Sonic’s big-screen premiere is being credited for being more ambitious than most video game-based media, but he’s a character who’s had a long history of exciting and dramatic portrayals in his adaptions outside the Sega games. Those two qualities are front and center in Archie Sonic Online, a webcomic collection of fan-created Sonic stories based on the series published by Archie Comics, from the early 1990’s up until IDW acquired the license in 2018.

As much as I loved Ben Schwartz’s youthful Sonic, what you can expect here are tales about a more experienced Sonic than his. Instead of being (an unwilling) loner in need of companionship, he’s the established and arguably legendary hero of his world and community- something that burns Dr. Robotnik’s massive but fragile ego badly. Eggman’s written in these stories definitely as vicious as Carrey’s (perhaps even more so), not as insane but still an over-the-top personality.

The main leg of ASO picks up roughly around where the Mecha-Sally arc concluded, only using an alternate outcome. The Freedom Fighters have discovered a bio-analyzer, the reverse of Robotnik’s infamous roboticizer, and they’re on a mission to transform Sally back into her normal fluffy self.

Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, Cream the rabbit, Silver the Hedgehog, and Rotor the walrus not only have to battle the superpowered princess in hopes of saving her, but also an upgraded version of Mecha-Sonic with advanced AI. Making matters worse, the evil wizard Ixis Naugus is still plotting to take over the kingdom, possessing the body of skunk guard Geoffrey St. John.

The way Sonic’s reluctance to fight Sally was portrayed impressed me a lot. The top notch artwork certainly didn’t hurt. Credit goes to the staff for depicting their feelings, you can sense his increasing fear and desperation as the situation starts spiraling beyond his control. For a moment his iconic bravado isn’t there, his heart’s totally exposed.

And if you think your emotions haven’t been shattered enough, think again. Sally is contending with a severe case of depression and a sense of guilt over his actions while roboticized, as she was aware of what her cybernetic form was doing but was powerless to stop herself. Her friends try to reassure her she’s still loved, even going as far to throw her a party (after what she’s been through, you bet she deserves a break). But it’s pretty believable how despite hearing that, it’s still difficult for it to register.

More entertaining content is available in the Mobius Legends side stories, which put the spotlight on different characters throughout the history of the franchise. These include Knuckles and the Chaotix saving Sonic and his friends from Lien-Da (and they have to battle Mecha-Knuckles in the process), Shadow the Hedgehog being played by nightmares of Mephiles, and a young Sonic introducing Tails to the joys of chili dogs (they were always too strong for Antoine).

One story is just Amy riding on Tails’ biplane on their way to rescue the princess, musing on her evolving relationship with Sally and her coinciding evolution as a Freedom Fighter, and it’s unexpectedly powerful and well written.

There were a wide scope of characters Archie Sonic gave time and care to, both in-house and throughout the history of the game franchise, and the staff of ASO have certainly done their homework. Fan favorites like Scourge, a leather jacker-sporting green hedgehog, and Tails’ ex-friend Fiona Fox get in a fight over the blue Chaos Emerald with Rouge the Bat, and the mysterious robot A.D.A.M is hoping to recruit Mecha-Sonic. Heck, there’s even “Zonic” and his partner Lieutenant Zally acting as “Zone Cops”- the perfect deuteragonists if you wanted to make a “Sonic-Verse” type story.

One side story I loved was Blaze the Cat teaming with Princess Elise having adventures together, and Elise’s shirt is a quick meme-able reference one can also find in the Sonic film. Oh, and if you remember the villain Dimitri, his story is bizarre but strangely hilarious.

If the Sonic film’s made you more curious about the possible range and scope of the cobalt critter, Archie Sonic Online is an entertaining package of different Sonic-related ideas that clearly have a lot of love and attention behind their production- and another entry to the many well-made Sonic fan comics available.

Many of these stories vary in tone but they’re all meant to be *epic*, which is the key that makes Sonic stuff so engaging. They’re in an all-ages range just as the original comics were and they retain their sense of fun, while also taking the cast and their dilemmas seriously. You can check it out here!