Knuckles is 30 Years Old

[@GameApologist]

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[@NebNebsTHEONE]

Nuh uh

[@johnnygyro2295]

I wouldn't be surprised if SEGA wanted to expand on Echidna lore but is hesitant after the legal shenanigans with Sonic Chronicles, etc. That said, Trip becoming Knuckles' sidekick like Tails is for Sonic could be fun for future stories. Especially if Trip ever pops up in the modern era.

[@carluzzosolatorobo7882]

Yeah. Trip is back wheee :D And i like this character 🐶👍 Also was like knuckles, when trip say she's not the last of his kind Like:"WHAT THE F💍💍k?! WHERE THEY COME FROM?!?!"

[@debamalyamajumdar16937]

Thanks bro it helped me get a 3 star iron man Zombie.

[@austwarn7565]

This story is about knuckles, though. He's the one who really grows in this comic, and while it focuses on trips island and her people somewhat, it's in contrast to knuckles' own experiences. It's also from his point of view.

[@comicfan1324]

It’s literally the Knuckles TV show but better. That is neither a compliment nor an insult. It is just an acknowledgment that both of Knuckles’ stand out appearances this year have featured him playing second fiddle to his apprentice.

[@rainpooper7088]

The difference is more "Trip is a character people actually care to learn more about and Wade is not" than anything about Knuckles.

[@galten7361]

@@rainpooper7088 Yeah since Sonic games aren't about humies since it's contrary to the themes and messaging of them. The Sonic movies are just superhero films with shades of E.T. and road trips and the "toon character in the real world."

[@theultimatememelord5494]

It didn’t really feel like Knuckles was the second fiddle this time.

[@kaijionline]

Oh.. that’s the age of my comfort character…

[@TheKorenji]

Don't worry, he'll get older eventually

[@thevioletskull8158]

Lmao

[@anthonyoliver418]

He is truly rougher than the rest of them.

[@Chuxlol]

Yea he is my favorite character so much so he’s my profile pic

[@southerncoastproductions7587]

so fatherless.

[@thacobell4700]

If I'm understanding, you wanted more history and setting details with Knuckles, while comic went for the introspective angle. Exploring his character and how he interacts with other. I can see the disappointment there, but I think the book is still a good examination of Kknuckles as a character.

[@hamstersandwich9917]

I do think even from an introspective angle, this comic could seem a bit too simple, which is understandable given the nature if the classic comics. I think the annual did a more interesting job peeking into Knuckles' mentality, ultimately coming to the realisation that his stuggles with duty are what ultimately brought him so many happy moments and friends.

[@Raincloud5137]

Knucles aniversary happening in the same year as sonic 3 (and shadow's year) is a truly unlucky coincidence.

[@Lucien_M]

At least he got the Wade show. I mean Knuckles.

[@TARDISES]

I was about to say "but that was his debut game" before remembering that you meant the movie. Which... hoo boy, year of Shadow indeed.

[@benmalsky9834]

@@Raincloud5137 What do you mean “unlucky”?

[@benmalsky9834]

@@Lucien_M It’s BOTH of their show.

[@benmalsky9834]

@@TARDISES Can’t we celebrate both of them at the same time?

[@connormarchand6302]

Sega: Sorry knucks it’s the year of Shadow Knuckles: but it’s my birthday 😢

[@NightShade-l3e]

Shadow is a more important character than Knuckles so it makes sense. And a new Sonic movie coming out with Shadow being the main atagonist and everyone loves Shadow more so yeah Knuckles birthday dosen't matter at this point.

[@Abner-gu3ve]

@@NightShade-l3eI don’t see it that way. Knuckles and Shadow are both popular characters. Sega just wanted to have a year of Shadow to hype up Shadow’s grand debut in the third movie since he hasn’t had any major appearances the past 7+ years

[@superherochestsymbol1032]

@@Abner-gu3ve Exactly, Knuckles is extremely popular and just as important character as Shadow, but the favoritism Sega wants with Sonic and Shadow hold them back from truly exploring Knuckles, or any characters for that matter, it really feels like his only moment of true spotlight was the second movie. I always love when he appears though, and his anniversary comic was about him too, idk why some feel like it isn’t, but at the same time I will agree, Knuckles deserves his own year or something, his own spin off adventure, more information of his backstory, I especially would like to see how characters other characters that’s not Sonic feel about him, and how they love and trust him deeply, like- seriously I’m tired of him getting picked on by nearly everyone because he got tricked a few times, he’s a trustworthy and loyal guy and literally no one gives him that recognition as far as I know lol

[@Abner-gu3ve]

@@superherochestsymbol1032 yeah that is not what I said. Knuckles been having nay appearances these past two years, got some time to shine, and multiple playable appearances. Shadow hasn’t. And since he’s about to make his grand debut in the movie, Sega decided to dedicate this year to Shadow. I wouldn’t call it favoritism as Shadow along with Knuckles and any other character who wasn’t Sonic was mostly relegated to background roles in the 2010’s.

