It seems that Sonic The Hedgehog will be going through some changes.
No, not the video game series. That’s going to continue for some time, what with Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania releasing later this year, and Sega’s miraculous ability to keep the speedy little hedgehog alive despite having been on life support several times.
Instead, the long running serialized comic series Sonic the Hedgehog, at least in its current iteration. The news comes from the normally hilariously entertaining @sonic_hedgehog Twitter, saying that Sega is ending their partnership with Archie Comics, the publishers of the Sonic The Hedgehog comic series. The announcements states they will “take a different direction for the series” which will be announced at a later date. More info from Sega is expected soon. The move comes after 24 years of monthly comic releases.
Fans of the series are not likely to be too surprised by the announcement, having waited patiently for news since the last comic was published last December. Since then, Archie Comics removed Sonic from their list of available subscriptions, they also pulled Sonic from the annual Free Comic Book Day event. Sonic’s spin off titles, including Sonic Universe, Sonic Super Digest, and Sonic Super Special Magazine were also all removed from the publisher’s site.
Now, the series will be handled by IDW, known for their work with comic adaptations of franchises like Ghostbusters and Goosebumps. The press release says they’re still bringing on talent for the series, but fans can get their hands on new Sonic The Hedgehog comic adventures in 2018.
The syndicated comic series has been steadily printing new issues since 1993. Originally based on the animated series, it since transcended its television beginnings to rack of a roster of characters more reminiscent of a superhero comic, along with enough twists and dimensional shifts to confuse new readers into thinking it was a sci-fi soap opera.
Sonic The Hedgehog was also one the longest running North American comics to not have a reboot, number 290 on its last issue. At one point the comic did have a ‘soft reboot’ after a former writer, Ken Penders, sued Sega, Archie Comics, and EA for copyright infringement after the games began to use elements of his writing in their plot. The new continuity, penned by Ian Flynn, more closely resembles the games, complete with complicated interdimensional timelines and alternate histories.
The series ended close to the events of Sonic Lost World, the 2013 game released on the Wii U and Nintendo DS.
