User:TheJoebro64/drafts/SonicArchie

Sonic the Hedgehog is an American comic book based on the eponymous video game franchise published by Sega. The main series lasted 294 issues and was published by Archie Comics from November 1992 until its cancellation in July 2017. Numerous writers contributed to the series throughout its run, though only two—Ken Penders and Ian Flynn—are considered its chief writers. A number of spin-off comics were also published throughout the series' run.

Archie obtained the comic book rights to Sonic the Hedgehog in mid-1992 and initially tapped Michael Gallagher to write the series. It debuted as a four-issue limited series in November 1992, before becoming an ongoing series in May 1993. Penders began writing the series with issue #11 in 1994 and departed in 2006; he was replaced by Flynn, who remained head writer until the series' cancellation. Following a lawsuit by Penders for ownership of characters he created, in 2013 the series was rebooted, leaving only characters introduced in the games or which predated Penders' run.

Throughout the majority of its run, Sonic the Hedgehog implemented aspects of the Sonic games into its plot but largely occupied a distinct continuity featuring original characters, settings, and lore. Following the lawsuit, the comic's world became indistinguishable from that of the games', although it did retain certain characters.

Publication history

Beginnings (1993–1994)

Sonic the Hedgehog is based on the eponymous video game franchise published by Sega.

• https://info.sonicretro.org/images/a/ad/SonicTheBeginning_Archie.pdf

Ken Penders (1994–2006)

• https://www.sonicstadium.org/2010/07/ken-penders-interview-transcript/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0QhChuLD5E
• "Return to Angel Island" "hissyfit" http://web.archive.org/web/20151102123933/http://www.kenpenders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=20#p39

Lawsuit

Following his departure, Penders, Archie, and Sega became embroiled in a years-long legal battle over ownership of characters Penders had created for the comic.

• https://www.digitalspy.com/comics/a283278/ken-penders-sonic-lawsuit-still-on/

Reception and legacy

• https://medium.com/@ponett/i-read-every-sonic-comic-by-ken-penders-and-theyre-wilder-than-you-could-ever-imagine-1f9dd05ae433

References

• https://comicsalliance.com/hedging-your-bets-sonic-the-hedgehog-critical-analysis-introduction/
• https://www.polygon.com/comics/2017/5/22/15666974/sonic-the-hedgehog-comic
• https://kotaku.com/saying-farewell-to-three-decades-of-weird-sonic-the-hed-1797191658
• https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/02/the-lawsuit-that-reshaped-sonic-the-hedgehog-comics.html