History ComicBook / SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics

* DarkerAndEdgier: While it didn't ''originally'' start out this way, being far more similar in tone to the silly and lighthearted ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' cartoon, by the time CerebusSyndrome kicked in, the comic became this compared to the games ''full-stop''. To put it simply, this comic post-CerebusSyndrome features many shockingly dark themes and elements like mass murder, genocide, cults, ''concentration camps'', and characters dying of ''cancer'' all '''onscreen''' which is all something that the games, even at their darkest, would often avoid showing and instead be fairly lighthearted and kid-friendly adventures that would often shy away from any of these extreme themes. Not to mention that it takes cues from the already fairly dark ''SatAM'' cartoon and often goes even ''further'' in providing a rather dark, gloomy, and depressing version of Sonic's world where everything has been taken over by Robotnik/Eggman and the aftermath and constant destruction is often never downplayed. Not to mention that this comic features many of the most vile villains in the entire ''Sonic'' franchise including a much darker, more vile, and evil version of Dr. Eggman (both the original Julian Kintobor and the Robo-Robotnik variant that would go on to replace the former as the BigBad of the comic).

* DarkerAndEdgier: While it didn't ''originally'' start out this way, being far more similar in tone to the silly and lighthearted ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' cartoon, by the time CerebusSyndrome kicked in, the comic became this compared to the games ''full-stop''. To put it simply, this comic post-CerebusSyndrome features many shockingly dark themes and elements like mass murder, genocide, cults, ''concentration camps'', and characters dying of ''cancer'' all '''onscreen''' which is all something that the games, even at their darkest, would often avoid showing and instead be fairly lighthearted and kid-friendly adventures that would often shy away from any of these extreme themes.

* DarkerAndEdgier: While it didn't ''originally'' start out this way, being far more similar in tone to the silly and lighthearted ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'', by the time CerebusSyndrome kicked in, the comic became this compared to the games ''full-stop''. To put it simply, this comic post-CerebusSyndrome features many shockingly dark themes and elements like mass murder, genocide, cults, ''concentration camps'', and characters dying of ''cancer'' all '''onscreen''' which is something that the games, even at their darkest, would often avoid showing and instead be fairly lighthearted and kid-friendly adventures that would often shy away from any of these extreme themes.

* CerebusSyndrome: Although based on the more serious ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' cartoon, the earlier comics were much more similar to ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' in tone, with little continuity. The series got more serious and interconnected as it went on. The ''Endgame'' arc is pretty much the point where things have fully shifted, and it remained that way through the beginning of Ian Flynn's run on issue 160. Subtly pointed out by Horizont-Al and Verti-Cal; when they first appeared in #2, they were wacky and whimsical characters, always playing around and [[RealityWarper changing the laws of physics of their dimension for kicks]]. When we run into them in #59, it turns out the Ultimate Annihilator destroyed their home, they blamed each other during the rebuild, and they turned into giant robots in a never-ending war against each other.

In 2011, Creator/KenPenders, a writer for the comic who won ownership and reprinting rights to the stories and characters he created in the aforementioned lawsuits, announced the ''Lara-Su Chronicles'', a loose continuation of the "Mobius: 25 Years Later" storyline that was featured through Issue 131 to Issue 144. It is set in an [[AlternateTimeline altered reality]] and all characters and concepts related to the ''Sonic'' franchise either no longer exist or have been heavily changed to make them legally distinct. After over a decade of development, the first volume is due to release in July 2024.

In 2011, Creator/KenPenders, a writer for the comic who won ownership and reprinting rights to the stories and characters he created in the aforementioned lawsuits, announced the ''Lara-Su Chronicles'', a loose continuation of the "Mobius: 25 Years Later" storyline that was featured through Issue 131 to Issue 144. It is set in [[AlternateTimeline altered reality]] and all characters and concepts related to the ''Sonic'' franchise either no longer exist or have been heavily changed to make them legally distinct. After over a decade of development, the first volume is due to release in July 2024.

In 2011, Creator/KenPenders, a writer for the comic who won ownership and reprinting rights to the stories and characters he created in the aforementioned lawsuits, announced the ''Lara-Su Chronicles'', a loose continuation of the "Mobius: 25 Years Later'' storyline that was featured through Issue 131 to Issue 144. It is set in [[AlternateTimeline altered reality]] and all characters and concepts related to the ''Sonic'' franchise either no longer exist or have been heavily changed to make them legally distinct. After over a decade of development, the first volume is due to release in July 2024.

