Disney And Sonic? - mpsjpc email 4:15pm CST, 4-30-99

I was reading the latest issue of the gaming magazine "Tips & Tricks" when I saw that Walt Disney Enterprises had signed with Sega to produce a few games. Why is this so interesting? Because Disney is the operator of the television network ABC, the same network that had aired the Sonic SatAM from Sept '93 to July '95. Actually, Sega and Disney had great ties ever since the Genesis days. But I would be surprised if ABC ever run Sonic Underground.

New Sonic HQ Design! - Zifei 3:45pm CST, 4-30-99

Here's the new Sonic HQ design in pre-pre-alpha stage. In fact the main page hasn't even been started yet, But the main menu image map should be there to stay.

One Name, Three Teams... - Zifei 3:44pm CST, 4-30-99

Acording to Videogames.com, Sega has divided the Sonic Team into three parts: Our sources in Japan spoke with a former Sega employee who told us that the Sonic Team has been divided into three parts (Naka team, Iizuka team, and Oshima team), as some employees were not happy working with Yuji Naka. The Iizuka team is in the states working on the US version of Sonic Adventure; the Oshima team is working on a new project (possibly featuring a brand new character); and the Naka team is working on NiGHTS 2. This came off as Sega was hit by the ending of a bad financial year. And this move is a VERY good move. The old Sonic Team could never make 3 different games at the same time as the Sega AM divisions could. Now it's possible.

CSN Sonic Comic Gone... - Zifei 6:54pm CST, 4-28-99

Ken just told us to not to put up the Comic Shop News Sonic comic because: I hate to say it, but it's NOT okay to run the CSN Sonic story for several reasons. One: you're infringing on the CSN's efforts to generate sales to retailers. While you the customer may get your copy for free, the retailer has to pay for his, and as a result, a lot of retailers choose not to carry it as they consider it an added expense with little return. By running the Sonic serial, as well as other series, the CSN hopes that reader demand will encourage more retailers to carry their periodical. Two: Archie intends to reprint this story somewhere down the road. By making the story available to a wide audience online risks cutting into those sales, something neither Archie or Sega wants to see. Subsequently, anyone caught displaying this on their website risks serious legal action from the parties involved, as they would be required to do so in order to protect their overall interests. When it comes to something like this, if you're asking for my permission, I can't give it, and may have to report it if asked. This may not be what you want to hear, but I don't want to see anyone get burned playing with fire, which this certainly is. So we took the scans down. Don't want any legal trouble. Personally, I don't see how putting them up will destroy sales...anyway, I also think it is illegal for me to tell you that the picture can be viewed through a post on the Mobius Forum...

Knuckles Comic News... - Zifei 4:04pm CST, 4-28-99

A bit of good news for you Knuckles fans from Ken Penders: We did get some good news just before I left for the Pittsburgh Comic Convention this past weekend. Initially, it looked like we were going to have to cram the 3-issue KING OF THE HILL storyline (KNUCKLES #30 through 32) into two issues and delay the Espio back-up until five issues later, but management decided for now to leave everything as is until after the SONIC ADVENTURE crossover. Basically, they're giving the readers a chance to show their support in order to figure out what to do. If they see positive signs from the marketplace (that's you guys), both KNUCKLES and SONIC SUPER SPECIAL will continue as they currently are. So it's up to you fans now to make the difference.

Sonic Underground In UK! - Dr. Zachary email 3:30pm CST, 4-27-99

Woohoo! Sonic Underground will be released in the UK this Sunday, 2nd of May, on the channel ITV (within the programme Diggit) at 8.20. Don't miss it! This came as a surprise in a way and not a surprise in another. For your info, Sega of Europe launched their huge Dreamcast marketing campaign this week with the sponsorship of Arsenal (English soccer team) and eXistenZ (a new film).

SA #2 In Europe! - Zifei 9:16pm CST, 4-26-99

In the latest issue of the UK multiplatform magazine CVG, Sonic Adventure came in as the second most wanted item, right after the Dreamcast itself...Sonic fever is coming back...

More Fan Comic... - DX 3:26pm CST, 4-26-99

There's two new Sonic comics at Artail's place. Click here to view them. They're adaptions of some of Dan Drazen's works.

HQ To Change... - Zifei 6:10am CST, 4-25-99

The design of Sonic HQ will change in the next 3 weeks. The new Stores page will give you an idea where we're headed. Trust me, it'll be very very nice when it's done...