[@ryninja5788]

Honestly, I think this really is a good celebration of knuckles. Just because it doesn’t take place on Angel island shouldn’t make it bad, it just means it’s more focused on his personality rather than where he’s from. Plus, they can’t have him explore his island too much, especially by himself. That’s something he’s currently doing in modern times, so having him learn something could become a continuity error later. And I’m sorry, but I’m not sure that’d make for an interesting book. I believe that these characters need someone with them to bounce off of to truly make them shine. Having him alone would lead to a lot of just thinking and wandering. Maybe a few traps or some goal to do could help sell the story, but I much prefer this trip one over a story like that. In a way, it celebrates knuckles because it puts his life into perspective. It lets him see maybe a version of himself in trip, if he still had his family alive. Can’t get much more celebratory than rethinking your whole life when confronted with a near mirror copy of it. It’s a bit fair to complain about there being a lot of trip, but like I tried to show she IS knuckles. And i know your favorite game is S3&K, but just because it’s the anniversary doesn’t mean we need to keep seeing those zones over and over. It’s more important they tell a story about HIM, not where he’s from. And despite it revolving around trip, it applies just as much to knuckles himself. Just my two cents however, could just be me not being super nostalgic about the old classic games given I didn’t grow up with them.

[@ryninja5788]

Also side note: this is the first story I can recall off the top of my head where knuckles, for once, KNOWS WHAT HES TALKING ABOUT/DOING. It’s like the first time he’s had to put his knowledge about being a guardian to use. Most of his stories are about him being out of his depth, or just the muscle of the group. For once, he gets to make use of the one thing he’s been doing for his whole life for something OTHER than actually guarding the master emerald. He may not know how to teach others, but this is a subject he knows lots about. It’s a small chance to show knuckles not being “ignorant” or “dumb”, which is a great way to celebrate his character for his birthday. Proving classic knuckles has more to him.

[@ewaszot1243]

I agree

[@LucarioShirona]

Considering IDW already did a story with Knuckles and Amy going around Angel Island already, it would be redundant. You honestly knocked it out of the park on why they couldn't write the story about Angel Island. Made more sense to write this story about the character himself instead.

[@the_death_court6461]

nah, you hit the right spot about how I feel about this comic and his review on it. I'm a big Knuckles fan and I'm glad the comic came out even if Trip was in it.

[@ryninja5788]

@@LucarioShirona oh right, they dedicated I think a few issues to that too. Also let’s not forget that he was exploring AI at the beginning of Frontiers as well. Honestly, stories about “knuckles adventures around angel island and X happens” are half of the stories he has. It’s about as repetitive as Sonic and green hill.

[@tastethepainbow]

Regardless on the book's quality itself, I'm so glad that Trip has her tribe and even some family. It's rare for SEGA to provide that, and it lets her serve a neat foil to Knux.

[@MrJ-u6h]

knuckles tries to train child soldiers in his 30s and it's okay but when I try to do it, it's considered a crime

[@TheIDcard123]

I feel like enough media involving Knuckles has shown his guardian duties on Angel Island. If we're ever gonna get more on Echidna Tribe lore, then it'll more than likely be in the modern games. Trip originated from the classic titles, so it's easier to flesh her out now using Knuckles considering they're both guardians with similar responsibilities, yet opposite situations. I can understand you having some shortcomings on the premise, but I rather we focus more on Knuckles' character than his background.

[@tylerwilson1024]

I can fully understand the dislike for the live action Knuckles show, since yeah it’s made pretty obvious that the show is more about Wade journey and him gaining confidence in himself than it is about Knuckles. Though I feel that is completely unfair view of the comic. The story follows Knuckles point of view, and is about Knuckles bonding with one of the few other guardians in the series alive outside of himself and Blaze. Knuckles gets a lot of development in this comic, and get a lot of shine as to who he is as a character. Just seeing how he interacts with Triple, Tails, Amy just nice to see since more times than not he been out of focus in the comics. I’m going be real, its amazingly nice and refreshing seeing knuckles interact with other characters outside of Sonic (and sometimes Tails), and honestly hope we get more of this in the modern era and Knuckles get to hang out with Trip in the modern era too

[@NightFuryLover31]

I can see why you have a bit of mixed feelings. I really wanted more Trip, but we could have done a lot more with Knuckles. From what we got with Tails and Amy they were helping them develop their independence. For Knuckles, it’s him learning to open up and be more humble. Then again, maybe they can’t do too much with echidna stuff because it wasn’t really explored until Sonic Adventure. I do like how this gives off a different feel when Knuckles spoke to Blaze. How much wiser he has become from interacting with others. And Trip is a very different guardian from the two. Knuckles and Blaze take their jobs seriously and show more confidence. Trip is still childlike and has fun, while also struggling with her shyness. She also has more support and guidance than the others did. It really sets her apart from them.