* PutOnABus: Because of a legal battle with Ken Penders over character rights, "Endangered Species" arc was re-written so all the echidnas except Knuckles were sent through a Warp Ring.

** The closest thing Amy Rose has to a power is her [[DropTheHammer Piko Piko Hammer]]. She is also the only one capable of going toe-to-toe with the NighInvulnerable Iron King.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: In a later story, Sally socking Fiona Fox in the stomach for trying to emotionally manipulate Tails again.

* TheCameo:
** So far, the only appearances of [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog Black Doom and the Black Arms aliens]] are a memory image of Black Doom and a single panel showing the Xorda locked in a war with the Black Arms (which explains why the Xorda never returned to see if their attack on Mobius succeeded). After ''Worlds Collide'', the Black Arms return to Sonic's world in a recent Universe arc to avenge Black Doom's death (the events of ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' occurred in the reboot timeline) and will have another Universe arc in the future.
** [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Mephiles the Dark]] and [[VideoGame/SonicShuffle Void]] appeared as inmates in the Zone Jail in ''Sonic Universe'' #29.
** Chester Cheetah appears in issue 72. For some reason.
** Issue #134 has some Characters from the UK's ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' (Tekno the Canary, Ebony the Cat and her partner Pajaymas, Shortfuse the Cybernik and Metamorphia) make cameo appearances. Licensing issues have prevented them from appearing since.
** [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo]], [[Film/ForbiddenPlanet Robby the Robot]], and [[Franchise/StarWars R2-D2]] [[https://grabber.zone/wp-content/uploads/WP-manga/data/manga_619d20eaf39ee/b33102dee9eabea100df58af20a1fea4/010.jpg appear in Issue #52]].
** Issue 290 has one of the more surprising cameo appearances in its Off-Panel short: [[http://www.ratfink.com/ Rat Fink of Ed Roth fame]].
** [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]], of all people, shows up in a crowd shot in issue 257. This was largely a joke by artist Tracy Yardley as Linkara is a known non-fan of the comic.
** [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Rocksteady and Bebop]] are part of the Zone Police prison population who enjoyed tormenting Scourge.
** Patrick Spaziante would often do this with VideoGame/{{Astal}}, the protagonist of the eponymous UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn video game he was apparently very fond of.
** Long before crossing over with Mega Man and other Capcom series, Lou and Siva, the protagonists of the ''Midnight Wanderers'' and ''Chariot'' games featured in Capcom's ''VideoGame/ThreeWonders'', make cameos on the cover of issue #77.

* EvilLearnsOfOutsideContext: The crossovers "Worlds Collide" and "Worlds Unite" begin with the respective main antagonists learning about worlds other than their own. In the former case, Dr. Wily and Dr. Eggman join forces to eliminate their hated foes while secretly planning to doublecross the other, while Sigma forces both doctors to help him take over the multiverse and become a god in the process.

* KilledOffscreen: Nate Morgan was in Robotropolis when [[spoiler:Station Square nuked it.]]

** Characters from ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' cameoed in a non-canon Sonic the Hedgehog issue.

* {{Crossover}}: One with the Creator/ImageComics superheroes, another with ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch''.
** CrisisCrossover: ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide''

** Also, in issue #18, Sonic mistakes the badnik Bat Brain's silhouette for the Batsignal and thinks Franchise/{{Batman}} is trying to steal his spotlight.

* NoEnding: The comic sadly never had a real proper ending thanks to the cancellation. Even before the reboot, the current story arcs (Sonic, Tails and Amy chasing after a robotized Sally, the matter with Naugus ruling New Mobotopolis and him having possessed Geoffrey. On the ''Universe'' side of things, Finitevus plotting something and Scourge set to make a comeback) were never concluded thanks to the lawsuit being settled and the writers using the crossover with ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'' to preform a CosmicRetcon to change the whole world of the series. The closest the comic got in recent times was the end of the ''Shattered World'' arc which had Sonic and the Freedom Fighters saving the world from Dark Gaia. But Eggman still got away at the end with it implied he was going to the Lost Hex to find a different power source for the Death Egg, among other supposed threats he had in store (such as a new roboticizer). The following issues afterward were one issue compressed re-tellings of Sonic's past games (1, 2 and CD) which likewise just ended on cliffhangers and telling the readers to play the games to find out what happened. Had the series continued, we would've gotten one more issue featuring Sonic 3 & Knuckles before heading into a new story arc proper. Likewise the final ''Sonic Universe'' arc ended on a simple story with the Chaotix and ''that'' left a cliffhanger with the Setting Dawn Pirates stranded on an island with a supposedly dangerous weapon they had found in a temple. Again, had things continued, a new story arc would've followed.

