IDW celebrates 5 years of Sonic the Hedgehog comics with an expanded anniversary reissue

Sonic The Hedgehog #1 Fifth Anniversary Edition cover art (Image credit: IDW Publishing / SEGA® of America, Inc)

IDW Publishing is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its first Sonic the Hedgehog comic book, what it calls "five fantastic years of friendship, adventure, and chili dogs" by publishing a new edition of ... its first Sonic the Hedgehog comic book.

April's Sonic the Hedgehog #1 Fifth Anniversary Edition is an expanded reissue/"encore presentation" of the IDW first issue, which according to the publisher has sold over one million copies.

Sonic the Hedgehog #1 Fifth Anniversary Edition will feature a new bonus short story entitled 'Familiar Territory,' by the issue's original creative team of writer Ian Flynn and artist Tracy Yardley. The new edition will also include a look at how Sonic comic books get made, a cover gallery, and more.

Sonic The Hedgehog #1 Fifth Anniversary Edition fold-out connecting variant cover (Image credit: IDW Publishing / SEGA® of America, Inc)

"I'm truly fortunate to be part of this project," says Flynn. "I've been involved with the Sonic series for over fifteen years now, and it's still as exciting and inspiring as it's ever been. The Sonic fandom gets that, and their passion and creativity is part of the reason that the brand is so much fun! I look forward to enjoying Sonic, and contributing to that joy, for a long time to come."

"Ever since I first saw Sonic the Hedgehog in my local game store back in 1991, I've been a fan, and being part of the Sonic fan community and having the opportunity to bring his adventures to readers the world over has been a dream come true," adds Yardley.

"Seeing the love and excitement that Sonic brings to gamers and readers inspires me to give it all I've got when bringing such a kinetic, iconic hero to the comic page. It was a great honor to create art for issue #1 five years ago, and I'm very happy to revisit that landmark by drawing the new short story for this special anniversary reissue. As long as Sonic keeps on running, I'll keep on drawing!"

Sonic the Hedgehog #1 Fifth Anniversary Edition will be available with a series of variant covers by different artists. Cover A by artist Tyson Hesse is a foldout featuring the connecting covers from the original issues #1-4 (seen above); Cover B is by Yardley; Cover C is by Matt Herms; Cover D is by Jennifer Hernandez; and they'll also be three retailer incentive covers (seen below) from artists Adam Bryce Thomas, Evan Stanley, and Jon Gray, respectively.

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"We're so excited to bring the past and present together in this anniversary issue!" concludes editor David Mariotte. "Revisiting the story that started it all with so many of the amazing creators who kicked off our journey gives readers a chance to see not just where we came from, but where we’re going, too!"

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