[@MatthewMiranda-l2t]

I turned 20 today I'm 10 years younger than Knuckles

[@jahdielt.9160]

Bappy hirthday

[@NebulousSedulousStrenuous]

Bappy hirthday

[@RazyPINK]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! 🎂

[@galaxygimbiino8544]

Happy birthday, enjoy your day 🎉

[@ikemike2649]

No you're not you're 4 years older than knuckles

[@Zenithal1843]

I enjoyed this comic and it wasn’t for the main story but Knuckles’s dynamic with Amy and Tails. Sega has pushed the trio/quartet more over the years but their dynamics were mostly centered around Sonic. There’s so some small stuff here and there but for the most part it feels like Sonic is why they hang around each other. Always saw him as a big brother figure to them (and Sonic tbh) so seeing that for their younger, more inexperienced selves was very sweet. Need more of the core 4 being family after Frontiers.

[@Captain1455]

Trip is even cute in the comic.. And Knuckles, is a teacher again.😅

[@ThisisTheUltimate]

I disagree a lot about this comic not being about Knuckles, and that it was not focusing a lot on him even though this is his 30th anniversary comic Just because it doesn't has only Knuckles on the spotlight, because he shares it with Trip, just because it doesn't take place only on Angel Island, doesn't mean it's not about Knuckles The story manages to create a focus on Knuckles without even making it about Angel Island, it doesn't need to appeal to his home to make a story about his character, he still shines, learns something valueable, shares more about himself and his island to Trip, she becomes really inspired by Knuckles and Knuckles himself inspire her even more, and he decides to do better his own way, change his aproach to guide Trip but not change who he is He appears on the comic even more than Trip, and even when the comic is doing a good job to expand and explain more of Superstars it still does that by giving Knuckles the spotlight, he is the one that opens and finishes the story of the comic, learn not only about Trip's people but more about himself (even Trip learns more about him, thinks his floating island is cool and gets emphathy for him thanks to him sharing that he's the last one of his kind and had no one to train him), he learns how to be better, and it also shows how much Knuckles and Trip are simillar

[@manoftruth0935]

Just like the miniseries of the movie canon. When you look at it as Knuckles being a constant presence, it actually ends up being good lore building.

[@Cobalt17]

@@manoftruth0935Nick is gonna beat both of you up for saying the show was good lol

[@ThisisTheUltimate]

@@Cobalt17 both of you? I didn't said a thing about the Knuckles show

[@NezuChan]

I love Knuckles. He's my favorite Sonic character by far, probably because my first Sonic was Sonic 3. I'm glad he's being celebrated, even if it isn't the best thing ever.

[@lololordjr]

Knuckles pays his taxes when

[@ChillingWithChu]

knuckles vs the IRS Knuckles throwing a punch: "Tax this! 👊"

[@M_Alexander]

He lives off the grid

[@Cobalt17]

Knuckles rules his island The flickies pay HIM taxes

[@tylerwilson1024]

Also, I just want to throw out that all of the anniversary comics have all been about a simple and fun adventure revolving around a specific character. This is exactly what this comic is, and other anniversary comics did the same. Amy anniversary comic had her teaming up with Ray and Mighty, Sonic had an adventure with all his friends, Tails I believe also had Sonic involved. I get wanting to know more about Knuckles tribe, but that wouldn’t be in a comic like this. Might just be my expectations, but these are supposed to be simple and fun one-shots. I would imagine something that delved into Knuckles lore would be multiple issues and probably deal with modern knuckles

[@ViroVeteruscy]

Could be saving Knuckles' lore for a future game if they plan on committing to the events of Frontiers since some of Classic Knuckles' lore is tied to Modern Knuckles. This special seems more of a eye opener for Knuckles in a way.

[@SuperTrainGuy]

Shadow was praised and celebrated more then Knuckles on his own birthday how crazy is that.

[@Abner-gu3ve]

Because this is the year of Shadow. Get over it. Shadow needs this more than Knuckles. He didn’t have any significant appearances up until this year

[@SuperTrainGuy]

@@Abner-gu3ve Dang cuz calm down I'm not complaining I'm just saying how crazy it is.

[@meoelemental3721]

I always thought knuckles was canonically 30, and now that he is it's kinda funny to me

[@galten7361]

@meoelemental3721 Knuckles is not an adult coded character. None of the main cast circa Adventure have actually aged.

[@meoelemental3721]

@galten7361 I know.

[@BlueJack222]

And also even though this comic doesn't really celebrate Knuckles too much it really gives an introspection of the character specifically the classic version as he similar and yet different to trip they are both socially awkward Guardians protecting a Shiny Rock while trip is shy and full of self-doubt Knuckles meanwhile is forward and on edge and I feel like that is a great analysis for both characters and how their dynamic could work going forward

[@manoftruth0935]

The comic is using the classic version. This is still part of the main canon. The phantom Ruby appearing in the new classic timeline before the main timeline is proof of it.

[@BlueJack222]

​@@manoftruth0935 Yeah I know it's the same timeline but there's a difference between classic and modern Knuckles because like when is super serious and the other one is a bit more relaxed

[@ChillingWithChu]

You could say this comic was a trip

[@Magicghost23]

That’s the thing knuckles used to be the main rival then shadow came in and became the new hotness

[@rickyronny4019]

Sonic has had many rivals. Knuckles ain’t even the first, it’s actually Metal Sonic

[@MartinDemario]

Shadow needs to go

[@rickyronny4019]

@@MartinDemario hell nah. Shadow stayed for a reason, he’s one of the greatest characters at his best. Y’all Knuckles fanboys be so salty and insecure when it comes to him 😂

[@galten7361]

@Magicghost23 Knuckles is Sonic's rival from lifestyle/worldview. Shadow is Sonic's rival from having the same overall abilities but one getting in the other's skin.

