Treasure Trove: Tracy Yardley talks about Sonic the Hedgehog & Pirate Plunder Panic!

Unlike his brothers who are talented musicians, the native of Southern Illinois expressed himself artistically through his drawings. “Studying at SCAD [Savannah College of Art and Design] allowed me to meet lots of new people and discover new styles of art that I might not have noticed on my own,” states Tracy Yardley. “Attending an art school also allows you to practice your art in a focused manner that would be much more difficult if you did it on your own time.” The Internet has been a helpful tool for the American illustrator. “Deviant Art has been useful to me when I have the time to take on commissioned drawings for extra money. Comic conventions in general are useful in that you can meet fellow artists and industry professionals and at least let them know you’re around. I doubt if many jobs are obtained by going to conventions, but connections can be made and if you have a product to sell that people want, like Sonic the Hedgehog, it’s a way to make some extra money as well.” Digital publishing has been a mixed blessing. “I doubt if it’s made it much easier to earn a living, but it certainly has made things easier to get your product out where people can see it.”


“I saw comics in middle school but I never could get into X-Men or other superhero books,” admits Tracy Yardley. “I think they’re cool, but there’s just a lot of back story that I couldn’t be bothered to learn about.” Japanese manga comics are a source of enjoyment. “Well, I don’t really read those either. [It's all-Sonic, all the time for me!] I do like the visual style and I love that they’re usually huge volumes so you get a lot to read at one time.” Yardley remarks, “One of my favourite comic books is Atomic Robo. I love the simplicity of the storytelling and the visual style is fantastic. Not to sound like a mindless fanboy, but I enjoy pretty much all of the Marvel movies.” The golden age of comic book movies has not gone unnoticed by publishers when accepting proposals. “I can’t speak for companies like Marvel or DC, but I would assume that it’s at least part of their consideration. In my experience, the now defunct TokyoPop for whom I did work on Riding Shotgun, marketability towards other media outside of comics was very nearly their only consideration for choosing original titles to produce.”


Since 2005 Tracy Yardley has been creatively tied to a video game which expanded into the comic book realm. “My brother got a Genesis for Christmas in ’91 and it came with Sonic. I fell in love instantly.” Staying inspired as a writer and artist is not a problem. “There are a lot of supporting characters and the Sonic Universe book [Sonic the Hedgehog’s spin-off title which Tracy helped launch back in 2009] cycles through them, so I’m always drawing something a bit different. Being given the opportunity to write a few issues has given me a little change of pace as well.” Yardley was responsible for drawing issues #5 to #8 of the Worlds Collide series which brought together Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man for the first time. “The only challenge for me was keeping up with the art deadlines!” Integrating the different universes was a fun experience. “Insofar as the Mega Man crossover is concerned, it was a pleasure to get to design some of the Sonic heroes as Mega Man villains. Also, getting to see Ben Bates’ great art in the last four issues was a treat as well.” As to whether there will be more crossovers for Sonic the Hedgehog, the resident of Rincon, Georgia is open to the idea. “It’s certainly possible. Time will tell!”


Numerous storylines have to be orchestrated while maintaining an overall story arc. “As for the two Sonic Universe arcs that I’ve written [Babylon Rising in Sonic Universe #33-36 and the current Pirate Plunder Panic! storyline beginning in Sonic Universe #55, on sale 8/21/13!], the key is to try and have a climactic moment at the end of each of the four issues and build to a satisfying conclusion, which is the hardest part,” observes Tracy Yardley whose latest project Pirate Plunder Panic! has him writing as well as contributing interior and cover artwork. “For years, I’ve loved stories of naval warfare set during Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign. At first I was tempted to throw in much more naval jargon, but I realized it would only bog things down.” Yardley advises readers that, “They should expect a fun story with as much action as I could pack in!”

Devising stories for an established franchise that are unique is a constant challenge creatively. “That is tough,” notes Tracy Yardley. “There have been so many Sonic stories already. I simply try to come up with a situation that we might not have seen the character in yet – something fun with the potential for lots of action.” Nuances add to the imagery. “It depends on the page or panel in question. Most times one needs to have at least one good establishing shot on a page to remind the readers where the story is taking place and the rest of the panels can have hints of background or none. Other pages, however, might need complicated backgrounds on most or all panels. It depends on the story at hand.” Page layouts begin with a small thumbnail drawing. “I begin sketching lightly on the page, leaving room for word balloons and beginning with the most important images. Once the sketchy layout is done, I go over it and do the finished drawing.” On the writing side of things exposition needs to be seamlessly incorporated. “This is very difficult. One could choose to have lots of dialogue boxes explaining things or you can fit the necessary info into the dialogue itself, which doesn’t always allow for conversation that sounds as natural as it might.”


“Things are going to have big changes after the Countdown to Chaos story arc, so it could go anywhere from there,” reveals Tracy Yardley. “I’m also doing some of the artwork for the Countdown to Chaos story arc, beginning in Sonic the Hedgehog #253, and those issues have TONS of direct consequences from the Sonic/Mega Man crossover event! It’s going to be a lot of fun, and a lot of new life breathed into the vibrant world of Sonic the Hedgehog comics! And don’t forget to pick up all four issues of Pirate Plunder Panic! in Sonic Universe #55-58. Y’arrrr!”








Sonic the Hedgehog images courtesy of Archie Comics.