Categories #Comics

Solicits for Sonic the Hedgehog #294, Sonic Universe #97 and More Revealed

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Author VEDJ-F
28 Comments

Wait, what? Read on and prepare…to get even more confused.

Yes, after what happened last week, Archie have actually released new solicits for April. We’ll cover the solicits themselves first, then provide an update on the whole situation after.

First up, Sonic the Hedgehog #294 revisits one of the most obscure games in the franchise; SegaSonic the Hedgehog! When Sonic, Mighty and Ray come together to think back to those hair-raising events, Sonic and Mighty can’t agree on how it happened, and it threatens to put a wedge in their friendship in “Memories”. Then, Bunnie and Antoine are fighting against each other…in the kitchen! They’re pitting their culinary skills head to head in “Baking Bad”.

“Memories”: Sonic reminisces with his buddies Mighty and Ray, but Sonic and Mighty disagree on how they met. Can their friendship survive their egos’ revisions? Then in “Baking Bad,” Bunnie and Antoine put their competitive cooking skills to the test! Featuring cover art by Tyson Hesse and a “Kooky Kitchen variant” by Jennifer Hernandez!
Script: Ian Flynn and Aleah Baker
Art: Tracy Yardley, Terry Austin, Gabriel Cassata and John Workman
Sonic the Hedgehog #294 CVR A Reg: Tyson Hesse
Sonic the Hedgehog #294 CVR B Variant: Jennifer Hernandez, Gary Martin &
Matt Herms
Ship Date: 4/12
On Sale Date: 4/26
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

The Freedom Fighter spotlight continues in Sonic Universe #97, this time with Sally Acorn! She’s teamed up with Amy and Cream to repair Nicole after the events of the Eggmanland tussle. While on a quest to retrieve the parts needed, however, they run into a face they did not want to see again! This is “Freedom Fighters”: part 3.

“Freedom Fighters” Part Three: Amy Rose and Cream join Sally Acorn as they seek the components needed to repair Nicole’s systems, but during their quest an old adversary reemerges! Featuring cover art by Jamal Peppers and a “Sonic and the Freedom Fighters variant” by Tyson Hesse!
Script: Ian Flynn
Art: Adam Bryce Thomas, Jim Amash, Matt Herms and Jack Morelli
Sonic Universe #97 CVR A Reg: Jamal Peppers, Jim Amash & Matt Herms
Sonic Universe #97 CVR B Variant: Tyson Hesse
Ship Date: 3/29
On Sale Date: 4/12
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

And finally for the new content, it’s time to revisit the ring as Sonic the Hedgehog: Volume Five covers the Sonic the Fighters adaptation! Sonic and the Freedom Fighters have to play Breezie’s game in order to get the Chaos Emerald, but that meant fighting their way through friends and enemies alike, and ultimately squaring off against a secret plot that may render all that toil for nothing! This is “Champions”.

It’s a Sonic battle in a championship of fighters! Shady media mogul Breezie has gotten her hands on a Chaos Emerald Sonic needs to save the world. The only way he can get it is to fight in her televised battle royale against friends and foes alike! SONIC THE HEDGEHOG VOL. 5: CHAMPIONS collects SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #268-271.
Script: Ian Flynn.
Art: Diana Skelly, Ryan Jampole, Terry Austin, Gabriel Cassata & John
Workman
Cover: Evan Stanley, Terry Austin & Ben Hunzeker
978-1-68255-892-4
$12.99/$14.99CAN
TR
120 pp, Full Color
Direct Market On-Sale Date: 4/5

So, with these solicits out, does this disprove the idea of the comic being cancelled?

Unfortunately, not exactly.

There are still a multitude of unaccounted factors that are in effect, such as;

  • The comic being absolutely delayed. Sonic the Hedgehog #291 was supposed to be out last Wednesday, but it has not come out at all, and is currently down as a March 1st release on Previewsworld. The release dates in the solicits above do not take the delay into account, so do not expect them to come out on these dates. Last year there was a delay due to a printing press problem, and it’d be poor form if the issue was just that again, especially as…
  • Archie themselves have said nothing on the situation, they haven’t even talked about Sonic since Sonic Universe #94 came out nearly three weeks ago. No word on why there’s a delay, nothing on promoting Mega Drive: Overdrive, and nothing on the fact…
  • The subscriptions are still down. After the initial phone calls, later customers were told that the subscriptions were temporarily offline. However, Archie have not actually spoken about it outside of those calls, and you still cannot subscribe to the comic.

It’s also important to note that an issue getting solicited is not a guarantee that it will come out. Sonic’s Free Comic Book Day issue for 2017, which we reported on last month, has been canned in favour of a Riverdale issue. And Archie themselves have marked down Sonic Super Digest #18, solicited months back and due to come out a few weeks ago, as cancelled.

While it’s looking a bit sunnier than it was, there’s definitely something going on behind the scenes. We will have more information on the situation as it comes to light. For now, we will keep an eye out for any advances vigilantly.