[@xxdiamond_godxx5012]

​@@rickyronny4019He's legit just furry Vegeta from Dragon Ball. That's his entire thing: Being the Vegeta to Sonic's Goku. And what's worse is that he isn't even that good at doing it. Face it: Shadow only gets attention because of the edgelords who cream themselves over him.

[@N0rlight]

Trip could've had her own comic book

[@callieflowers]

It feels like they used Knuckles' anniversary as an excuse to explore Trip and the Northstar Islands... tbh we should just have more Classic comics. Like, give Knuckles or Trip their own series like how Fang got one.

[@anthonyoliver418]

I like the idea of Knuckles connecting with another guardian in a way he doesn’t usually do, especially because this was one of the earliest examples of Knuckles staying in his bubble on angel island in the Sonic timeline, but yeah I can see the missed potential when it comes to knuckles not getting as much focus of his own, but still I felt Knuckles made sense to be here, and I love seeing the dynamic between him and other characters in a way that feels fitting even if we wouldn’t expect it at a first glance. Also I loved playing Knuckles in frontiers, he was like Tails but with actually balanced ways of working around platforming, plus boosting while climbing was fun to master.

[@Gaia_BentosZX5]

The reference to "I am the best at my job!" is also self-depreciative humor. Those who get the joke will be bummed out as it was during the infamous lawsuit that pretty much T-KO'd any potential Knuckles may have had so he's just stuck babysitting others and being the punchline. There's an entire tumblr blog on it called "Thanks, Ken Penders".

[@galten7361]

@Gaia_BentosZX5 Archie Sonic is not and will never be what the series was supposed to be. Neither was its Knuckles (who was pretty much a Kryptonian).

[@iliakos0]

@@galten7361 u clearly do not know that to be the case because you are not a writer or story boarder for sega, sega can and HAS done literally anything they wanted with the characters, see shadow getting fucking evil dark wings in the new game. ken penders simply stopped all knuckles exploration because of his lawsuits it's not hard to understand

[@galten7361]

@@iliakos0 Knuckles is just not envisioned by ST/SoJ the way he is in stuff like Archie it really has nothing to do with a meme writer. And Shadow getting wings is well in line with his inspirations and the broader Biblical motif he has.

[@Kirill-Ivanov2002]

Knuckles' turn to be crushing in his 30s.

[@zero69kage]

Honestly it probably because of Ken Penders as to why Sega is so hesitant to explore Knuckles' past. I remember when Sonic 2 came out word started to spread that he was going to sue Sega. I would not be surprised if Sega felt like they have to tip tow around Knuckles a bit because of all the legal spaghetti around that subject.

[@galten7361]

@zero69kage No there just isn't much of anything to talk about for Knuckles' past. Ken Penders' importance is more of a meme than reality.

[@zero69kage]

@galten7361 that's probably true.

[@greensoda123]

As someone who enjoyed this comic a whole lot I gotta say even if we don't explore a ton of angle island or get the Classic Chaotix something about it felt very archie Knuckles. I doubt it was intentional but just the way Knuckles tries teaching Trip about being a garden felt very similar to him and Julie Sue. Honestly I think the writing was the best part of the whole thing considering we have never seen that side to video game Knuckles. I hearing Knuckles thoughts and him being honest to Trip about how he doesn't know what hes doing. So having that honesty to Knuckles felt very sincere. Honestly the writing I thought was gonna be trash considering the current IDW stuff hasn't been to great. So im pretty impressed at how it actually got me to feel something. Plus I think having a great Knuckles story is more important than getting a bunch of fan service. Would I have loved to see a bunch of stuff relating to Knuckles? Yes but I do think its even better we got Knuckles to go through an arc instead. Had that Sonic Adventure Knuckles story vibe.

[@greensoda123]

I would also add Knuckles does add something to the story. If you think about it as Knuckles learning a lesson about himself rather than a story about Trip.

[@greensoda123]

Like I personally did not care for Trip when Superstars came out and I thought this comic was going to be terrible but as I read it I just got way to many archie knuckles vbes. Maybe its nastolgia talking but I enjoyed after the fact.

[@leonriosecovega7520]

Sega executives knowing that they finally gived an sonic character an adult age and not made him an teen anymore like the rest: AAAA-(disappears)

[@jspaceman]

I wanted a chaotix story but the story given is... serviceable i guess

[@anonbefallen4807]

I think going into this comic with the idea that it's supposed to be a Knuckles comic can ruin the experience. That's not the fault of the reader because the cover of it clearly says that's what it's supposed to be, but when I took a step back and just consumed it as another comic with the Sonic cast, I found myself really enjoying what it brings to the table.

