Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog offshoot series, Sonic Universe, finally debuts today, and it’s something every Sonic fan should be excited about. Posted below is a five page preview of the story, and an awesome cover crawn by Spaz. The picture quality is a little low this month, so some of the text can be a little illegible.

I rather enjoyed this little preview, and the chemistry between Marine and Shadow reminds me of exactly why I enjoy Ian’s writing as much as I do; Ian knows how to do character chemistry. The first page of this issue also perfectly exemplifies why Tracy is one of my favorite artists to ever work on this book; while his style can look deceptively simple, it is nevertheless full of life and great to look at. Overall, I have high hopes for Universe, especially this issue. This is the first time in which Ian will be able to build a mythos from the ground up, without having to do any house cleaning like he did on the Sonic book. It should be interesting to see how he works Shadow’s world into the comic and turns him into something more then a fan favorite guest character.

Below is the blurb for this first issue. I hope you all will enjoy this comic as much as I do.

1st ISSUE SPECTACULAR

BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT: A THRILLING NEW SONIC SERIES THAT RAISES THE STAKES & EXPANDS THE COMIC BOOK WORLD OF SONIC!

“Living Weapons”: This is the comic the fans have waited for – an ever-expanding, all-encompassing series revolving around Sonic’s many friends and foes whose continuity aligns with the regular monthly Sonic comic. Along the way, we’ll deliver some of the popular supporting cast from the many Sonic video games, including many who have never appeared in the comics before! The first issue of
“Sonic Universe” debuts with a story that’s out of this world – literally – as Shadow and Metal Sonic continue their series-spanning fight and wind up in a whole new dimension! And things are bound to heat up when Blaze the Cat and a Chaos Emerald enter the mix! Don’t miss the explosive beginning of this universe-spanning series!

SCRIPT: Ian Flynn

ART: Tracy Yardley!

Dimension-defying cover by Patrick
“Spaz!” Spaziante

Shipping Date: February 18th, 2009

On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: February 25th, 2009

On Sale on Newsstands: March 10th, 2009

32-page, full color comic

$2.50 US