![Sonic the Hedgehog | [Image source: Youtube Screen grab]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/7/20/660x290/b_502x220x82/sonic-the-hedgehog-technobuffalo-technobuffalocom_1454795.jpg "Sonic the Hedgehog | [Image source: Youtube Screen grab]")
The longest running comic book series based on a video game property finally comes to a stop. "Sonic the hedgehog," based on the gaming franchise of the same name, was a Comic Book Series under the collaboration of Sega Of America and Archie Comics.
The series started back in 1993 to promote the accompanying Saturday morning cartoon on ABC. Originally intended as a four part miniseries, the series became ongoing a few months later.
History
Rather than follow the continuity of the games in which the series was based on, the Archie comic series took characters and elements from the games and put them in a continuity with their own story and worlds.
Characters such as Sally Acorn, Rotor, and Bunnie Rabbot were created specifically for this continuity and were never really part of the games' canon.
However, some of the Archie characters did make minor cameos in "Sonic Spinball;" one of the only Genesis "Sonic" titles to be developed entirely by Sega's western branch. In addition, the US manual for "Sonic CD" replaced any mention of the character Amy Rose with Sally in the story synopsis section.
Despite the different continuity, Archie made considerable efforts to have some consistency between how the characters looked in both incarnations. When Sonic and the cast from the games were redesigned in the 1999 Dreamcast title "Sonic Adventure," Archie not only redesigned the characters to match how they looked in that game but also gave a story reason for the change.
Even though Sega established that the continuity from the games was entirely separate from the comics, Sonic's love for chili dogs was one of the few elements from the comics that made their way into the games' canon.
Long running
The series lasted for over 290 issues with several spin offs and crossovers. One notable crossover featured another Archie comic series based on a game franchise, "Mega Man." Another spin off series included a comic adaption of the anime "Sonic X," and "Sonic Universe:" a series centered around side characters such as Knuckles the Echidna.
During its 24 year run, critical reception to the series was mostly positive with praise from publications such as Destructoid and IGN.
In January 2017, the series went on hiatus. Neither Sega of America or Archie made any official disclosure as to the future of the series. Archie proceeded to halt subscription applications since December of last year.
On July 19th, the official "Sonic the Hedgehog" Facebook account made the following announcement:
While it is sad to see the end of a beloved long running series, fans can take some solace in the knowledge that the Blue Blur won't be completely out of the world of comics and that Sega plans to reveal more about their direction in the future.