[@smoogieboogie1694]

I disagree I guess. I can see where you're coming from but I do think the story of this comic was still very much about Knuckles. Trip didn't have any character growth really. She started off wanting Knuckles to teach her to impress her grandpa and then didn't actually need training. The main thing that happened with her was expansion of lore and gaining a new friend. Meanwhile Knuckles did have growth. Honestly, if it had been another story just about Knuckles pondering his role on Angel Island I feel like I would've been bored. We've had that a lot already. Here we went a new direction with Knuckles seeking out more connections, seeing his role through someone else's eyes, and reflecting on why he has trouble making friends and adjusting his strategy accordingly. I felt like it was a story about Knuckles attempting to expand his world rather than limiting himself solely to his duties on the island, which was a worthy story to tell.

[@MSyst3m-3r0r]

It wasn’t much about knuckles and it doesn’t celebrate him properly

[@mushroomfusion245]

The reception to this comic is proof of my "If Wade was an otter or smth, no one would have batted an eye." statement, because this is the same plot down to "Knuckles teaches someone how to be a warrior and meets their family. Said someone is the real focus in what is supposed to be Knuckles's story." Glad to see you noticed the comparisons too.

[@galten7361]

@mushroomfusion245 Sonic isn't supposed to be about non-furry characters who aren't Eggman.

[@DelosDude]

I totally agree here. After reading it myself i knew i liked the comic well enough and i enjoyed everything new related to Trip and Superstars... But i just wish we could have gotten an actual story about knuckles for a change. Chaotix, The TV show, now this. I hope at the very least the classic comics keep it up after they run out of characters and we can have an actual knuckles centric comic, that'd be amazing. At least i know the Chaotix comic will be refreshing for sure

[@toko90s9]

Part of me wonders why they're so hesitant to use Knuckles in more prominent roles is they wanna avoid what happened with Archie Knuckles. It's a bit silly if that's the case; Knuckles ended up eating so much of Archie lore because Archie let Penders have free reign with him as opposed to Sonic.

[@galten7361]

@toko90s9 No it's simply that Knuckles isn't supposed to be that prominent outside of opposing Sonic.

[@MayanFrighter100000]

Knuckles, the Piccolo of the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. A beloved character who never gets the spotlight is overshadowed by others who steal the tension.

[@junkoposter6259]

Close enough, welcome back Locke

[@BlackFlash09]

I feel you, Nick. Knuckles is my favorite character. But he’s always seems to get overshadowed (pun intended) by Shadow. Honestly, I was expecting Knuckles to fight someone from his rogues gallery, Metal Knuckles, the Bird Armada, or even the Hard Boiled Heavies (with the help of the Chaotix. If I had to gather a guess why Knuckles didn’t have any enemies in this special, it’s probably because he bested a bunch of “hooligans” in Fang’s mini-series. Poor Knuckles. Along with Chaos, he’s the last of his kind while other guardians can still interact with their own species.

[@rainpooper7088]

Agreed 100%. Never thought I'd draw this comparison, but it looks like*"&Knuckles"* is becoming the *"Applejack is a background pony"* of IDW Sonic. A character who is consistently advertised as main cast, but is repeatedly overshadowed in their own stories and at best gets to be the asset to another character's development because the writers don't know what to do with a character who is already where they want to be in life. I like this issue, it's a cute story, but this isn't the 30th Knuckles Anniversary Special, it's the Trip the Sungazer info dump. There was no indication prior to the preview pages that this is what it was gonna be and the tagline about "trouble brewing on Angel Island" is straight up a lie. The Tails and Amy Specials both brought back villains that had a special connection to these characters and had the hero in question use their own special skills to triumph, that being Tails' intelligence and Amy's use of her tarot cards. This story not only has no villain, it has zero actual fighting at all, which you'd kinda think would be center stage for a character *based on a boxer.* Thing is, I wouldn't make that big of a deal out of this if there were plenty of other IDW comics already showing Knuckles in action, but there aren't, *there really freaking aren't.* For the most part, IDW just dumps Knuckles on Angel Island away from the plot, but then even when they *DO* use him, they really don't play to his strengths. And in this story, he just straight up leaves Angel Island on a whim with no way to get back up there because he thought a random girl he met once might need tutoring. Yeah, so much for the whole "He can only leave Angel Island if something really important comes up". Frustratingly, IDW also seems to make an active effort write this particular character out of getting any action even in situations where you'd think he should. He didn't get to fight any of the Zeti in the Metal Virus arc for a flimsy excuse that didn't end up mattering, he didn't even get to *touch* the Warp Topaz in the 900th Adventure, Winter Jam had him as a (admittedly really funny) cameo despite advertising him on the covers and the recent and first annual story that is actually centered on him is just him reflecting on a bunch of stuff that already happened, no fun adventure like with Rouge or Tangle, no learning anything new and charming about the character like with Silver or Blaze and once again, absolutely zero fighting. Heck, Knuckles got a "Greatest Hits" collection where not one but *TWO* of the issues printed had Blaze the Cat center stage. Just make "Blaze's Sickest Burns" at this point, she deserves it and actually has enough issues that center her to do that. I was among the first people peeved about Fang the Sniper getting three pieces of external media all to himself while *the new freaking playable character* got nothing, yet now that she got something, I'm peeved that it once again had to be at the expense of a proper Knuckles story. I guess the Knuckles show was more on point about its treatment of the character than we gave it credit for.

