Sonic the Hedgehog: The IDW Collection, Vol. 5

Sonic the Hedgehog: The IDW Collection

by Ian Flynn, Evan Stanley, Thomas Rothlisberger (illustrator)

Oversize hardcover editions of IDW's celebrated Sonic the Hedgehog comics, including the ongoing series, annuals, and miniseries, all presented in recommended reading order!

The Deadly Six are back for revenge, and their first targets are Sonic's friends in the Restoration! Zavok, leader of the Deadly Six, is angrier than ever and wants to reunite his minions. Jewel has called on Sonic, Tails, and the Chaotix for help, but will they be able to stop the Zeti before they launch an all-out assault on Restoration HQ? Plus, Belle's got her own intruder to deal with, but it turns out they're here to steal her! Sonic's going to have to move quickly to stop all the mayhem.

Then, it’s time for a road trip! Sonic’s friends hit the pavement for some much-needed R&R after months of constant excitement. Amy, Jewel, Tangle, and Belle are heading off on a well-deserved camping trip. Between Dr. Eggman, Dr. Starline, and the Deadly Six, life has been stressful, so they’re hoping to get a little peace. Unfortunately, a dangerous wildfire has other plans. Can our heroines extinguish the flames—and the group tension—before it burns out of control? Plus, Central City has been turned upside down by unmanageable traffic and bizarre elemental upsets, but Vector, Espio, and Charmy are sure to uncover the truth.

Collects issues #41–50 from volumes 11 and 12 (Zeti Hunt! and Trial by Fire) of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the Imposter Syndrome miniseries.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Video Games, Graphic Novels Manga, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction, Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Published March 18, 2025

Reviews

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 reads: 178/300

zavok, leader of the deadly six, is angrier than ever and ready to enact revenge on sonic and his friends in the restoration. as jewel rallies the troops to hopefully put a stop to the zeti, belle faces her own villain when she’s kidnapped.

this was a great volume! i loved learning more of belle’s backstory and her own internal struggles. i also loved meeting surge and kit. they were both so interesting and i’m hoping to see more of them in the future! i can’t wait for more IDW volumes.

[☯ Michael A. Crawford ☯ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It Was Amazing 🤩
-★★★★★- (5.00/5.00)
My Grading Score = 100% (S)

The IDW Collection Volume 5 starts off with bringing back the Deadly Six and provides us with a well-written conclusion for that crew showcasing once again that IDW has the best iterations of characters for this franchise from a writing standpoint (don't mention Shadow he is an exception not the rule). We also get more characterization and development from both Belle and Dr.Starline, who is the cover for this collection fitting once again. They have been building him up as a very well put together villain since Saga 2: The Metal Virus and showcases how differently he goes about things compared to Eggman, and I love it. The 3rd quarter has more setting up with Belle as a character and a cute moto-bug that she adopts and is flesh out pretty well as well, some Team Chaotix stuff and some other plots and link together for the bombastic conclusion that was issue 50.

Issue 50 in itself is defintely one of the best issues in the entire IDW Sonic run thus far, face paced, engrossing and jam packed with amazing artwork from Adam Byrce Thomas when it came to every single action scene and great writing quality from Ian Flynn when it came to Dr.Starline and Eggman, Kitsunami and Tails, and Sonic and Surge, the conclusion was everything I could have asked for.

Verdict
Although the buildup to the conclusion felt a bit all over the place, it was still a fun read and the climax was worth it all and I hope when it comes to future climaxes they continue to bring back the dynamic duo that is Ian Flynn and Adam Bryce Thomas. I always know I'm in for masterclass level enjoyment when both of them are involved with an issue simultaneously.

It Was Amazing

[Highland G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this volume overall, the setup at the start and the mini series at the end are the best parts. I really found myself rooting for our new duo.
The new duo feel really fresh and their arc, despite being quite dark is written so well I was left wanting more from them.

I found a few of the issues in the middle a bit boring and inconsequential, and tbh I don’t really care about all the ‘feelings’ stuff in the girl arc.

Overall it’s mostly the newer characters that keep this story interesting and fun, where a lot of the classic characters are just going through the motions or even filler at times.

It’s similar to batman in the way that new introduced villains keep you interested in a pretty simple main character who never really changes much.

I look forward to seeing more of our new duo going forward and I hope they stick around for a while so we can get to see them grow and develop as antagonists. I like the idea of characters that hate both the Heros and Villains equally.

[Chad E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection has several issues from the main series and a miniseries included, and the quality varies.

The Imposter Syndrome miniseries is interesting. It tries to do an existential meta narrative about a one-dimensional villain realizing they are one dimensional. Their designs and personalities stand out, and it was a fun read.

However, the main series issues are fairly boring and Evan Stanley's stories continue to meander. One arc is just course correcting by removing the more boring antagonists, and the other is completely inconsequential. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Eggman are also missing most of these issues, which is odd.

I feel Evan Stanley is using original characters to have more creative freedom (and they are fine), but since the stories are so uneventful anyway, I do not think this is to a great advantage.

[Imaani (Max Verstappen's Version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

Just like the other IDW collections, book 5 was enjoyable from start to finish.

I liked the newly introduced characters, Surge and Kitsunami. I am curious to see if they will give them more storylines, or keep it rather short. However, I have to admit that I missed the focus on the original characters in here. Team Dark is nowhere to be found. Knuckles does not make an appearance either. I like the new characters, but the old ones deserve to be present to.

I am so excited for book 6. I cannot wait to order it in May.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was pretty middling and felt too much like filler, but starting with Imposter Syndrome the story got much more interesting. I hope that momentum carries on because this series is pretty great when telling a real story. I do think Ian Flynn has been much better for the story then Evan Stanley though.

[Tim Rooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, solid volume of comics. Nice to follow up the big metal virus stuff with a bunch of standalone interludes. Fun to see a lot of focus on side characters but...I do want Sonic to be in most of the Sonic comic books I read.

[eleanor ౨ৎ]

Very sigma

[Karlissa J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surge and Kitsunami are proving to be among the most interesting new Sonic characters introduced by the IDW comics.

[Coca Cola Fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Starline is impressive I don't think he actually died though and I can't wait to see what happens to surge and kit