IDW Celebrate 30 Years Of Sonic’s Pals In Two New Comics This Fall
by Olly MacNamee
IDW Publishing are to celebrate 30 years of Sonic the Hedgehog’s pals with two new series. First up we have the spooky four-issue miniseries Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island, written by Daniel Barnes and illustrated by Jack Lawrence with colours by Nathalie Fourdraine, to be released in October 2022.
“Alongside formidable new foes, Sonic and Tails run afoul of old adversaries—including long-lost fan favorites like Mecha Knuckles—as they battle to survive isolation on an island of robots programmed to destroy them.”
Then we’ll be getting Sonic The Hedgehog: Tails’ 30th Anniversary Special the month later, in November by writer Ian Flynn, artist Aaron Hammerstrom and colours by Reggie Graham inspired by the classic games.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island:
Barnes commented:
“When coming up with Scrapnik Island, I took a lot of influence from horror movies and comics. My goal was to tell a really creepy and atmospheric story with a vibe that Sonic fans aren’t normally used to. There are some surprises in this one that I don’t think readers are going to see coming!”
Lawrence added:
“I jumped at the chance to work on Sonic again, but I didn’t expect to be having this much fun! I have a deep love of creepy stories, of dark corners and creaky floorboards, and Scrapnik Island has really given me the opportunity to scratch that itch. It’s fun, fresh, exciting—basically everything I really enjoy in a Sonic story (and I think everyone else will, too!) I’m back with my blue buddy; I couldn’t be happier!”
Sonic The Hedgehog: Tails’ 30th Anniversary Special
Flynn said of the new special:
“I had a blast with last year’s Sonic 30th Anniversary story, which was a celebration of the Classic Sonic cast. This time around I wanted to do something a little more restrained and focused so we could properly celebrate Tails, his courage, and his intellect. That said, you know I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to mine the Sonic series history for the villains!”
Hammerstrom added:
“Tails was my favorite character growing up and he’s still incredibly important to me, so I’m glad to be able to help put him back in the spotlight for a bit. It’s so exciting to bring back these weird, obscure characters along with him, too! I think they’re gonna be a lot of fun!”
Finally, Mariotte added:
“While Tails has spent 30 years being the best buddy a hedgehog could ask for, this special’s all about celebrating Tails. Some of his oldest foes—including Witchcart and her minions—are back, and it’ll be up to Tails to step up as the hero once again in this sure-to-be-classic adventure!”
Sonic The Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island #1 will be available in stores in October 2022 with three cover variants, including Cover A by series colourist Nathalie Fourdraine, Cover B by Min Ho Kim, and a retailer incentive edition by Diana Skelley.
Sonic The Hedgehog: Tails’ 30th Anniversary Special will be available in stores in November 2022 with three cover variants, including Cover A by series artist Aaron Hammerstrom, Cover B by Thomas Rothlisberger, and a retailer incentive edition by series regular Tracy Yardley.
