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Archie Comic Publications, Inc. is an American comic book publisher that published various comics related to the Sonic the Hedgehog series which started in 1993, including original adaptations of the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic X, Sonic Boom and an original title called Sonic Universe. All the comics were officially sponsored by Sega. As of 2017, however, all Sonic-related publications from Archie have been canceled.[1]

Archie Comics carried the Comics Code Authority (CCA) seal; however, it was removed in February 2011 in favor of self-regulation of content.

In May 2011, Archie released the first issue of Mega Man, based on the Capcom games and featuring the character of the same name. From April to August 2013, Mega Man #24-27 crossed over with both Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe in a twelve issue storyline Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide. From May to August 2015, a second crossover with the Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic Universe comics occurred, a twelve issue storyline known as Worlds Unite, after which the canon of the Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe comics was rebooted.

On 19 July 2017, Sega announced that Archie would no longer carry the Sonic license, which was subsequently transferred to IDW Publishing, marking the cancellation of the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic franchise after.[1]

List of Sonic comic series

Sonic the Hedgehog

The cover of the of Sonic the Hedgehog.

The cover of the first issue of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie comic series)

Published since 1993 and closing in 2017, the comic was heavily inspired by the Sonic the Hedgehog television series and contained many characters from that series in its storyline along with many original characters as well as game characters. Occasionally, they were combined with actual cartoon or game adaptations, with the former tending to be non-canon side stories. However, following the Worlds Collide crossover event, the comics were rebooted to be more in-line with the games. There were a total of 290 released issues, the most a video game comic adaptation has ever had.

Knuckles the Echidna

The of Knuckles the Echidna.

The first issue of Knuckles the Echidna.

Main article: Knuckles the Echidna (comic series)

Starting as a mini-series called Knuckles: the Dark Legion, Archie decided to extend the comic into an ongoing series called Knuckles the Echidna, which lasted a total of 32 issues. These comics were written by Ken Penders. These comics starred Knuckles and Julie-Su the Echidna resulting in a lot of romantic tension until after the series ended and the two finally got together.

Sonic X

The of Sonic X.

The first issue of Sonic X.

Main article: Sonic X (comic series)

From 2005, Archie Comics began a comic series based on the anime series Sonic X. While the series is set in the timeline of Sonic X, their plots are original. In response to the fan letters, the writers have stated that the comic series takes place between the second and third seasons (so after the Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 adaptations, but before the gang returns to their unnamed homeworld). The series had a total of 40 issues. The last issue notably featured a crossover with the regular Sonic the Hedgehog series involving Shadow and Metal Sonic from that universe that transitions to Sonic Universe.

Many other characters have had cameo appearances, including Cosmo who never appeared until around the time Season 3 of Sonic X was announced.

Sonic Universe

The cover of .

The cover of Sonic Universe #1.

Main article: Sonic Universe

After the Sonic X comic series was canceled, it was replaced by a spin-off series called Sonic Universe which picked up right after its predecessor. The series was made up of four-issue story arcs that are able to explore characters and locations not necessary in the main book. The arcs were also created with trade paperbacks in mind (see graphic novel section below). It should be noted that Tracy Yardley had illustrated almost every single issue thus far. The series had a total of 94 released issues.

Sonic Boom

The cover of .

The cover of Sonic Boom #1.

Main article: Sonic Boom (comic series)

In late 2014, Archie Comics began publishing another spin-off comic series based on the Sonic Boom sub-franchise. These comics lasted until September 2015, spanning 11 issues.

Other

Along with these series, Archie also produced five mini-series' (Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess Sally, Tails, Knuckles and Sonic Quest). Archie also produced eight special issues, many of which were adaptations of video games. 15 more specials were made under the title of Sonic Super Special. Archie also produced special issues of Sonic the Hedgehog for Free Comic Book Day starting from 2007.

List of Sonic Trade Paperbacks

Throughout the run of the Sonic comics Archie had produced many individual graphic novels as well as several series, each reprinting past issues or stories.

Trivia

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sega on Twitter. Twitter (19 July 2017). Retrieved on 20 July 2017.

External links