Sonic the Hedgehog IDW Comic Series

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**IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog** is an ongoing comic book series based on SEGA's *Sonic the Hedgehog* video game franchise. It launched on April 4, 2018, and is the first Sonic comic series set in the IDW continuity.

## Production Staff

### Editors

* David Mariotte
* Joe Hughes

### Assistant editors

* Megan Brown
* Riley Farmer

### Art directors

* Jack Rivera
* Robbie Robbins
* Shawn Lee

### Writers

* Ian "Potto" Flynn
* Evan Stanley
* Daniel Barnes
* Mark Bouchard
* Gale Galligan
* Caleb Goellner
* Nigel Kitching
* Aaron Hammerstrom

### Pencillers

* Adam Bryce Thomas
* Evan Stanley
* Jamal Peppers
* Jen Hernandez
* Jonathan Gray
* Kieran Gates
* Nathalie Fourdraine
* Tracy Yardley
* Tyson Hesse
* Thomas Rothlisberger
* Diana Skelly
* Lamar Wells

### Lineart

* Adam Bryce Thomas
* Bracardi Curry
* Evan Stanley
* Jack Lawrence
* Jamal Peppers
* Jennifer Hernandez
* Priscilla Tramontano
* Thomas Rothlisberger
* Tracy Yardley

### Inkers

* Bob Smith
* Gigi Dutreix
* Jim Amash
* John Wycough
* Maria Keane
* Matt Froese
* Priscilla Tramontano
* Reggie Graham

### Colorists

* Matt Herms
* Bracardi Curry
* Elaina Unger
* Heather Breckel
* Leonardo Ito
* Reggie Graham
* Valentina Pinto

### Licensing

* Michael Cisneros
* Aaron Webber
* Anoulay Tsai
* Mai Kiyotaki
* Sandra Jo
* Sonic Team

## History

The *Sonic the Hedgehog* IDW series was first announced on 21 July 2017 when the official Sonic Twitter revealed that Sega and IDW Publishing would be collaborating together to create a new *Sonic* comic following the cancellation of the Archie *Sonic the Hedgehog* comic two days prior. The first official creative summit was conducted on 3 August 2017.

During the New York Comic Con 2017 event, more information regarding IDW's *Sonic* comic was revealed on promotional flyers (drawn by Tyson Hesse, known for his work on the Archie *Sonic* comics and *Sonic Mania*), where it was revealed that the comic will contain characters old and new, and feature brand new stories. Following this, Ian Flynn, former writer of the Archie *Sonic* comics, was confirmed to be the lead writer for the IDW *Sonic* comics. On December 28, 2017 though, Flynn revealed that none of the characters he created for Archie Comics will appear in the IDW *Sonic* comics.

On 11 January 2018, IDW opened an official family-friendly IDW Sonic Facebook group, called “IDW Sonic Comics Squad“. This page will feature updates, art reveals, link to the IDW editorials and more related to the IDW *Sonic* series. A few days later, on 16 January 2018, it was revealed that Tracey Yardley, a long-time Sonic artist at Archie Comics, would be joining the IDW Sonic team as well. As more information about the first four issues went public, it was revealed that each of the four first issues will feature a different artist, and then rotating art teams would be taking over once the book went monthly.

After its introduction, IDW Sonic Comics Squad revealed that a new character was set be announced on January 24. After five days, this character was revealed to be Tangle the Lemur. On that very same day, the solicitations for the first four issues were revealed.

In an interview with Game Informer, Flynn established that IDW *Sonic* was a brand new continuity with no connection to the Archie Comics. He further stated that the comics will, at the moment, only draw inspiration from the *Sonic* game continuity and will go in a fresh new direction not dictated by an already-established canon. Flynn also stated that older elements and fringes of the franchise might be incorporated into the comics at some point, but for the beginning of the series, he wanted to focus on the core style of storytelling for the *Sonic* series. Flynn also revealed bits of the storyline for the first few issues, which will follow up on *Sonic Forces* and will deal with the fallout of the War to Take Back the Planet. As for the Sega relationship, it was revealed that they this time around are more directly involved with the stories themselves, namely by offering suggestions here and there on where to tweak things. In return, Flynn makes sure that the comic elements fit into the *Sonic* universe.

On 21 February 2018, IDW opened its pre-orders for the *Sonic the Hedgehog* comic series. On the same day, the IDW Sonic Comics Squad surmised the returning Archie Comic artists for the IDW *Sonic* series, with Matt Herms being among them. It was also revealed that Sega had placed restrictions on the comics (term like “Mobian” or any similar term has been banned, and the only “Mobile” that is allowed is the Eggmobile), that no crossover had been planned, and that the series will be a mix of various genres.

During a Q&A on Facebook, it was revealed that the *Sonic the Hedgehog* series would be an ongoing title with no end date determined.