Fan Comics! - Zifei 6:09am CST, 4-25-99

Two fan comics went up this week: Sonic Adventure Fan Comic - This is the best Sonic fan comic I have seen so far. Very funny and very good art. Eva Richarte Prieto did a great job in creating a very good adaptation of Sonic vs. Chaos 0. Hope we see more of this soon. The Sonic Saga - not much is up yet except for a few sketches. But still worthy of a look.This one might turn out good.

SA Sales Figure. - Zifei 11:59am CST, 4-24-99

According to Dreamcast Fan magazine in Japan, Sonic Adventure sold a told of 2,070 units in the week of April 5 - 11th. This puts Sonic as the #9 best selling Dremcast game. Total sales is around 383,440 units as of now.

Useless, But Cute... - Crimson Kitty 9:54am CST, 4-24-99

The April 23 strip of Bill Holbrook's "Kevin & Kell" features Fiona Fox (not the one in the Archie comics) as various video game characters, including Sonic.. The link is here..

Sonic DJ Disco Party... - Zifei 8:45pm CST, 4-23-99

According to SegaX: Sega has announced a rather interesting, albeit strange, Sonic related event in Japan. From what we've been told, Sega has plans to transform the Segaworld ATC in Japan into a funky 70's like disco for five days, beginning May 2nd. Two times each day, attendee's will be able to dance along to the fresh Sonic DJ tunes. Sonic DJ? LOL...

Where's Rotor? - Zifei 3:55pm CST, 4-23-99

Rotor hasn't been around the comic for several issues now, so where is he? Ken Penders responds: Contrary to popular belief, Rotor does not die or is incapacitated in any way, shape or form. He's simply not around for a very good reason, which you'll have to read the books to find out. OK, so that really didn't help much, but at least we know that he's alive and kickin'.

Sega Online Store... - Zifei 6:35pm CST, 4-22-99

SoJ is opening a new online store called Dreamcast Direct. You will be able to "Dreamcast related" materials here. The site will open on 4-27-99, might take a look on that day. Because it just might have a Sonic keyring or two...

Canadian DC Launch Details. - Zifei 3:55pm CST, 4-22-99

Sega released information regarding the launch of the Dreamcast in Canada today. Basicly, everything will be the same as the US launch except for the price. The Canadian Dreamcast will be at CA$299.

Knuckles #26 Release Date! - Zifei 5:29pm CST, 4-21-99

Archie Comics' Knuckles #26 will be released in comic stores on May 5th, 1999.

Pittsburgh Comic Con. - Zifei 3:59pm CST, 4-20-99

If you live near Pittsburgh, be sure to check out the Pittsburgh Comic Con this weekend. Ken Penders and a few others will be there. Below are the directions: 1999 PITTSBURGH COMIC-CON http://www.pittsburghcomicon.com/ APRIL 23, 24, 25 Pittsburgh Expo Mart, Bus. Rt. 22 W, off Exit 6 of PA Turnpike Friday 2:00 PM until 8:00 PM Saturday 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM Sunday 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM $12/day, $30 for all three days.

Dulcy Going Musical... - Zifei 3:56pm CST, 4-20-99

Remember Cree Summer? (no...) Well, she's the person who did Dulcy's voice in the SatAM cartoon. Just want to note that she's coming out with a musical album called "Sweet Faerie." The CD will be distributed by Sony. Rolling Stone magazine gave it three and a half stars. So check it out. Source: MIKEON-LINE on Ron's list.

Sonic In CSN! - KILLOHURTZ email 3:36pm CST, 4-20-99

Remember we reported that Comic Shop News magazine will be doing a Sonic/Knuckles comic strip sometime in the future? Well, someone inside the company let the lid off on the time: I believe that the strip starts in CSN 619 or 620, and it will run for twelve weeks. CSN comes out weekly For more info, go to CSN Online.

New Sonic IRC Channels! - Zifei 3:30pm CST, 4-20-99

Over last week, 2 new Sonic IRC channels went up. They are #sth on DALnet and #SonicTH on EFNet. On another note, Ken Penders is right now testing his own chat room at kenpenders.com, you might want to check it out.

Sonic Adventure Keyrings! - Zifei 4:35pm CST, 4-19-99

Don't they look neat? Too bad we're never going to get them here until Sonic Adventure comes out...oh! The pain of waiting...

