If you weren't paying attention, you may be surprised to learn that Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog series ran for more than 20 years starting in 1993, even earning a Guinness World Records distinction as the longest running comic series based on a video game. But it may not be a surprise to learn that the series, which was published until late 2016, eventually got caught up in its own continuity and, even for hardcore fans, it became hard to keep track of its history.

But you can't keep a good hedgehog down. The license shifted from Archie to IDW Publishing last year, and he San Diego-based publisher has brought the Sega mascot back to comics with a new monthly Sonic the Hedgehog comic will debut with a new issue each week for the month of April. The series sees Sonic and friends trying to restore their world after defeating Dr. Eggman's latest scheme, and they've brought along longtime Sonic veterans including writer Ian Flynn and artists Tracy Yardley, Adam Bryce Thomas, Jennifer Hernandez and Evan Stanley along for the ride.

PREVIEW: Sonic the Hedgehog #1

CBR reached out to Flynn to get his take on getting to reboot Sonic again, which of the character's friends are coming along for the ride, and how the video games influenced this new series.

CBR: Ian, this isn't your first time tasked with rebooting Sonic continuity from scratch. How do you find the process this time around as opposed to last time? How has the team at IDW been to work with?

Ian Flynn: In many ways, this process was easier. This time around was a simple process of “make an awesome Sonic comic.” The only stuff that you could say “came before” were the games, and those act more as guidelines than rules. So it’s been a wonderful creative experience to dive into this franchise again in a fresh way. The IDW team has been a delight to work with, and it’s been fun watching them wade into the deep end of the Sonic fandom for the first time.

What has working on Sonic at IDW opened up for you that you couldn't do before? Were there things you wanted to do differently and, if so, how did you do that?

One of my concerns with my past efforts was that Sonic often got lost in the ensemble cast. While it opened up lots of interesting story avenues and created a lot of fan favorites, it was tricky finding room to have Sonic star in his own book sometimes. This time around we can start fresh with a smaller cast and a more focused use of the roster.

Tails appears in the first issue, with Amy Rose appearing in #2 and Knuckles showing up in #3. What other supporting characters, enemies, etc. can you reveal will show up?

Blaze the Cat will be showing up in #4, with the Chaotix and Dr. Eggman returning in #5, and Shadow and Rouge joining the fun in #6. There will be more iconic characters joining as time goes on, but I don’t want to spoil too much!

You're kicking off this relaunch with an issue every week this month. What was the process of coordinating that like?

There was a lot of discussion on how we wanted to launch the series, set the tone, and introduce a book for both new readers and hardcore fans. When the book-a-week plan was nailed down it was pretty easy to decide how we’d highlight the most important characters in Sonic’s pantheon and how we’d dive into their world. And then I wrote a whole lot really, really fast. [Laughs]

With Sonic Generations, Sonic Mania and other games leaning into gamer nostalgia for the classic Sonic look (short, light blue, etc.), did that affect how you approached the property this time around?

Nope. Classic Sonic has become his own thing, clear and distinct from Modern Sonic. I’m entirely open to dipping into the Classic Sonic side of things one day, but for now we’re starting out simple with the book built on the modern branch of the franchise.

In the first issue coming out this week, you're reunited with longtime Sonic artist Tracy Yardley, who you're also working with on Cosmo for Archie. Given how long you’ve worked together, have you found yourself structuring your scripts to play to his strengths as an artist?

I rarely get to know who I’ll be writing for in advance, but in Tracy’s case, we’ve worked together for so long it doesn’t matter. He knows my writing style and I know how he’ll approach it like it’s second nature. I’m also thrilled to be reunited with Adam Bryce Thomas, Jennifer Hernandez and Evan Stanley again, as well!

When writing a series like Sonic, how do you divide appealing to longtime fans and to newcomers who might only know Sonic and co. through cultural osmosis, rather than playing the games or reading the comics?

I approach it like this: I’m a long-time, hardcore fan of the series, and I want to share it with everyone. So these stories I’m telling are for everyone, but my fellow Sonic nerds will get the little details and references. And once those casual fans are onboard and delve deeper into the lore, they’ll go back and get to experience the stories on a new level.

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In this first issue, there's a lot of great, wordless action beats involving Sonic and Tails taking down robots. Was that inspired by the core action mechanics of the games?

Very much so. Sonic is all about speed and freedom of movement, and part of the joy of the series is [the] spectacle of Sonic doing all these cool things. This time around, I want to highlight that action more and give the artists time to shine without my words getting in the way. Comics are a unique visual medium and I want to use that to its fullest.

Sonic the Hedgehog #1, written by Ian Flynn and illustrated by Tracy Yardley, is available now from IDW Publishing.