Sonic Idw Issue 61

[Meri Thilmony]

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Sonic the Hedgehog is an American comic book series based on Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise and is the second American Sonic Comic adaption after Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog. It is distributed by IDW Publishing and began on 4 April 2018.[1][2]

The comic series began with the first four issues being released each week in April, followed by a monthly release of subsequent issues starting in May 2018.[3] Unlike the Archie series, the IDW comics are also being translated by SEGA of Japan for Japanese audiences, with a slight import lag between the original and the translated releases.[4]

The Sonic the Hedgehog comic series was first announced on 21 July 2017 when the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account revealed that Sega and IDW Publishing would be collaborating together to create a new Sonic comic after the cancellation of the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic two days prior.[5] The first official creative summit was conducted on 3 August 2017.[6]

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.[1] Following this, Ian Flynn, former writer of the Archie Sonic comics, was confirmed to be the lead writer for the IDW Sonic comics.[3] On December 28, 2017 though, Flynn revealed that none of the characters he created for Archie Comics will appear in the IDW Sonic comics.[7]

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.[8] A few days later, on 16 January 2018, it was revealed that Tracy Yardley, a long-time Sonic artist at Archie Comics, would be joining the IDW Sonic team as well.[9] 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.[10]

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.[11] 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 Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog. 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.[12]

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, that no crossover had been planned, and that the series will be a mix of various genres.[13]

In October 2018, Mana Books began releasing European French translations of IDW Publishing's Sonic the Hedgehog graphic novel compilations. The releases follow the same format as their American counterparts.[16] In April 2019, ECC Ediciones stated that they would begin releasing Spanish translations of the comic series beginning 14 May 2019, under their Kodomo line.[17][18] It was later stated that the comic series will be translated to Russian with plans to expand it to other languages.[19] On 21 November 2019, it was announced by IDW Publishing that in June 2020, they will also publish Spanish-language editions of the graphic novel compilations of the comic series.[20] On 27 March 2020, it was announced that the comic will be published in Japan by Wise Publishing.[21] On 4 March 2021, it was announced that the comic will be published in Brazil by Novo Sculo, under their Geektopia line.[22] On 17 March 2023, it was announced that Kamite will start publishing the comic in Mexico.[23] On 14 December 2023, it was announced that Tunu will start publishing the comic in Italy from 12 March 2024.[24]

On 27 May 2021, during Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary, it was announced that IDW Publishing would start June with a "Sonic Month", where a new comic or graphic novel would be released every week. Every Saturday would be tagged as "#SonicSaturday" where special content was planned just for Sonic fans, and on 9 June 2021, a major announcement for sweepstakes for a big Sonic collection was made.[25][26]

The comic is set in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game continuity, with the visuals of the comic being heavily inspired by the recent games. Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends live on a planet named earth inhabited by anthropomorphic animals like themselves and humans, which is constantly under threat from the evil human scientist Dr. Eggman, who wants to take over with his army of Badniks and establish the Eggman Empire.

Prior to the start of the comic, the battle between Sonic and the Eggman Empire has been going on for quite some time, with the heroes having fought Eggman multiple times before. Many flashbacks to previous Sonic game events are shown throughout the comic series. When the comic's storyline begins, Sonic and his friends are dealing with the fallout caused by Eggman's recent conquest of the planet, as depicted in Sonic Forces, which was the most recent Sonic game at the time.

On November 18, 2022, Ian Flynn stated that the IDW Sonic comic series is canon on his BumbleKast podcast. In the seventh episode of the seventh season of Sonic Official, Chris Hernandez, one of the Lore Managers, reiterated that the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog comics were 100% canon and takes place after the events of Sonic Forces.[27] In Sonic Frontiers, Sonic mentions Tangle while Eggman mentions the Eggnet, further solidifying its inclusion. In the "TailsTube" debut episode, Sonic receives questions from Tangle and the Spiral Hill Fan Club, and in "Surprise Gift Exchange Bonanza" Tails mentions Jewel when asked by Eggman about the holiday plans.

After Sonic the Hedgehog and his allies defeated Dr. Eggman and liberated the world from his Eggman Empire during the Eggman War, the evil doctor went missing. However, his Badniks remained. Initially directionless, these robots eventually began launching coordinated attacks on villages, suggesting that someone had taken control of them. Sonic thus begins traveling from town to town to stop the Badniks, receiving help from both old friends and new allies (like Tangle the Lemur) along the way.

With the aid of the Chaotix Detective Agency, Sonic finds the missing Dr. Eggman, only to discover that he is suffering from amnesia and has become a model citizen. Just as Sonic and the Chaotix settle on leaving Eggman to his new life however, Shadow shows up with Rouge to destroy the Doctor after hearing him mention Eggman Land. Sonic, however, manages to convince Shadow to give the amnesiac Eggman a chance to prove his benevolence. In the aftermath, Eggman shows that the Eggman Land he mentioned was but an amusement park for children, thus clearing out any doubts about his amnesia being legit. In the meantime, the ringleader behind the Badnik attacks is making his next move. Sonic and Tails reach the Egg Fleet with the Tornado in order to get some information but as soon as the hedgehog enters the battleship, he discovers that the ringleader is Neo Metal Sonic, who assumed Eggman's appearance to lead the Eggman Empire and finish Eggman's incomplete plans. Amy and Knuckles were eventually informed and they decided to reunite the Resistance to stop Neo's scheme. Sonic soon after infiltrates one of Eggman's bases with the aid of Silver and a new ally named Whisper, where they find out that Neo Metal Sonic has conquered Angel Island in order to seize the Master Emerald.

Assembling their various allies, Sonic and the Resistance launch an attack on Angel Island in an attempt to liberate the island and stop Neo Metal Sonic. Shortly after arriving, Sonic and Knuckles confront Neo, who used the Master Emerald to become Super Neo Metal Sonic. In the meantime, the Resistance manage to free Angel Island. However, when Shadow intervened with Sonic and Knuckles' battle with Neo Metal Sonic, the robot managed to transform into an even more dangerous form: Master Overlord. Though Master Overlord puts up a bigger challenge for the heroes, he is eventually brought down by the combined strength of everyone, and Angel Island is restored once more. Afterward, Knuckles, as the Resistance's commander, disbands the organization, having concluded that it has served its purpose, so he can remain on Angel Island and guard the Master Emerald. Sonic accepts Knuckles' choice, and everyone eventually sets off from Angel Island.

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