Sonic The Hedgehog Online

***Sonic the Hedgehog Online*** is a series of comic books published by Archie Sonic Online, featuring SEGA's mascot video game character Sonic the Hedgehog.

The main basis for the online continuation, the series features a mixture of characters, settings and storylines from the *Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM* cartoon show, the *Sonic the Hedgehog* video games by SEGA, and various other incarnations of Sonic. It also included many elements unique to the comic universe.

## Overview

The main focus of the comic's storyline was the title character, world-famous hero Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic is endowed with super speed and a hatred of oppression, which puts him at odds with the nefarious Dr. Eggman. Sonic is in many ways different from his game counterpart - in the comics, he is depicted as having important ties with his family and friends, a characteristic absent from other incarnations. He is also portrayed as having a deep 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 he holds a personal grudge against the Doctor and understands his ability to protect the world from this menace.

Although Sonic normally goes adventuring by himself in the video games (with the occasional company of other player characters), in the comic he is affiliated with the Knothole Freedom Fighters, a ragtag rebellion that was formed to counter the tyranny of Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his legion of unquestioning, warlike robots. The basis of the original issues were designed to closely mirror Sonic SatAM, as well as the names and likenesses of Sonic's allies in the Freedom Fighters. Since then, the series has integrated many elements from the video games, which has led to ongoing story arcs involving, Knuckles the Echidna and others.

### Setting

Initially, the original series kept to a single continuity that lasted for the first 247 issues, as well as most spin-offs, before switching to an altered continuity from issue 252 onward. Sonic the Hedgehog Online seeks to continue the original continuity as it ended in Issue #247, making a proper conclusion to the unresolved Mecha Sally and King Naugus arcs that were going on at the time, then continue on with their own original direction.

At the beginning of the series (in its original canon), the year was 3235, though by the end it was 3237 (due to the relativity of Sonic's "year" in space, in which several months passed while he was gone on Mobius while only weeks passed for him). Sonic had lived on Mobius in New Mobotropolis by the end of the series. It was eventually revealed that Mobius was actually a future Earth (in an alternative reality), the year being 14,015 AD by our calendar. (StH: #148, #157)

*Originally, the date the Xorda attacked Earth was the year 0 by the Mobian calendar (during the 21st century by our calendar), and that was known in Echidna theology as the first "Day of Fury". However, the date of the Xorda attack was retconned to have occurred roughly twelve thousand years ago from the current Mobian year. The reason for the Mobian date only being 3237 with the currect retcon is unknown.*
At the onset of the series, Sonic's original home was Knothole Village, a secret woodland base hidden within the Great Forest outside of Robotropolis. Since then, other areas of Mobius have been featured in the series. Additional main areas of setting include Angel Island, Downunda, New Megaopolis and Station Square.

### Alternate Futures/Timelines

The backstory of *StH #131-144* introduce the famous *Mobius: 25 Years Later* storyline, providing readers with a glimpse into the future. In this future reality, 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 unfortunatly reset with alterations, which are seen in issues #166-167. A continuation of this universe, known as *Mobius: 30 Years Later*, was told in *Sonic Universe #5-8*, taking place five years after the events of *StH #167*.

Other future versions of Mobius have been seen in various issues. The future reality which NICOLE hails from was seen in the *Sonic In Your Face* special and *StH #119*. The universe Robo-Robotnik comes from which was home to Cyborg Sonic was seen in *StH #19*, and another future universe where Sonic and Sally were married and had a son Manik and a daughter Sonia was seen in *StH #22*.

*It’s remains unknown if the universes seen in* StH #19 *and* StH #22 *were two distinct universes or the same, given that they appear to be very different. However, Robo-Robotnik comes from them. Given the dialogue, it is possible they are both distinct universes, and Robo-Robotnik originated in one but somehow ended up in the other. This is the theory assumed by this site's canon policy, as it is supported by dialogue.*
## Storyline - Synopsis of Issues and Story Arcs

### Battle for the Echidna Race

Team Fighters head across the Mercian sea and face a new creation of Eggman--a combination of both the Titan Metal Sonic and the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra. However, after they defeat the hybrid, Team Fighters discover that Eggman has attacked Albion so he could distract them. The team face Lien-Da, upgraded with new powers thanks to Eggman, as well as Metal Knuckles--Eggman's own answer to Knuckles. However, all three of Them were easily defeated and captured, along with Remington and the E.S.T.

