Sonic the Comic facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sonic the Comic
Cover to Sonic the Comic #125, art by Richard Elson
Publication information
Publisher	Egmont (originally Fleetway) Sega Europe
Schedule	Fortnightly
Format	Finished
Publication date	1993–2002
Number of issues	223 total (184 original, 39 reprints)
Creative team
Writer(s)	Nigel Kitching, Lew Stringer et al.
Artist(s)	Richard Elson, Mick McMahon et al.

Sonic the Comic was a popular British comic book for kids. It was published by Fleetway Editions from 1993 to 2002. This comic was the official Sega comic in the UK. It featured exciting stories about Sonic and his friends. It also had comic strips based on other Sega video games. Plus, it included news, reviews, and tips for Sega games.

Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Stories

Sonic the Comic started with simple, short stories. But it soon found its true style with writer Nigel Kitching and artist Richard Elson. Their stories, "Super Sonic" (issue 7) and "The Origin of Sonic" (issue 8), set the stage.

Sonic's Origin Story

The comic used a special origin story for Sonic and Doctor Robotnik. In this version, Sonic was a normal brown hedgehog on a planet called Mobius. He burrowed into the lab of Dr. Ovi Kintobor. Dr. Kintobor was a scientist who wanted to get rid of all evil. He used powerful gems called the Chaos Emeralds to do this.

Dr. Kintobor also gave Sonic red shoes to help him run faster. Sonic eventually broke the sound barrier, which made him blue! But then, an accident happened. The unstable Chaos Emeralds and a rotten egg turned Kintobor into the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik. This led to the adventures seen in the games Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Freedom Fighters and Robotnik's Rule

After "The Origin of Sonic," Sonic, Tails, and their friends were sent six months into the future. While they were gone, Doctor Robotnik took over Mobius. Sonic and his friends had to go underground. They became "freedom fighters" to fight Robotnik's rule. This continued until issue 100 in 1997, when Robotnik was finally defeated.

In the early issues, three out of four comic strips were based on other Sega games. Over time, more stories focused on Sonic and his friends. Tails got his own solo series. He returned to his home, the Nameless Zone. There, everyone believed he was the great hero, not Sonic.

Other Freedom Fighters included Johnny Lightfoot and Porker Lewis. These characters were based on the animals freed from Robotnik's robots in the games. The team also got help from the "Kintobor computer." This was an artificial intelligence based on Robotnik's good self.

Later, Amy Rose joined the team. She was a female hedgehog who liked Sonic a lot. Robotnik was also redesigned to look like his cartoon version. He gained a helper named Grimer. Grimer helped create Metallix, the Metal Sonic. Metallix was a big enemy in the comic's first major Sonic story, "The Sonic Terminator." This story was based on the game Sonic CD.

New Characters and Super Sonic

Knuckles the Echidna and the Floating Island appeared when the comic adapted Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. Knuckles then got his own stories. He tried to learn about his lost echidna race and their connection to the Floating Island and Chaos Emeralds.

The comic also created new characters. These included the sky pirate Captain Plunder, the rebellious robot Shortfuse the Cybernik, and the smart engineer Tekno the Canary. They sometimes had their own comic strips. Characters from Knuckles' Chaotix also appeared. They made the Special Zone, an alternate dimension, an important place. This also introduced the Brotherhood of Metallix. This was an army of Metal Sonic robots who rebelled against Robotnik. They wanted to change time and take over Mobius.

Super Sonic's Dark Side

One unique part of Sonic the Comic was its version of Super Sonic. In this comic, Super Sonic was a scary, out-of-control version of Sonic. He was like a monster that Sonic turned into when he was stressed or near the Chaos Emeralds. Super Sonic didn't appear often at first. But he became a big threat before issue 100.

After a story where the Chaos Emeralds' energy left Sonic, Super Sonic became a separate being. Sonic had to chase him. Super Sonic was eventually frozen in time by the Omni-Viewer. Sonic was left alone in the Special Zone. On Mobius, Shortfuse joined the Freedom Fighters. Knuckles finally returned to the Floating Island.

