The 2018 San-Diego Comic-Con starts this week. Fans of a certain blue hedgehog will want to head on over Thursday. Sched has confirmed that Sonic will be getting his own panel, appropriately titled "Sonic the Hedgehog's Way Past Cool Panel." Of course, the current IDW comic book series will be a focus. That's not the only thing to be discussed, however. Below is the full summary of what to expect from the panel, including "some surprise announcements."

Sched: "Sonic The Hedgehog has raced back into comics, bringing old enemies and new friends along for the ride. IDW editors Joe Hughes and David Mariotte, artist Evan Stanley, Sega licensing specialist Michael Cisneros, director of product development Austin Keys, and head of Sonic team Takashi Iizuka discuss comics and upcoming games, make some surprise announcements, and more!"

There are a few things to analyze here. It's no surprise that the IDW comics will be a focus. Sonic's move to IDW has been largely hyped, and proving to be successful. What is surprising about the schedule is the last two things. Upcoming Sonic games will be a focus as well. There are not many confirmed upcoming games to discuss. There's Sonic Mania Plus, but that's due out Tuesday, July 17. Team Sonic Racing releases later this year, so that game will likely be a major focus. But that's all the Sonic games releasing in the near future. Are those all the "upcoming games" to be discussed? Maybe, but that could be where the "surprise announcements" come in. Could a few new games be announced?

Via variety.com

Fans are probably hoping to see new game reveals. This year has been technically a light one for Sonic. Mania Plus is just an expanded port, and Team Sonic Racing is a spin-off. It would be a great thing for fans to see a Sonic Mania 2, or new Adventure game announced. What other surprises are possible? If not new games, it could be new merchandise, something related to the 2019 live action/CGI hybrid movie (could we see the first teaser or character images?), or something else entirely. New game announcements are likely to get the most feedback. After Sonic Forces' lukewarm reception, fans are ready for the next installment in the series. If Takashi Iizuka were to reveal the title, "Sonic Adventure 3," fans would surely bring down the building with their clapping.

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Sonic the Hedgehog's Way Past Cool Panel will be held on Thursday, July 19th, from 2pm to 3pm PDT.