#224 | May 2003
Hey Boomers! 
Spick, span and still sharper than a cyber razor cut, Sonic the Comic (STC to the discerning Boomer) is back! Yes, after heading out of STC offices back in 1998, I took the seas of the Internet – and now STC is joining me with its first online issue. It’s hard work being a trend-setter, Boomers.
Readers old and new should be sure to clue themselves up on recent happenings in the world of STC in the Data Zone at the top of each story before taking the plunge into Sonic’s latest adventure, Drowned! And if that wasn’t excitement enough, Tails is pitted against fan favourite Nack the Weasel in a new 2-part story, Just Like Old Crimes, and we go back to the bad old days of Robotnik’s rule for an untold tale from the past of Amy and Tekno!
Not every character is best pleased though: I hear Knuckles is rather miffed at being side-lined and is even now planning to score a piece of the online action… If you want to see him back, be sure to speak out at Speedlines!
And speaking of future STC… check out this exclusive sneak peek at issue 225!
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The Story So Far…
Sonic
Sonic is the super-fast hero of Mobius, and leads a gang of freedom fighters. He is totally committed to keeping Planet Mobius and its people safe. When Sonic loses his cool though, he risks turning into Super Sonic.
Knuckles
When his people left for the stars, Knuckles was left as the sole guardian of the Chaos Emeralds – a power source that in the wrong hands could be used to rule the world. These emeralds kept Knuckles’ home, the Floating Island in the sky – until Chaos stole them, that is!
Super Sonic
Super Sonic was the worst side of Sonic – a wild and destructive creature that emerged when Sonic was stressed or exposed to Chaos energy. When split from Sonic for a period he managed to control his aggression with Ebony’s help and became a pacifist.
See the rest of the Data Zone! (click here)
Porker Lewis
Although he was once the technological whiz of Sonic’s gang, Porker lost his nerve after being held hostage on an alien planet for a month.
Ebony
A cat with magical talent. She became firm friends with Sonic’s alter-ego Super Sonic, and may still believe that the pacifist she befriended is still there deep down beneath Super’s evil exterior.
The Drakon Empire
8000 years ago, the Drakon Empire – a race of fish who used their advanced intelligence to built robotic bodies to function on land – battled Knuckles’ people for the powerful Chaos Emeralds.
Tails
Tails is an optimistic young fox who uses his two tails to fly for short periods. He idolises Sonic but has also become a respected hero in his own right – if only Sonic would notice!
Nack the Weasel
A cunning and treacherous thief, Nack was once part of the Chaotix group that guards the Special Zone. Now, he has plans of his own on Mobius.
Amy Rose
Although Amy first met Sonic when she was claiming to be Sonic’s girlfriend, she has since proved a hero in her own right with her trusty crossbow. She has a wicked sense of humour and loves winding Sonic up!
Tekno the Canary
Tekno is a scientific genius who has a workshop in the Emerald Hill Zone. Her gadgets have saved Sonic’s life on many occasions.
Shortfuse the Cybernik
Shorty is a hot-headed squirrel who was trapped in the armour of a badnik supersoldier by Robotnik. With his stubborn personality, he was able to turn against Robotnik.
Dr. Ivo Robotnik
A laboratory accident long ago turned the kindly Professor Kintobor into the evil Doctor Robotnik! Once the evil dictator of Planet Mobius, Robotnik more recently went mad and plotted to destroy the world. 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What did you think?
TWO THUMBS UP!
Dear Megadroid,
I really enjoyed reading the work so far. It’s incredibly strong material, particularly in page layout/story-telling and panel composition…I am staggered at the quality of the artwork. “Amy Vs Tekno” suffered from being coloured in pencil; not that it was bad as such, but it compared poorly to the digital colouring of the other two strips. Digital colour is not as straightforward as many people think, and whoever handled colour chores on the first two strips demonstrated the sort of subtlety and confidence I’d associate with a pro. The underwater scenes in “Drowned”, and the use of blurs to create depth and isolate the key elements in “Just Like Old Crimes” were very effective.
The writing is a step or two behind the art. I felt like I’d arrived in the middle of of a story in “Drowned”, and although it was possible to follow what was happening, I could have handled a slower pace and more dialogue. The characterisation was as good as one might expect from a group of longtime committed fans, but it was matched by good solid backgrounds and accomplished background action. Again, it’s just top stuff; better than many popular webcomics I’ve seen.
So, two thumbs up 🙂 Whoever is responsible for this work should be very proud of their achievements, and I hope (knowing how hard it is to maintain any kind of work rate on a hobby basis) that you can keep it going.
Best,
Bob Corona
Bob Corona was an artist for STC for five years and his artwork included the first ever Shortfuse the Cybernik story. Thanks for the great comments and advice, Bob, and keep reading!
Bob Corona was an artist for STC for five years and his artwork included the first ever Shortfuse the Cybernik story. Thanks for the great comments and advice, Bob, and keep reading!
THE BIG ISSUE
Dear Megadroid,
It’s probably no surprise to anyone that I’m most interested in the first story. Don’t get me wrong the other two are very nice too but I feel the closest to ‘Drowned’ as it’s a straight continuation of the stuff that Rich and I were doing. And there was one brilliant idea in this story, the moment when Sonic was in danger of changing and realised that instead of a feeling of hatred and anger he felt a kind of peacefulness. That’s a fantastic idea and I really wish that I’d thought of it. I could write you a story now about a whole bunch of issues that could come out of this.
But I guess I’m just going to have to wait and see what you come up with. However if I don’t see Big pretty soon I’m going to be very disappointed.
Nigel Kitching
Big will definitely be back, but that’s all I can say for now!
Big will definitely be back, but that’s all I can say for now!
ELSON'S CHOICE
Dear Megadroid,
What can I say ? STC online. From the cover to the last page, it’s great. I think that your many months of hard work have resulted in a site that you can be justifiably proud of. The organisation and dedication that goes into achieving something like this is quite extraordinary and few people would be able to get a project of this magnitude to a state of completion, without a serious amount of funds. You deserve serious praise for what you have achieved.
I think that you pretty much retain the spirit of the original comic, though with a leaning toward the more elongated designs that the characters take on in the later games. I found the whole thing thoroughly entertaining.
For those of us who worked on the original comic it is a humbling experience to realise that something we were involved in helped to inspire others to produce work of this quality.
Good luck for all of the future issues. And thanks for all of your efforts so far. Can’t wait for issue 225.
All the best,
Richard Elson
Richard Elson spent eight and half years as an eye-popping art hume on STC. As you say, Rich, the original creators were an inspiration. We couldn’t have done it without you all!
Richard Elson spent eight and half years as an eye-popping art hume on STC. As you say, Rich, the original creators were an inspiration. We couldn’t have done it without you all!
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Editor-in-Chief: Michael Corker Cover by: Thalia Evans
Special thanks this issue to: Ed Reynolds, Abigail Ryder, Tom Huxley, Nigel Kitching, Richard Elson, David Bulmer, Michael Corker, Zak Simmonds-Hurn, and the rest of the STC team!
Sonic the Comic is copyright © Egmont Magazines Ltd. Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters © SEGA.
Other characters belong to their creators. Used without permission. Published by the Sonic the Comic online team. This comic is only available on the internet.
Website by Pretty/Confused ©2017.