SEGA

Sonic the Hedgehog, SEGA's long-running mascot.

SEGA (originally abbreviated from Service Games) is the Japanese video game company that owns the rights to the Sonic the Hedgehog brand, which is the company's flagship series.

The company has often provided various pieces of stock-art for use in the comic, mostly for promotional material. In recent years, their official 3D renders have been used for variant covers.

Variant Covers Contributed To

Comic Issues

• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 226- San Diego Comic Con Variant Cover
• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 230- Variant Cover (Sonic Generations promo art)
• Archie Sonic Universe Issue 42- SEGA Variant Cover (Silver render)
• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 240- SEGA 16-Bit Variant Cover (character and level sprites)
• Archie Sonic Universe Issue 51- Rivals Variant Cover (Sky Sanctuary Zone background)
• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 249- Game Sprite Variant Cover (Sonic sprites)
• Archie Mega Man Issue 26- Game Sprite Variant Cover (Sonic sprites and Stardust Speedway background)
• Archie Sonic Universe Issue 55- SEGA Variant Cover (Blaze render)
• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 252- SEGA Variant Cover (Sonic render)
• Archie Sonic Universe Issue 56- SEGA Variant Cover (Amy render)
• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 254- SEGA Variant Cover (Dr. Eggman render)
• Sonic Halloween Comic Fest 2013- Cover (Sonic Lost World) promo art)
• Archie Sonic Universe Issue 61- SEGA Variant Cover (Shadow render)
• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 259- SEGA Variant Cover (Sonic and Egg Train renders)
• Archie Sonic Universe Issue 64- SEGA Variant Cover (Knuckles render)
• Archie Sonic Universe Issue 65- SEGA Variant Cover (Vector, Espio and Charmy renders and Knuckles Chaotix title screen background)
• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 262- Monster Movie Variant Cover (Sonic render)
• Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 264- Unleashed Variant (Sonic Unleashed promotional art)

Graphic Novels and Magazines

• Sonic Super Special Magazine Issue 10 - Cover
• Sonic Super Special Magazine Issue 11 - Cover

Sonic Characters and Concepts

See Video Games

Sonic Boom Characters and Concepts

See Archie Sonic Boom

Other Characters and Concepts

SEGA characters from outside the Sonic franchise have made appearances in the comic, either in SU #45 or in the Worlds Unite crossover with Capcom. One character also appeared during the Champions arc of Sonic the Hedgehog, specifically in StH #269.

Characters

Heroes

• Aiai (Super Monkey Ball)
• Aika (Skies of Arcadia)
• Alex Kidd (Alex Kidd)
• Ax Battler (Golden Axe)
• Bantam Scrambled (Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg)
• Base Wing (Panzer Dragoon)
• Beat (Jet Set Radio)
• Billy Hatcher (Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg)
• Chick Poacher (Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg)
• Danica Patrick (Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed)
• Drachma (Skies of Arcadia)
• Enrique (Skies of Arcadia)
• Fina (Skies of Arcadia)
• Gilder (Skies of Arcadia)
• Gilius Thunderhead (Golden Axe)
• NiGHTS (NiGHTS into Dreams...)
• Rolly Roll (Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg)
• Segata Sanshiro
• Stella (Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars)
• Tyris Flare (Golden Axe)
• Vyse (Skies of Arcadia)

Villains

• Death Adder (Golden Axe)
• Galcian (Skies of Arcadia)
• Reala (NiGHTS into Dreams...)

Background Information

• In addition to incorporating many elements from the Sonic the Hedgehog and other SEGA video games, the comics have featured the following:
  • A Mobian based on Jane from Fighting Vipers appeared as a contestant in the Chaos Emerald Championship. (StH: #269)
  • Ristar, Astal & Leda, and Deku from Fighters Megamix appear during Robotnik's flashback of the Great War, fighting against a squadron of Overlander soldiers; many of which are characters from Virtua Fighters. (StH: #50)
    • Astal of the self-titled Sega Saturn game is known for making cameo appearances throughout various issues of the comic drawn by Patrick Spaziante.
  • Bin and Pin, protagonists of Dynamite Dux, were mentioned in The Complete Sonic Comic Encyclopedia as part of a possible origin story for Bean the Dynamite, who was based on them.
  • Vector Man of the Roboticized Masters shares his name with Vectorman, the eponymous protagonist of the Vectorman games.
  • Echo the Dolphin of the Meropis City Guard is a nod to the Ecco the Dolphin video game series.
  • The title character of NiGHTS of NiGHTS into Dreams and its sequel Journey of Dreams has made occasional appearances in the comics, mostly as a background cameo. The ChuChus and KapuKapu of ChuChu Rocket also make irregular appearances.
• According to Ian Flynn, several elements originating from the games are currently off-limits for unknown reasons, despite them being properties of SEGA. Notable examples include Dr. Nega, Black Doom, and Solaris (which also includes Iblis and Mephiles). Despite this, some of these characters have made appearances in the comics as shadowy figures, in flashback, or in brief mention respectively. Other examples include Tiara and her father Gazebo from the cancelled game Sonic X-Treme. [1]
  • For a brief time, characters like Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, and Emerl were also off-limits due to SEGA believing them to be properties exclusive to the Sonic X series. However, this restriction has since been lifted.
• SEGA also owns the rights to exclusive characters from separate continuities. This includes Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, its Saturday morning counterpart, Sonic Underground, and the spin-off series Sonic Boom. The exceptions to this are Sonic the Hedgehog: the Movie, Sonic X, and Fleetway's Sonic the Comic which belong to Studio Pierrot, SEGA's corporate sibling TMS Entertainment, and their original writers respectively.
  • However, due to a mandate regarding the franchise's modern image, a majority of these characters are off-limits. As of now, only SatAM and AoStH characters may be used.
  • It is unknown what the status is of the Shogakukann Sonic manga, the Virgin Books Sonic series, and the French Sonic Adventures series. Given that early versions of Amy Rose and Charmy Bee first appeared in the manga, it is possible that Sega holds the rights to it.