Title: Sonic the Hedgehog IDW Collection Volume 1
Author: Ian Flynn
Artists: Tracy Yardley, Adam Bryce Thomas, Jennifer Hernandez and Evan Stanley
Genre: Action / Science Fiction / Humor
Series: Sonic the Hedgehog IDW Collection #1
Year Read: 2021
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Source: Purchased
Content Rating: Ages 10+ (Brief Language and Violence)
Buy on: Amazon // Bookshop
Introduction:
So, let me tell you guys my history with “Sonic
the Hedgehog” through the comic books.
I grew up reading the Archie “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic books
when I was a kid and I always enjoyed reading that series because that series
tended to get pretty CRAZY and I LOVED IT! So, I was totally devastated when the series got
cancelled after running for over 200 issues (which is quite an impressive feat
for a comic book series based off a video game property). So, for many years, I
thought that “Sonic the Hedgehog” would never come back to the wonderful
world of comic books…until one fateful day, IDW announced that they were going
to do a new “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic book series that featured the same
writers and artists from the Archie series!
At first, I was a bit hesitant about this announcement since I loved the
Archie Comics and I did not want to see my precious series be replaced
after all of these years. But the moment
I picked up this first collection of IDW’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic
book series, I was immediately HOOKED!
I never thought that this series could actually be so good!
What is this story about?
Taking place after the events of the
latest “Sonic the Hedgehog” video game “Sonic Forces,” the series
starts off with Sonic the Hedgehog trying to take down Dr. Eggman’s remaining
robot armies after the Doctor’s defeat in “Sonic Forces.” Along the way, Sonic meets up with some
old friends (Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Silver) and some new friends (Tangle and
Whisper) and they all help Sonic with taking down Dr. Eggman’s remaining
robots. However, it turns out that Dr.
Eggman had mysteriously vanished after the events of “Sonic Forces” and
a new threat is actually the one controlling the robots.
Who is really behind all the
robot attacks and what happened to Dr. Eggman?
Find out in this volume!
What I loved about this story:
Ian Flynn’s writing: So, for those of you who do not know, Ian Flynn
is one of the original writers from the Archie “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic
book series, meaning that he has been writing for this series for over 10
years! So, when I heard that he was
coming back to write for this series, I was beyond excited since I loved his
work in the Archie Comics. Ian Flynn
has once again done a fantastic job at writing this collection of stories. I just loved the way that he portrayed each character,
especially Sonic, Tails, Amy, Whisper and Tangle. I especially loved the numerous moments
between the characters, especially between Sonic and Tails as we get to see
their brotherly relationship with each other.
I also loved the fact that Ian Flynn fixed a lot of the things
that were controversial from the “Sonic Forces” video game (as that game
seems to be extremely hated by the fans).
For one thing, he made Tails into a braver and more enjoyable character
like how he was portrayed in the “Sonic Adventure” games and I appreciated
the fact that Ian Flynn fixed Tails’ character since Tails is one of my
all-time favorite characters from the “Sonic the Hedgehog”
franchise. Another set of characters
that I really started to take a shining to are Tangle and Whisper. These are two new characters added for the comic
book series and I already love these two characters! I just loved the way that these two
characters were introduced into the story as they felt like they been a part of
the Sonic cast for years, despite the fact that they are new characters. Also, this is a question I tend to ask
myself:
“WHY WASN’T
SONIC FORCES WRITTEN THIS WAY?”
One of my biggest
gripes with the game “Sonic Forces” was how the story was so clunky and
I was disappointed that we did not have any plot points about how the
characters felt about the bleak situation they were dealing with in the
game. In this new comic book series
however, we actually get some good insight on how the characters felt about the
events of “Sonic Forces,” like how Tails was worried that something bad
will happen to Sonic again and whether or not he will break apart again. I just loved that moment between him and
Sonic when they were talking about that situation and I just wished that “Sonic
Forces” took the time to showcase such relationships between the
characters.
The artwork: OH, MY GOODNESS! Probably
the best part of this collection was the artwork itself! The artwork was done by several different
artists who each brought something truly creative to the series. The artists are Tracy Yardley, Adam Bryce
Thomas, Jennifer Hernandez and Evan Stanley. My favorite artwork in this collection is
from Adam Bryce Thomas, Tracy Yardley and Evan Stanley. Adam Bryce Thomas’ artwork is probably
the most epic out of the entire collection as I loved the way that the action scenes
are drawn out and I loved that fact that his artwork has a more serious feel to
them. Tracy Yardley’s art is a
nice throwback to the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics since he was an artist
from the Archie Comics. Evan Stanley’s
art is so fun and amazing to look at since I loved the way that the characters
have comical expressions on their faces whenever something funny or shocking
happens to them.
What made
me feel uncomfortable about this story:
One of the problems that I had with this collection was that
I wished that the world that Sonic lived in was established a bit more. Now, as a long-time fan of the “Sonic the
Hedgehog” series, I am already familiar with the world of “Sonic the
Hedgehog.” However, if you are a new reader to this series or you are just
getting into the “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, chances are you are going
to be a bit confused about how certain events played out, like how did the war
started in the first place? Also, one of
the artworks from this collection was a bit off from the rest of the
artwork. That artwork came from issue
three and even though I did like the artwork from that issue, it stood out from
the other artwork in the collection as the other artwork were smoother in style,
while the artwork in issue three had more bolded lines for the characters.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Sonic the Hedgehog: The IDW Collection Volume 1”
is a fantastic collection of stories that “Sonic the Hedgehog” fans will
greatly enjoy! If you were a fan of the Archie
Comics or you just want to jump into the “Sonic the Hedgehog”
franchise through the comics, then you should definitely pick this collection
up! Now, I am waiting for the second
collection to come out soon!
