Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie comic series)

Sonic the Hedgehog is an ongoing series of American comic books published by Archie Comics with the help of Sega, featuring Sega's mascot video game character Sonic the Hedgehog. Spin-off publications from the comic include a Knuckles the Echidna series starring the titular character, which ran for 32 issues; 15 48-page "Super Specials"; 8 single special issues; and 4 short three-issue miniseries, each starring a character from the series. On 21 September 2005, Archie Comics started a new series based on the animated television series Sonic X. On 24 February 2009, Archie produced their first issue of Sonic Universe, which contain 4-issue stories that take place at the same time as the main series. This comic features a mixture of characters, settings and situations from the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon, the Sonic video games by Sega, and various other incarnations of Sonic. It also includes many elements unique to the comic. The comic is not to be confused with Sonic the Comic, which ran in the UK and published more issues despite running for a shorter time (due to the fact that UK comics are made on a more frequent schedule than U.S. comics). So far, there have been a total amount of 252+ Sonic the Hedgehog regular series issues made since 1992.

Overview
The comic's main focus is the adventure stories of the title character, the world-famous hero Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic loves adventure and chili dogs and he is always willing to fight to protect the ones he cares about from any threat. Sonic is in some ways different from his game counterpart - in the comics, he is displayed as having a rather strong sense of humor, as well as important familial ties with his family and friends; characteristics absent from most other incarnations. He is shown engaging in romantic relationships, while in the games, he is uninterested in romance. He is also portrayed as having a deeper sense of duty - in the games Sonic treats his ongoing conflict with Eggman as just an opportunity to have a fun time, whereas in the comic series he understands it as a responsibility to protect his world from a terrible menace, although he does seem to have fun when fighting Eggman.

Sonic's age is left intentionally ambiguous due to relativity resulting from his recent space travel. It is likely that Sonic's actual biological age is somewhere between sixteen and eighteen, whereas in the games his is nearly always referred to as fifteen.

The comic occasionally implies that "Sonic" is just a nickname. According to former writer Ken Penders, Sonic's true [first] name in the comic's continuity is Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog. However, this was never mentioned in any story and is not considered canon. Current writer Ian Flynn has stated that he won't be revisiting the topic and is content with simply calling the hero "Sonic." In any case, his middle name has been stated as "Maurice" and his actual last name is Hedgehog.

Setting
At the beginning of the series, the year is 3235, now it is the year 3237. Sonic lives on Planet Mobius in Mobotropolis. Other notable areas of setting include Knothole, the Angel Island, Station Square, Downunda and New Megaopolis. It was revealed in issues #125 and #148 that Mobius is actually a future Earth (in an alternative reality, and in Sonic X, it is officially present at Earth), the year being 14,016 CE. It is unknown why the Mobian year is so low by contrast, though it is speculated that the year was reset during the events known in Echidna theology as the "Days of Fury" (when Isaac's creators Professor Clarke & Doctor Niven attempted to preserve Earth's environment after the Xorda used the gene bomb, which ended disastrously).

Heroes

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Princess Sally Acorn
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Amy Rose
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Rouge the Bat
 * E-123 Omega
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Mighty the Armadillo
 * Ray the Flying Squirrel
 * Charmy Bee
 * Bunnie Rabbot
 * Antoine D'Coolette
 * Rotor Walrus
 * NICOLE
 * Julie-Su (imprisoned in Twilight Cage)
 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Cream the Rabbit
 * Sir Charles Hedgehog
 * Jules Hedgehog (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Bernadette Hedgehog (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Mina Mongoose
 * Dulcy the Dragon
 * King Acorn
 * Elias Acorn (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Zonic the Zone Cop
 * Geoffrey St. John (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Rob O' the Hedge (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Brotherhood of Guardians (imprisoned in the Twilight Cage)
 * Dimitri the Echidna (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Athair
 * Ancient Walkers (deceased)
 * Neo Walkers (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Zone Cops
 * Nate Morgan (deceased)
 * Tommy Turtle (deceased)
 * Sir Connery (deceased)
 * E-102 Gamma (deceased, soul merged with Omega)
 * Monkey Khan
 * Saffron (imprisoned in the Twilight Cage)
 * Doctor Ivo Kintobor
 * O'Nux the Echidna
 * Buns Rabbot
 * Anti-Jules Hedgehog (deceased)
 * Marine the Raccoon
 * Blaze the Cat
 * Locke the Echidna (deceased)
 * Big the Cat
 * G.U.N. Colonel
 * Shard (fate unknown)
 * Leeta (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Lyco (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Larry Lynx (disappeared after Super Genesis Wave)
 * Heavy & Bomb