Source: Comic Vine

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28 Comments

  1. From that Sonic #294 cover, it looks like Archie finally got that Ray is supposed to be a FLYING squirrel.

  2. I’m still not convinced. If the comics were indeed cancelled, we would’ve known by now. Plus, there’s absolutely no way either comic would get cancelled before their respective milestones!

    1. I agree. It’s one thing for the series to end before even finishing a celebratory arc, but I don’t any reason for SEGA not to let Archie properly announce the comic’s ending and somehow provide an acceptable sendoff, be it before, after, or on the milestone.

    2. Maybe they’re trying to reach said milestones before they ultimately cancel the comics. And if they DO cancel them, then we can expect more comic screen time to go to Sonic and his friends, and more will go to the animal friends, in short stories adapted from the Sonic Runners game.

    3. It still could be canceled at it milestone marks but it might be by sega’s part on licensing right’s but I don’t know why the comics are almost as old the games so as advisement the comic’s help the sonic brand some what

    4. Unless there’s a leak, we never know anything for sure until they announce it. I remember a rumor when the second issue of SWORD came out that Marvel were considering a cancellation at issue five, despite it having been promoted as an ongoing. I thought at the time, no way, they just started it, would they really? Turns out the answer was yes. As for milestones, they mean more to fans than companies. It’s mainly a way to maybe sell more copies to them. If a comic is losing money – and there’s no telling if Sonic is, so I’m not saying that’s what’s happening – a company would end it regardless.

      1. I don’t think sonic is losing money as it is one of the most popular comic alongside megaman that Archie publishes. Since no one really reads the main series Archie comics anymore it would be a dumb idea to cancel the sonic and megaman comics as they really make the money for them. I also don’t think that it is gonna be cancelled by sega because that would piss off the fans and sega does not want to do that.

  4. From what I’ve heard off other Sonic sites and Twitter SEGA have put a Cease & Desist on Archie Comics and the books may be delayed until April. Part of me is saying that SEGA is dropping their licensing deal with Archie and the Sonic Boom Sub Franchise to straighten things out just before Project 2017 while the other part of me says the book may Publisher Hop to someplace such as IDW…

    1. yeah publisher hop is possible. It makes sense they would straighten out the Sonic Boom stuff and get ready for Project 2017.

    2. If the licensing rights jumped to IDW, I’d actually be inclined to read a Sonic comic for the first time in well over a decade. They’re absolute dynamite with licensed comics, treating them with a lot of love, care and attention that a lot of companies just don’t put into these things. Their TMNT and Ghostbusters work has been top notch the entire way through, their Transformers line had a couple year slump, but rebounded hard right and while I don’t like their more serious take on GI Joe, other people do. That’s just the four I can think of off the top of my head.

      Obviously, that may all just be a pipe dream – it’s not clear what’s going on, it could be a snag they work out and things end up going as usual – but if it happened it would be exciting.

  6. I’m sorry, but…”Baking Bad”?

    Please, SEGA. Just KILL the Archie Comics already. They’ve been stumbling along for far too long. I mean you already jammed the hatchet into their neck, just man up and push it all the way through. I won’t mind! I’ll even love Sonic Mania to pieces if you just let it end.

    1. A reference to a TV show signals that the comics should be ended?

      And you’re implying that you’ll like Sonic Mania only under those conditions. You’re pretty cynical.

    4. let me borrow your logic for a moment: “Oh i hate Sonic Colors and Generations, such bad and generic names. but Rise of Lyric, SUCH IMPACT DON’T YOU THINK??”

      1. I’m not a fan of this guy either, but I don’t see how this reflects what he’s saying. There’s no reference to Colors, Gens, or any of the Boom games anywhere in his comment.

        Are you gathering this from earlier statements, or…?

        1. No, i just exemplified what he did, hating and claiming something is terrible (colors, gens) and should end just by it’s name, and then claiming he would love other completely unrelated thing (RoL) if the first is cancelled.

  9. I hope that once they reach Sonic Universe #100 and Sonic #300, that they cancel it, and bring Mega Man out of hiatus! I want to hear about the time Mega Man fought against Dr. Cossack’s robots, and how Cossack works with Light to create Beat.

    1. Well that mega man cartoon is still being made so probably out of hiatus after the cartoon is released

  11. I reckon it’s just another delay. Archie were completely silent over the last delay. No reason, no apology, they just started again after a few months. When Mega Man and Sonic Boom were cancelled, they told us straight. It’s just another annoying delay for one reason or another.

  13. Just can the comics and give the license to IDW, SEGA. Allows a full break from the clutter of the past and it opens up opportunities for even better crossovers. That said, if this were to happen, I would obviously want the veterans (Flynn, Yardley, etc.) to be transferred to the new book. It’s just that Archie doesn’t seem to give much of a damn anymore towards what could be a very valuable license.

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