Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Free Comic Book Day 2021

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Free Comic Book Day 2021

Publication Date: August 14th, 2021

Ah, Free Comic Book Day. That most beloved holiday centered around getting free comic books! It's hard to believe it's been fourteen years since Archie Comics' “Sonic” book first started participating in this nation-wide day ostensibly designed to promote local comic shops, officially making Sega's most blue hedgehog-related franchise a part of this American tradition. After publishing “Sonic” comics for three years, IDW has finally decided to have their iteration of the “Sonic” franchise join the same tradition. Because COVID fucked everything up – and, really, is still in the process of fucking everything up – Free Comic Book Day happened in August this year, instead of May when it usually happens. And because Sega is still celebrating Sonic's 30th anniversary, the IDW's first FCBD special is also set in the Classic Sonic universe.

The story exclusive to this issue is “Amy's New Hobby.” Tails comes to visit Amy at her adorable little bungalow, because he's lonely while Sonic is out adventuring. During lunch, Tails notices Amy doodling in a little sketchbook. She is somewhat embarrassed to admit that she's started drawing fan comics about Sonic and all his friends, including herself. Tails thinks it's pretty cool though and shows it to everyone. When Sonic speeds in and demands to see, Amy is petrified... But he likes her little comics too.

“Amy's New Hobby” comes from Gale Galligan, who previously contributed “Dr. Eggman's Birthday” in the 30th Anniversary special. It's evident that they specialize in cute and funny little stories about characters just hanging out. The detail of Amy being embarrassed by her fan art is a really adorable detail. Similarly, Sonic, Mighty, Ray, and Tails being completely accepting of this hobby is so friggin' sweet. They accept her, even if she doesn't! How fucking nice is that? Similar to the story Galligan wrote previously, that had Eggman's robots being grateful for him even if he wasn't for them, this is a quiet and sweet tale about acceptance and friendship. It's really nice to see some low-key stories like this in the modern Sonic comic universe.

The brief peeks we get at Amy's comics here are also absolutely adorable. Unsurprisingly, there seems to be some wish fulfillment in these comics, with at least one panel devoted to Amy rescuing Sonic from a grave situation. Another one has Knuckles thanking Sonic for being a friend, some of the cast buying chili dogs, and an extended homage to the “Strange, Isn't It?!” scene from the OVA. That is one of several cutesy homages to “Sonic” history in this brief little comic. Other shout-outs include cameos from Honey the Cat, Bark and Bean, and the sound test band. Honestly, Mighty and Ray's small roles feel like a shout-out to obscure “Sonic” history at this point too. The shot we have of Amy's house includes a couple easy-to-miss nods to franchise lore.

The artwork goes a long way to selling the sweetness of this story too. Thomas Rothlisberger, who also did the art for Galligan's previous story, provides pencils. There's a lot of really cute little details in the character's faces and body language when they're talking. Like Tails describing his stories with Sonic while munching a sandwich or Amy's clear uncertainty over showing anyone else her work. The panel devoted to Amy's absolute horror when Sonic sees her art is especially amusing. The comics-within-the-comic are completely precious too, done in a sketchy/colored pencil style that recalls Knuckles' little imagine spots in the Archie “Mega Drive” specials. 

The second story in this special... Isn't really a story. David Mariotte, an editor at IDW, gets official credit for writing “Race to the Empire.” It's really just a quick recap of the first few years of the book, with some pithy narration on-top and artwork thrown together from across the different issues. About the only thing that's really interesting about this “story” is the blurb at the end pointing towards the future of the series. Namely, a story arc called “Battle for the Empire” will be running in the comic in the lead-up to issue 50. And at some point in the future a new mini-series called “Sonic: Imposter Syndrome” will be arriving. That title is literally the only thing we know about that series right now but one assumes Mimic will have something to do with it. 

IDW's first FCBD issue isn't going to go down in “Sonic” history as especially important to the lore. Not that Archie's FCBD specials were ever all that significant either. These issues are, essentially, advertisements after all. So it's not surprising that a third of the comic is devoted to driving people's eyeballs to the back issues and upcoming issues. However, the headlining story is really cute and the artwork is very well done. I'm glad I was able to read this and recommend it to all Hedgehogs Can't Swim readers as well. I hope IDW continues to do more Classic Sonic stuff going forward, if only because it's the only way we're going to see more of these obscure characters. [7/10]