Villains

 * Dr. Ivo Robotnik - aka Julian Kintobor, Robotnik Prime (deceased)
 * Dr. Eggman - aka Robo-Robotnik, Robotnik Mark II
 * Snively Kintobor
 * Suppression Squad
 * Ixis Naugus
 * Mammoth Mogul
 * Doctor Finitevus
 * Nack the Weasel
 * Scourge the Hedgehog - a.k.a. "Evil Sonic/Anti-Sonic" (fate unknown)
 * Metal Sonic v1.0-v2.5 (destroyed, rebuilt into Shard)
 * Metal Sonic
 * Metal Scourge (destroyed, parts salvaged to aid in Shard's construction)
 * Silver Sonic (destroyed)
 * Silver Sonic II (destroyed)
 * Silver Sonic III
 * Fiona Fox
 * Bark the Polar Bear
 * Bean the Dynamite
 * Heavy & Bomb (Formerly)
 * Xorda
 * General Kage (deceased)
 * Chaos
 * Crocbot (destroyed)
 * A.D.A.M. (destroyed)
 * Mecha (destroyed)
 * The Arachne (deceased)
 * Kodos (deceased)
 * Lien-Da (imprisoned in Twilight Cage)
 * Mecha Sally (formerly, De-Roboticized)
 * Sleuth "Doggy" Dawg (formerly)
 * Iron Queen
 * Iron King (fate unknown)
 * Smalls the Cat
 * E.V.E. (destroyed)
 * Coconuts (currently Mammoth Mogul's 'butler' at Casino Night Zone)
 * Scratch (currently an employee at Casino Night Zone)
 * Grounder (currently an employee at Casino Night Zone)
 * Tails Doll (destroyed)

Storyline
The original issues of the series and those soon to follow consisted mostly of isolated stories. That is, there was rarely any continuity between issues. However, there were the additions of new characters (such as Bunnie Rabbot, Knuckles, and Super Sonic) that would become familiar and lasting faces as the series continued. The early issues featured much of Sonic versus Robotnik, in which Sonic would constantly foil Robotnik's plans whether it be to tear down a forest or find the hidden location of Knothole Village. Eventually though, the issues started to gain a sense of an ongoing story, most notably with the addition of the Mecha Sonic story line in issue 39, in which Sonic is transformed into a robotic form and does as Robotnik commands. This would later be concluded in a Sonic Special issue where Knuckles gives himself up to be transformed into a robot in order to defeat Mecha Sonic. From here, the story line would be further developed into what is now a fully continuous one. Following the defeat of Mecha Sonic, the Freedom Fighters come together in issue 46 to discuss ways to attack and defeat Robotnik once and for all. The loyalty of many of the Freedom Fighters comes into question, particularly notable in a feud between Sonic and Geoffrey Saint John, member of the Acorn secret service. This continues into the renowned End Game saga which takes place over a four issue span, 47 through 50.

The saga begins with a mission by the Freedom Fighter and the Wolf Pack, led by Lupe, to attack Robotnik’s base. Princess Sally reveals thoughts of her father, King Acorn, telling her that it would soon become apparent that Sonic is a traitor. The mission proceeds and Sally is in need of help or she may fall to her death. The Freedom Fighters look on in despair when they think they see Sonic and assume that he will rescue the princess. Much to their surprise, Sonic aids Sally in falling to her death. The mission is called to retreat, and the Freedom Fighters move back to Knothole village. Meanwhile, Sonic is seen battling Robotnik inside the base (when he apparently left Sally for dead). Robotnik escapes and Sonic leaves the base wondering where the rest of his companions have gone. Sonic returns to Knothole only to be arrested and spared the death penalty in light of all his services, so instead is sentenced to life in prison on the Devil’s Gulag, where other notorious traitors such as Sleuth Doggy Dog (Issue 42) will be imprisoned with him. While Sonic is being transported to the Gulag, Swatbots attack the vessel and it crash lands. Sonic remains conscience and takes the opportunity to escape. News bears word and King Acorn demands the recapture of Sonic by Saint John. Sonic on the run, takes refuge in a cavern. Meanwhile, Bunny and Antoine discover that Drago (a member of the Wolf Pack) has been working with Robotnik in order to frame Sonic. This is followed by King Acorn issuing Robotnik as his new Warlord. Sonic, in the meantime, continues his run from Saint John and the secret service with aid from Dulcy the Dragon. Robotnik reveals his duplicate of the King by making it self destruct and the true plan has become evident to all. All this would lead up to Sonics return to Knothole in issue 50, where Sonic clears his name and heads to a final showdown with Robotnik. As the issue notes, Sonic is uncharacteristically devoid of humor as he approaches Robotnik. In the battle, Robotnik’s ultimate annihilator crashes and the room is destined for destruction, but Robotnik and Sonic remain to fight. In the end, Sonic emerges victorious and Robotnik dies. Sonic later revives Sally with a kiss.