Thankfully, help arrived soon after. Upon learning of Albion's attack, Knuckles decides to finally confront his people head-on, with Julie-Su and Saffron joining him. After freeing and rallying a handful of Echidna citizens, the three manage to destroy Metal Knuckles, free Team Fighters, and take down Lien-Da. However, a new foe soon emerges moments after Lien-Da's defeat--Thrash the Tasmanian Devil, a former ally of Knuckles, bent on getting revenge on the Echidnas for their actions against his kind a long time ago.

Explaining that a Gene Bomb below the city is ready to detonate and that it'll only affect Echidnas so they'll suffer the same fate his people did years ago, both the E.S.T. and Albion Dark Egg Legion are forced to cooperate with one another to lead their people to safety, as Knuckles and Team Fighters tries to hold Thrash off, as he tries to keep the Echidnas from leaving.

During the fight, Thrash explains that a group of Echidnas arrived in Downunda and used genetic engineering to transform Tasmanian Devil Mobians into beasts to fight the war for them, and that so many of them were changed that even after the Echidnas were gone, less and less full-blooded Devils were born as the generations passed, eventually leaving him as the last Mobian Tasmanian. However, thanks to the Warp Ring, he was able to find out where the remaining Echidnas were hiding, as well as the means to exact revenge upon them through their own science.

At a standstill, Knuckles tries to argue that the current Echidnas in Albion aren't responsible for said crimes and shouldn't be punished for it, but he, Julie-Su and Thrash fall below ground, stumbling upon a cache of weapons. (#241- #246)

### Reversal of Fortune

Team Fighters finally caught up with the Death Egg, docked at the Egg Bunker in the Northern Tundra, where they reunited with the Arctic Freedom Fighters and formulated a plan to storm the flying fortress. Soon, Silver the Hedgehog had arrived from New Mobotropolis, to the annoyance of Sonic, still ripe with the resentment at the time traveller for his previous accusation, and was about to fly off the handle once again after Silver identified Sally as the traitor, before Tails insisted that he allowed Silver to explain himself first. Based on the research conducted by Harvey Who, Silver explained that Sally's status as a "traitor" was only due to the obscured historical records from his future, and that in reality, Sally's act of treachery was not of her own free will due to being under Eggman's control as a robot, something that only came about due to her selfless act of inverting the world roboticizer on herself. With Silver promising that his objective has now changed, so that he now intends to rescue Sally, Sonic agrees to let him help them. Once the Freedom Fighter teams successfully infiltrate the Death Egg (avoiding an underwater run-in with the Arctic DEL in the process) Eggman dispatches his forces, including Mecha Sally. Back in New Mobotropolis, meanwhile, a ceremony commemorating the opening of the newly rebuilt Castle Acorn was disrupted by a building collapse, caused once again by the Tails Doll. Noticing that the doll always seems to be missing whenever these bad things happen to the city, Cream the Rabbit suspects that her new "inanimate friend" may be more than it appears to be, to which she alerted Team Freedom leader Rotor, who agreed that Cream may be onto something. Putting this theory to the test, Team Freedom set up a plan to catch Tails Doll in the act: tricked into thinking it had once again been left free to cause more trouble, it crawled away to the power station where Team Freedom ambushed the demented dolly. Realising the jig was up, "Operation: Deadly Cuddles" transformed into its true, monstrous form, it's murderous sights set on the team. Back at the Northern Tundra, Silver proved himself the hero of the hour, paralysing Mecha Sally with his psychokinesis, seconds before the former princess could finish off Team Fighters. Mecha Sally had been stopped As the Arctic Freedom Fighters face Akhlut, Team Fighters and Silver face Mecha Sally and successfully disable her. Meanwhile, NICOLE is welcomed back to New Mobotroplis, and she restores Castle Acorn. But after it collapses, Cream figures out the Tails Doll's true plan. Team Freedom manages to track it down, and begin to fight it for the fate of New Mobotropolis. The combined efforts of the team soon manage to finally defeat the Tails Doll.

With Mecha Sally in tow, Team Fighters begin planning their escape. While Tails finds a bio-analyzer needed to restore Mecha Sally back to normal, Sonic fights Eggman's newest robot--a Gizoid, an ancient robot that can copy others' abilities. Team Fighters and their allies soon escape the Death Egg, and they and Silver begin to head to New Mobotropolis. However, Metal Sonic and the Gizoid follow them to New Mobotropolis and attack them there.

