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incon resident and comic book artist Tracy Yardley! was featured in Effingham Magazine back in 2016, but we thought it was time to check in and see what he was up to these days. Wow—has he been busy! Tracy has continued as an important contributing artist with IDW Publishing’s Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series, and he has also been drawing several new and exciting comic books. Tracy and Sonic have been hard at work. One big project was Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill, a oneshot comic book special published by IDW Publishing as a collection of five prequel stories to the 2022 film Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Tracy did ten pages of art work for it and it has been extremely well received. He was happily surprised to see it included with the Sonic movie DVD set at Walmart recently! Tracy also drew the cover for the Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary /Free Comic Book Day 2021, IDW Publishing, commemorating Sonic’s 30th Anniversary. The cover was also one of the many unlockable bonus illustrations in the June 2022 video game, Sonic Origins, which was just released on all major game consoles. Finding His Way “I really didn’t read many comics as a kid, “says Tracy, “but I was into animation. I liked Ducktales, Transformers, really anything on TV.” The Lord of the Rings book series and Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books were also his big favorites. From South Illinois originally, Tracy came to Savannah to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), which he chose for their comic book and graphic novel art programs. After graduation he worked on several independent comics and was taking one around to the conventions. His association with the Sonic franchise was born at one of these appearances. “At one convention, an acquaintance from SCAD saw me sketching Sonic in my
notebook,” he says. “He knew someone who was looking for new Sonic artists and gave me a number to call, which I did. They asked for samples of my work, which I sent, and after that they gave me a chance.” Tracy’s Sonic Debut Tracy’s debut issue was Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog #160, in 2006. “You don’t get hired with resumes or interviews. You get a job because you draw in advance, then you meet other people and show people in the industry proof that you are good and somewhere along the way someone will remember you and call.” Sonic the Hedgehog comic books were originally based on SEGA's video game character Sonic the Hedgehog. Tracy was a Sonic fan long before being hired by Archie Comics. In fact, the reason he professionally spells his name with an exclamation mark is a tribute to Scott Shaw! one of the first artists who worked on Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog, who does the same. Tracy has been a regular artist and occasional writer for the Sonic comic series and its various spin-offs, at both Archie Comics (2006 – 2017) and IDW Publishing,
12 August/September 2022 | www.EFFINGHAMMAGAZINE.com