Story lines continue to follow after the End Game saga. Ixis Nagaus makes his first appearance in issue 53. Although temporarily defeated, he would later return in issues 64 through 66, along with the appearance of Nate Morgan, former adviser of King Acorn, and Ixis would be defeated this time by Ultra Sonic, one of Sonics transformations.

Issue 75 reveals that an alternate version of Robotnik that Sonic faced in issue 19, known as Robo-Robotnik, survived the last encounter and killed his dimension's Sonic, and after learning about the original Robotnik's death in issue 50, decided to fill out the void in both his and Sonic Prime's life by traveling to Sonic's world sometime in between issues 51 and 62, and taking over Robotnik Prime's place. His presence is revealed by flashbacks to certain issues between issues 50 and 75. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters head to space to battle this Robo Robotnik, and although they defeat him, there are many other bodies standing in line. Robo-Robotnik went into one shaped funny, and became who is now Sonic's familiar enemy, Dr. Eggman.

Sonic Adventure was readily adapted into the series with the appearance of Chaos, beginning in issue 79. The saga ends with Sonic successfully defeating Perfect Chaos, the final form of Chaos after absorbing all of the emeralds, by transforming into Super Sonic in issue 84. Sonic does not actually destroy Chaos, as Chaos returns to his ancient beginnings to live in peace.

Issue 85 features Silver Sonic II, a scaled down version of the super robot seen in the Death Egg Saga. The next two issues (86 and 87) feature the return of Metal Sonic (first seen in Sonic the Hedgehog issue #25 and once again in the Knuckles Chaotix Special). Despite being able to defeat Sonic and Tails with ease, Metal Sonic realizes he can be more than his programming, and sacrifices himself to save Sonic and Tails from a lava flow.

Sonic Adventure 2 comes into adaptation for one issue (#98) featuring Shadow the Hedgehog. The majority of the issue leads up to the events of the game, and brings back Silver Sonic II, only to have him destroyed by Shadow.

In issue 125, Sonic's latest battle with the Xorda leaves him stranded in space after saving Knothole from the Quantum Dial, while everyone on Mobius assumed him to be dead. Sonic's journey through space leads up to many interesting story lines, such as the return of Super Sonic in issue 126, and his discovery that Tails' parents are still alive on a far off planet. Sonic returns in issue 130 where he reveals to everyone that he is indeed alive and well. He learns that Eggman has engaged in all-out war with the Kingdom of Acorn and the United Federation (Station Square's population).

Issues 131 through 144 introduce a side story line in taking place 25 years in the future. In this future, Sonic is king of Knothole and married to Sally. Knuckles has attained the rank of Guardian and is (unofficially) married to Julie Su. However all is not well as the timeline is in danger of collapsing into destruction. Sonic and Knuckles try with the help of Rotor to prevent this catastrophe. Sonic ends up saving the universe, but it is unfortunately reset with alterations, which are seen in issues #166 and 167.

Issue 145 features the return of Shadow, who continues to be a player, fighting both Sonic and a newly created Metal Sonic, in issues 146 through 149. This arc heavily touched on the history of Mobius (from the original conflict with the Xorda on Earth to prehistoric Mobius). Shadow reappears again in issues 157 through 161, as well as later issues. In issues 180 to 184 Knuckles was tricked by Dr. Finetevus into becoming Enerjak with the help of Scourge and The Destructix. In issues 189 to 196, Scourge and his newly reformed Suppression Squad took over Freedom HQ after Scourge became King Scourge. Robotnik created a Metal Scourge to aid Metal Sonic in fighting the two hedgehog twins. Sonic and Amy invaded Scourge's Moebius and in the hopes that Amy's evil double will help oust Scourge. Miles (Tails' duplicate) made a deal with the Freedom Fighters to have Scourge overthrown. Then things got crazy with Silver entering the series for the first time, Shadow appearing in Scourge's universe trying to find Chaos Emeralds and Eggman sending a Metal Sonic. In the all-out hedgehog brawl that ensued, Scourge used the power of the Anarchy Beryl (the Anti-Chaos Emerald) to make himself invulnerable, but Sonic deceived and defeated him.

In issue 200, Eggman goes insane after his defeat at Sonic, but returns to normal around 10 issues later. During Eggman's period of insanity, Snively allied himself with the Iron Queen and conquered New Mobotropolis. But the conquest was short-lived, and when the Iron Queen was defeated, Snively freed Eggman from prison in order to save his skin.

