Comic Books

Ian Flynn and Tyson Hesse return for IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog in April 2018

IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog #1-4 will release weekly throughout April 2018.

October 8, 2017

After a year and a half absence following the abrupt cancellation of Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog series in December 2016, the fastest thing alive is returning to comics.

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After Sega terminated their deal with Archie Comics earlier this year, IDW Publishing picked up the license. At New York Comic con, IDW held a Town Hall event to discuss the future of the property and take questions from some of the most dedicated Sonic fans in attendance.

While the majority of the panel was answering fan questions, a major announcement was made: Ian Flynn will be writing IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog, with artwork by Tyson Hesse. Flynn was at the creative helm of Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog series for over a hundred issues, and is widely acclaimed for his Sonic stories. Tyson Hesse has also worked on several Sonic comics for Archie, and created the opening cutscene in Sonic Mania.

Ian Flynn and Tyson Hesse return for IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog in April 2018

While news of Sonic the Hedgehog‘s creative team was welcome, that wasn’t all we learned. The first arc of IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog will be released weekly throughout the month of April. After issues #1-4 release April 4 – April 25, the series will begin releasing in a monthly schedule.

Details as far as the actual content of the series were scarce at the panel, but the team was excited to see what Ian comes up with. "Sometimes writers get to the point where they’ve said all they can say about a character," said Joe Hughes, editor for IDW Publishing. "Ian sent us pitches ten minutes after we asked for them. He’s coming at it with a completely fresh and new perspective."

Following an unexpected hiatus of Sonic comics in early 2017, Sega announced via Sonic’s official Facebook page that after a 24 year long, generally well recieved relationship, they were parting ways with Archie Comics. IDW Publishing announced two days later they had excitedly picked up the series. IDW’s series will start at issue #1, and the panel at New York Comic Con promised that this would be a “fresh start” for Sonic the Hedgehog.