IDW’s Sonic comics welcome back an old friend.

That’s right folks, IDW has hired Ian Flynn to helm the new Sonic comics. If for some reason you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade or so (Chris Note: Or you’re just part of the 85% of the population that doesn’t read Sonic comics), Flynn has been a writer on the series for a while. He started at issue #160, back in 2006, and had been the lead writer up until the point Sega broke off the deal with Archie. He also writes the MegaMan Comics. After the announcement about Archie, there was some question about what would happen with the continuity of Sonic’s comic universe. But with Flynn back, there are a few possibilities we can explore.

By hiring Flynn, there is the possibility that we may never lose the established universe, at least completely. Sega may just decide to have it continue with IDW instead of rebooting the whole thing. Another possibility is that If they do a reboot they could create a similar enough continuity that the worlds would be almost the same. After all, why reinvent the wheel? Think back to the Star Wars comics. When Disney bought the property, Marvel took over the publication of Star Wars comics from Darkhorse. Obviously, that continuity could only be changed so much. The situation here could wind up being pretty much the same.

There is always the possibility that they will entirely reboot the comics too. This could be a very good thing. With a complete reboot, they would not be restricted by the old continuity. If Sonic starts fresh, new readers could see the new universe from the beginning and if it’s a good reboot, old fans will appreciate it as well. A good reboot. Good. (Chris Note: You can’t see him, but he’s evil-eyeing a poster of Sonic Boom).  I could speculate about the possibilities all day.

Sonic’s future in comics looks secure so far. There is currently no word on the artist yet. Whether you’re looking forward to the IDW Sonic or not, we have until next April to pray or grimace about it. What do you think about Flynn’s return to Sonic? Do you think a complete reboot is in order, or could you care less? I’m indifferent about it, myself. I’d rather see Sega make the Sonic games better, but that’s probably just me. (Chris: No. It is not just you. It is the vast majority of the world).