Sonic IDW Comics- The Phantom Riders Arc! (Full Story Arc Review!)

With the Scattered Pieces Arc coming up next month, we have to review the Phantom Riders Arc in it's entirety!
The Phantom Riders Arc was a culmination of Clutch's plan to destroy the Restoration from within and he goes off the deep end after his plans go awry sending the Shuttle Ship on a collusion course to Central City!
After thwarting it, the Restoration was destroyed and Tails's chaos emerald was stolen by an unknown entity, let's review this entire arc with all it's twists and turns!
#sonicthehedgehog #sonicdiscussion #sonic #sonicidwcomics #sonicidw #surgethetenrec

[@MarioKartGamerDude]

See you in February for the Scattered Pieces Arc! What are you Predictions?

[@badpiggiesgameplays4611]

Honestly i think that Sonic and the Chaotix are going to search for Clutch, the Diamond Cutters and Silver are going to hunt Mimic and the others are gonna stay to rebuild

[@RobertJames-i8j]

@@badpiggiesgameplays4611 Lanolin especially may join the latter group, as after being duped by Mimic and making bad choices, mostly encouraged by Mimic, she probably won't trust herself to do some field work Also, Surge and Kit might return, clash with Sonic in terms of ideologies and wanting to be the hero (the latter one-sided), and it involves a rematch between Surge and Whisper in which Whisper wins this time, and they both come to an understanding of each other and learn of Mimic's deception in issue 71

[@RobertJames-i8j]

10:08 I'm with you MrGamerDude, they could've added extra pages in issues 74 to 75 in which Whisper and Tangle call out Lanolin for her hypocrisy and behaviour and later begin to realise that Duo may be hiding something due to his own slip of the tongue that he knew that they knew that sonic was the phantom rider even though he was supposedly unconscious at the time and shoot down his excuses and then Clutch nails the final nail in the coffin

[@hannahbecker2309]

That Lanolin have been making mistakes and not learning from them... She is a good example of why you should never make rookies leaders yet.

[@RobertJames-i8j]

@@hannahbecker2309 but now that she's seen that Duo WAS Mimic, that she was actually wrong to blame Silver and Whisper and ban the former, and that in turn made her realise all her other mistakes, well not ALL, if you know what I mean, she's on the road to improvement as she did something worthwhile, by calming the crowd, apologising to Tangle and Whisper and helping guide the ship to safety. the scattered pieces arc may focus on her improvement arc, though weather or not she'll leave or just have a temporary absence will be left for the writers to decide

[@jarrodkopf6813]

12:15 SEGA could remake the original Sonic Riders, and include the IDW cast from there as unlock able characters.

[@zeroddorYT]

I can 100% say this is better than the Misadventures and Urban Warfare Arcs. I did like how the story focused on multiple perspectives. From both protagonists and antagonists. Along with the Diamond Cutters trying to investigate about the sweepstakes, Tails and Amy sneaking through the shuttle, Surge and Kit slowly disbanned Clutch, and of course Sonic providing distraction as the Phantom Rider. Alot of it flew very well and connected each story well. As for the Antagonists, Clutch and Mimic were pretty solid. Clutch was pretty smart throughout the entire arc by carefully planning each move and solving any problem in his way, whether it's threatening or sabotage. Yet I kinda like Mimic more as an antagonist. He does everything to be a sinister little nuisance. From gaining Lanolin's trust, to unmasking the Phantom Rider, to even frame Sonic. He does alot and I kinda love it. On top of that I really like how the story displays each teamwork from Team Sonic, The Diamond Cutters, and the Sinister Six. Team Sonic are forced in a unique position where need to be antagonistic, cautiously, and swallow there pride when making their deal with Eggman. The Diamond Cutters probably had the most development. Lanolin at first making harsh choices and only focused on the Phantom Rider really does lead her to break down, especially when she apologize to Tangle and Whisper. Speaking of which, I'm glad that Tangle and Whisper got to have some sort of connection to the plot and figure out what is going with the Sweepstakes. And finally, the Sinister Six. They definitely show how untrustworthy they are. Surge and Kit backstab Clutch, Mimic ditching everyone, Rough & Tumble being used as tools, and of course Clutch being the Kingpin of them all and being causer of his team's departure. Overall, great arc and a step in the right direction for the comics.