Super Sonic later escaped the Omni-Viewer. This caused a huge energy pulse that shut down all of Robotnik's robots and computers. Without his technology, Robotnik was finally defeated in issue 100.

Later Adventures

After Robotnik's defeat, the comic explored new stories. Super Sonic, now without his memory, befriended a magician named Ebony and a psychic named Pyjamas. The comic then adapted Sonic 3D Blast. This story introduced the Drakon Empire, an alien race. They teamed up with Robotnik to get the Chaos Emeralds.

Robotnik eventually captured the Emeralds. He gained god-like powers and changed Mobius completely. But when his body lost the Chaos Energy, he vanished into a tiny dimension.

Amy and Tekno had many dimension-hopping adventures. Mobius was even briefly invaded by Earth's military. Sonic then chased Grimer and Nack the Weasel to find Robotnik. Sonic got trapped on a tiny world called Shanazar. Amy later joined him there. They explored its many different zones and fought various threats.

Robotnik had his own plans. He used dimensional technology to make Shanazar huge, merging it with Mobius. Portals to Shanazar's zones and Earth's history opened on Mobius. Robotnik, angry about his failures, decided to destroy Mobius forever. He teamed up with The Plax, a living plastic alien group. Robotnik used their tech to drain energy from Mobius and Earth. This caused both worlds to collapse. But Shortfuse stopped him. He wired his armor into Robotnik's machine, undoing the damage. This also freed Shortfuse from his armor.

The Final Storyline

This was Robotnik's last defeat. He became depressed. Grimer, wanting to help his master, started the comic's final story. This was an adaptation of Sonic Adventure. Grimer found a creature of living chaos energy. He unleashed "Chaos" on the Freedom Fighters. This led to the death of Johnny Lightfoot.

Chaos then attacked the Floating Island to get the Chaos Emeralds. But Knuckles threw the emeralds away before Chaos could get them all. The island then fell into the ocean. Robotnik started gathering the emeralds to lure everyone to his fortress. Sonic was sent to Mobius's ancient past by Tikal and Pochacamac. He saw the war between the Echidnas and the Drakon Empire. He also learned about the Chaos Emeralds' origins and how Chaos was created. Chaos was a Drakon prosecutor mutated by the emeralds.

Sonic returned to the present just as Chaos absorbed the remaining emeralds. Chaos became Perfect Chaos. But Robotnik's plan was stopped by Super Sonic. Super Sonic was dying from a lack of chaos energy. He absorbed Chaos's energy, turning Chaos back into his Drakon form. Super Sonic became evil again and attacked the Freedom Fighters. But Ebony used her magic to fuse Sonic and Super Sonic back together.

The original stories in Sonic the Comic ended with issue #184. The comic continued until #223, but only with reprinted old stories.

Characters

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic was the main hero of the comic. His personality was a bit different from other Sonic versions. He could be arrogant, rude, and a bit self-centered. He often called Tails "pixel brain." But despite his flaws, Sonic always helped innocent people in danger. After Johnny Lightfoot died, Sonic blamed himself and disappeared for a while. He returned with a more humble attitude and stronger will.

Sonic's origin in this comic came from a 1991 Disney comic. He was a brown hedgehog who met Dr. Kintobor. Dr. Kintobor invented a machine powered by the Chaos Emeralds. He also made Sonic's special speed shoes. While testing the machine, Sonic broke the sound barrier. This gave him his blue look and super speed. Later, Sonic's design in the comic changed to match his modern look from the games. When Sonic needed to go undercover, he pretended to be "Bob Beaky," a bird wrapped in bandages.

Miles "Tails" Prower

Tails is Sonic's best friend and helper. Sonic often teased him, calling him "Pixel Brain." But Tails still looked up to Sonic. Tails was born in the Nameless Zone. Like in the games, he was picked on because of his two tails. Tails ran away and Sonic found him in the Swamp Zone. This version of Tails wasn't a super genius like in the games. But he could fly the Tornado plane by himself. He was also good at coming up with clever plans to beat his enemies.