Issues 225 through 229 featured an arc named "GENESIS", to celebrate 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog. In this saga, Sonic finds himself in Green Hill Zone where he finds animals are being captured and imprisoned by an evil genius named Dr. Robotnik and his co-worker, Snively. Upon freeing animals from a capsule, Sonic discovers three Mobians named Sally Acorn, Boomer the Walrus, and Antoine D'Coolette, who were Freedom Fighters against Robotnik's dictation. Sally convinced Sonic to join them on the same mission to defeat Robotnik, to which Sonic accepted. Upon arriving at Scrap Brain Zone, they discovered Robotnik and made a quick victory, but later discovered that the mad scientist was still alive. Sonic then met a young fox named Miles Prower, but Miles preferred the name "Tails". He joined the Freedom Fighters in the second quest to locate Robotnik, where it was discovered that the Oil Ocean Refinery needed to be shut down, as it was used to power Robotnik's Death Egg. Sonic journeyed off to the Metropolis Zone (despite Sally's pleas) along with Tails. While the other Freedom Fighters shut down the Refinery, Sonic stormed the Death Egg and battled Dr. Robotnik as Super Sonic using Chaos Energy that powered the battle-station. Enabling Chaos Control, the world began to reset back to the present time of Issue 225.


 * During the course of events in GENESIS, some of the characters (primarily Sonic and Sally) began regaining their memories from the time before Dr. Eggman reset time with his Death Egg II, and eventually at the end all memory was restored.

When everything was reset at the end of the GENESIS saga, Dr. Eggman almost lost his sanity again, thus revealing that Eggman's mind is on a very short string. Instead of giving in to madness, though, Eggman tried to fire the Death Egg, which would have destroyed all machines on the planet. Sally foiled his scheme, but was roboticized in the process.

Around the same time Eggman unveiled his new Death Egg, Ixis Naugus returned and demanded that he be made king due to the fact that King Maximillian had technically handed his crown over to him while in the Zone of Silence. With help from Geophrey St. John and by fighting against the Death Egg, Naugus gained the favor of most of the Mobians and was declared king. Naugus then secretly helped Dr. Eggman by telling him that the Freedom Fighters were providing former King Elias an escort out of New Mobotropolis. The attack left Antoinne D'Coolette in a coma and Bunny left to fight on her own, putting an end to the original Freedom Fighters. In response, Sonic, Amy, Tails and Rotor formed two new teams. One, Team Fighters, would go take the battle to Eggman while the other, Team Freedom, would be charged with protecting New Mobotropolis. Former King Elias also formed a team of Secret Freedom Fighters that would work outside the law to take down Ixis Naugus and aid Team Freedom in protecting New Mobotropolis from attacks.

After many issues consisting of Team Fighters chasing Eggman and Elias waging a secret war against Ixis Naugus, the comic series entered a crossover with the Megaman series where evil doctors Eggman and Wily worked together to create a zone between their worlds and then use a second Genesis Wave on each. The evil geniuses then roboticized some of Sonic's friends and tricked Sonic and Megaman into fighting each other. In the end though, Sonic and Megaman worked together to stop Eggman and Wily. This time however, when Sonic tried to reset his world, Eggman messed up his concentration and the result was that Sonic's universe has been reset to an alternate timeline, one where Sally is not roboticized, Bunny is still half-robot and Antoine is not in a coma. To Sonic, this version of reality seems a lot happier than the previous one and he's no longer sure he wants to reset his world back to normal.

The comic details not only Sonic's present, but also his past and possible futures. 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. As noted above, the comic ran a series of stories called "Mobius: 25 Years Later", Sonic's possible future as King of Mobius. In these stories, we learn that King Sonic has become a recluse and has severed ties with most of his former friends, except for his continuing, strained relationship with Knuckles. The story will soon be continued with a story detailing the events after King Sonic's time travel causes another possible future in which Shadow is king.

The comic's mythology surrounding the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald is quite different from what is seen in the games. According to the comic, the Chaos Emeralds are the result of alien radiation reacting with beryl deposits thousands of years ago. While in the games there are only seven of these emeralds, there are hundreds in the comic continuity, with seven "Super Emeralds." In addition, the Master Emerald was created by Tails, who used the Chaos Siphon on several emeralds to unify them. In the games, however, the Master Emerald is thousands of years older than Tails, or anyone else, for that matter. This has recently been retconned by the authors though through "The Gathering" in which Turbo Tails and Super Shadow send all the multicolored Emeralds in the universe to the Zone of Silence. Once the Emeralds are sent there, Feist takes them and combines them into a single gem for each color. He also claims that to receive more Chaos Emeralds and that he will judge them. Given the surrounding of the newly reformed Zone of Silence, this judgment will likely come in the form of tasks similar to the special stages of the video games.

