Sonic the Hedgehog, Vol. 20: Cause & Effect

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW)

by Ian Flynn, Daniel Barnes Jr., Gigi Dutreix (Illustrator)

Sonic and friends deal with the impact of the Restoration’s demise in the next installment of the best-selling comic series! While Sonic is trying to find Clutch, Amy and Tails decide to visit towns connected to the Restoration to see how much they are impacted by its loss. The Diamond Cutters, though officially disbanded, stay together to try to rebuild Emeraldville with help from surrounding towns. Surge and Kit are also around trying to help in their own way, but their help isn’t always wanted! Volume 20 collects issues #76–78 and the 2024 Annual by writers Ian Flynn, Iasmin Ata, Gigi Dutreix and artists Aaron Hammerstrom, Adam Bryce Thomas, Thomas Rothlisberger, and Mauro Fonseca.

120 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2025

Reviews

[Caoimhe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2024 annual feels a little insubstantial, mostly being setup for upcoming storylines, but I always appreciate some more of Surge and Kit and Sonic flirting with Knuckles was fun. A lot issues #76 to #78 is also setup but in a way that is picking up the pieces after the big bang in #75 and setting up new directions for things a bit more. Lot of cute moments here too. Belle in her wagon house with Motobud, Amy thinking Blaze is so stoic standing stop the Tornado while she’s actually shitting herself, the big group hug with the girls and the gays and Silver the Hedgehog. All the locations are, of course, gorgeously rendered and I love the race sequence between Blaze and Surge, and the way they use the trails to contrast Surge’s chaotic nature with Blaze’s careful control.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly just restart stuff after the bigger arc that ended in 75. I'm just glad to see the end of the Riders stuff, it felt like it dragged on for ages.

These smaller stories focus in on the characters more, which is where I feel like these comics really shine, since they feel more constrained by SEGA mandates when they try to swing big. I do like the bigger stories, but I don't feel like they've hit anywhere near as well as the Metal Virus stuff early on did. Hopefully #100 won't disappoint when we get there, since we're already building towards it apparently.

[Iain Hawkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have much to say about this, but it's...fine, I guess. A lot of it is fluff, and little more. I know that Sega has mandates as to what the IDW comics can do, but so many of the character interactions are so sickly sweet, it gets irritating.