Although I was not able to travel across the country to Anaheim this past weekend to attend WonderCon, I was able to get my hands on a pristine copy of the convention exclusive early release of issue #1! As eager as I am to share all the juicy details inside, I have opted to forgo a full review until next Wednesday when the book officially hits retail. In lieu of a full review, I am instead going to opt instead for a spoiler free review to share my initial impressions of the new book!
Although I am not Tracy Yardley’s biggest fan, I must admit that as soon as I opened this book, I felt like I was home again. Flynn and Yardley make it feel like they never left and the last year of uncertainty is a thing of the past. The book is everything Flynn has promised and perhaps more given some of the perceptions people have taken from his interviews and Q&A’s.
As promised, the first issue is certainly action packed, Sonic and Tails not only team up to smash some Badniks in spectacular fashion, but also hit some of those emotional beats for which Flynn is known. Though never explicitly stated there are several visual and dialogue cues that firmly establish that IDW Sonic is indeed picking up after the events of Forces. For those afraid that Ian will be abandoning plot building for mindless action, fear not for there are several instances of plot building as the presence “antagonistic force” to which he alluded can already be felt looming in the shadows.
Another welcome return for many is a section featuring fan art! Although I am not sure they will continue this format, the editors devoted a full two page spread featuring several fan art and letters collected initially from soliciting the IDW Sonic Comic Squad (which they also advertised as well!).
If you are on the fence about fully investing yourself into the new Sonic series, I hope I have convinced you! Either way, there is no reason no to at least pick up issue #1 when it hits retailers in just 9 days on April 4th! We are about to witness a great new era in Sonic comics! Let’s hope we can keep up!
Sonic Source 