With a little help from Silver, Amy manages to defeat the Gizoid. Meanwhile, Naugus, still in possession of Geoffrey's body, faces against Metal Sonic and manages to defeat him. However, Naugus' possession begins to wear off, forcing the wizard to retreat while Metal frees himself from his crystalline prison. Eventually, Metal Sonic initiates Mecha Sally's self-destruct sequence. In a desperate attempt to save her, Sonic follows her and is nearly killed. Despite that, Sonic manages to defeat Mecha Sally, and deroboticizes her, finally returning her to normal. As New Mobotropolis rejoice at their princess being restored, Eggman, upon learning of Mecha Sally's loss, decides to work on a new plan he put off to keep the Freedom Fighters fractured. (#247-250)

Meanwhile, Bunnie arrives at her destination--the Great Desert. Meeting with Beauregard, Bunnie willingly gets legionized to gain the powers she lost from Naugus and serve her uncle's D.E.L. chapter. While on a mission with D.E.L. Kommissar Lesath the Scorpion, Bunnie is ambushed and captured by the Sand Blasters, who intend to use her as leverage to get something from Beauregard.  (#SU#51-53)

## Story Arcs

*The bolded titles are major and significant story arcs*
* ***Endangered Species*** (#243-KUS #1-3)
* ***At All Costs*** (#247-#250) (The first part takes place as normal, but certain events are retconned from happening. Eggman never mentions Albert, and he never fires the Genesis Wave. Additionally, after this point, Tails Doll’s transformation seems to use the redesign from the original Archie Comics post reboot.)
* ***Redemption*** (#251-#253)

### Milestones

* **Sonic the Hedgehog #250: "Turning Point"**: This issue focuses on the aftermath of Sally's de-roboticization, which was the route the original comic would have taken prior to Worlds Collide. **(January 2020)**

Sonic the Hedgehog Online #250
## Specials, Miniseries, and Knuckles Series

In addition to the main Sonic series, Archie Sonic Online published various special issues. Tied to 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.

**Mobius Legends** was a five-issue miniseries based off *Sonic the Hedgehog Online* It featured characters other than Sonic himself, and was not necessarily canon to either the official comic and the fan continuation, primarily being used as test drives for writers and artists and having an "anything goes" policy.

The ***Knuckles: Endangered Species*** miniseries is a rewrite of Issues 244-246 of Sonic The Hedgehog, the last three parts of the four-part storyline "Endangered Species", primarily focusing of Knuckles the Echidna, Julie-Su, Lien-Da, Thrash the Devil and the Echidna race. In the original comics, on the brink of Ken Penders' lawsuit, the last three parts had to be heavily rewritten. As a result, most of the characters were written out and never seen again, thus this is an attempt at retelling the intended original story as closest as possible, while putting the staff's own spin on it.

## Production Staff

### List of Writers

* Dr. Z
* GentlemanX
* Calvin-Skye
* Inkywaywishes
* SonicWindAttack
* Fritzy Magpies!

### List of Pencilers

* AidenEye
* Andrew DeCrescenzo
* Chocolacho|Ebetto
* ClawRhythm
* Darii
* DEEGEEMIN
* Drawloverlala
* Finitievus/Cauletous-Recadency
* Fritzy Magpies
* Gaia uggenini
* Gendeerfluid
* gilgadad
* James 'DarkNoise' Kennedy
* JohnTB
* Jonathon Dobbs
* JonnyUnique
* Lav
* Melody Cler
* Piggybank
* Red Wolfe
* Riggo
* Rik
* RocketPOW!
* Rred
* Sanicbaddie
* Sea-Salt
* SGTSemiSauce
* Tale
* Ulti

### List of Inkers

* AidenEye
* ClawRhythm
* Drawloverlala
* FirestormFox
* Gaia Ruggenini
* Gendeerfluid
* gilgalad
* JohnTB
* Jonathan Dobbs
* JonnyUnique
* Khristian "KStationDraws" Station
* Linkstar21
* Melody Cler
* Mewy Marsher
* Mizukiee (Mizuki/Lee)
* Pontiikii
* Red Wolfe
* Riggo
* Rik
* Ringo-Neko
* Sanicbaddie
* SGTSemiSauce
* Tale
* The Angry Owl
* Ulti

### List of Colorists

* AidenEye
* ALT ART
* AluSniper
* Chacolacho|Ebetto
* ClawRhythm
* DEEGEEMIN
* Drawloverlala
* Ehuante
* gilgalad
* JohnTB
* JonnyUnique
* Kitare
* KomoriArts
* Lav
* Melody Cler
* Mizuklee (Mizukie/Lee)
* Mocha
* Pontiikii
* Red Wolfe
* Riggo
* Rik
* Sanicbaddie
* SGTSemiSauce
* Tsukiyo
* Yoojimbo

### List of Letterers

* Andrew DeCrescenzo
* Rik
* Silvarts

## External links

*Sonic The Hedgehog Online Issues*

 *Sonic Universe Online* (SUO)