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Comics, Humor

“SONIC-GRAMS” VOL. 6: KEN PENDERS EXTRA

It’s been 13 years since David last thrilled us with his look back at the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic’s letter page “Sonic Grams”. Like many beloved long dormant franchises, we’re bringing the segment back to pull at your nostalgic heartstrings AND to introduce some long lost Archie Sonic content from the Ken Penders era!

David sat down with me on the long-running SEGAbits podcast The Swingin’ Report Show to not only discuss the history of Sonic-Grams, but also debut three long lost newsletters published alongside the comic book which featured writings from Ken Penders covering what was happening in the comics as well as shining the spotlight on fellow writers and artists. The full episode is below, and I’ve also linked the comic pages featuring the PDF scans of the newsletters.

But here is the important part: We are missing Volume 1, Number 1! It was released before issue 28, likely in the summer of 1994, but that is all we know. If you own the first newsletter, let us know in the comments and please scan and upload it to the Sonic Retro wiki!

Volume 1 #2: Archie Sonic issue 28
Volume 2 #1: Archie Sonic issue 40
Volume 3 #1: Archie Sonic issue 49

Comics

Evan Stanley Takes Over IDW Sonic Writing Duties, Ian Flynn Still On Board

If you’ve been paying attention to the comic book industry at all over the last few weeks, you know things haven’t been exactly smooth. With comic book shops having to close, Diamond suspending its distribution services, and production behind-the-scenes seemingly grinding to a halt? It’s hard to know when any comic, let alone Sonic the Hedgehog, will be back on a normal schedule again.

Luckily, IDW announced today some news regarding the future of the Sonic titles, letting fans know that even during this time of uncertainty, they’re not planning on cancelling everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog anytime soon. With the “Zombot” arc meant to wind down over the next few issues, questions have been raised as to what is next. With a couple solicitations (sans date, of course), we’ve gotten our first clue to the future of Sonic. And behind the writer’s pen? None other than Evan Stanley.

If you don’t want to know the slightest bit of spoilers, don’t click the jump. Otherwise, read on.

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Comics

Nigel Dobbyn, Comic Artist, Passes Away Aged 56

Nigel Dobbyn, prolific UK comic artist, has passed away at the age of 56.

Well known for his contributions to long-running British series 2000AD among others, Nigel is possibly best known to Sonic fans for his time with Sonic the Comic, becoming one of the mainstays of the art staff on the comic and even contributing to the online continuation of it, StC Online. British fans growing up in the 90s will especially remember his stellar work on the Knuckles strips, his depiction of the character becoming definitive to many. His work is some of StC’s finest and it’s with a heavy heart we report on his passing.

Comics

Sonic Comic Series Now Going To IDW

An announcement has been made that the Sonic series is going in a new direction, with IDW publishing!


While this is great news, nothing has been mentioned as to whether the original Freedom Fighter gang will show up in this new beginning. Sega and DiC are the original copyright holders of the original Freedom Fighters, so it is very possible! Stay tuned for more information as it comes in!

Comics

Sonic the Hedgehog Archie Comic Book Series Cancelled After 24 Years


After 24 long years with plenty of ups and downs, the Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter confirmed today that the Archie Sonic series has finally been put to rest. This comes after months of silence from both parties as the series was put on hiatus after 290 at the end of 2016. The comic has run alongside Sonic since 1992 and featured characters from both the video games and the Saturday Morning Cartoon.
For those wanting to reminisce on Archie’s take of the games, check out “How Archie Played the Games”  and “Mobius: 25 Years Later,” by our very own David the Lurker.

Comics, Humor

How Fleetway Played The Games, Part 10: Of Prosecutors and Goodbyes

Can you really believe it’s been six whole years since I started this Fleetway thing back in part 1? How time flies when you’re having fun… or are too lazy to keep writing really long pieces without year-long gaps!
Anyway… last time a lot of things happened. Amongst other things there was a new foe, a tragedy, a crisis of confidence, some time travel shenanigans, and on the tail end of that we’d just discovered a Drakon Prosecutor back in the distant past of the Floating Island. You can read all of that in part 9 though: let’s dive in and get back to where we were, shall we? Hit the jump for the second half of StC’s adaptation of Sonic Adventure – and remember, LARGE spoilers for the end of Sonic the Comic lie beyond, as this part covers the very end of the comic’s run of original material.
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Comics, Humor

How Fleetway Played The Games, Part 9: Of Chaos and Chaos Emeralds


Once again it’s just over a year since last time in the series. Having gone through a variety of one-offs and short-run stories, we rejoin Sonic the Comic at issue #175, for the final original story in the comic’s run – the 10-part adaptation of the Dreamcast launch title and fan-favourite that is Sonic Adventure. The world of Sonic Adventure being as different as it is to what had already been established through StC’s continuity, the writers decided to do their own unique take on the story. I’ll warn you at this point though – because this is the last story of StC, there’s some MAJOR spoilers ahead in tying up loose ends and just throwing a few curve balls at the reader. Consider yourselves warned, OK? Where else do you get spoiler warnings for material that’s nearly 2 decades old?
Right. Let’s get this thing rolling! Hit the jump to continue.
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Comics, Opinion, Podcasts

SEGA News Bits: Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Cancelled Rumor and Analysis


On this SEGA News Bits, Barry and George share their analysis of the rumor that Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics are cancelled. How did this rumor spring up? Is there any validity to it? What could happen to the Sonic comic books should it happen? Give the video a watch to find out!
SEGA News Bits is a production of SEGAbits, covering all things SEGA and Sonic the Hedgehog. When we touch on Sonic stories, you’ll be seeing them here on Sonic Retro as well. If you enjoyed this episode of the SEGA News Bits, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss an episode!

Comics, Community, Game News

SoS 2016 – The Kickstarter Edition

001-welcome_to_sos16It’s been three years since the last Summer of Sonic, but this year the UK-based Sonic the Hedgehog convention was brought back for “One More Run” thanks to a Kickstarter campaign that reached half the requested amount inside 5 hours, and smashed the intended target by over another 50% on top. Clearly the fan demand was still there 3 years on, and excitement about the show reached fever pitch when it was confirmed shortly after the 25th anniversary party in San Diego that our friends at Sega America had generously supplied some demo pods for Summer of Sonic – attendees would be the first in Europe to play the hotly anticipated Sonic Mania. So, how’d the event go? Let’s find out, shall we? Continue Reading

Comics

That Sonic Mega Drive Comic is Looking Real Good

Sonic Mega Drive Next Level cover header
Archie announced last February that they’d be releasing a one-shot classic Sonic comic called Sonic Mega Drive on July 6th, 2016. With the release date drawing closer we are now not only getting a closer look at the incredible art drawn for the comic, but also the announcement of a sequel!
The sequel is called Sonic Mega Drive – The Next Level, and will be released later this year. Not much is known about it, but it does again sport some fantastic cover art drawn by Tyson Hesse. Vincent Lovallo, the editor of the comic, said in an interview with IGN that the events of the comics will also feed into the regular Archie Sonic series.
IGN also asked if an ongoing Mega Drive comic series is possible, to which Lovallo answered “Absolutely. I think that if there is enough of a demand for it, there is a strong possibility that could come to light.” If you want to know more details, here’s the interview.
Be sure to take a look at the amazing work the team at Archie did with the previews of the first issue of Mega Drive and the cover art of The Next Level down below.
[Source: IGN]