[@RobertJames-i8j]

Still think they could've added a scene in issue 75 where, as the Diamond Cutters and Duo are heading towards the falling Ship, Whisper and/or Tangle suddenly realises that Duo should not have known that Whisper and Tangle knew that Sonic was the phantom rider because he was supposedly out cold at the time, stops everyone and confront Duo about it, and Duo's excuses are shot down: -Tangle and Whisper kept it to themselves carefully, so great detective work was out of the question -He couldn't have learnt from The Babylon Rogues since they were outside since searching for Sonic -He couldn't have learnt from Surge and Kit because Whisper was keeping an eye on them the whole time, bearing witness to the fact that Duo never went anywhere near them before the race -He couldn't have learnt from Jewel, who they DID tell, because it only happened just before the final race, and he was with Lanolin the whole time and never left her, which is what then alerts Lanolin They then remember that they had evidence saying that there was a second phantom rider and they never learnt his identity, and indirectly claim that Duo could've been the phantom rider and faked his injuries (shotting down that the phantom rider could've taken his gear and then switched back, saying that there's no point to it). Mimic's attempts to smoot talk Lanolin into defending him then fails as she sees sense in Tangle and Whisper's claims, even if the evidence is circumstantial, and they all close in, considering testing him, and THEN Clutch calls Mimic in, nailing the final nail in the coffin. and another extra page could have Lanolin realising her mistakes (not ALL of them) and then getting a grip and deciding to make up for it by helping the people on the ship and then cutting to Tangle and Whisper chasing Mimic, with the Octopus confirming their suspicions that he was the second phantom rider and that he was working for Clutch, and then him relaying what really happened in issue 64 and mocking Whisper for falling for her trick and getting gaslit and Tangle for not having the backbone (YOU FRAMED SILVER!, calls out Tangle to Mimic), and then it plays out how it is written and drawn

[@RobertJames-i8j]

10:30 perhaps you'll get something like that in a later issue, when the truth of that creeps up on Whisper that she didn't trust her own gut because she was going with an old profile and as good as turned on Silver (Tangle might feel similar), though she may take half of it on Lanolin for getting in her way, protecting Mimic, not trusting and listening to her and unwittingly aiding in gaslighting her

[@RobertJames-i8j]

I'm glad Whisper played some big role in the grand scheme of beating Clutch, as what happened in issue 64 didn't deter her confidence in herself completely as she somewhat learnt from her mistake (tiny compared to Lanolin's and Silver's if you think about it) by turning on her mask again and remaining more open to Tangle, and thus noticing the difference between the phantom rider and his doppelgänger, helping Tangle regain full faith in Sonic and Tangle in turn relayed it to Jewel, which enabled Jewel to get her priorities straight and focus on Clutch knowing that the original phantom rider was not the bad guy. Plus, Whisper and Tangle managed to protect Sonic and cool Lanolin off enough to focus more on saving people than catching the phantom rider, enabling Sonic to get to Clutch unhindered So, in a way, even though she never got to re-suspect (although implied otherwise) and expose Duo, she did nevertheless play a role in stopping Clutch, though Jewel's information about Clutch did help out a bit since it gave Tangle the excuse to inform Jewel in turn

[@RobertJames-i8j]

Has anyone noticed the overall theme from the IDW continuity; the neverending battle between good and evil and rinse and repeat: 1-Sonic having the chance to take out eggman for good 2-Starline wanting things to go orderly and try and avoid rinse and repeat 3-Lanolin a similar way to Starline 4-The Zeti reminding Sonic of how he as good as enabled Eggman's return, resulting in the metal virus (though Starline was more at fault for actually doing the deed) 5-Surge and Kit wanting to end all heroes and villains 6-Them later agreeing with Starline about the whole rinse and repeatin annual 2024 What if later in the story, some villain decides to break the balance between good and evil by wiping out the entire multiverse; dark villains like Black Doom or Mephiles

[@devinsauls3568]

4:01 Nope! We won't let it go Lanolin! 😡

[@RobertJames-i8j]

