat Master Zik, but are still left to fight the Zombots.

When Silver arrives back on Angel Island, Sonic asks for his help to change the future's fate. As Zavok and the Faceship arrive at Angel Island, Rouge then steals the emerald powering the Faceship which causes it to crash and catch fire. Rouge, Orbot and Cubot escape the Faceship before it crashes. Zavok then emerges and is bigger and more powerful than before and attacks Angel Island. Sonic, the rest of the remaining Resistance, Eggman and Metal Sonic are left to fight Zavok and the Zombots to save Angel Island and the rest of the world.

In a prequel comic included in the 2019 Annual, Whisper visits Tangle in her hometown sometime after saving Angel Island from Metal Sonic. Tangle shows her around and introduces her to Jewel the Beetle, her childhood friend and the curator of the town's mineral museum. The museum is suddenly raided by the Babylon Rogues, who steal the minerals on display and unknowingly kidnap Jewel after mistaking her for a gemstone. Tangle and Whisper launch themselves up to the Rogues' blimp, where Jet and Wave are arguing after Storm reveals Jewel. While Tangle steals back the gemstones, Storm, misinterpreting Jet's orders, throws Jewel overboard, injuring her wing in the process. Whisper jumps out to save her, and Tangle follows with the gemstones while the Rogues retreat. After landing safely, Jewel and Tangle thank Whisper, who befriends them.

Days later, Tangle, feeling bored, accidentally causes trouble around town in search of excitement. Jewel suggests she go on her own adventures but Tangle is hesitant in the wake of attacks from Eggman's Badniks. The two then hear a noise outside the Mineral Museum and Tangle sees Whisper attacking what appears to be Sonic. When Tangle talks to Sonic, he claims that Whisper's mask is booby-trapped and urges Tangle to stop her. As Whisper moves to a rooftop for a better shot, Tangle attacks her and confiscates her mask, but when she notices that Sonic has disappeared, Whisper reveals it was not the true Sonic, but a villainous figure taking on his form. At the museum, Whisper explains that the imposter is a shapeshifting octopus named Mimic, and Tangle volunteers to help track him down at Jewel's suggestion. Whisper initially refuses, but her team of Wisps convinces her to let Tangle accompany them. Just then, Mimic leaves a note at the door and vanishes as Tangle and Whisper prepare to go after him.

That night, the girls follow Mimic to an abandoned Eggman Empire bunker, unaware that he is watching them. Against Whisper's warnings, Tangle goes ahead to find Mimic herself, but he impersonates Whisper and lures her into a trap. Just as Tangle realizes the deception, Mimic locks her in an airtight safe to suffocate, assumes her form, and attacks Whisper. Whisper gains the upper hand and corners Mimic, but is forced to disengage when he reveals where Tangle is and that he has rigged the place with bombs. As Whisper frees Tangle from the safe, Mimic escapes as the bunker explodes. The girls barely survive by hiding in the safe, after which Whisper begs Tangle to leave, not wanting to lose her. At Tangle's urging, Whisper explains that she and Mimic were once part of the Diamond Cutters, an elite, high-tech mercenary team opposing Dr. Eggman. Mimic, who never truly cared about his teammates or their cause, betrayed them to Eggman, luring three of them—Smithy (a lion), Slinger (an ocelot), and Claire Voyance (a howler monkey)—to their deaths in a trap. When Eggman discovered Whisper was alive, he ordered Mimic to kill her, but Mimic mistakenly thought she had fled and used fake evidence to cover up his failure. Swearing vengeance on Eggman and Mimic, Whisper rescued the Diamond Cutters' Wisp partners and, arming herself with her signature Variable Wispon, continued to oppose Eggman from the shadows.

Upon finishing her story, Whisper admits that Tangle is the first true friend she has had since the Diamond Cutters' disbandment. Tangle understands, but refuses to abandon Whisper, who is impressed with her devotion and loyalty. Together, they devise a plan to get back at Mimic and avenge the Diamond Cutters. Meanwhile, Eggman sends Mimic to finish the girls off after learning that Mimic lied to him previously about Whisper's fate. Accompanied by a Badnik horde, Mimic tracks Tangle and Whisper to the Diamond Cutters' former base. While Whisper fends off the Badniks, Mimic, disguised as Sonic, meets Tangle inside the base. Tangle pretends to fall for his ruse as she lures him into a trap, questioning if his misdeeds are worth it. Mimic, remorseless, attempts to kill Tangle, but he is interrupted by Whisper and the Blue Wisp he was partnered with as a Diamond Cutter. Mimic manages to disarm Whisper, but Tangle recovers and constricts him into submission with her tail. Whisper prepares to execute Mimic, but Tangle dissuades her and they instead turn him over to Tails, who imprisons him. With Mimic defeated, Whisper resolves to continue fighting Eggman and invites Tangle to join her. Tangle declines, deciding to return home, but promises to meet Whisper again soon.

• Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 1-4 Box Set (June 27, 2018) (collects issues #1-4)
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper Box Set (December 4, 2019) (collects issues #1-4)
• Team Sonic Racing Plus Deluxe Turbo Championship Edition one-shot (May 22, 2019) (a reprint of the story featured in Team Sonic Racing One-Shot, which also includes bonus features)
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper (April 14, 2020) (a reprint of Tangle & Whisper issues #1-4 including the 2019 Annual)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 1: Fallout! (September 18, 2018) (a reprint of #1-4)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 2: The Fate of Dr. Eggman (February 19, 2019) (a reprint of #5-8)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 3: Battle For Angel Island (July 23, 2019) (a reprint of #9-12)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 4: Infection (September 3, 2019) (a reprint of #13-16)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 5: Crisis City (February 11, 2020) (a reprint of #17-20)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 6: The Last Minute (June 23, 2020) (a reprint of #21-24)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 7: All or Nothing (October 13, 2020) (a reprint of #25-29)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 8: Out of the Blue (February 9, 2021) (a reprint of #30-32 including the 2020 Annual)