* PlotTumor: Knuckles went from living in a wilderness, believing himself to be the last of his kind, to living in a city full of other echidnas and having a family tree that became massively convoluted. Eventually, the echidnas ended up becoming the most important race in the comic. Then, the Eggman Empire came along, and then a lawsuit, and... let's just say there aren't as many echidnas now.

* YouAreTooLate: How issue 256 ends. Robotnik and NICOLE separately realize Möbius is doomed.

** [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]], of all people, shows up in a crowd shot in issue 257. This was largely a joke by artist Tracey Yardly as Linkara is a known non-fan of the comic.

* EvilCostumeSwitch: Fiona's is a vast improvement, and capitalizes on EvilIsSexy.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** For the longest time, there were many factions and individuals that, based on their respective showings, could've defeated Dr. Robotnik/Eggman very easily. In particular, the echidna civilizations would've delivered a CurbStompBattle if they fought him. Instead they allowed him to continue since he wasn't a serious threat to them and he kept the other minor threats under control, even though his schemes have endangered them one way or another and he was aware of them from his time in the royal court of Mobotropolis. He was able to improve his technology to the point that, with some minor help, he could attack them directly and raze their civilizations to the ground. And now with the reboot, all of these people have been neutralized.
** Geoffrey St. John is put on trial for his role in enabling Ixis Naugus' rise to power in Acorn and how he apparently was aiding him for years. He's found guilty... only for King Naugus to use his royal authority (and an article of Acorn law) to pardon Geoffrey. There's no way that Naugus ''wouldn't'' use his newfound position as Acorn's king to keep his loyal servant out of prison. Earlier during Naugus' takeover, Sonic learns that Acorn's council doesn't appreciate Sonic disrespecting their authority no matter what villain is attacking.
** In Tails' mini-series, Tails arrives at Downunda with the intent of surprising Robotnik's underboss Crocbot. He gets spotted immediately and is attacked by Wing Dingoes and badly injured, requiring him to be rescued by the local Freedom Fighter group.
** In the events leading up to the House of Cards arc, Sonic dates Fiona despite full knowledge of Tails' crush on him, and during said arc, when Tails' father is arrested after leading what amounts to an angry mob to Castle Acorn and cause a riot in pursuit of political reform, Sonic tactlessly insults Amadeus' intelligence right in front of Tails, only to be confused when Tails shoots him a DeathGlare and walks out of the room; Sonic proceeds to blow off Nicole's concerns and insistence that they [[PoorCommunicationKills talk things out]] because they're "practically brothers". Later, Sonic tries to stop Rosemary from breaking Amadeus out to continue their VelvetRevolution; when called out on his loyalties to Tails, Sonic goes so far as to smirk and gloat to Amadeus and Rosemary's faces that even if they are his parents, he grew up with Tails and is close enough to him that Tails will [[EasilyForgiven get over it]]; he's InstantlyProvenWrong when Tails, who overheard the entire confrontation, finally [[RageBreakingPoint snaps]] and physically attacks him, chewing him out for his lack of sensitivity all the while. It goes to show that just because Sonic and Tails are lifelong best friends and surrogate brothers, with Tails being a HeroWorshipper of him, that doesn't mean they won't have fights or always see eye to eye; they'll have disagreements and tensions like any friends would in real life, and not talking things out will only allow those tensions to fester.

