Warning: Spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog #56The hero-and-sidekick relationship between Sonic and Tails is nothing short of iconic, but the pairing of Tangle and Whisper in that particular universe is even better for a myriad of reasons, and they're finally reuniting in the next issue of IDW's ongoing Sonic the Hedgehog series.
The covers for Sonic the Hedgehog #57 by artists Min Ho Kim, Adam Bryce Thomas and Nathalie Fourdraine show Whisper the Wolf and Tangle the Lemur finally together again after Whisper left Sonic's Restoration team for her friends' safety. The official summary of the story by Ian Flynn reveals that the Restoration has sent the dynamic duo to investigate Dr. Eggman's new Eggperial City, which they first learned about and fought at in IDW's epic Sonic #50.
This Team-Up is a Sonic Fan's Dream Come True
Aside from being a girls-only team in a franchise that's swarming with boy characters, readers first got a glimpse of how well the two female fighters complemented each other during their own miniseries aptly named Tangle & Whisper. The main revelation may have rightly revolved around Whisper's troubled and tragic past, but Whisper's reticence and her trepidation of making new friends beautifully conflicted with Tangle's inherent sassiness and desire for adventure, which, serendipitously, Whisper found herself ensconced in at the start of their miniseries. Their journey was one of self-discovery and one of learning how to respect and bring out the best in others. Whisper came to accept Tangle as a close friend she could actually trust while Tangle soon understood why Whisper acted the way she did and what this meant for her. With such a strong message, it was therefore such a letdown when she went missing during Sonic's short female-centric arc since Whisper had just realized it would be in her friends' best interest if she left the Restoration to protect them from her predator Mimic. But her absence only fueled the need for her return (and her reunion with Tangle) all the more, which is many fans are anxiously awaiting issue #57.
One of Tangle's saddest moments occurred in the Sonic Annual 2022's short story "Rough Patch" by Aaron Hammerstrom when she teams up with Rouge the Bat. At the end, Tangle is left dejected when Rouge suddenly leaves with her stolen Chaos Emerald, which extra heartbreaking when taking into consideration that Tangle is undoubtedly still hurting over Whisper's earlier departure. She is likely projecting the true pain she feels from her abandonment by Whisper onto Rouge's sudden departure. Recent Sonic issues have only increased the suspense of their reunion with Whisper finally returning but never actually meeting up with Tangle. And now the Sonic #57 is justifying the long wait with a whole issue dedicated to them.
It's interesting that the official synopsis of Sonic #57 has the two investigating the Eggperial City. Although this means that Whisper has apparently reed the Restoration in an official capacity, some fans might be discouraged by this focus based on recent events where Sonic's imposter cyborg Surge the Tenrec forcibly took Whisper's Wisps. Undoubtedly, Whisper wants revenge on Surge, and she could have recruited Tangle to help her, which would have caused tension between the two since Tangle would be obligated to help the Restoration but also to help her friend. This could still happen in a future issue, but that might be far away since sneak peeks of post-Sonic #57 covers reveal that Whisper and Tangle's team-up might be short-lived. Amy Rose and Tails and then her and Sonic are on the covers of #58 and #59 respectively, with no signs of the reunited dynamic duo. Regardless, it's still exciting that at least one issue will focus on Tangle and Whisper.
Sonic the Hedgehog #56 is available from IDW Publishing.
