IDW Publishing (OTCQX: IDWM) and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Sonic The Hedgehog™ comic book fans will get a double dose of fun this summer, as fan-favorite Sonic illustrator Evan Stanley will be taking over as both artist AND writer beginning with Sonic The Hedgehog #33, while a dastardly delicious spin-off miniseries, Sonic: Bad Guys, will debut from writer Ian Flynn and artist Jack Lawrence.
Artist Evan Stanley takes on double-duty as series writer for the ongoing Sonic The Hedgehog series with an action-packed, friendship-fueled new arc! The Metal Virus is gone, but things aren’t quite back to normal. Tails and Sonic try to solve how to fix their damaged ally, Omega. Elsewhere, Rouge and Shadow team up with Cream to win replacement parts for Omega through… Chao races! Debuting in issue #33, the “Chao Races and Badnik Bases!” storyline serves as the perfect jumping-on point for new readers!
“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,” says Stanley. “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!”
Meanwhile, the four-issue Sonic: Bad Guys miniseries — scribed by series mainstay Ian Flynn and artist Jack Lawrence — asks the question: Whatever happened to Dr. Starline, former evil assistant and life-long fanboy to Dr. Eggman? The answer: The shadowy scientist is back to his evil antics… and what better place to concoct new nefarious plans than one of Eggman’s abandoned bases? With badniks guarding the entrance, Dr. Starline must recruit some familiar and not-so-friendly faces for help!
“It’s been a thrill to see fans embrace the comic’s original characters, and one of those fan-favorites is Dr. Starline,” says Flynn. “We’ve known him up until now as a die-hard Eggman fanboy, 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.”
“Actors often say they most enjoy playing villains, and I have to be honest: I feel the same way about drawing them!” says Lawrence. “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!”
“We’re so excited to have Evan stepping up on the main book,” says editor David Mariotte. “She has an amazing sense of storytelling as an artist and it definitely translates to her writing. Meanwhile, we get to have Ian cut loose and write his ‘bwa-ha-ha’-iest baddies in a fantastic companion miniseries that closely ties into Evan’s story. Everyone involved on the IDW Sonic team is coordinating super-hard to make both series a vital Sonic reading experience!”
Sonic The Hedgehog #33 will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover A by Evan Stanley, Cover B by Gigi Dutreix, and a Retailer Incentive edition by Nathalie Fourdraine. Sonic: Bads Guys #1 will be available with Cover A by Aaron Hammerstrom, Cover B by Diana Skelly, and two Retailer Incentive editions by Jack Lawrence and Bracardi Curry, respectively.
