Archie Sonic Online

Want the scoop on Archie Sonic Online is? See below for our frequently asked questions, yours may very well be there!

What is Archie Sonic Online?

“Archie Sonic Online” is a fan-driven continuation of the old universe of the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics, aka the Pre-Super Genesis Wave timeline or “pre-reboot.”

How did ASO get started?

The project got its start on the BumbleKing Comics Forums and DeviantArt and later migrated to its own proper web-space.

What projects are you guys working on?

We have four separate web-comics at this time.

“Sonic the Hedgehog Online”: An ongoing series that begins with issue #248, continuing the old universe without acknowledgement of the “Worlds Collide” crossover event and the subsequent reboot.

“Sonic Universe Online”: A side book that runs concurrently with Sonic the Hedgehog Online ignoring the printed versions of issues 50+.

“Knuckles: Endangered Species”: This miniseries remakes the latter three issues of the “Endangered Species” story arc (StH #244-246) which were severely altered due to behind the scenes issues. This series is now finished.

“Mobius Legends”: This limited series collects what we call “test stories”: short, non-canon stories developed by our writers and artists both for practice and your enjoyment. This series is now finished.

Will Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe Online be based on Ian Flynn’s “Lost Hedgehog Tales” write-up?

That was our original intention but we have since decided against it, one of the reasons being that “Lost Hedgehog Tales” has not been fully released and probably won’t be any time soon. We also wish to forge our own original direction.

You should ask Ian Flynn to release “Lost Hedgehog Tales” early/send his notes your way!

We cannot stress this enough: no. Ian is a busy man and harassing him about it won’t accomplish anything, and trying to do so on our behalf only serves to makes us look bad. Furthermore, he is not allowed/prohibits himself from associating with, or acknowledging, fan projects. He says as much in the disclaimer at the start of the first LHT chapter.

Will the Archie Sonic reboot continuity also get a continuation now that it’s ended?

There are a few dedicated projects depicting the cancelled issues for Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe, as well as a continuation after those events. Contact Riggo34 for more info.

IDW now has the Sonic license, does that affect plans for Archie Sonic Online?

Nope.

Will [insert character here] appear in Archie Sonic Online?

In general, you can expect characters that appeared in the Archie Sonic comics prior to the reboot to be reoccurring in Archie Sonic Online. Characters beyond this, whether that be from the games, the reboot, IDW, Fleetway, etc., are not guaranteed to appear in Archie Sonic Online.

Will you adapt Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces/any other Sonic games?

In the Archie Sonic comics it was common to see five page tie-ins to upcoming games for promotional purposes. While fun, it is unrealistic to expect our small, volunteer-based project to be able to produce these kinds of stories in any sort of timely manner. Not to mention they are wholly unrelated to our project’s premise of continuing the original Archie Sonic continuity.

As for longer game adaptions taking place within the pre-reboot continuity, you’ll have to wait and see.

This is cool and all, but where do I sign up?

We invite prospective writers or artists to send in their material to our official email, tumblr, or discord for evaluation.

Writers: Post a short (5-8 pages) comic script related to Sonic and an editor will look it over for you. If you need examples, we can provide them. We aren’t too picky about the formatting but you are required to make it neat and easily interpretable by the artists and editors. Also remember that taking the time to proofread and polish your material is a great way to demonstrate your initiative and seriousness toward being a part of this project. Submitting something half-baked makes for a pretty bad first impression. Unfortunately, we are not seeking new writers at this time.

Artists: We’re in the market for pencilers, inkers, colorists and letterers alike. Post a few samples of your work, they don’t necessarily need to be Sonic-related but it is preferred, and is a requirement if you intend to be a penciler. Any experience you have with sequential or comic art is a plus. Linking to an off-site portfolio is always a welcome gesture. If your examples fail to meet our requirements then you may be asked to produce additional samples. NOTE: You’re free to apply for multiple art roles, but if you also wish to try out as a writer, please do so separately.

If your submission is rejected, we ask that you wait at least one month before trying out again. If you make a second tryout after the waiting period and it is also rejected, you will need to wait six months before trying out again.

We also reserve the right to deny tryout submissions for any reason and to remove staff if they have a long period of inactivity without notice or we can otherwise not contact them, or if they should behave in a way that is deemed inappropriate.

Hopefully we haven’t scared you off, so if you’re still interested in joining, we look forward to seeing your submissions!

I want to submit a letter to appear in Sonic Grams, where should it go?

You can send Sonic Grams letters to our email or tumblr.

Can I submit a story to “Mobius Legends?”

No, because “Mobius Legends” is finished. New writers will still be expected to submit tryout scripts to demonstrate ability.

I have story ideas for the comic. Where should I submit them?

We do not accept unsolicited ideas.

I want to donate money to help support you and your site.

That’s a legally dubious proposition given that we do not own the characters and concepts featured in our project. Your generosity is appreciated, but we’d like to avoid any unwanted hassles later on.

Aren’t you guys afraid of getting sued since Sega and Archie don’t own some of the characters featured in these stories?

We acknowledge the rightful copyright owners of the material used in every issue. That’s all we really can do.

I still have questions/concerns that aren’t addressed here, who should I talk to?

Feel free to reach out to us via one of our social media outlets.