On March 16, 2018, at "Gotta Go Fast: The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Panel", the official Sonic the Hedgehog panel at the SXSW Gaming 2018 convention, Sega announced the "Sonic the Hedgehog IDW Comic Series Exclusive Bundle", which was a limited edition bundle up for pre-order on their online store, SEGA Shop. Included in the bundle were issues #1-4 of IDW's new Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series, an additional exclusive variant cover of issue #4, an exclusive mystery t-shirt (both of which were only available on the SEGA Shop), and digital downloads of Sonic the Hedgehog issues #1-4 as they were released. The bundle was released on May 1, 2018 and costed $40. It was also possible to select a shirt size from the following options: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, and 2X-Large.

## Setting

The comic is set in its own continuity heavily inspired by the world of the video games (they do not share the same universe however). Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends live on an unnamed planet seemingly inhabited entirely by anthropomorphic animals like themselves, which is constantly under threat from the evil scientist Doctor Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, the only known human on this world, who wants to take over with his army of robotic minions.

This ongoing battle between Sonic and the Eggman Empire has been going on for quite some time within the comics universe, with the heroes having battled it out with the omelette dictator multiple times before the point at which the comic even began, many of these encounters baring strong similarities to those that occurred in past Sonic video games. At the point where the comic begins, Sonic and his friends are dealing with the fallout caused by Eggman’s recent conquest of the planet, as depicted in the, at that time, most recent video game, *Sonic Forces*.

## Storyline - Issues and Story Arcs

### Fallout

As soon as the war to take back the planet ended, Doctor Eggman went missing but his robot army remained, without control. About a month later, the badniks became more organized and started attacking various town, commanded by an unknown villain hidden in the Eggman Empire Fortress with Orbot and Cubot. Sonic decides to find the source and stops several of the attacks with the help of Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Blaze and Tangle the Lemur.

### The Fate of Doctor Eggman

The Chaotix of the Chaotix Detective Agency has just found Eggman, which is seemingly amnesic and comes promtly reached by Shadow and Rouge, ready to destroy the evil genius. After convincing Shadow, "Mr. Tinker" reveals that "Eggman Land" was just an amusement park for children. In order to get some information, Sonic reaches the Egg Fleet with the Tornado: inside the battleship, Sonic discovers that the ringleader is Neo Metal Sonic disguised as Eggman. Sonic infiltrates one of the bases with Silver the Hedgehog and a new ally named Whisper the Wolf, aka "Guardian Angel" where they find out that Neo has conquered Angel Island.

### The Battle for Angel Island

...Elsewhere, the amnesiac Doctor Eggman is kidnapped by the escaped Rough and Tumble, and taken to Dr. Starline at the Final Egg. Revealing himself to be an avid fan of Dr. Eggman, he is determined to restore Eggman back to his vaillainous self, making the Doctor undergo extreme procedures including shock therapy.

Sonic escapes from the command carrier, Neo Metal Sonic continues with his plan to capture Angel Island in order to tap into the power of the Master Emerald, being left defence due to Knuckles' absence.

Upon releasing the defeated Metal Sonic, it returns to Final Egg. Dr. Tinker shows concern about the broken robot. When touching it, all the memories become fully restored. With both an apprentice and two lackeys, Dr. Eggman plans to continue his latest and deadly creation yet.

### Tangle and Whisper

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### Infection

* While Sonic and the resitance are looking into signs of the Doctor Eggman returning, they are reintroduced to Rough and Tumble, as well as the introduction of Dr. Starline, who has been the acting catalyst of most of the latest events such as the kidnapping and restoring Dr. Eggman former self. Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman begins the testing of his latest creation: The Metal Virus.

### Crisis City

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### The Last Minute

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### All or Nothing

When Dr. Starline shows to Eggman that he enlisted the Deadly Six to help Dr. Eggman in controlling the rampaging metal virus, the doctor is furious that Starline had betrayed him. Despite the Starline's insitance of the Zeti's compliance with the use of the ancient conch, the Zeti took advantage of the moment when the platypus did not blow into the conch, removing the conch as well as taking over and usurping Eggman's robots again as well as the faceship and then eventually the metal virus.

Dr. Eggman then joins forces with Sonic (who has been almost overtaken by the infection) and his team in order to stop the Zeti and their recently acquired Zombot army.

### Out of the Blue

The Battle continues with the Zeti and the remaining heroes and villains.

### Chao Races and Badnik Bases

In the aftermath of the Metal Virus, there remains the task of restoring E-123 Omega with a new body. In order to do so, Amy, Rouge and Cheese head to White Park Grand Chateau to take part in the national Chao racing, in order to gain some badniks parts from the dubious Clutch the Opossum. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails explore an abandoned base near Windmill Village that Sonic found. There, they find an unexpected appearance.

### Test Run

Sonic, Amy and Tails investigate a mysterious tower that is altering the weather off the coast to Seaside City. There, they find themselves in a place that is literally in over their heads. Tangle and the newcomer, Belle, come to the rescue, with the latter searching for answers.