Super Secret Sonic Special... - Zifei 4:25pm CST, 4-19-99

...Now try to say that three times as fast. Anyway, Ken said something today about the upcoming Sonic Super Specials: Not sure about [who will pencil] 12, as that's the SONIC ADVENTURE ADAPTATION, while #13 while either feature 40 pages of Spaz (the Super Secret Sonic Special) or 40 pages of me (KNUCKLES: 20 YEARS LATER). Stay tuned. Start guessing on what it is...

SA Potential USA Box Art. - Zifei 3:45pm CST, 4-19-99

As you can see, this might be the cover art for the Sonic Adventure game when it hits the states on 9-9-99. It's almost the same as the Japanese counterpart. Source: SegaNet.

SA Launch Price! - Zifei 3:45pm CST, 4-19-99

Both Babbages and EB Online have stated that all Dreamcast games at launch will be at $49.99. That includes Sonic Adventure.

New Poll! - Zifei 3:29pm CST, 4-19-99

In the last poll, the topic was "Which Archie Sonic comic event are you looking to the most?" The results are pretty much what was expected. I am surprised that someone actually did vote for the Sabrina/Sonic crossover... 1) Knuckles: Twenty Years Later (32) 2) Sonic Adventure Crossover (19) 3) Sonic #75 (16) 4) Mobius Furries Special (11) 5) Knuckles: First Date (9) 6) Sabrina/Sonic Crossover (1) For this week's poll, we ask you "Which Sonicverse are you a fan of?" Fleetway? Archie? Games? Anime? SatAM? or All? Vote now!

Sonic In "Albright Reporter". - Chuckie Chipmunk email 10:21am CST, 4-17-99

In a spring issue of this newsletter my mother collects, known as "Albright Reporter", it does a three page interview on Michael I. Silberkleit, chairman and co-publisher of Archie Comics. It usually talk about the years of Archie and the gang, but made a big mention on others, them uncluding Sonic the Hedgehog. They even showed some pictures from issue #60. However, I don't approve too much. The interview makes it sound like Archie Comics own Sonic.

SA Not To Be Pack-in Game! - Zifei 10:20am CST, 4-17-99

Wohoo, I'm back after the computer crashed..anyway, news for today: Rumors around the net are that Sega will not have Sonic Adventure as a pack-in game for the Dreamcast 9-9-99 N. America launch, instead they'll pack-in Sega Rally for $199 as a whole. But even if that's the case (excellent! SR2 rocks!), expect to see Sonic Adventure sell at a 1-1 ratio with the DC.

SatAM - Archie Edition? - Vector 1:20pm CST, 4-16-99

Some interesting possibilities were covered by a fan responding to the Ken Penders post (quoted in previous article): Waiiiiiiit! Are you meening if us Sonic & Knux Fans show our fandom off, that there is a chance that we will help the comic, but also help it be adapted into toys, video games, and... *gasp* SATAM : Archie addition? KP responded: You got it. If the Suits at certain companies get a whiff that there are indeed a LARGE number of you guys out there, the ramifications could be incredible.

Ken Penders Responds - Vector 1:17pm CST, 4-16-99

Ken Penders said this on his message board, in response to WB: Jon- Without going into a lot of details, within the past 24 hours, any effort on behalf of saving KNUCKLES the comic could also have a profound effect as well on the possibility of other outlets for the characters in video games, toys, film, TV, etc. I'm not allowed to say more at this time, but I ask people to trust me on this one, as I've been approached by other Powers That Be expressing interest in everyone's favorite echidna. Talk about timing> I couldn't believe it myself. In regards to doing whatever you can, if anyone can afford to buy an extra copy, please don't just stash it away. Give it to a friend or relative who doesn't read the book. Share the fun with kids on your street. For those who can't afford an extra copy, but do buy KNUCKLES on a regular basis, let the retailer know you're interested in buying the book if you don't see it on their shelves. If they need more than just your order, round up a couple of friends. Whatever you do, be positive, and more importantly, be polite. If anyone has other suggestions, share them with your friends. All of you can make a difference, even if you're not doing something on a daily basis, or think anything you do won't achieve the desired results. I won't be posting on a daily or even weekly basis regarding this as even I don't get the information except on a sporadic basis. However, I do know that if I just sit around and do nothing, or worse yet -- think negative, then it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy and the books will indeed go by the way of the dinosaur. The Suits will pay attention if you give them a reason to. This is Sonic fandom's chance to show everyone that they really do matter.

