Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic is a 1991 three-volume manga published in the Japan-only magazine Mega Drive Fan, intended as a prequel and tie-in to the first game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Also contains a rarely referenced origin story for Sonic in human society.
You can read more about this manga here.
Contrast to the Sonic the Hedgehog Promo Comic.
This manga provides examples of:
- Bodyguarding a Badass: The group of Sonic fangirls in the volume 1 call themselves "Sonic's Bodyguard Platoon". Needless to say, he's still the one who makes short work of Eggman and saves the day.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: At the end of volume 2, Eggman says that many more dangerous Zones await and, addressing the readers ("Sonic and Mega Drive users") directly, asks if they will be able to clear them. Sonic says that, "with the readers' help, he'll soon have all the Zones cleared!"
- Calling Your Attacks: "Rolling Attack!" "Rolling Attack Rapid Strikes!"
- Compressed Adaptation: The manga is simply a quick showcase of each zone from Sonic 1 and some of the bosses the players will face. On the other hand, it has more story and dialogue.
- Cute Little Fangs: Sonic is depicted as having these in this manga. It was a holdover from a early version of his design that was scrapped for the final game.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The comic notably features some early story ideas that were scrapped from the video game, such as Sonic being in a band and Spring Yard Zone being called Sparkling Zone, Star Light Zone being called Star Land Zone, and Scrap Brain Zone being called Clock Work Zone. And to say nothing of the truly bizarre "Story Gaiden", which is a "real life" origin story for Sonic The Hedgehog
- Fake Ultimate Mook: At one point, vicious-looking portrayals of a motobug and a burrowbot attack Sonic, telling him to screw off. Sonic shreds them in the next panel, telling them to "screw off themselves".
- Gratuitous English: Sonic bombastically introduces himself to Eggman in english.
- Invincible Hero: In the manga Sonic is rarely fazed by Eggman's robot armies and deadly traps, and defeats each of them in three panels tops. Even a green orbinaut from Star Light Zone is bopped off like it is nothing!
- Mundane Utility: The reason why Eggman wants to collect the Chaos Emeralds? So he can use them to boil the worlds largest egg.
- Now, Buy the Merchandise: The first volume ends by saying that the "real fight" now begins in Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Mega Drive. Dr. Eggman also plans to practice playing Sonic on the Mega Drive as a warmup for his next encounter with Sonic.
- Offscreen Teleportation: In the end of the story, Eggman has the three little animal friends held hostage and is crushing them to death. Sonic tears the claw off his Eggmobile and saves them between panels.
- Origin Story: The third volume has an unrelated illustrated text story called "Story Gaiden", which tells of a fictional real-world origin for Sonic. An Ace Pilot named Henry dies after breaking the sound barrier, but Chuck Yeager keeps his flight jacket, which has a blue hedgehog emblem on it, as a memento. Other pilots begin adopting the emblem, and eventually Sonic comes alive, seemingly as a reincarnation of Henry, after saving his daughter Meg from a fire accident. While largely ignored by Sega, this story influenced Sonic and Tails being pilots in the games, was adapted as a bonus for a limited edition of Sonic Adventure 2 and is sometimes mentioned by the founding fathers of Sonic Team.
- Playboy Bunny: Sonic's human fangirls in the first volume.
- Prequel: Intended as one for the first video game.
- Rolling Attack: It's Sonic. This manga and its follow-ups had a trend of giving him several variations for his spin moves which he called out anytime he used them.
- Show Within a Show: The first volume has Eggman playing the actual video game as practice for defeating Sonic.
- Slasher Smile: Sonic sure looks a bit more threatening with fangs on. Like in the first volume when he jumps at Eggman's face with a mischievous Death Glare and peels his Eggmobile off like an orange.
- Sliding Scale of Adaptation Modification: Falls on Type 2. Aside from some embellishments like having humans besides Eggman presentnote and fourth wall jokes, it's pretty much in line with the surreal nature of the original Sonic games and has an identical plot.