[@nashahara]

"Creepy gross human hands" Huh? What when, where are human hands normally that pointy??? HUH?

[@iponce2]

I'm kinda glad how divided the comments are. Very on brand for Sonic content. Feels like home lol

[@Plush-Sobble]

Although I did really enjoy this comic due to Trip being one of my favorite Sonic characters and proper expansion of Superstars lore (which was underwhelming in the game itself) I also just wish that Knuckles' 30th Anniversary comic was actually about Knuckles. Tails' comic brought back Whitchcart and her goons and Amy's comic had her face off against Metal Sonic, so perhaps this comic could have brought back Egg Robo, and they still would have been able to bring Trip into this as both she and Knuckles faced off against robo in their own campings of their debut game. Overall, with the TV show and also this, the whole year hasn't really been kind to Knuckles, which is a shame because he's my second favorite Sonic character (only behind Metal Sonic)

[@BlueBands539]

At least the Sonic annual this year gave Knuckles his own little story.

[@FittedWhisper96]

Knuckles is 30 years old.

[@rageinducing8368]

Nah but I agree this is the knuckle show pt2. If they wanna use him to be the trainer and first Sensei to the new comers I can dig that but I 100% the knuckles lore post reboot has been non existent.

[@rageinducing8368]

At least he actually trained someone tho lol

[@comicfan1324]

I do like this comic as an expansion of Trip and her lore, but I can totally see why someone would be very disappointed with this comic. Knuckles isn’t my favorite character, but he still has so much potential so it’s a shame that he was really shoved to the back burner this year on his 30th. Oh well, at least he got a celebration at all. Fang & Mecha Sonic just turned 30 and they got nothing

[@Metatronio]

Fang got a whole ass 4-issue miniseries this year lol

[@comicfan1324]

@@Metatronio Fair… but did it proudly declare 30 YEARS OF FANG THE HUNTER? Edit: Jokes aside, I honestly forgot that came out this year

[@greninji3593]

this comic has proved (to me at least) my theory that if wade had been an animal character, then there would have been less hate for the knuckles show

[@galten7361]

@greninji3593 Yeah since Sonic isn't about Small Town American policemen.

[@benogle4951]

This version of knuckles from this comic really gives me OVA knuckles vibes, when reading the lines I hear his voice, granted maybe because that's the only reference for classic knuckles I have

[@BingBangPoe]

It's so sad SEGA doesn't give Knuckles the respect he deserves. He went from a noble warrior and guardian to a forced "dumb guy" comic relief, but it's refreshing to see how Ian treats him like he should. It's nice that this comic exists (gorgeous art and cute story btw) but I really want Knuckles getting his own solo game after so long (Chaotix).

[@galten7361]

@BingBangPoe Knuckles was never supposed to be Worf or an Orc or Piccolo. He was always supposed to be goofy and a foil to Sonic's coolness.

[@Almewsal]

As a Knuckles and Classic Sonic fan, aside from my own personal nitpicks, I honestly enjoyed this comic as a whole. After all the action with Fang's 4-issue mini-series at the beginning of the year, and all the buzz with Shadow throughout the year, I see this as a breath of fresh air where I can celebrate Knuckles's 30th Anniversary in peace. Although I was surprised about the different direction this comic took, I'll take this story over that rumor I was told about Knuckles having to share his anniversary special with Fang as the antagonist (like his mini-series wasn't enough already). Plus, it gave us the cute sibling dynamic between Knuckles and Trip, which I'm all for and personally want to see more of.

[@DMK951]

Trip is so cute! I hope we see more of her in the future.

[@bebopknux5857]

As a knuckles fan I get it. But considering the other 30th anni's Knuckles has nothing left. Reference to his own game? all used in different media like the fang comic. Characters? None that pertain to knuckles as fang already had his solo series and the classic Chaotix are MIA rn. So the only thing they had unless they want to step on the line ken crossed, is use their new character who *Is* connected to knuckles via their roles. Trip's adds some extra volume to modern knuckles approach to blaze and considering that she's in stark contrast to knuckles adds alot to hers and his dynamic. Vs SEGA having to make an entirely new character that's none of the other media just so there's more to his comic than contemplating like usual and doing some busy work on his island which he does everyday. Knuckles truly is a lesser and doomed character due to things out of his control in and outside of his world, that makes tackling anything other than "oh yeah, they were connected to the echidna tribe" tricky. (because I feel SEGA is still afraid on stepping anywhere around ken's lane or whatever agreements ken's lawsuit entailed for them as all they've done is basically keep it the same in the sonic movie) I feel some of the jadedness But what can we do when whenever they branch out for the knuckles world they were hurt, so they only rely on the one thing that worked lore connections and knuckles retrospective via training in some form.

[@galten7361]

@bebopknux5857 Knuckles' use has nothing to do with a has-been writer who's a meme. The situation was always supposed to be Knuckles being the last of his kind with the Echidnas a lost civilization. The stuff Archie did was just not how the character and his heritage was envisioned. The movies have so many huge differences that they could well have gotten away with having more Echidnas or whatever if they insisted on it.

