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{{ComicBob
| image=STC UK 001.jpg
| imagewidth=
| title=
| publisher=[[Fleetway Editions]]
| country=United Kingdom
| firstissue=1993-05-29
| lastissue=2002-01-09
| numberofissues=223
| frequency=Fortnightly
| price=95p-£1.50
| ISSN=
| predecessor=
| successor=
}}
'''''Sonic the Comic''''' ('''''STC''''') was a [[Sega]] and [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]-themed comic published by [[Fleetway|Fleetway Editions]] in the United Kingdom. Beginning at the height of Sega's popularity in 1993, it continued fortnightly until early 2002, spanning 223 editions and a number of specials.

''Sonic the Comic'' is an entirely separate publication from the [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie comics)|Archie comics series]].

==History==
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Development}}
''Sonic the Comic'' debuted in May 1993 under the guise as the "UK's official Sega comic", capitalising primarily on the success of the [[Sega Mega Drive]], ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (and its sequels), and the vibrant Sega culture that had swept across the UK at the time. It was originally priced at 95p, with the price rising to £1.35 before the final issue.

The idea of ''Sonic the Comic'' was that an issue would typically host four Sega themed comics (occasionally just one split into four, such as in [[Sonic the Comic 100|issue #100]]), interspersed by regular editorial segments. In the early days ''STC'' doubled up as a Sega-themed magazine, providing video game news, reviews and tips, but over time these segments were dropped, usually leaving just "Control Zone" (an overview of the issue), "Speedlines" (a response to fan letters) and "Graphic Zone" (a showcase for Sega/Sonic fan art).
[[File:Robotnik-STC-2.jpg|thumb|right|Robotnik's first form, before adopting a design akin to ''[[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog]]''.]]
The face of the comic was "Megadroid", a cartoon robot built out of Mega Drive parts, who answered letters and acted as a liaison between the readers and the 'humes who think they're in charge'.

As well as covering Sonic, early editions of the comic also featured segments for ''[[sega:Shinobi|Shinobi]]'', ''[[sega:Streets of Rage|Streets of Rage]]'', ''[[sega:Kid Chameleon|Kid Chameleon]]'', ''[[sega:Eternal Champions|Eternal Champions]]'', ''[[sega:Golden Axe|Golden Axe]]'' and ''[[sega:Decap Attack|Decap Attack]]''. Of all these, only ''Decap Attack'' survived into the latter half of the 1990s due to its unexpected popularity, however it too was later pulled, with the slots instead devoted to Sonic (and friends).
[[File:FleetwayChaotix.jpg|thumb|right|The Chaotix.]]
A declining audience towards the end of the decade saw significant cutbacks in ''STC''. Executives at Egmont/Fleetway, believing that the audience would be refreshed every five years, forced the comic to repeat earlier stories, which in turn led to a further shedding of customers. This practise began as just one of the four segments, then two, then three, and, after [[Sonic the Comic 184|issue #184]], all the comic's content, besides the cover art, advertising and editorials, were lifted from earlier editions. ''Sonic the Comic'' was officially discontinued in early 2002, after 223 issues. For most of its lifespan the frontrunner of the comic was [[Nigel Kitching]].

Less successful variants of ''Sonic the Comic'' were produced for other parts of Europe; ''[[Sonic Mag: B.D. & Jeux-Video!]]'' in France, ''[[Sonic der Comic]]'' in Germany, ''[[Sonic Videogame & Fumetti]]'' in Italy and ''[[Sonic Magazine]]'' in the Netherlands.

