Sonic the Comic

• Writers: Nigel Kitching, Lew Stringer, Mike Hadley, Mark Millar, Steve MacManus, Ed Hillyer, Mark Eyles.
• Artists: Richard Elson, Nigel Dobbyn, Casanovas, Carl Flint, Woodrow Phoenix, Roberto Corona, Mick McMahon, John M. Burns, Andy Pritchett, Steve White, Nigel Kitching, Ed Hillyer
• Letterers: Ellie de’Ville, Elitta Fell, Tom Frame
• Inkers: Mike Hadley
• Colourists: Mike Hadley
• Pencillers: Ferran Rodriguez
• Cover artists: Dermot Power, Mike Hadley, Ed Hillyer
• Editors: Andy Diggle, Deborah Tate, Steve MacManus, Richard Burton
• Features editors: Audrey Wong
• Editorial directors: Colin Shelbourn
• Managing directors: Julie Goldsmith, Rob McMenemy
• Marketing managers: Rob McMenemy, Doug Pocock
• Product managers: Jess Manu.
• Assistant directors: Deborah Tate, Audrey Wong
• Designers: Gary Knight, Timothy Read
• Promotions: Jane Ballard, Michelle Brown
• Advertising: Sarah Connell, Steve Goldsmith
• Production: Sarah Colley
• Publishers: Rob McMenemy

Sonic the Comic initially cost 95 pence when it was first published and saw its price rise to £1.35 by the time the final issue was released. The comic usually contained four comic strip stories, each with different writers and artists. The first story, typically seven pages long, focused on Sonic (except for one issue that began with Tails). In the early issues, the remaining three stories featured various Sega game characters.

Over time, Sonic’s influence expanded, and other character-based stories took the place of the additional Sega game character strips. These included stories centered on characters like Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Chaotix, and the anthology “Sonic’s World,” which covered events in the Sonic the Comic universe not covered in the main character strips.

Beyond the comic strips, Sonic the Comic regularly featured content related to Sega video gaming. Sections like the “Q-Zone” provided video game tips and cheats, while the “News Zone” and “Review Zone” offered updates and reviews on Sega games. Readers’ artwork was featured in the “Graphic Zone,” and letters from readers were included in “Speedlines.”

The comic also came with special gifts for its readers, ranging from stickers (including a scratch and sniff sticker of Sonic’s shoes) and candy to more substantial items like a ruler designed after Sonic.

The comic had a mascot named Megadroid, a robot assembled from parts of a Sega Mega Drive. Megadroid was used by the editors of Sonic the Comic to respond to letters, provide story recaps, and share general magazine news. He acted as a bridge between the readers (whom he called “boomers”) and the “humes who think they’re in charge.”

In 1998, Megadroid was discontinued, leading to the disappearance of the “Speedlines” letter page. Speedlines briefly returned in 2000, although it was no longer a regular feature, and the letters were purportedly answered by Sonic himself, who was actually editor Andy Diggle and later Steve MacManus.

Setting and History

Sonic the Comic initially began with standalone stories and only established its ongoing storyline and setting with issue 8’s “The Origin of Sonic.” The comic adopted the “Kintobor origin” of Sonic and Doctor Robotnik, based on promotional material from the Sonic games and elaborated upon in Mike Pattenden’s book “Stay Sonic.”^[1]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sonicthecomic/message/13738 This origin story depicted Sonic as a normal brown hedgehog who, through a series of events involving Dr. Ovi Kintobor and the Chaos Emeralds, transformed into the blue speedster fans know. However, an accident during this transformation resulted in Kintobor becoming the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

The storyline followed Sonic, Tails, and friends as they were sent six months into the future, where Robotnik had conquered Mobius. Sonic and his team operated underground as “Freedom Fighters” trying to overthrow Robotnik’s rule.

The comic primarily featured Sonic’s adventures, but it also included rotating stories based on popular Sega video games, which later transitioned to more Sonic-focused tales. Characters like Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Chaotix, and others joined the cast, and the comic introduced original characters like Captain Plunder, Shortfuse the Cybernik, and Tekno the Canary.