[@_knucklehead]

He’s so old…

[@deringjosuegarcia1531]

You look just like this knucklehead I know

[@sarcasticnonsense]

14:17 y’kno when I read this part I was like “ wait Knux the master emerald can do more than that, it can practically also control the chaos emeralds to an extent” and then I realized “oh wait, this is pre adventure… Knux doesn’t kno that yet 😅”

[@rainpooper7088]

Also Sega doesn't want IDW using that part of the ME's power, they've apparently sent the writers notes that the ME is not allowed to show any special powers whatsoever and when asked about why the freaking island floats then, it was radio silence.

[@galten7361]

@@rainpooper7088 It just means that the Master Emerald doesn't work like how the Chaos Emeralds do. Indeed in game canon rather than stuff like Archie the ME's been used as a seal and being a battery for some while depowering the Chaos Emeralds.

[@BritBox777]

It's crazy how this comic has a lot of the same core problems as the Knuckles TV show.

[@devinuzumaki9032]

I wonder how knuckles felt when he traveled back in time with Tikal and met other Echidnas

[@LetmethinkStudios]

IDW should just do a full-on classic set of comics for the series, because the anniversary comics and fang mini-series are not enough IMO. I MEAN, IMAGINE A COMIC ARC WITH THE CLASSIC CHAOTIX, HEAVY AND BOMB INCLUDED!!!

[@mrconroy4672]

Trip deserves to be in the mainline Sonic games and stories.

[@courtemanche437]

Superstars is technically mainline but you're right that she needs to come to the modern games!!! I would love to hear her voice and hear her interact with the modern exclusive characters!

[@Plantster15]

I'm a lot less bothered by Trip featuring in this comic. Knuckles is still the principle character, the one we're following, and I think his personality was shown off well enough, and I think he and Trip play well off eachother. Would I have liked to see an epic knuckles solo adventure? Of course, but I'm still satisfied with what we got. Fang comic pissed me off though.

[@projectTyrasa]

Me and Knux are both 30. Always vibed with my Favorite Red Dread Headed Pugilist. Gotta love the guy cuz so few give him the respect 'es due.

[@samueltrusik3251]

I do wish this explored more about Knuckles and Angel island, but it was still fine.

[@gavinwilliam2691]

in an alternate universe, 2024 was the year of knuckles and a remaster of one of the most beloved games in the franchise drops, named, "Sonic Generations & Knuckles"

[@gravemind76]

Knuckles feels like a token checkbox character now. It sucks that all the lore of the master emerald and him being this infused powerhouse is all gone.

[@galten7361]

@gravemind76 "infused powerhouse" In the games? Not counting obvious bonus content?

[@gravemind76]

@galten7361 not not in games but his old lore that was dicannonized because of the reboot/lawsuit

[@galten7361]

@@gravemind76 Archie isn't the games.

[@gravemind76]

@galten7361 lik but it wouldn't hurt to start adding bits of this stuff into the game at least expanding on the master emerald

[@thetoondevil]

I guess you can say this story does push Knuckles` growth as a character a bit. As at this point in Knuckles life, he`s still learning to come out of his shell. He lived by himself for so many years, and after his encounter with sonic, knuckles has become more social. But i do see alot more world building is being made with Trip than with knuckles.

[@existential_narwal9257]

Personally I think it would've liked to see trip be a bit more of a nervous and shy person than she was portrayed in the comics.

[@Eggrobogaming77]

As an eggrobo enjoyer It’s really sad that the eggrobo from the knuckles campaign in sonic 3 & knuckles didn’t even get a single metion, not even the part where the mecha sonic MK2 accidentally kills eggrobo was mentioned

[@funnydotyes]

they really did shaft knuckles

[@EPGamer22]

16:20 I like that they mention they knuckles don't know how to get back to his island in this part, it funny cause we always assume he knows how to get back

[@sovietmaori]

i like how the sonic series nowadays has more shiny rocks with powers. very Deltora Quest

[@Unseensmoke5745]

HERE I COME ROUGHER THAN THE REST OF THEM

[@Kosmaco]

It’s still feels weird to me knowing if the characters are the age of the game they appeared in tails would be canonically older than knuckles

[@artjoy5655]

Damn looks like a strip at the back of the cereal box. Such betrayal to the lore. Knuckles, RIP 🙏.

[@Boosky-Barry]

I really do hope they make standalone comics for people like Metal Sonic, Eggman, Shadow, and Mecha Sonic. All those characters have so much story to be packed in, Scrapnik island and Mecha’s backstory could be explored, we could see a Metal Sonic and Eggman story, and Shadow is… Shadow could have anything at this point.

[@JoesMama-ci3yl]

Knuckles hit unc status before he got a second game where he’s the main character

[@grantcassidy9604]

I feel like a year of knuckles would help in the same way it did shadow like remaking unleashed with a knuckles story

[@mediamuncher69]

If it makes you feel better Nick apparently the knuckles show is getting a season 2, which may or may not feature the chaotix's keyword *MAY* , so keep your head up, kid.😊 maybe season 2 will redeem the knuckles show.

