Control Zone

Hey Boomers!

Cast your minds back twenty years; 1993. We're talking before the Spice Girls, before Take That… Before Foot and Mouth (when I lost my feet. And my mouth. They're back now though.) When a smart phone meant it didn’t have a cord. When the only tweeting came from the birds and none of them were particularly angry. Before Wispas came back (before Wispas went away, in fact!) Before… Well, you get the point! A lot of stuff has happened!

But can you really believe that it's been TWENTY YEARS since Sonic the Comic first appeared in newsagents around the UK? Can you really believe that it's been ten years since it reappeared on the internet?? Emotions are running high this issue - my optics are leaking oil! My vision is impaired! Fortunately for you Boomers, you don't have built-in oil ducts, so you should have no problems digging right into this action packed anniversary issue!

I’m sure you’ve seen our cover as you came in, but did you know there are two versions? One by our regular STC Superstars and one by cover artist of Sonic the Comic issue #1, the legendary Kev Hopgood!

Continuing with the comebacks, our Sonic strip this issue is a real treat for you Boomers. Written by Nigel Kitching and with art by Nigel Dobbyn, you’ll want to check out ‘In Memory’ as soon as you can. It’s bound to bring a smile to your faces! But don’t just listen to me rabbiting on about it…

Tails is on a mission to deliver an important package in Sonic’s World. Sounds like a nice, simple task, right? I think you Boomers know better than that after all these years! And of course, we have the thrilling finale to Knuckles’ current storyline; Skeletons in the Closet! Last we saw him, Knuckles was cornered by a mysterious robot who had taken on the characteristics of Chaos! This may be one problem Knuckles finds it hard to dig his way out of.

Starting this issue, all pages can be viewed at a new, larger size! Simply click ‘go large’ (Once to load, once to view) at the top left of every page to view the new higher-res pages!

We’re also starting off a new project to celebrate the entirety of STC. We know it’s hard for new readers to get hold of Print STC so we thought we’d make things a bit easier for them! Starting today, we’re adding a timeline section to the website, chronicling all the issues of STC that we don’t feature in our Back Issue Zone. So if you ever wondered what happened to Sonic and co. before STC came to the internet, this is here you need to be! And this isn’t just for new readers, long-time Boomers will be more than happy with the artists lined up to contribute to this new feature. So, readers new and old, keep checking for updates over the coming weeks, because believe me, you won’t want to miss this!

As well as the main comic and the timeline, this summer (!) we’re hosting our very own Anniversary Zone! Featuring thoughts and stories from the STC staff, old and new. Also another look at the Archive Zone This will be updated over the coming weeks with more and more secrets, behind-the-scenes stuff, concept sketches, strip leftovers, you name it! There’s a section full of STC wallpapers and we’re also going to be sharing some of YOUR thoughts and artwork so get writing, drawing and sending us stuff to Speedlines!

Back to the issue at hand, there are a LOAD of new wallpapers for you to check out. Including some very special images from former STC contributors, Anthony Williams (Enter: Sonic), Martin Griffiths (Shining Force), Jon Haward (Shinobi, Enernal Champions) and assorted sizes of our cover image by Kev Hopgood!

Sonic Dash gets the Review Zone treatment this issue! Currently available for iOS devices, and coming to the Android platform in the near future (And hopefully to the Megadroid platform soon after that!).

Keep an eye on updates to the Anniversary and Summary Zones by following my Twitter and Facebook accounts, the Stconline Tumblr and Stconline Facebook. We’ll let you know when anything new pops up!

In closing, give yourselves a pat on the back Boomers, we’re twenty years through and showing no signs of stopping! Thanks to each and every one of you, from the bottom of my circuitboard, for joining us on this incredible journey. Here’s to the next twenty!

Whew! I might just need a lie down after all that…… Oh who am I kidding?! It’s party time – The Koala Kola is on us!