Notably, Sonic the Comic used Super Sonic as a monstrous alter-ego, a unique approach compared to other Sonic media. Super Sonic appeared infrequently but had significant impacts on the storyline.

Major events included adaptations of Sonic games like Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Adventure, the introduction of the Drakon Empire, and Robotnik’s numerous schemes to conquer Mobius. The series concluded with issue 184, although the comic continued with reprinted material until issue 223.

Characters

In the comic, Sonic was portrayed with a somewhat bossy, cocky, and arrogant attitude, which differed from some other portrayals of the character in different media. He often made cruel jokes at the expense of his friend Tails, which was a departure from his usual behavior in other continuities. However, despite his attitude, Sonic genuinely cared about his friends and the well-being of his home planet, Mobius.

Towards the end of the comic’s run, Sonic experienced significant character development. Following the death of Johnny Lightfoot, he placed blame on himself for putting his friends in danger for so long. This realization led to a self-imposed exile, during which he underwent a transformation in his attitude. When he returned to his friends, he had a much less self-centered demeanor and was more determined than ever to protect Mobius.

Sonic’s origin in the comic involved him starting as a resident of the Emerald Hill Zone, where he became friends with Dr. Ovi Kintobor, a benevolent scientist. Sonic initially assisted Kintobor with various errands but paid little attention to the scientist’s experiments. However, when Kintobor directed his attention to Sonic’s running abilities, Sonic’s life took a bizarre turn. Kintobor equipped him with “Power Sneakers” and placed him in a kinetic gyratosphere to test his speed. During this experiment, Sonic’s speed surpassed the sound barrier, turning him blue and granting him his iconic speed.

After Kintobor’s transformation into Dr. Robotnik, Sonic used his newfound speed to battle against Robotnik’s attempts to conquer Mobius. He honed his abilities, including the Sonic Spin Attack, which became his signature move. Sonic also displayed various other speed-related techniques, such as creating force fields and escaping restraints through vibration.

He occasionally used the alias “Bob Beaky” for undercover work in the comic.

Other Characters

To find additional characters that appeared in stories within Sonic the Comic, please refer to this list.

In the early days of Sonic the Comic, most issues featured three out of four comic strips that were based on games other than Sonic. However, over time, these non-Sonic strips were gradually replaced by spin-offs featuring Sonic and his universe.

• Shinobi (3 series)
• Streets of Rage (3 series)
• Kid Chameleon (2 series)
• Eternal Champions (2 series)
• Golden Axe (2 series)
• Decap Attack (3 series, initially)
• “Pirate Sonic the Comic” (1 series)
• Marko’s Magic Football (1 series)
• Ecco the Dolphin (2 series)
• Wonder Boy (2 series)
• Sparkster [Rocket Knight Adventures] (1 series)
• Mutant League Football (1 series)
• Shining Force (1 series)
• “Megadroid” (2 series)

Among these spin-off strips, “Pirate Sonic the Comic” and the “Megadroid” strips were unique in that they were not based on existing video games. “Pirate Sonic the Comic” was inspired by a series of advertisements for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega CD, while the “Megadroid” strips drew their inspiration from the host robot character of Sonic the Comic.

Decap Attack

“Decap Attack” was originally an adaptation of a Mega Drive game. It gained significant popularity and had a longer run compared to other non-Sonic strips, in part due to the editor’s preference, and it eventually became a pet project of writer Nigel Kitching.

The decline of Sonic the Comic began when budget cuts led to a reduction in the number of pages from 36 to 32 in 1997. This resulted in the removal of sections like news, game reviews, and game tips. Despite being one of Fleetway’s top-selling comics in 1998, the cost-cutting measures continued. Starting with issue 133 in July of that year, one strip per issue was replaced with reprints as part of Fleetway’s five-year reader cycle policy. Later in the year, the mascot Megadroid was removed along with the “Speedlines” letters page. Two more strips were eventually replaced by reprints, leaving only the main strip and the cover as new content from issue 157 onwards. This meant no new supporting character strips were published, and the main strip was the only new material in the comic.

