Sonic the Hedgehog: New Characters from the Comics
By Jason Koop
In 2018, Sonic the Hedgehog, an icon in the video game industry since 1991, made a significant change. His long-running comic book changed publishers, from Archie Comics to IDW Publishing. While long-time writers and artists like Ian Flynn, Evan Stanley, Tracy Yardley and Adam Bryce Thomas stayed on as contributors, the comic book started a new continuity with the new publisher. One that was more in line with the video games, and with parent company SEGA taking a more active, supervising role than they had with the Archie Comics series.
One thing long-running, serialized comic series do to freshen things up is introduce new characters. They can offer a fresh perspective, new conflicts, and change the dynamic of the series. Just using the video games, Sonic already had a large extended cast, so a comic that focuses not just on the titular character but spreads it out might not feel the “need” to freshen things up with new characters.
Thankfully, the creative team has brought in new characters that – for the most part – have brought something new and distinct to the series; to help make it a worthwhile read in of itself, separate from the video games. Some of these new characters have had starring roles for stretches, others have thus far been relegated to strictly secondary/background.
In this blog, I would like to bring into focus – albeit briefly – seven characters that have been introduced to us via the IDW comics. Some of these have been introduced or referenced in other mediums – video games, podcast dramas, etc. – but all of these characters got their start in the IDW comics.
A deeply personal favourite, in more than one way. In addition to the fact my love for wolves is only rivaled by wolverines, Whisper brings something truly unique to the series. Not only is she as quiet and reserved like her name would suggest – a bit of a rarity in a series where it can feel like most characters are extroverts – but she also has her own personal history fighting Eggman, separate from Sonic. She is deeply wounded, and watching her heal – with more than a few starts and stops – is refreshing. Also, she has a variable Wispon and dresses in more tactical gear, which gives her a unique appearance.
Boisterous, energetic, a tail that can stretch to absurd lengths, and with optimism to spare, Tangle immediately felt right when she was introduced. Her inexperience and naivete make her both an ideal person to get through Whisper’s walls, as well as being taken advantage of by Rouge. Her hero-worshipping of all things Sonic make her both a fan-girl and a reminder of the simpler “good guys good and will always win” mentality that can be lost by the more experienced crowd.
If Tangle is something of a fan-girl for Sonic, Dr. Starline is a full-on fanatic of Dr. Eggman. When Starline is on the scene, you can rest assured that more there will be at least a few references to either past Eggman tech or schemes. But Starline is no lackey. He is determined to be Eggman’s equal, and this is reflected in both how he dresses and his obsessions.
Surge is the product of Dr. Starline’s obsession. Essentially created by Starline in a lab, she has been cybernetically enhanced and psychologically groomed to both hate Sonic and then replace him. While her backstory – who she was before Starline – is still a mystery, it’s her current trajectory that is most interesting. She has rough edges that would make even Shadow wince, and yet she finds herself looking down the road of being a hero of sorts. As she continues to sort through what it means to live without any real past to fall back on, she also tends to push Sonic and friends to the extreme of what it means to live out what they say they stand for.
While Lanolin might seem to have come out of nowhere, if one were to look more closely, they would see that her first appearance dates back to the second issue. Starting out as a background character, she is seen getting more and more involved in the Restoration, until she pushes herself into a critical role. A hard worker who is determined to make the world a better place, Lanolin gives the audience an idea of what it might look like if one of us average joes were in a world of hedgehogs that run at Mach speeds, chameleons that can turn invisible, and lemurs with tails that can stretch to insane lengths.
One thing that was an early hook for the comics was that Dr. Eggman lost his memory and had re-invented himself as Mr. Tinkerer. A friendly handyman for a remote mountain village, until kidnapped by Dr. Starline and forcefully having his memories returned, this new persona for the doctor does leave its mark on the audience. But of course, Eggman is returned to the status quo, but “Mr. Tinkerer” has left behind a legacy. A marionette-like robot named Belle. Kind-hearted, helpful, and not at all useful in a fight, Belle deals with feelings of abandonment and wondering what her purpose is.
Karlissa’s favourite new addition. Two big reasons why: One, she is a beetle, and Karlissa loves bugs. Two, Karlissa loves Jewel’s design (which is fair, considering that she is introduced in a comic). But what makes her standout to me is that, like Lanolin, she exists outside of the adventures of Sonic. She starts out as a curator of a mineral and gem museum, but then comes into a leadership role at the Restoration. She is timid, but likes to challenge herself. Frankly she is the kind of pencil pusher that isn’t likely to place herself in the middle of one of Sonic’s adventures, yet what she does is given value and dignity. She has to be reminded – sometimes forcefully – not to get lost in her work and forget whom and for what she is doing this work.
Want more Sonic the Hedgehog discussions? Check out Jason’s ranking of Sonic shows, listen to our first podcast episode on Sonic, or listen to Jason’s experiment with charting Sonic characters according to the Enneagram!