Story Arcs

 * Mecha Madness (#39-#40 + Mecha Madness Special)
 * End Game (#46-50)
 * The Naugus Trilogy/The World Tour Saga (#57-#66)
 * Robo-Robotnik's Return (#62-#76)
 * Sonic Adventure (#79-#84 + Sonic Super Special #13)
 * Heart of the Hedgehog (#86-#87)
 * Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy (#103-#104)
 * Crouching Hedgehog, Hidden Dragon (#106-#107)
 * Heart Held Hostage (#122-#123)
 * Sonic Adventure 2.5 (#124-#125)
 * Tossed in Space (#126-#129)
 * Home (#130-#134)
 * Mobius: 25 Years Later (#131-#144 + #166-#167)
 * Note: M25YL was originally intended to be a Super Special or two, but they were stopped after Super Special 15. Instead, it was moved/delayed until the comic storyline could manage to fit the story arc in.


 * The Tommy Trilogy (#135-#137)
 * Return to Angel Island (#138-#141)
 * The Original Freedom Fighters (#142-#143)
 * The Good, the Bad and the Unknown (#146-#149)
 * Songoose (#153-#154)
 * Line of Succession (#155-#156)
 * System Shutdown, Reconfiguration, and Reboot (#157-#159)
 * Birthday Bash (#160-#161)
 * The Darkest Storm (#162-#164)
 * Order From Chaos (#168-#169)
 * Eggman Empire (#175-#177)
 * House of Cards  (#178-#179)
 * Enerjak Returns (#180-#184)
 * Mogul Rising (#185-#186)
 * Mogul's Mercenaries (#187-#188)
 * A Bold New Moebius (King Scourge) (#189-#196)
 * Taking Down The Eggman Empire (#198-#200)
 * Return of the Iron Queen (#201-#212 + Sonic Universe #13-#16)
 * Troubles, Trials, and Team Ups (#213-#218)
 * Chaos and The Crown (#219-#224)
 * Death Egg Mark II (#224-#225)
 * GENESIS (#226-#229)
 * From Bad… (#230-#233,+ SU #35-#36)
 * …to Worse! (#234-#235)
 * New Hope (#236-#238)
 * Secret Freedom Fighters  (#238-#241 + Sonic Universe #41-#44)
 * Endangered Species (#243-#246)
 * At All Costs (#247-#252)
 * Sonic/Megaman Crossover Parts 3, 6, 9, and 12 (#248-#251)
 * Countdown to Chaos(#253-#257)
 * The Chase (#258-#259)
 * Waves of Change (#260-#263)
 * Control (#264-#265)
 * Ambushed (#266-#267)

Adaptations
The Sonic the Hedgehog 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 episodes of Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as complete or partial adaptations of the video games. Since Ian Flynn's time period of writing began, the adaptions were turned into short, non-canonical stories, simply called "In Another Time, In Another Place".


 * Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) (#226-227) (Sonic X #10-11)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (#228-229)
 * Sonic Spinball (#6)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (#13)
 * Sonic & Knuckles (Sonic &amp; Knuckles Special)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog CD (#25)
 * SegaSonic the Hedgehog (Knuckles #26-28) (arcade game)
 * Sonic Triple Trouble (Sonic Triple Trouble Special)
 * Tails Adventure (Sonic Universe 17-20)
 * Knuckles' Chaotix (Knuckles' Chaotix Special)
 * Sonic 3D Blast (Sonic Blast Special)
 * Sonic Adventure (Super Special #13, and issues 78-85, originally planned to be 78-83, and Knuckles issues 33-34 before it was canceled after issue 32)
 * Sonic Shuffle (#92)
 * Sonic Adventure 2 (#98 and Sonic Universe #2)
 * Sonic Rush (#160 & #161)
 * Sonic Riders (#163 & #164)
 * Shadow The Hedgehog (#171) (Shadow's origins)
 * Sonic Rush Adventure (#180)
 * Sonic and the Secret Rings (free comic made for the game)
 * Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (#191)
 * Sonic Unleashed (#193 & #257-??? +SU #63-66)
 * Sonic and the Black Knight (#197)
 * Sonic Colors (#219)
 * Sonic Generations (230)
 * Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (SU #45)

Sonic the Hedgehog Episodes:
 * Sonic the Hedgehog (Super Special #8, Episode: "Ghost Busted")
 * Sonic the Hedgehog (#113, Episode: "Cry of the Wolf")

Movies:
 * Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (#101)

Specials, Miniseries and Knuckles Series
Sonic the Hedgehog was originally published as a four issue mini-series, with the first issue labeled as "issue 0" and the second as "issue 1" (despite the note on issue 1 that it was the "first issue"). At the end of issue 3 (the fourth issue of the series), it was announced that Sonic would return in a regular series, and the next issue was published as "issue 1" of the regular series.

In addition to the main Sonic series, Archie Comics 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' stories featured its own cast of Characters, including the Chaotix and Knuckles' romantic interest, Julie-Su. Like the Sonic comic, Knuckles' comic is filled with background information about Knuckles' family history. Knuckles' 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 canceled, but the stories were continued in the pages of Sonic the Hedgehog. After Knuckles' 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' appearances have been infrequent but his story continues within Sonic's stories.

