So the new Sonic titles for the year have come and gone; namely Sonic Lost World, Sonic 2 (2013 remake) by Retro’s very own Stealth & The Taxman, and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. These all out of the way (and indeed 2013), we’ve not got too much new for a while until information about the next games starts coming out. As such, I think it’s a good time to look back on some earlier titles, and finally finish off the 4-part extravaganza that has been our look at how Fleetway‘s Sonic the Comic covered the Sonic 3 & Knuckles storyline. So, let’s get started!
Browsing Tag
Archie
Hello and welcome to my formal introduction to the Sonic Retro news page! My name is Barry, I’m an admin, writer and graphic designer for Sonic Retro sister site SEGAbits. Since our April 1st partnership, we’ve been making strides to bridge the sites, including bringing Sonic Retro writers on as SEGAbits writers. Now that I’m an official writer over here, consider the bridge built, but we still have improvements in the works.
To show that I have nothing to hide, I thought I’d be upfront about something. The letter to the left is my claim to fame in the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics, appearing in Sonic Super Special #15’s Sonic Grams. The issue itself was awful, featuring the worst art I have ever seen in a commercial comic book. But my contribution is arguably worse than the work of Many Hands. After gushing a bit too much over Archie’s Sonic Adventure adaptation, I noted my disapproval of a previous issue’s letter asking for the series to stop introducing new characters. It was then that I wrote what I’ll always regret writing: “I say the more characters, the better!”. Could I have unwittingly inspired Ken Penders to soldier ahead with his army of Knuckles clones? Was Mobius 25 Years Later my doing?
I should note that the original letter was edited down by Archie’s Sonic staff. I distinctly remember saying that I wanted more characters from the games, and I gave a specific shout out to the Chaotix. Still, the damage was done. So that’s my confession. At least they didn’t cut the part where I gave kudos to the awesome Patrick Spaziante.
Glad to be on the Sonic Retro writing staff and hopefully you all can forgive me.
The Sonic the Hedgehog comics, Archie and STC alike, have dedicated followings. One of the people responsible for the comics is Ian Flynn, the chief writer for the Archie series since #160. Recently, he sat down for an interview with the Super Power Flower Hour, a relatively new Sonic-related podcast. He gives his thoughts on the Sonic franchise, working on the comics, the Mega Man comics, and more. Check it out.
Welcome back to the second half of our look at the interim arcs of the Sonic 3 & Knuckles adaptation! Last time we travelled with Sonic and Amy Rose to the Marble Garden Zone, escaped the newly-revealed secret headquarters of Sonic & company as Big Arms smashed the place to pieces, and did some gambling with the Mario Marxio Brothers in the Carnival Night Zone. However we’ve got much more ground to cover, so let’s get started!
You’ve waited over a year for it, but it’s here: the second part of possibly Sonic the Comic’s best story arc, that of Sonic 3 and Knuckles. However, I’m teasing a bit, sorry! The build-up to the final conclusion to the game’s story (which by 16-bit Sonic standards, was quite involved) took a couple of months, presumably to stretch out the material as much as possible before the next game came out. As such, we got a few shorter arcs before the final main story started, and that’s what we’ll be looking at today & next week, covering the final conclusion in Part 6 – simply as you miss things otherwise. Hey, don’t look so sad, you there at the back – there’s some fun stuff here. Think of these as an early Christmas present!
Sonic Underground wasn’t a series anyone asked for. In 1999, the west was finally able to experience Sonic Adventure, a game that, for better or worse, redefined Sonic for a new generation. At the same time, DiC entertainment, who had developed two Sonic animated series concurrently back in 1993, decided to take advantage of the license once again and create a brand new Sonic the Hedgehog series. Instead of trying to base it on the new game, however, the company went in a completely different direction. Making Sonic a prince and giving him two siblings, the trio fought Dr. Robotnik with the power of music in each episode while looking for their long-lost mother. Yes, the show didn’t make a whole lot of sense, and though 40 episodes were produced, it was lost in the shuffle, a strange child that reflected neither what SEGA was trying to do with the character or what even DiC had done a few years prior.