[@B.Sleazy]

Blame the fandom for wanting Shadow stuff more than Knuckles stuff.

[@loganw1232]

Happy 30th Anniversary Knuckles

[@BmanXY]

maybe not an anniversary comic. but it feels like a good knuckles comic. it showcases the difference between knuckles and other guardians... guardian. (but still) side note: Tails of my favorite character, but sometimes Sometimes I get tired of him being attached to sonic (Sometimes). I like seeing the friendship between knuckles between knuckles and tails. I really want more Knuckles&Tails, Tails&Amy, Kunckles&Amy, Knuckles&Trip comics

[@Rman94]

1. It was smart of Trip to work with/for Eggman and Fang as long as she did. Kept them focused on the Black Onyx rather than looking for anyone else on the Islands. 2. I feel like Trip’s Gramps might know “something” about Knuckles and the Echidna Tribe, but only time(and Knuckles getting another game) will tell if this theory pans out.

[@Tetsukonakaneedits]

A part of me thinks that IDW Sonic's filler issues should be done in the classic universe (with all the good and bad that it entails)

[@moiracollum9391]

Here in 2 mins without subscribing that is, genuinly impressive

[@HedgehogY2K]

Wait, I thought Mania was branched off as a parallel universe because of Generations. Forces literally says other DIMENSION. So Mania can't be in the main universe. Then Sonic's takeover had to inadvertently confirm that Superstars is in the main universe and NOT IN THE MANIA-VERSE. If what I say here isn't true then who the Hell is classic sonic in Forces? Time Travel, Separate Dimension, OR PARALLEL F**K!NG UNIVERSE?!!!

[@1Hol1Tiger]

I see what they were going for with this. Trip and the Sungazers are basically being used as stand-in for Knuckles and the Echidnas from Archie Makes sense. Sega probably doesn't allow Knuckles stories because of Penders

[@jules_dose_things]

that reminds me,next year is the 30th anniversary of knuckles chaotix aka the og chaotix

[@BrightFame69]

As a die hard knuckles fan, the show was enjoyable and kind of cute. I wasn’t that mad about it! I would love to see a new stand alone game or something for our boy though

[@SoranotRoxas]

Can we just be happy that Sega will allow one character to have a family

[@galten7361]

@SoranotRoxas ITT: Cream and Eggman weren't already established to have family or relatives.

[@TevyaSmolka]

'i understand where your coming from.

[@TronicSSJ07]

13:15 SHUUUT…

[@Planag7]

Will always be a favorite.. Though I have shifted a little for reasons xD

[@oisinman5]

i think knuckles as a character might just have a hard time being the sole focus, which is kind of what you want from a celebration comic. he kind of relies on other characters to force him to act, because otherwise he would just be stuck defending the master emerald. all other anniversary comics take a deeply tied enemy the character has faced before (metal sonic and witchcarter) which game knuckles really doesn't have. he's friends with the chaotix, but they would take centre stage above him. he could interact with sonic, but he both really doesn't want to, and sonic would take focus. amy already has a story with knuckles, and imo amy is more important to that story than knuckles because of the initiative she takes. knuckles' initiative is to maintain his status quo, and the focus will always be whoever is disrupting it. knuckles doesn't really have a villain that can fade into the background and let him shine while still provoking inner conflict, like amy and tails had. idw's main knuckles solo story from the 2024 annual is just him thinking to himself while guarding the master emerald. it's a great story, but it can't hold an entire issue by itself.

[@kclink1579]

People really love telling me I'm old in continuing odd ways.

[@CometX-ing]

Its honestly funny that Tails gets a comic that is a callback to his solo adventure and brings back his old cast, Amy gets to have a story kind of sorta focused on her relationship with Metal Sonic and which is a effectively set up as redemption for her getting caught in CD. Meanwhile Knuckles just gets a book that, while yes it goes into his relationships with other characters, felt like it didn't really need to be him there. Sure, Knuckles and Trip are both guardians, and that's why he's the interacting with her, but that story itself makes that reason feel flimsy. Trip didn't need Knuckles to teach her anything, because he really didn't. The end of the book establishes she's more or less doing a good job, all she needed was a boost in confidence, and that could have come from anyone. The comic has Trip value Knuckles opinion "as an expert" but that feels undermined by Knuckles laying out pages prior that he really didn't know anything about his role, more over I doubt Amy telling her she's doing a good job wouldn't have had the same effect. It would have been better if, rather than taking a moment to make light of Knuckles ego, the comic instead had Knuckles bring Trip up to Angel Island and REALLY show her how he does things. Explore the Island, that way we can revisit Angel Island locations, show how Knuckles interact with his Island and relate it to Trip. Have Knuckles recount past adventures with Sonic.

[@ItsDeebs]

Wait until he's 40

[@MrSkysenGames]

I still want backstory on Knuckles. I'll take whatever little scraps. *Why* is he the last of his kind? *How* is he the last? *Who* gave him his position as Guardian? It had to be within the lifetime of the characters, so like...graves? Bodies? Flashbacks? *Anything?* Sega made him as a rival in 3&K, then *completely* threw out any sort of plan for him after. Poor guy.