The creators also have a comic strip similar to those found in a newspaper at the end of some issues called Off-Panel. Off-Panel was in every issue for a long time and continues infrequently in the comic series. The strips parody the lives of the editor and the writers as they walk around the office and interact with characters from the comic in various ways.

Homages
Sonic the Hedgehog occasionally features homages to other mainstream or third-party comic books. The most prominent among these include:
 * The Anti-Freedom Fighters (a 'bad' version of Sonic and his friends) hail from the Anti-Verse, a parallel universe where evil replaces good. They are a spoof of Crime Syndicate, an evil counterpart to the Justice League, which inhabits a universe where Superman, Batman and their fellow DC Comics superheroes are corrupt.
 * The villain Mammoth Mogul bares similarities to famous comic book villains such as Lex Luthor, Kingpin, and Vandal Savage. His similarities to the former(s) come from him being a powerful businessman who is nigh-untouchable by the law. His similarities to Vandal Savage come from him gaining incredible powers and immortality from coming into contact into with a meteor (one of the trillions of Chaos Emeralds that fell to Mobius' surface during the Coming of the Chaos Emeralds) plus he has tried taking over the world numerous times, and has played key roles throughout history, namely the Forgotten War.
 * The Bunnie-Antoine relationship slightly mirrors that of Rogue and Gambit, one of the better-known couples from X-Men; Bunnie is famous for calling people "Hon" or "Sugah" (like Rogue), and Antoine often peppers his dialog with French phrases (similar to Gambit).
 * A multiverse exists in Sonic's world that allows for travel to parallel universes, similar to the DC multiverse. Sonic and other characters navigate the dimensions using a literal superhighway called the Cosmic Interstate.
 * Certain 48-page specials of Sonic have been devoted to thinly-veiled spoofs or crossovers with different comic publications. The Sonic Super Special "Parallel Paradigm" features a mass crossover with Savage Dragon, Shadowhawk, The Maxx, and other characters from Image Comics. A later issue chronicles Sonic's stint in another reality, where he meets a superhero-themed version of the Freedom Fighters that are based on Marvel Comics' Guardians of the Galaxy.

Comics
The Sonic the Hedgehog comic continuity is currently comprised of the following comics:
 * Sonic the Hedgehog Miniseries #0-3 (Published monthly from February to May 1993)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog #1-262 (ongoing) (Published monthly from July 1993 to December 2000, published thirteen times a year (every four weeks) thereafter)
 * Sonic Universe #1-65 (ongoing) (Published monthly,published 12 times a year)
 * Sonic Specials (Eight individual issues, published quarterly from 1995 to 1997)
 * Sonic: In Your Face! (January 1995)
 * Sonic & Knuckles (August 1995)
 * Sonic Triple Trouble (October 1995)
 * Knuckles' Chaotix (January 1996)
 * Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles (January 1996)
 * Mecha Madness (July 1996)
 * Sonic Live! (February 1997)
 * Sonic Blast (March 1997)
 * Princess Sally Acorn Miniseries #1-3 (Published monthly from April to June 1995)
 * Tails Miniseries #1-3 (Published monthly from December 1995 to February 1996)
 * Knuckles Miniseries #1-3 (Published monthly from July to September 1996)
 * SonicQuest: The Death Egg Saga Miniseries #1-3 (Published monthly from December 1996 to February 1997, reprinted February 2007)
 * Knuckles the Echidna #1-32 (Published monthly from April 1997 to February 2000)
 * Sonic Super Specials #1-15 (Published quarterly from 1997 to 2001)
 * 1: Battle Royal (Summer 1997)
 * 2: Brave New World (Fall 1997)
 * 3: Sonic Firsts (Winter 1998)
 * 4: Return of the King (Spring 1998)
 * 5: Sonic Kids (Summer 1998)
 * 6: Sonic #50: Director's Cut (Fall 1998)
 * 7: Sonic/Image Crossover (Winter 1999)
 * 8: Sally Moon (Spring 1999)
 * 9: Sonic Kids 2 (Summer 1999)
 * 10: Crossover Chaos (Fall 1999)
 * 11: Girls Rule! (Winter 2000)
 * 12: Turnabout Heroes (Spring 2000)
 * 13: Sonic Adventure (Summer 2000)
 * 14: Sonic Stew (Fall 2000)
 * 15: Naugus Games (Winter 2001)
 * Free Comic Book Day 2007 comic (a one-shot comic made for free distribution on Free Comic Book Day 2007.)
 * Free Comic Book Day 2008 comic (a special reprint of Issue #1 of the main comic series, with a new cover--based on the original--by Patrick "Spaz" Spaziante, made for free distribution on Free Comic Book Day 2008)
 * Free Comic Book Day 2009 comic Sonic: Evolution of a Hero A comic-sized summary of the comic continuity so far, includes covers of almost every Sonic comic to date.
 * Free Comic Book Day 2010 comic (Hide and Seek and Destroy: a one-shot comic made for distribution on Free Comic Book Day 2010.)
 * Free Comic Book Day 2011 comic (Rematch! A one-shot comic which serves as an internim between 224 and 225, made for free distribution on Free Comic Book Day 2011)
 * Free Comic Book Day 2012 comic (a special reprint of issue #230 with some text based stories on what happened to certain characters that you didn't see in the GENESIS universe.)
 * Free Comic Book Day 2013 comic (a special flipbook reprint of the second half of issue #247 as well as the second half of Mega Man issue #23 to promote Worlds Collide.)
 * Free Comic Book Day 2014 comic (a special flipbook that contains the Sonic Comic Origins for Sally & Rotor as well as Mega Man's "The X Factor" story arc from issues #34-35.)

