IDW's upcoming "Winter Jam" one-shot features some fun cameos with interesting implications...

[Xandur]

The release of IDW Publishing's Sonic the Hedgehog: Winter Jam is just around the corner. This one-shot spin-off special will focus on Sonic and his friends getting into a heap of trouble with Eggman's robots during the holiday season. In light of this upcoming release, some more preview pages have been released (via IDWSonicNews), and in these pages we see some unexpected familiar faces!



The comic features several hidden cameos, including that of the Avatar from Sonic Forces, Mecha Sonic Mark III from Sonic Adventure, Barry, the Conductor, and the Conductor's Wife from The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as Ian Mutchler's infamous Sonic Forces avatar, Ian Jr.

The cameos featured here have captured the attention of Sonic fans, namely because of what some of these cameos entail. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog has always been regarded as being non-canon to the main Sonic universe (and, by extension, the comics), yet some characters exclusive to the game are seen here. Are these appearances meant to just be fun little easter eggs, or could it be implying something bigger...?

You can see all of the new previews yourself here: 
 

Sonic the Hedgehog: Winter Jam is set to release tomorrow, on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.

[castell-neath]

This looks great so far!

[ShadowForever]

Wow wow wow!!! These cameos are a delight to see! Love watching them having winter fun (hey hey, I'm not spying! I'm just watching what Eggman's watching!) And Barry and Avatar finally met! And what Ian Jr.'s up to? And Conductor and his wife look adorable, as always! Yeah I'm just glad to see them all:)

And whoa, do you think Mecha III will appear in main story, maybe already this issue? 

Edited December 12, 2023 by ShadowForever

[cosmichaos]

Woohoo! Barry and Gadget canonically interact! It's also always a pleasure to see Orbot and Cubot. I'm excited to get my hands on this one.

[Danj86]

Hmm....That screen to the right of Mr and Mrs Conductor...he seems to be playing a game I saw on TV once, called Hole in the Wall. The contestant stands in front of a pool while a wall with a shape cut out approaches them. It will push them into the pool unless you copy the shape perfectly which is cut in the wall.

Also...he looks suspiciously like Ray. But he could also be the unnamed recruit from the Prequel Sonic Forces Comic.

This guy:

Oh yeah. I don't know how well known this is, but Mecha Sonic III is also a reference to Mechagodzilla. The biggest clue to this is the pattern on it's torso. It matches the pattern of the original Mechagodzilla.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Danj86

[Xandur]

1 hour ago, ShadowForever said:

And whoa, do you think Mecha III will appear in main story, maybe already this issue? 

I hope so! Worst-case scenario is that he's just a small easter egg they put in there for fun. But maybe he'll play a major part in the comics at some point!

[ShadowForever]

7 minutes ago, Danj86 said:

Also...he looks suspiciously like Ray.

Whoa!!! That'd be awesome! I always wanted to know where're Classic characters in Modern universe. 

[Lorekitten]

I'd love to see Mecha III get some actual action. With Ian Flynn as Sega's lore maniac, I wouldn't put it past him to do exactly that if Sega lets him.

[Sega DogTagz]

Whats the harm in considering MoSth canon anyway?

Even though it was done as a gag, it doesn't really do anything to contradict other narratives. You could slide it in anywhere and not miss a beat.

[ShadowForever]

3 minutes ago, Sega DogTagz said:

Whats the harm in considering MoSth canon anyway?

Even though it was done as a gag, it doesn't really do anything to contradict other narratives. You could slide it in anywhere and not miss a beat.

Uh, well, on their Steam page they said that "everything is canon, but we believe in the power of headcanon!"

[Xandur]

1 hour ago, Sega DogTagz said:

Whats the harm in considering MoSth canon anyway?

Even though it was done as a gag, it doesn't really do anything to contradict other narratives. You could slide it in anywhere and not miss a beat.

Agreed, I think it would be a great addition to the Sonic canon. The way the characters are portrayed in that game gives them some of the most personality they've had in a long time.

 

Frankly, I'm not sure why they didn't just make it canon from the start. But, like ShadowForever said, the Steam description confirms that it was originally meant to be an AU. Hopefully this comic is indicating that they had a change of heart, though!

[ShadowForever]

IS THAT TRIBOT?

[cosmichaos]

YO, TRIBOT HYPE?!? Yes, PLEASE!