Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)

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Image:Soniccomic1.jpgSonic the Hedgehog is an ongoing series of comic books published by Archie Comics, featuring Sega's mascot video game character Sonic. Spin-off publications from the comic include a series starring Knuckles the Echidna which ran for 32 issues; fifteen 48-page "Super Specials"; a number of single special issues; and several short three-issue miniseries, each starring a character from the series. On September 21, 2005, Archie started a new series based on the TV show Sonic X. Except for the Sonic X series, all of Archie's Sonic-related series, miniseries and specials take place in the same fictional universe. This universe features a mixture of characters, settings and situations from the SatAM cartoon, the Sonic video games by Sega, and various other incarnations of Sonic. It also includes many elements unique to the comic universe.It is often regarded as equal value,but more true to the games than Sonic the Comic.

1 Stories, Settings, and Characters
2 Specials, Miniseries, and Knuckles Series
3 Movie Aspirations
4 Current Progression
5 List of Writers
6 List of Pencillers
7 List of Inkers
8 See also

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Stories, Settings, and Characters

In the comics, Sonic lives on Planet Mobius in Knothole Village. Over time, the status quo of Sonic's world has changed. Originally, Sonic belonged to a band of Freedom Fighters who fought the evil dictator Dr. Robotnik. However, in the comic's fiftieth issue, Robotnik was defeated and apparently killed. After this, the comic dealt with the aftermath of Robotnik's regime. Sonic and friends reestablished their lost kingdom and dealt with various undelings to Robotnik, as well as unrelated villains such as Ixis Naugus. In the comic's seventy-fifth issue, an alternate universe version of Robotnik known as Robo-Robotnik came to Mobius Prime (the Mobius of the comics) and took over the original Robotnik's position. Over time, Robo-Robotnik has come to be known as just Robotnik or Eggman. The current status quo of the comic deals with a full-scale war between the Eggman Empire, ruled by Robotnik, and the restored Kingdom of Acorn, currently ruled by King Elias Acorn.

Image:Soniccomic113.jpgThe Archie Sonic comic typically runs original storylines based around characters from various Sonic media, but it has also made a number of adaptations. For instance, it has adapted a couple epsiodes of SatAM, as well as some of the video games' storylines, including Sonic CD, Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Shuffle among others. Stories are currently adapting Sonic Rush and soon Sonic Riders.

The comic details not only Sonic's present, but also his past and future. Great attention has been given to his back story, including the lives of his relatives and friends during Robotnik's regime and the Great War that preceded it. Also, the comic ran a popular series of stories called "Mobius: 25 Years Later", showing Sonic's possible future as King of Mobius. Also in these stories, we learn that King Sonic is still friends with Knuckles, but he lost every friend he made and is now disliked by most people. Due to these stories' popularities, two more stories will be printed in the near future.

The Sonic comic is known for its very large cast of characters. Major characters from the games include Miles "Tails" Prower, who has been given the title of "Chosen One," Shadow the Hedgehog, who seeks the truth about his past, and Knuckles the Echidna, who guards the Master Emerald. Yet Sonic is always there somewhere in the spotlight, to support or save his friends. The comic also includes characters from the SatAM cartoon, such as love interest Sally Acorn, half-robot Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine D'Coolette, Rotor Walrus, and Sonic's Uncle Chuck. The comic also has its own original characters, such as Mina Mongoose, Elias Acorn, Tommy Turtle and Fiona Fox

Sonic the Hedgehog - the hero of the series - loves adventures and chili dogs and always ready to fight any menacing villain that get in his way. In the comic, he was aged 17 up until issue #160 and now currently 18. He hasn't had much luck in the current issues, with him losing his friend.

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Specials, Miniseries, and Knuckles Series

In addition to the main Sonic series, Archie published various special issues. Longer than typical issues of the comic, these specials feature stories involving Sonic and other related characters. Several miniseries have also been published, featuring characters such as Sally, Tails and Knuckles.

Because of the popularity of the specials and Miniseries featuring Knuckles, in 1997 Knuckles the Echidna became an ongoing series. Knuckles's stories featured its own cast of Characters, including the Chaotix and Knuckles's romantic interest, Julie-Su. Like the Sonic comic, Knuckles's comic is filled with background information about Knuckles's family history. Knuckles's family has split into two factions: the Brotherhood of Guardians and the Dark Legion. Knuckles is a member of the former, and Julie-Su used to be a member of the latter. Much of the conflict of the comic surrounds the relations between these two warring factions.

In 1999, the series was cancelled, but the stories were continued in the pages of Sonic the Hedgehog. After Knuckles's cancellation and until issue 125, a typical issue of Sonic included a Sonic story and a Knuckles story, sometimes even including a third story. This led to each story getting considerably less space than it previously had. Recently, Knuckles's appearances have been infrequent but his story continues within the comics.

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Movie Aspirations

In the early 2000's, wind was caught of lead writer Ken Penders' attempt to get an animated feature film centered around Knuckles the Echidna into development, the key studio of choice being Dreamworks SKG. His proposals were rejected not out of disinterest (according to Mr. Penders), but due to severe legal complications regarding the copyrights to any Sonic characters developed in connection to the license by any party, which are said to essentially render the story thus far created through the intertwining roles of Japanese and American-conceived characters and concepts entirely limited to the media in which they first appeared--in this case, the Archie comic book series. (It is believed that this same snaggle is the reason for Sonic's suspiciously unnamed home planet featured in Sonic X.) To this day, it is supposed that, due to these complications, Sonic and his friends will never grace the big screen in any form not sanctioned by Sega of Japan in whatever form they choose, and the odds that elements originating from the pages of Archie, including such central elements as the Dark Legion in this case, are extremely slim due to the same set of circumstances.

In a self-published article, Mr. Penders mentioned that the film proposed would have been an animated feature, though whether the animation would have been traditional or computer-generated is unknown. In recent years, a small number of fans have expressed enthusiasm over the supposition that a Sonic movie (epecially one based mostly on the Archie comic) should be presented, if financially viable, in live-action using advanced motion-capture techniques as a means of preserving (or furthering) the darker tone of the American canon.

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Current Progression

Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog continuity is currently comprised of the following comics, some of which can be ordered at http://stuffshop.archiecomics.com/sofrgo.html:

Sonic the Hedgehog #1-160 (ongoing)
Knuckles #1-32
Super Sonic Specials #1-15
Sonic Miniseries #0-3
Knuckles Miniseries #1-3
Tails Miniseries #1-3
Princess Sally Miniseries #1-3
Various other specials (18):
- Archie Sonic Mini - 1999
- Archie Sonic Mini - September 1998
- Sonic & Sabrina Crossover - pt 1
- Sonic Live! #1
- Knuckles History #1-4
- Knuckles Chaotix #1
- Sonic & Knuckles Mecha Madness #1
- Sonic & Knuckles #1
- Sonic Blast #1
- Sonic In Your Face #1
- Sonic Quest Mini-Series #1-3
- Sonic Triple Trouble #1
- Super Sonic vs Hyper Knuckles #1