===Sonic the Hedgehog===
''Sonic the Comic'''s adaptation of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise was the dominant force behind the comic from the beginning and was supported with new stories for 184 of the 223 issues. It is primarily based on the approved Western story of Sonic, seen in the US as [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Promotional Comic)|a promotional comic]] in the second half of 1991.
[[File:STC Issue 80 Page 8.jpg|thumb|right|[[Super Sonic]] kills people in ''STC''. Or at least tries to.]]
The series was placed after the events of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', with a triumphant Sonic and his buddy [[Miles "Tails" Prower]] assuming nemesis [[Dr. Ivo Robotnik]] has been defeated. Having accidentally been trapped in the Special Zone for six months, Robotnik takes control of the planet [[Mobius]], begins to turn the population into [[badniks]], and the hedgehog and his motley crew of freedom fighters are tasked with unseating the evil dictator and restoring peace to the planet.
[[File:Captain Plunder.png|thumb|right|[[Captain Plunder]] became a fan favourite.]]
Unlike its [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie comics)|American counterpart]], ''Sonic the Comic'' is said to have kept closer to Sega's original Westernised ideas for the franchise, though still deviated from any official canon at the get go. Though much of the plot was original, ''STC'' adapted many of Sonic's games of the 1990s, including ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'', ''[[Sonic CD]]'', ''[[Chaotix]]'', ''[[Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'' and ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', attempting to keep the stories as true to the games as possible.

The comic did add some characters of its own, however, including key characters such as [[Johnny Lightfoot (Sonic the Comic)|Johnny Lightfoot]] and [[Porker Lewis (Sonic the Comic)|Porker Lewis]], based on the rabbit and pig animal buddies respectively. Early on the comic introduced [[Captain Plunder]] and his [[Mystic Cave Zone|Mystic Cave]] pirates, with the genius [[Tekno the Canary]] later being introduced, along with [[Shortfuse the Cybernik]]. A number of original enemies were also created for the comic, chief among those including the pathologically loyal [[Grimer]], who stayed at Robotnik's side, and the [[Drakon Empire]]. 
[[File:BrootherhoodOfMetallix.jpg|thumb|right|[[Metallix]] goes rogue.]]
Significant deviations from the official canon include the Chaotix Crew, consisting not only of [[Vector the Crocodile]], [[Espio the Chameleon]] and [[Charmy Bee]] ("Charmee" in this context), but also of [[Mighty the Armadillo]] (who is but a "traveller" in the Japanese version) and originally, [[Nack the Weasel]]. Under stress, Sonic would transform into [[Super Sonic]], a destructive creature made of pure chaos energy. The [[Metal Sonic]] design, named here as "Metallix", would go rogue and create the [[Brotherhood of Metallix]], threatening both Sonic and Robotnik, and the [[Chaos]] story is almost entirely different from what is witnessed in ''Sonic Adventure''.

==Future==
''Sonic the Comic'' remains a popular comic among Sonic fans, to the point where following cancellation, an online continuation (appropriately titled "Sonic the Comic Online") with the backing of Nigel Kitching was launched, and continues to this day. While building on ''STC'' as a base, the online edition attempts to bridge gaps between this fictional universe and those seen in more recent ''Sonic'' games, starting with ''[[Sonic Adventure 2]]''.

==Back issues==
===Main series===
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===''Sonic the Poster Mag''===
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===Specials===
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==See also==
* [[Sonic the Comic Mailing List]] - a fan community formerly hosted by Yahoo! Groups, to which STC creators Nigel Kitching, Mark Eyles and Roberto Corona posted.

==External links==
*[http://stconline.co.uk/ STC Online]
*[http://sonicthecomic.proboards.com/ The Message Zone]
*[http://stc.wikia.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Comic_Wiki STC Wiki]
*[http://www.thesoniczone.net/ Sonic the Comic] at [http://thesoniczone.net/ The Sonic Zone] (scans of early STC issues are posted every week)
*[http://read.ukprintarchive.com/Egmont%20Fleetway/Licensed%20Comics/Sonic%20The%20Comic/Sonic%20The%20Comic/ Sonic the Comic at ''ukprintarchive.com'']

==References==
<references />

{{FleetwayComics}}
[[Category:Sonic the Comic]]