The Chao versions of Sonic the Hedeghog and Shadow will star in their own manga adventure – and it launches this Friday

Sonic the Hedgehog fans know the Chao – cute, wispy little creatures that are sort of like fairies or spirits. They’re seen on the promo art for the highly anticipated upcoming game Sonic x Shadow: Generations – and now, the Chao are getting their own manga tie-in to the game focusing on Chao versions of Sonic and Shadow.

Appropriately titled Sonic x Shadow: Generations x Chao, the manga will be written by longtime Sonic comic writer Ian Flynn, with art from Miisa Shion and colors by Min Ho Kim.

Details about the new manga are a little sparse at the moment, with Sega‘s official announcement on Twitter giving almost nothing away – including where fans will be able to read it. The announcement simply reads: “While Sonic and Shadow go through their journey in SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS…what are the Chao up to? Join the Sonic Chao and Shadow Chao on a special journey by @IanFlynnBKC!”

This is far from the first Sonic-related manga or comic. Indeed, there have been Sonic comics for as long as there has been games, with the first being published in Japanese magazine Mega Drive Fan in June 1991 – the same month that the original game came out on the Sega Mega Drive in the US. The following year another Sonic manga was serialized in Shogakukan’s Study Magazine. That series, written by Kenji Terada who also wrote the first three Final Fantasy games, did a lot to fill out Sonic’s backstory. Since then the Blue Blur’s adventures have continued in titles such as 2009’s Sonic and the Black Knight, 2011’s Sonic Generations, and many more.