### Zeti Hunt

The Deadly Six have reunited and are out for vengeance. It would take Sonic and the whole restoration to find and take them down, leading to a fight on the Restoration's own doorstep. Meanwhile, Starline is secretly operating his own agenda.

### Trial by Fire and Imposter Syndrome

Amy Rose, Belle, Jewel are planning on a girls-only camping trip. There they meet the Park ranger and his son, who warns them of the increased possibility of fire, which was an after affect of the Metal Virus. Unfortunately, the inevitable happens, but Belle the Tinkerer not only rescues the day, but finds a kindred spirit. However, still the mysterious cause of the fire is yet to be revealed. The events lead to the Chaotix investigating the strange happenings that are happening in Central City, despite solving an additional case, they are still no closer to the true heart of the mysterious. The main mysterious happensings result in a crescendo when a mysterious signal emanates from Eggman's new City, but is not the Doctor himself.

### Overpowered

With battle between the two geniuses ending, Sonic and friends need to escape Eggperial City and its ginormous horde of badniks.

### Urban Warfare

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### Misadventures

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## Story Arcs

* *Fallout!* (#1-4)
* *The Fate of Dr. Eggman* (#5-6)
* *Meet the New Boss (#7)*
* *Silent Support (#8)*

* *The Battle for Angel Island* (#9-11)
* *The Cost of the Battle for Angel Island* (#12)

* *Calling Card* (#13)
* *Misdirection* (#14)
* *Patient Zero* (#15)
* *Infection* (#16)

* *Plague* (#17)
* *Victims* (#18)
* *Crisis City* (#19-20)

* *The Last Minute* (#21-23)
* *The Last One Out* (#24)

* *A Sudden Shift* (#25)
* *All or Nothing* (#26-29)

* *Cured* (#30)
* Recovery (#31-32)
* *Chao Races and Badnik Bases* (#33-36)
* *Test Run* (#37-#39)
* *Zeti Hunt* (#40-#44)
* *Trial by Fire* (#45-47)
* *Hit the Pavement* (#48)
* *Wound Up* (#49)
* *Battle for the Empire* (#50)
* *Escape from the Empire* (#51)
* *Overpowered* (#52-56)
* *Urban Warfare* (#57-61)
* *Misadventures* (#62-66)
* *Second Chances* (#67)
* *The Protector* (#68)

## Trivia

* An unused image that was made by Tyson Hesse was used for the cover of a catalogue from PREVIEWSworld, which is a catalogue of upcoming comics for comic shops.
* The comic launched in what would have been the 25th anniversary year of its predecessor.
* On October 9, 2017, Flynn stated on Bumbleking that there could be a chance that the Pre-Super Genesis Wave continuity from the Archie comics could be concluded in the IDW comics along with the Post-Super Genesis Wave continuity, as he also said that IDW is famous for bringing back and completing older runs of fan-favorite franchise comics when they can.

## External Links

1. ↑ http://www.tssznews.com/2018/01/11/official-idw-sonic-facebook-group-opens/
2. ↑ http://www.idwpublishing.com/idw-publishing-and-sega-welcome-veteran-sonic-writer-ian-flynn/
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 https://www.newsarama.com/38304-idw-publishing-april-2018-solicitations.html
4. ↑ http://www.tssznews.com/2018/01/16/tracy-yardley-confirmed-for-idw-sonic-team-one-of-multiple-covers-for-issue-1-released/
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrrRtLxUsaM
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/sonic\_hedgehog/status/888538195045998592
7. ↑ http://ryallsfiles.tumblr.com/post/163763917274/the-first-official-sonichedgehog-idwcomics
8. ↑ https://www.sonicstadium.org/2017/10/idw-sonic-comic-teaser-features-tyson-hesse-artwork/
9. ↑ http://www.idwpublishing.com/idw-publishing-and-sega-welcome-veteran-sonic-writer-ian-flynn
10. ↑ http://www.tssznews.com/2017/12/28/ian-flynn-confirms-that-idw-sonic-comics-will-not-have-archie-sonic-characters-he-created/comment-page-1/
11. ↑ http://www.tssznews.com/2018/01/11/official-idw-sonic-facebook-group-opens/
12. ↑ http://www.tssznews.com/2018/01/16/tracy-yardley-confirmed-for-idw-sonic-team-one-of-multiple-covers-for-issue-1-released/
13. ↑ http://ew.com/books/2018/01/22/sonic-hedgehog-comics-idw/
14. ↑ http://nordic.ign.com/sonic-the-hedgehog-2007/9660/news/sonic-the-hedgehogs-newest-ally-is-tangle-the-ring-tailed-le
15. ↑ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2018/02/15/writer-ian-flynn-discusses-giving-the-sonic-comic-series-a-fresh-start.aspx?PostPageIndex=1
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 http://www.tssznews.com/2018/03/02/sonic-idw-facebook-qa-highlights/
17. ↑ http://www.tssznews.com/2018/06/21/first-look-sonic-idw-9/
18. ↑ http://bumbleking.com/lost-hedgehog-tales-update/

***IDW Sonic Comics***