A comic called Sonic X, based on the Sonic X cartoon series, is also published by Archie Comics: Sonic has appeared in issue #28 of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as well in a two-part crossover which concluded in Sonic Super Special #10: Crossover Chaos.
 * Sonic X #1- 40 (Published ten times a year from November 2005 to December 2008)
 * Sonic Boom (upcoming)

Trade Paperbacks
Trade Paperbacks have also been released, typically collecting older, hard-to-find issues and compiling them in a single volume. These include:
 * Sonic Firsts (1998) (Includes the first appearances of Sonic the Hedgehog, Bunnie Rabbot, Super Sonic, and Knuckles the Echidna, taking stories from issue #0 of the original Sonic Miniseries, and issues #3, #4, and #13 of the regular series. A special electronic edition of this comic is among the special features in the Sonic Mega Collection game. Forwarded by Paul Castiglia, a former editor of the Sonic comics.)
 * Sonic: The Beginning (2003) (A reprint of the original Sonic Miniseries, with a foreword by their author Michael Gallagher)
 * Sonic Archives #0 (2008) (A smaller version of Sonic: The Beginning)
 * Sonic Archives #1 (November 2006) (A reprint of issues #1-4 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #2 (December 2006) (A reprint of issues #5-8 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #3 (May 2007) (A reprint of issues #9-12 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #4 (June 2007) (A reprint of issues #13-16 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #5 (September 2007) (A reprint of issues #17-20 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #6 (October 2007) (A reprint of issues #21-24 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #7 (May 2008) (A reprint of issues #25-28 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #8 (August 2008) (A reprint of issues #29-32 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #9 (October 2008) (A reprint of issues #33-36 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #10 (March 2009) (A reprint of issues #37-40 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #11 (August 2009) (A reprint of issues #41-44 of the regular series)
 * Sonic Archives #12
 * Sonic Archives #13
 * Sonic Archives #14
 * Sonic Archives #15
 * Sonic Archives #16
 * Sonic Archives #17
 * Sonic Archives #18
 * Sonic Archives #19
 * Sonic Archives #20
 * Sonic Archives #21
 * Sonic Archives #22
 * Sonic Select #1 (May 2008) (A reprint of the 48 page specials, "Sonic In Your Face", "Sonic & Knuckles", "Sonic Triple Trouble", and one story, "The Substitute Freedom Fighters," from "Sonic Live")
 * Sonic Select #2 (November 2008) (A reprint of the 48 page specials,"Knuckles' Chaotix", "Super Sonic VS. Hyper Knuckles", "Mecha Madness" and part 2 of "Knuckles' Quest" as seen in "Sonic Live")

Notable Issues
Features the debut of Sonic's classic Figure Eight maneuver. Sonic faces off with his robotic counterpart Metal Sonic
 * #25: Go Ahead, Mecha my Day

The last issue of the End Game saga, Sonic faces Ivo Kintobor (Robotnik) one last time. Robotnik is killed by his own doomsday weapon, used by his nephew Snively.
 * #50: The Big Goodbye

Sonic's change to his now familiar appearance with green eyes and golden shoe buckles.
 * #71: Retro Activity

The first appearance of the new and now familiar Eggman. He retakes Mobotropolis and turns it back into Robotropolis. Most of the roboticized citizens, except for Sonic's parents, were controlled again.
 * #75: I Am The Eggman

The Freedom Fighters rescue all of the Robians from Robotropolis.
 * #100: Reunion

Station Square launched a Nuclear Strike against Robotropolis by accident. Sonic and Tails managed to get Eggman to activate the city's shield just as the missiles strike. Sonic and Tails escape as Robotropolis (and seemingly Robotnik and Snively) is destroyed.
 * #110: War Games

The Bem conduct an experiment by turning Sonic and Tails into their Mecha Form, and turning Robotnik and Snively into humans. As a result, Sonic and Tails were returned to their regular form, while Robotnik and Snively will remain human forever.
 * #118: Robotnik's Return

Sonic saves Mobius from destruction by defeating the Xorda. As a result, he is beamed out into space. All of Mobius believed him to be dead.
 * #125: Sonic Adventure 2.5: Omega

Sonic returns to Mobius, seeing much has change a year after his apparent death. He reunites with his friends to save Knothole and Station Square from Eggman, who had declared war on both cities.
 * #130-133: Home

After a heated argument, Sally breaks up with Sonic.
 * #134: Say You Will...