Mistakes Tangle made: 1-in Tangle and Whisper #2, she fell for Mimic's trick and got herself trapped 2-in issue 24, she got herself infected 3-in issue 58 she named the team diamond cutters without any consideration to Whisper's feelings 4-in issue 64, she didn't have the backbone to stand up to Lanolin and agreed to vote Silver out 5- She and Whisper decided to keep Lanolin out of the loop 6-generally acting without thinking Mistakes Whisper made: 1-in issue 24, she nearly got herself infected because she let her emotions get high when she heard about Tangle 2-in issue 45, she left the restoration out of fear of her friends' lives 3-in issue 53-54, while she did help save civilians, she took Surge head on and unwittingly gave her the power she needed and nearly got herself killed 4-generally keeping to herself and pushing people away 5-in issue 64, she ended up buying into Mimic's ploy because she was going with an old profile of his and ended up reluctantly voting Silver out, and also allowing Mimic to roam free 6-when 'Surge' insulted her and threatened Tangle, she let her emotions get the best of her, and it was actually Mimic in disguise 7-She and Tangle decided to keep Lanolin out of the loop 8-In Shattered Diamonds, she invited Mimic in Mistakes Lanolin made: 1-in issue 57, she argued with Sonic and took too long with debate, which got them trapped in that spacial displacement trap 2-in issue 62, she began to let stress get to her and allowed Duo in (then again, so did Tangle and Whisper) 3-in issue 63, she took Duo's word, bought into his crocodile tears and defended him against Silver 4-in issue 64, same again, only she also refused to listen to Whisper and Silver's claims and she escalated the fight when she threw Whisper down 5-in the same issue, she unfairly had Silver voted out, giving Tangle the scary eye look 6-In issue 67, she went against her gut and allowed Surge in because her 'commanders' insisted 7-in issue 69, she was very uncaring towards team sonic for their plight and more concerned about the rules, and didn;t think to check the problem with their gears, assumed they were faulty and disqualified them for nothing 8-in issue 70, in her zeal to get the phantom rider, she cracked the glass track, which was then shattered by security getting on it, thus endangering the lives of other racers (one she DID realise) 9- allowing her personal feelings to cloud her judgement and make her deveolp into somewhat of a hypocrite 10- allowing Duo/Mimic to get inside her head because he said to her what she wanted to hear 11-in issue 73 she almost killed Sonic in her zeal to, in her eys, protect the order of things 12-in issue 74, she turned on her teammates after finding out that they lied to her, somewhat understandable, but being hypocritical in her statement because that's what SHE was doing 13-in the same issue 74, she nearly left people in the falling battleship to die, had it not been for Tangle and Whisper 14-generally being a principle zealot and a poor judge of character and hardening her heart Yep, Tangle and Whisper have made mistakes too, but not ask many as Lanolin and not as irritating and impactful as her either, and the sheep did all that in two arcs. Lanolin still needs therapy, but she has the potential to be leader, as seen in the urban warfare arc, in which she was more tolerant Whisper may have left on good terms with Lanolin for now, but something tells me, and tbh I hope, that she relapses and then gets angry at Lanolin for getting in her way, not listening to her concerns, helping in gaslighting her, being unfair with her teammates and Silver, etc, with Tangle helping back her up. that's not to say that they won't be lenient with her as well

[@BlueWolf218]

So true… painfully true…

[@RobertJames-i8j]

@@BlueWolf218 wow, I guess I know how to twist the knife and I didn't know it. but yes, Lanolin has been the main talk of the arc and the one before it ever since issue 63/64

[@hannahbecker2309]

Lanolin is a good example of why you should never make rookies leaders yet. Lanolin did more harm than good and she will either be kicked out or she quits.... Either way good riddances.... She been nothing but trouble and is a nobody loser.

[@RobertJames-i8j]

@@hannahbecker2309 I'd prefer a temporary absence after scattered pieces for a 3-4 arcs in the mainline series before she comes back, with a mini-series in between her leaving and returning, focusing on her character development and dealing with her insecurities and guilt, and also showing flashbacks of her past explaining her behaviour in issue 63-74 and how she met Maggie

[@RobertJames-i8j]

I'm glad that they were able to squeeze in six story arcs in this arc, and I'm glad they all played their part in this grand scheme of things. My only gripe is how Mimic was exposed and that it wasn't Whisper or Tangle that exposed him, but they at least played their role in the grand scheme by seeing that there was more to it, informing Jewel and getting her priorities straight and focus on Clutch and protecting Sonic from Lanolin and convincing her to snap out of her zeal to catch the phantom rider and focus on saving lives first. and at last, the Babylon Rogues played their role by using those flying vehicles to lift and move the falling battleship

[@JDueler11]

I’m sure Surge and Kit won’t be leaving the Restoration. They still have a room.