That’s why it might come as a surprise to find that, after all this time, the Underground will be revisited. Announced on the gaming site Destructoid, Issue #50 of the spin-off title Sonic Universe will feature the return of the Sonic Underground universe, picking up right where the show left off. Penned by current comic scribe Ian Flynn, not much has been revealed aside from the cover art and the fact it will serve as an epilogue. Though Sonic Underground isn’t the first Sonic series that comes to mind when thinking of much-needed conclusions, I must admit that I am a bit tickled at the prospect. Will Sonic jam with his siblings for one final time? Will their mother finally be found? Will Robotnik’s final demise come from the wailing tones of a magical guitar? Whatever the answers, they’ll have to fit in a single issue, since that’s all we’re getting.
This isn’t the show’s first appearance in the pages of the Archieverse. For those who remember, the Sonic Underground universe originally appeared in Issue #10 of the short-lived Sonic Super Special series, a simple crossover that simply acknowledged a new show had begun airing without trying to incorporate its continuity in a comic that was already dealing with multiple personality disorder brought on by DiC’s other Sonic cartoons. Sadly, we’ll have to wait until March 2013 before we once again visit the world of Sonic Underground. I just hope that Ian doesn’t take this trip down memory lane too seriously, because if he does…well, that would just be missing the point.
[Source: Destructoid]
It certainly didn’t take long for all the details to surface after a little teaser image popped up on Twitter from USA Today writer Brian Truitt.
Archie sent out a press release confirming Sonic and Mega Man will team up for 12 issues of robot smashing and evil doctorate base demolition, as penned by fan-favorite writer, Ian Flynn. In a report by USA Today, the book’s editor Paul Kaminski revealed that Sega and Capcom finalized the deal just before the start of last year’s New York ComicCon, and his first call to begin production went straight to Flynn.
Talking of the phone call to Flynn, “His response was, ‘I have been writing that story since we began the Mega Man title,’ ” Kaminski said. “Of course, I thought he was joking, but not an hour later my inbox was flooded with Sonic/Mega Man story synopses.”
“I’m already living the dream by writing the Sonic titles,” Flynn said. “Then I got to live the other dream of writing for Mega Man. With that many dreams being handed to me, I figured it was only a matter of time.”
Although no date has been confirmed for the first issue’s release, the series will be available both in print and digitally. Look below for the full press release.
There is something infinitely magical about Tumblr. It’s praises have been sung in the past before on Sonic Retro, from places that make you squeal in delight at Sonic the Comic imagery, to the ever-growing collection of .gifs featuring Sonic running in ways you won’t see in any beta. Well kids and kidettes, strap yourself in: another Tumblr of interest is coming your way.
Serving as the perfect counterpart to the Fuck Yeah Sonic the Comic comes A Moment of Archie Sonic.
So the big day is finally here, and at long last after months of waiting, Sonic Generations is finally here for us all to enjoy – so long as you live in North America, that is. Us poor sods in the Old World have to wait another 3 whole days before we can open our shiny new disk boxes; listening meanwhile in tormented agony to our crowing friends across the pond, blasting their way though Sky Sanctuary and Planet Wisp in glorious HD.
Clearly, we need to find something that only we in Europe (if I’m honest, more specifically the UK, but work with me here) really had, in order to sustain us until Friday finally rolls around (pun totally intended). Ladies and gentlemen, I present the first part of Sonic the Comic‘s finest hour: the adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
The Sonic Genesis arc of Archie’s comic book series is nearing its close as Sonic and the Freedom Fighters are gunning toward a showdown with Dr. Eggman aboard his Death Egg. For fans of the comic book, this has no doubt been an exciting ride that Ian Flynn has been putting readers through. To make it even more special, those that are attending New York Comic Con can get a special convention exclusive cover for Sonic #229, as well as a Mega Man: Powered Up inspired cover for Mega Man #6.