Knuckles the Echidna

Knuckles guards the Master Emerald. This emerald gives the Chaos Emeralds their power. It also makes the Floating Island float. After the Sonic Adventure story, Knuckles also had one of the Chaos Emeralds. In this comic, Knuckles didn't like Sonic much. He was also less easily fooled than his video game version.

Amy Rose

Amy first appeared in a two-part story. Dr. Robotnik's robots arrested her for saying she was Sonic's girlfriend. Sonic was annoyed she lied, but he still rescued her. To his surprise, she was now a fugitive and had to stay with the Freedom Fighters.

Amy grew up quickly in the comic. She became a very important member of the Freedom Fighters. She was great at using her crossbow (not her hammer). She even made it herself. Her crush on Sonic was mostly downplayed. One writer, Nigel Kitching, said Amy just wanted to annoy Sonic. Sonic often got annoyed when people thought they were dating. Amy would play along with it. Because of this, when they were trapped on the Miracle Planet, Sonic pretended to be lost for two days.

Amy often appeared in stories. She even had some solo adventures where she saved the day without others noticing. She was often righteous, practical, and quick-thinking. In one story, she figured out how to defeat a villain. But she let Sonic think he did it. She knew it was important for people to believe he saved the day. She also took charge when Sonic was away or turned into Super Sonic. When Sonic was lost in the Special Zone, she led the Freedom Fighters until he returned in issue 100. Later, Amy was often written as a straightforward adventurer. She had many backup stories with her best friend Tekno.

The Chaotix Crew

The Chaotix characters—Vector, Mighty, Espio, and Charmy—were protectors of the Special Zone in Sonic the Comic. They were framed but kept Sonic's trust. Along with Knuckles, these characters had many adventures. They became some of Sonic's best friends, always ready to help.

Lists of Heroes and Villains

Heroes

Villains

Other Comic Stories

When Sonic the Comic first started, three out of four stories in each issue were from games other than Sonic. But over time, these were replaced by stories about Sonic and his friends.

"Pirate STC" and "Megadroid" were the only strips not based on existing video games. "Pirate STC" was based on ads for the Sega Mega Drive and Mega-CD. The "Megadroid" strips were about the robot host of Sonic the Comic.

Decap Attack

The Decap Attack comic strip was based on a Genesis/Mega Drive game. This strip lasted longer than all other non-Sonic strips. It seemed to be a favorite project of writer Nigel Kitching.

The strip was very funny and a bit crazy. It showed the daily lives of Chuck, Head (a talking skull), Igor (who always tried to kill Chuck), and Professor Frank N. Stein. Professor Stein was a mad scientist who pretended to have a German accent. The game's villain, Max D. Cap, only appeared twice.

Streets of Rage

Three comic strip series based on the Streets of Rage games were in Sonic the Comic. The first story appeared in issue 7. The last Streets of Rage story ran from issues 41-46. All three series had artwork by Peter Richardson.

The strip was set in a city ruled by Mr. X and his crime group, The Syndicate. The video game heroes Axel, Blaze, Max, and later Skate, fought against them. In the first story, Axel, Blaze, and Max quit the police and became vigilantes. Streets of Rage was darker and more violent than other strips in the comic. The stories were also quite long, usually six parts.

Other Publications

Besides Sonic the Comic, there were nine issues of Sonic the Poster Mag. This was a huge poster that folded into a comic book. Most stories were about Sonic. But one was about Shinobi and another about Streets of Rage. The first two issues were not comics. Issue 1 had info on Sonic cartoons, and issue 2 had game tips for Sonic Chaos.

Sonic Summer Specials were published in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1999. The 1995 issue mostly reprinted stories from Sonic the Poster Mag. The 1999 edition was all reprints. Also, in 1996, the Knuckles Knock-Out Special was printed. It had stories about Sonic's "friendly rival," Knuckles.

Virgin Books

In 1993, Virgin Publishing released four Sonic novels. These books were based on the origin story from Stay Sonic. They were very similar to early Sonic the Comic stories. This included Robotnik's origin and early characters. The second book, Sonic the Hedgehog in the Fourth Dimension, had Sonic travel through time. He had to make sure Kintobor became Robotnik to save Mobius. This was years before Sonic the Comic had a similar plot.