Archie Comics

Commencing its publication in 1993 and concluding in 2017, the comic held a strong influence from the Sonic the Hedgehog TV series. It integrated a multitude of characters from the show into its narratives, alongside a plethora of original and game-based characters. Periodically, real cartoon or game adaptations were interwoven, with the former generally constituting non-canonical side plots. Nevertheless, subsequent to the Worlds Collide crossover event, the comics underwent a reboot to align more closely with the game continuity. The series encompassed a grand total of 290 released issues, marking a record-breaking feat among video game comic adaptations.

Originating as a mini-series titled “Knuckles: The Dark Legion,” the comic initiative later expanded into a continuous series known as “Knuckles the Echidna,” encompassing a total of 32 issues. These comic installments were penned by Ken Penders. The narrative spotlight was placed on Knuckles, accompanied by Julie-Su the Echidna, giving rise to a considerable amount of romantic tension between the two characters. This dynamic persisted until the culmination of the series, after which the characters eventually formed a romantic relationship.

Sonic X

Main article: Sonic X (comic series)

Commencing in 2005, Archie Comics initiated a comic series inspired by the anime show “Sonic X.” While the narrative context is derived from the Sonic X timeline, the plots of the comics are original creations. In response to fan inquiries, the writers clarified that the comic’s events transpire between the second and third seasons of the anime (following the adaptations of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2), but prior to the characters’ return to their unspecified home world. The series encompassed a total of 40 issues. The final edition notably incorporated a crossover with the standard “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, featuring Shadow and Metal Sonic from that particular universe, which then segued into “Sonic Universe.”

Throughout its run, various other characters made cameo appearances, including Cosmo, who entered the storyline around the period of Sonic X’s third season announcement.

Following the discontinuation of the Sonic X comic series, a spin-off titled “Sonic Universe” took its place, continuing the narrative from where its predecessor left off. This new series was structured around four-issue story arcs, providing the opportunity to delve into characters and settings that weren’t essential to the main comic. The story arcs were also conceived with trade paperbacks in consideration (more details in the graphic novel section below). It’s worth highlighting that Tracy Yardley was the primary illustrator for nearly all the issues in this series. In total, “Sonic Universe” spanned 94 published issues.

Towards the end of 2014, Archie Comics introduced yet another spin-off comic series inspired by the Sonic Boom sub-franchise. These comics continued until September 2015, encompassing a total of 11 issues.

Other

In addition to these main comic series, Archie Comics also crafted five mini-series: Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess Sally, Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic Quest. Alongside these, eight special issues were created, often adapting video games. The title of Sonic Super Special encompassed an additional 15 special issues. Furthermore, Archie released special editions of Sonic the Hedgehog for Free Comic Book Day, commencing in 2007.

Throughout the duration of the Sonic comic series, Archie Comics produced numerous individual graphic novels along with several series dedicated to reprinting past issues or storylines.

• Sonic Firsts (originally published as Sonic Super Special #3)
• Sonic: The Beginning: A reprint of the original 4-issue Sonic miniseries.
• Sonic the Hedgehog Archives (commencing with a reprint of Sonic: The Beginning as Volume 0): Collects the Sonic the Hedgehog series from its first issue, with 4 issues per volume (Volume 13 includes 2 issues and additional stories from the Sonic Super Specials).
• Sonic Saga Series: Reprints stories from the time Ian Flynn began writing for the comic.
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Reprints stories from the “post super genesis wave timeline” onwards.
• Sonic Select: Reprints canonical stories from Sonic Specials, Sonic Super Specials, and various Sonic miniseries.
• Knuckles Archives: Reprints Knuckles the Echidna issues, 6 per volume. The initial volume includes the Knuckles miniseries and the first 3 issues of the Knuckles series.
• Sonic Legacy: Each volume compiles 16 issues of the Sonic the Hedgehog series in a more affordable, black-and-white format.
• Sonic Universe: Each volume collects a 4-issue story arc from Sonic Universe.
• Sonic: Genesis: A hardcover book collecting the Genesis saga of the Sonic series (issues 226-229).
• Sonic Super Special Magazine: A quarterly magazine containing reprints of Sonic the Hedgehog along with bonus material.
• Sonic Super Digest: Quarterly digest-sized books featuring various reprints of Sonic the Hedgehog.

• Both Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic X initially began with four-issue mini-series as a way to gauge the potential popularity of the series. Subsequent issues often established connections to these mini-series, incorporating them into the main storyline.
• Additionally, characters like Sonic, Sally, Tails, and Knuckles were each given their own dedicated mini-series, allowing for deeper exploration of their individual narratives.
• Interestingly, Sonic X, while closer in continuity to the video games, did not receive comic adaptations of any specific games from the series. Instead, it focused on original storylines within the Sonic X universe.

• Official website
• Archie Comics at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Archie Comics Publications at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.