IDW Publishing have announced “Sonic The Hedgehog” artist Evan Stanley will begin writing the series as well with this summer’s issue #33. The new jumping-on point, ‘Chao Races and Badnik Bases!,’ will see Rouge, Shadow and Cream trying to win replacement parts for the damaged robot Omega by participating in Chao racing.
“Sonic the Hedgehog comics have been a constant source of joy and inspiration for me for well over ten years, and the truth is, this opportunity is a dream I didn’t believe could come true,” Stanley said. “The world of Sonic has a truly amazing creative legacy, and I’ve always pushed myself to make my contributions as meaningful and worthwhile as they can be — and that’s more important than ever now. I hope I can deepen the world of IDW’s Sonic The Hedgehog comics, exploring new places and characters while continuing to deliver exciting adventures about Sonic and his friends!”
Stanley clarified on Twitter that after this initial arc, she and former main series writer Ian Flynn will continue “collaborating on the overarching plotline, and taking turns writing specific story arcs. Also, the other artists on the book will still be drawing!” Flynn will continue to explore Sonic’s world in the meantime with “Sonic: Bad Guys,” a four-issue miniseries with art by Jack Lawrence, which will see Dr. Eggman’s former assistant Dr. Starline forming a new evil alliance.
“We’ve known him up until now as a die-hard Eggman fanboy,” said Flynn, “but what happens when your idol outright disses you? After exploring the power of trust and friendship in ‘Tangle & Whisper,’ ‘Bad Guys’ is going to be a completely different type of adventure.” Lawrence commented, “Actors often say they most enjoy playing villains, and I have to be honest: I feel the same way about drawing them! There’s just something so fun about drawing a sneaky look or evil grin, hands rubbing together in greed or anticipation of some nefarious deed. Sonic’s villains are some of the worst people you can possibly imagine, so I’m super excited to show just how vile some of them can be!”
For more on both series, head to the press release. Due to the ongoing Diamond shutdown, IDW did not state when exactly “Sonic the Hedgehog” #33 or “Bad Guys” #1 will be released.
