An upcoming one-shot from IDW Publishing will mark the 900th English-language comic to feature Sonic the Hedgehog. That unprecedented landmark not only counts the comics from the current IDW run, but also runs from previous publishers including Archie Comics, Fleetway Editions, Sega and Grandreams.
Releasing in August, Sonic the Hedgehog’s 900th Adventure will focus on the eponymous hero and his friends passing the dangerous gemstone known as the Warp Topaz back and forth like some deadly game of hot potato before everything is warped into oblivion. The one-shot features numerous writers including Aaron Hammerstrom, Daniel Barnes, and Ian Flynn to tell this story across six parts. The art for Sonic the Hedgehog 900th Adventure is provided by line artist Mauro Fonseca, inkers Rik Mack and Matt Froese, and colorists Reggie Graham and Nathalie Fourdraine. The issue will include covers by artists Tracy Yardley, Yuji Uekawa, Evan Stanely, Adam Bryce Thomas, Nathalie Fourdraine, Richard Elson and Jonathan Gray.
Sonic Will Be Warping to Other Worlds
The variant cover by artist Nathalie Fourdraine (seen above) creates the impression that the Warp Topaz could be teleporting Sonic’s team to famous areas from the games, along with well-established or barely referenced areas in IDW’s universe like Scrapnik Island and Turtle Island. I’s possible that each world or place will be drawn and written by different talents. The fact that another variant cover was drawn by the artist Richard Elson of the British Sonic the Comic series also suggests that worlds from that or other publications could actually appear or be referenced. This is actually supported by main canon since an explosion from the Warp Topaz once thrust Sonic into Blaze the Cat’s dimension that’s parallel to his.
Readers who have been following IDW’s series will likely be excited that Sonic the Hedgehog’s 900th Adventure will involve the Warp Topaz. This reality-warping object was first introduced and originally owned by Dr. Eggman’s recently deceased ex-fanboy Dr. Starline, who betrayed Eggman for his own benefit. Besides his cyborg creations Surge and Kit, who eventually turned on him, the Warp Topaz is one of the few enduring aspects of Dr. Starline’s legacy. Because of his highly nuanced relationship with Eggman, many fans consider him to be one of Sonic’s best villains of all time in both IDW and Archie Comics.
The Warp Topaz Already Transported Sonic to Another Dimension
The Warp Topaz is also connected to some major events in IDW’s universe. Not only did it play a monumental role in eliminating the world of Eggman’s Metal Virus, but it was actually one of the main causes behind Sonic losing his memories for some time. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Sonic and his team are trying to rid their world of it. The Warp Topaz could be getting increasingly more unstable as a result of the fake emeralds that Dr. Eggman recently amassed to help power his Eggperial City. They are so powerful, in fact, that when Shadow got overpowered after using them as a source to activate his signature Chaos Control attack, the resulting boom in energy has not only encased Shadow in them but temporarily shut down Eggman’s entire city. Mixing that power source with a gemstone that already gets unstable around the regular Chaos Emeralds is undoubtedly a recipe for disaster, one that will make the story of Sonic the Hedgehog’s 900th Adventure one worthy of its landmark status.
Sonic the Hedgehog’s 900th Adventure comes out August 16 from IDW Publishing.