Evil Sonic comes and wreaks havoc on Mobius Prime, while Sonic is sent to Evil Mobius. Tails defeats Mammoth Mogul again by transforming into Titan Tails.
 * #150: From Hero to Zero In No Time At All

Eggman successfully defeats Sonic in battle and destroys Knothole Village, while capturing its citizens in the process, with an exception to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy.
 * #175: Eggman Empire

With the help of NICOLE, Sonic and friends rescued everyone and sabotaged Eggman's powerful robot, transporting them to their new home of New Mobotropolis, made from Eggman's abandoned nanite city.
 * #176-177 After The Invasion

Sonic confronts and defeats Dr. Eggman once and for all, and the doctor finally loses his mind after several issues of mental decline (Starting from issue #177, though it was not revealed until #194), and the rise of the Iron Dominion.
 * #200: Turnabout is Fair Play

Sonic, Tails, and Sally fly The Tornado to the new and improved Death Egg. When Tails drops Sonic and Sally off, Sonic and Sally kiss for the first time since issue #134 (the issue Sonic and Sally broke up in). Silver Sonic returns in a new and improved form to fight off Sonic (and distract him) while Dr. Eggman talks to Sally (not in person) about her weaknesses and then shoots at her with a triple bullet gun and supposedly kills her while Sonic rushes to her, showing the pair of goggles Sally was wearing, laying on the ground and broken.
 * #225: One Step Forward

Sonic, Sally, Tails, Antoine, and Rotor (referred to as "Boomer") venture through a series of events based off of Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. In the end, Sonic and Sally regain their memories and Sonic uses Chaos Control to reset time back to the present at Issue 225. Sonic is able to set time ten seconds before Sally's "death." Within time, Metal Sonic and Silver Sonic distract Sonic, while Sally and NICOLE destory Eggman's roboticizer. Sally sacrifices herself, and is roboticized into Mecha Sally.
 * #226-229: GENESIS
 * #230: Two Steps Back

List of Writers

 * Karl Bollers
 * Paul Castiglia
 * Romy Chacon
 * Angelo DeCesare
 * Joe Edkin
 * Clayton Emery
 * Danny Fingeroth
 * Ian “Potto” Flynn
 * Mike Gallagher
 * Mike Kanterovich
 * Benny Lee
 * J. Oliveras
 * Ken Penders
 * Tania del Rio
 * Tom Rolston
 * Evan Skolnick
 * Frank Strom
 * Kent Taylor
 * Tracy Yardley!

List of Pencillers

 * Chris Allan
 * Jeff Axer
 * Gary Bedell
 * Dawn Best
 * Al Bigley
 * Steven Butler
 * Colleen Doran
 * James Fry
 * John Hebert
 * Matt Herms
 * Michael Higgins
 * Kyle Hunter
 * David Hutchison
 * Manny Galan
 * Jon Gray
 * Sanford Greene
 * Ron Lim
 * Dave Manak
 * Art Mawhinney
 * Sam Maxwell
 * Harvey “Harvo” Mercadoocasio
 * Nelson Ortega
 * Ken Penders
 * Nelson Ribeiro
 * Tania del Rio
 * Scott Shaw!
 * Tom Smith III
 * Patrick "Spaz" Spaziante
 * Frank Strom
 * Brian Thomas
 * Jim Valentino
 * Todd Wahnish
 * Tracy Yardley!
 * Ben Bates

List of Inkers

 * Jim Amash
 * Saleem Crawford
 * Jon D'Agostino
 * Pam Eklund
 * Mike Higgins
 * Rich Koslowski
 * Harvey Mercadoocasio
 * Al Milgrom
 * Jay Oliveras
 * Ken Penders
 * Andrew Pepoy
 * Jeff Powell
 * Aimee Ray
 * Josh Ray
 * Nelson Ribeiro
 * Henry Scarpelli
 * Phil Sheehy
 * Brian Thomas
 * Conor Tomas
 * Bill White

Trivia

 * During the early run of the comic book series, the stories were more similar to the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog than the SatAM show in terms of story plots, being that the comics had isolated stories.
 * The comic series was also in the Guinness Book of World Records for "Longest Running Video-Game Based Comic."

Resources

 * 1) Sonic HQ (1/17/06):