1. By now you've probably heard that SEGA has finally ended its partnership with the Archie Comics company

 sailor moon tuxedo knuckles




2. This officially ends over 24 years of continuous storytelling involving Sonic the Hedgehog and his disparate incarnations from games and television

undefined




3. It's an incredible body of work with maybe the most intense fanbase in Internet history

shadow the hedgehog died but hes better now

 


4. BUT, it also leaves behind a legacy of completely inscrutable weirdness

weird torso sonic comics knuckles the echidna

 

5. Sonic was a corporate mascot, but the comics imbued his universe with SO MUCH melodrama

james fry artwork sonic the hedgehog





6. Though more recent series should be admired for trying to lighten things up

special zone

 


7. Then there's the tragedy of the franchise's repeated attempts at "coolness"

daddy is going to be very sore anyway shadow

 

8. We have a silly animal adventure, written by adults, but meant to appeal to young teens?

swatbot

 


9. Would the Internet be as "weird" as it is now if not for these early inspirations?

swollen sonic

 


10. The unholy remnants from DECADES of canon were left to interact with each other in bizarre ways

sonics parents

 

11. It was a true pop-culture anomaly

I was not built for comfort

 

12. At once oblivious and yet gloriously self-aware

grab the booty

 


13. And whenever they DID add original characters and story elements, they were more GONZO than you could ever imagine.

sir connery

 


14. This is all separate from "Sonic the Comic" which was the UK's own independent gonzo Sonic universe, (sorry if some of that is getting in here, it's genuinely hard to tell)

rouge the bat sonic comic