[@BlackFlash09]

It does upset me that the character arc with Surge was dropped halfway through to fall back on her old ways. Clutch’s promise to tell Surge and Kit their pasts was also dropped. Even the subplot of Jet being jealous of her was dropped.

[@RobertJames-i8j]

Hopefully Surge will show up in the scattered pieces arc, and as well as having that rematch with Whisper, in which the wolf wins in order to make up for getting her ass kicked in issue 53, and having her role in Cleansweep's plan fully exposed, she'd have an improvement arc. Also, the jealousy plot was partially essential as it was what partially motivated Jet into saving the city from the falling ship, and it may continue in the scattered pieces arc

[@BlackFlash09]

@RobertJames-i8j I think it would’ve been fun to see Surge obliviously annoy Jet.

[@hannahbecker2309]

Lanolin is a good example of why you should never make rookies leaders yet.... And i bet she would either be kicked out or she quits

[@Dots988]

I feel like knuckles’ inclusion in the riders arc could’ve been both a good addition or effect the plot badly. On the positive side, him being included in the arc would be easy as He was already off his island in the misadventures arc even saying “How do i get back”. He could’ve asked tails if he could hitch a ride only to learn of the clean sweep race. Maybe he would like to join a simple race for a day, maybe he wants another rematch against storm, or possibly sonic and tails egg knuckles on to get a rematch with the rouges so that he can get more payback for stealing his runes even though he is satisfied. However its the rest of the story afterwards where knuckles’ inclusion would be kinda pointless. I think already the issue is BLOATED with characters left and right and we already miss out on a ton of interactions because the comics are trying its best to organize everything. Knuckles could easily fend against clean sweep by himself so the boiler room drama would be even shorter, heck knuckles could probably break open the vault with no problems. I think because of this its better that knuckles stayed out of this arc. Now that we’ve partially course corrected knuckles to being back on the island, he should stay up there more often. He should have this kind of importance if he’s included into the plot which was a problem for him in older stories. Other than that, I think the arc was really good! We waited so long for this arc last year and the pay off was amazingggggg

[@JakeThehedgehog-m1x]

it was a solid arc i would say but however i didn't like how mimic was just exposed in the most anti-climatic way possible...like bruh anyway i did like the character development lanolin got at the end although..I DO EXPECT A SATISFYING PAYOFF!!! FORM HER DEVELOPMENT! if there's some expectation i have from the nextarc is definitely this! give me a satisfying conclusion to lanolin's character development so i can like her more but yeah that's all i have to say the characters were good and the status quo has changed overall 8/10 i guess this was our sonic riders 4 after all got it? because..it's a sonic riders kind of story.

[@RobertJames-i8j]

yep, Mimic's reveal could've used more build up, and that in turn could give Whisper and Tangle more room to re-suspect Duo so as to give the former a chance ti make up for being gaslit in issue 64, which will be my head canon On another note, I gotta say, for his age, Clutch is very spry to hold out against four opponents with super powers

[@simpgod2170]

Is the "best of shadow collection," still releasing this month?

[@beckthetinkerbot]

Don't say Belle had a minor role! Her role was just as important as everyone elses! 😡 Just fir that your getting a dislike! 👎

[@RobertJames-i8j]

you're right. she informed Tails and Amy about Clutch and the sabotaged boards and helped break into the boiler room to rescue the Chaotix

[@TheEggPaladin]

Nah, she got a minor role. Cry them tears lol 😜🤣

[@RobertJames-i8j]

@@TheEggPaladin very insensitive, you know that

[@TheEggPaladin]

@@RobertJames-i8j Tell that to the top comment here, hypocrite. 👎😎

[@RobertJames-i8j]

@@TheEggPaladin How was I being hypocritical?

[@gabrielasouza2270]

Can you release the subtitles for the video? I'm from Brazil, and I need the subtitles to understand what you're saying.🥲