Sonic the Hedgehog fans just got some heartbreaking news: Chasing Shadows, the franchise’s most highly anticipated release of the year, isn’t happening after all. The book’s creative team broke the news on social media, revealing that the spin-off comic has “been cancelled for awhile,” but has never officially been taken off the release schedule.
Author Kiel Phegley broke the news on bluesky, confirming that Chasing Shadows isn’t happening. The series has been delayed for over a year, lending considerable hype to it among diehard Sonic fans.
Should probably make it official for folks asking: Chasing Shadows won’t be happening. As I understand it, while we were waiting for final approvals, some folks on the SEGA team left the company, and it was decided that the book just didn’t fit the schedule and workflow of the line.
[image or embed] — Kiel Phegley (@kielphegley.bsky.social) November 17, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Unfortunately, the book, which Phegley described as “Wicker Man, but with Shadow” will now join the list of great unproduced pop culture projects.
Chasing Shadows was originally slated for an early 2025 release, but repeated delays ultimately pushed it back an entire year, with the latest anticipated release date landing in March 2026. However, author Kiel Phegley revealed that the book is officially not “happening,” citing behind-the-scenes issues with Sonic owners SEGA which led to Chasing Shadows‘ demise.
“I’m sorry everyone won’t get to see the radical new villain we cooked up,” Phegley noted in a follow-up post. Sonic fans have been eagerly awaiting this breakout moment for Shadow the Hedgehog, but now the wait continues. Phegley explained that he has more Sonic stories in the works at IDW, but Shadow’s status is TBD.
Artist Mauro Fonseca chimed in after Phegley’s announcement, clarifying that Chasing Shadows has been off the docket for some time, but that its creators were waiting for an official announcement of the cancellation, which never materialized. Fonseca noted that no “inside work” was done on the book, meaning there isn’t a completed, or even half-completed issue being shelved.
some notes – it’s been cancelled for a while, I was holding back and waiting for the news breaking before talking about it – it was cancelled before inside work started – the design work (characters etc) I did was approved so I hope it can be reused, so I won’t post it publicly
[image or embed] — M.A.R.S.F.🇵🇹 COMM SLOTS- 0 open (@ppdppl.com) November 17, 2025 at 4:20 PM
- Movie(s)
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Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1996), Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
- First Film
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Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1996)
- Video Game(s)
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Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World, Sonic Forces, Sonic Frontiers , Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Advance 1, Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
- Character(s)
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Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Dr. Eggman, Mighty the Armadillo, Ray the Squirrel, Vector the Crocodile, Charmy the Bee, Espio the Chameleon, Shadow the Hedgehog, Big the Cat, Rouge the Bat, Metal Sonic
- Comic Release Date
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229797,248991,248992