During this period, the main strip’s stories were labeled under the “Time Zone” banner and were mostly set on Shanazar, with later stories involving dimensional portals leading to other dimensions and Earth’s history. This editorial preference was unpopular with many fans since it excluded Mobius and most main characters besides Sonic and Amy.

Nigel Kitching, one of the comic’s writers, was let go after issue 157 but returned with issue 175 after a change in the editor. Despite a strong final story by writer Lew Stringer and Kitching’s comeback in 2000, Egmont decided to make the comic fully reprint from issue 185, though they still included new covers. This decision came suddenly, with even Kitching being unaware until shortly before the final issue was published. This led to the last story ending with some unresolved loose ends from earlier stories.

Fully-reprint issues continued until issue 223, which reprinted the four-part storyline “The Evil Empire” and featured an article by Nigel Kitching about his time working on the comic.^[2]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sonicthecomic/message/9679

In addition to Sonic the Comic, there were nine issues of Sonic the Poster Mag published. This comic had a unique format, consisting of an A1-sized poster. On the reverse side of the poster, comic strips were printed in A4-sized sections. The poster was folded to match the pages of a regular comic. Most of the stories featured Sonic, but there were also dedicated strips for Shinobi and Streets of Rage. The first two issues of Sonic the Poster Mag were not traditional comic strips; the first issue contained information about two Sonic cartoon series (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog), while the second issue provided game tips for Sonic Chaos.

Additionally, in the years 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1999, Sonic Summer Specials were published. The 1995 edition primarily consisted of reprinted material from Sonic the Poster Mag, and the 1999 edition featured entirely reprinted content. In 1996, the Knuckles Knock-Out Special was printed, focusing on material related to Sonic’s “friendly rival,” Knuckles.

Sonic the Comic – Online! (commonly referred to as StC-O) is an unofficial web-based continuation of the Sonic the Comic series. It picks up where the final full-reprint issue, #223, left off, starting with issue #224.

Several significant events have occurred in the Sonic the Comic – Online! series. Dr. Zachary, who had been missing for a long time, emerged as a primary antagonist in the early issues. He released Vichama, awakened Shadow the Hedgehog, and ordered Shadow to destroy the Special Zone. Tikal also made a return, but she lost her memories of the Ancient Echidna race, much to Knuckles’ sorrow. She now resides on the Floating Island. The destruction of the Special Zone led to the emergence of a criminal gang called The Family, consisting of Mafia-style insects led by the enigmatic Don Long-Legs. They have quickly become the dominant underworld force in Mobius and clashed with the Freedom Fighters.

Sonic faces challenges as well, dealing with a media smear campaign orchestrated by the Kane Broadcasting Company. He is also framed for numerous crimes. Ultimately, it’s revealed that a Metallix composed of liquid alloy allowed himself to be imprisoned in Sonic’s place, planning to attack the Freedom Fighters once they freed him. This scheme aimed to undermine the trust of the citizens of Mobius in Sonic. Faced with this failure, Sonic flees the planet, leaving Tails with the mission of protecting Mobius. Meanwhile, Robotnik, his broken body connected to a supercomputer linked to his Badniks’ systems, launches a new worldwide offensive.

It’s important to note that Sonic the Comic – Online! does not have the official backing of Egmont Fleetway or Sega. However, many original Sonic the Comic writers and artists have praised the website and supported its continuation. Nigel Kitching, one of the original creators, occasionally contributes to the site’s message boards. The project is considered “unofficially official” by Sonic the Comic fans and former creators, as it’s the closest thing to an official continuation of the series. Sonic the Comic – Online! has also received recognition and nominations for awards in the comic industry, such as the Diamond National Comics Award and the Eagle Awards.^[3]http://www.downthetubes.net/news_archive/2004/06june2004.html^[4]http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/nominate.asp

The website includes a Message Zone, a forum where thousands of members discuss various topics, expanding from discussions about the online issues to encompass a wide range of subjects.

• Original Sonic the Comic mailing list
• Sonic the Comic Online
• Sonic the Comic Wiki