* The comics used this quite liberally as a plot point:

* BigBadEnsemble: Eggman has always been the overall BigBad of the series, but there have always been villains who are independent of him who are major threats on their own (i.e. Finitevus, Scourge, Naugus, Mogul, the Iron Queen etc.). This is most apparent after the Genesis arc, where Naugus becomes equal to Eggman in terms of the threat he presents to the heroes, and his effect on the central plot. [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog Black Doom]] and [[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries Eggman Nega]] would also be major threats, but the former is a bit busy [[PosthumousCharacter being dead]], and the latter is fooling around in the shadows. As of the Post-Super Genesis Wave, we can add Dark Gaia to this list.

%%* BrattyHalfPint: Marine. ([[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries No surprise there]]).

** Every Sonic game and television show is in canon, except that most exist in multiple universes, or 'Zones'. This includes: The 'Prime' Universe, the VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}} Dimension, the WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground Universe, the (inevitable) ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch crossover, and a ''Franchise/SailorMoon''-inspired universe where Knuckles wears a tuxedo. Go figure. The "real" world is yet another universe, and features lawyer-friendly versions of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, hot on the trail of a giant blue talking hedgehog. (''Sonic Live'')
** Recently, the CosmicRetcon following ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide'' caused the entire multiverse to collapse on itself and be reborn. It's yet to be told as to what original worlds are left and what new ones are there. Unfortunately, Ken Penders [[DisneyOwnsThisTrope has claimed he owns the idea of a Sonic multiverse]], so Archie is extremely unlikely to do anything of the sort in the reboot aside from Blaze's dimension (which originated in the video games).
*** However, there is [[LoopholeAbuse an obvious loophole]] that they're taking with this with ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite'' - [[spoiler:There's no more multiverse of Sonics - there's the Sega multiverse and the Capcom multiverse]].

* FightingYourFriend: Thanks to UnwillingRobiticisation or BrainwashAndCrazy, there is a garuntee that Freedom Fighters or their affiliates will fight each other. When Eggman starts implementing the Dark Leigion's Leginization method (replacing organic parts with cybernetic ones), some of those soldiers are seen as related to any of Mobius' FF factions in someway, further invoking this trope.

* DrivenToSuicide: Antoine fakes this when Bunnie fakes defecting to the Battle Bird Armada in SU #18, [[DestinationDefenestration defenestrating himself from a high hatch into the sea]].

* UnbeatableLittleVillage: Much like ''[=SatAM=]'', Knothole Village/Kingdom was the last bastion of freedom when Robotnik took over Mobotropolis, and the heroes do whatever they can to keep it hidden. Even when he and later Eggman finally find it, the Freedom Fighters manage to drive his forces back. In #175, Eggman pulled out all the stops and uses a powerful fleet to reduce the Freedom Fighter home to nothing. Luckily, the have a new home to go to in the form of ''New'' Mobotropolis.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Some of the earliest issues made an occasional pig-related joke aimed at Sonic, which didn't make much sense in any context since, despite the "hog" in their name, hedgehogs aren't related to swine in any way.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: One issue says that porcupines and hedgehogs are related. But in reality, they're not: porcupines are rodents and hedgehogs are insectivores.

** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' didn't receive a full adaptation, only a tie-in issue that goes over Shadow's backstory and the comic's version of the events leading up to Sonic's arrest, telling the reader to buy the game if they want the full story. This led to some immediate story problems going unexplained, such as the fact that Amy, Tails and Knuckles were all preoccupied with their own plots at the time and couldn't have taken part in the comic's version of ''SA2'' or that Robotnik's grandfather working for GUN makes little sense due to Station Square and overlander society being separate at the time. Issue 2 of ''Sonic Universe'' would later try and address many of the lore conflicts by showing off more of the comic's version of ''SA2'' through flashbacks.

** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' didn't receive a full adaptation, only a tie-in issue that goes over Shadow's backstory and the comic's version of the events leading up to Sonic's arrest, telling the reader to buy the game if they want the full story. This led to some immediate story problems going unexplained, such as the fact that Tails and Knuckles were preoccupied with their own plots at the time and couldn't have taken part in the comic's version of ''SA2'' or that Robotnik's grandfather working for GUN makes little sense due to Station Square and overlander society being separate at the time. Later on, in Shadow's first major story arc, there were some issues stemming from the creative team's unfamiliarity with the games, such as Shadow not knowing that Eggman was Gerald's grandson and Eggman claiming that Maria was his half-sister instead of his cousin.

-->-- '''Standard introduction''', from Issue #64 to issue #74