Sonic HQ to Help Knuckles...Possibly - Vector 1:11pm CST, 4-16-99

Here is part of a letter WB posted on Ken Penders' message board: Sonic is already set with SA coming along and everything else unless SEGA makes a monumental screw up - but lets not start that discussion now. Sonic Adventure is already coming out so that will push sales up more. BUT - What if Sonic HQ started a page encouraging people to "Save Knuckles". In other words encouraging a "procott" and letter writing campaign. Procott meaning like what Mr. Penders suggested - encouraging people to buy MORE Knuckles and Sonic comics and encouraging thier friends to do the same. And at the same time - generating a MASS LATTER WRITING campaign to Wal Mart to put comic books back on the shelf - particularly Archie Comics because of their "wwholesomeness and family comics" - and not punish everyone thanks to the mindlessness of one whiny woman. I think its a good idea that could work if done properly. Sonic fans couldn't save the SatAM Sonic cartoon unfortunately - but an organized campaign by one of the larger websites and maybe any others if they were willing to help - to make SURE Sonic and Knuckles stay on the shelf - might help. Get MORE PEOPLE to learn about Sonic and Knuckles comics and at the same time - keep the rest of the comics from going extinct. It would also generate more popularity for the "funny animal" comic, if we could do this right. Sonic has a lot of respect in that area anyway among comic books. Cause if Knuckles goes, how long before Sonic falls also? Also - we could get other guys to back us - like writing to the Comic Book Defense Fund, and blueribbon.com (a KNOWN Free Speech candidate - Free Speech being the right for Wal mart to not ban EVERYTHING thanks to one person). If we hold MASS letter writing campaigns to guys like that AND Wal mart and at the same time hold a large "procott" to buy more books for those that can afford it, we think we could rectify the situation of having Knuckles drop on the cancellation bucket. So what do you guys think? You too Mr. Penders. A lot of guys at HQ are willing to do it with some advice and asked me to type this letter out to pass it by you all - Mr. P. in particular. >:P It'd take a while to get set up, but we have a few plans. And BTW, all rabid Archie haters can stay out of this. We're trying to do this _as a SONIC FANDOM_ - not a separate entity. Thats where we failed in SatAM Sonic. Either youre for it, or not. What do you think Mr. Penders? Jon Gray The Dubba Dubba WB Sonic HQ - Comics Info

SSS #11 and Espio Back-Up News - Vector 3:06pm CST, 4-16-99

Ken Penders said this on his message board: Work on the FEMALE FURRIES SPECIAL is coming along quite nicely. Virtually every story is pencilled and lettered, leaving me a lot of inking to do. As good as I thought this special would be, it's even better, as everyone -- Jim, Colleen, James and Spaz have done some of their best work. I think everyone's going to go wild over Bunnie's new look, what happens to Lupe, Hershey's status as a character, Sally's decision on whether to submit to the Source of All, and Spaz's mind-blowing artwork on Julie-Su, not to mention the family history that will be revealed. I would not be surprised at all if we receive a great demand for more. Speaking of Colleen Doran, she's going to be pencilling the Espio back-up stories in KNUCKLES #30 through #32, as Manny is getting adjusted to life as a new dad. (His wife recently gave birth to a son.) After seeing Colleen's work on the Lupe story, I'm sure a lot of people are going to enjoy her rendition of the Chaotix.

The Missing Guardian - Vector 6:52pm CST, 4-14-99

Ken Penders said this on his message board: There was only one Guardian I never had room for, but will eventually be shown... Mathias, son of Jordan and father to Hawking.

DC Pre-orders - Steve email 6:21pm CST, 4-14-99

Electronics Boutique is now accepting pre-orders for Dreamcast and games. Currently, only two games are available for pre-order: Sonic Adventure, and Virtua Fighter 3: team battle. It costs $10 American green-backs to pre-order the system itself, and $10 American to pre-order a game (another $10 if you want to pre-order both). More games will be available for pre-order as they are announced and the location near me says it's in high demand in my area. I'm not sure if the pre-ordering program at EB is going nation-wide.

Sonic & Sally Wedding Pic. - Zifei 4:57pm CST, 4-14-99

Remember that Sonic and Sally wedding picture by Spaz? Ken announced today that it might become official stuff: I'm currently in discussions with Sega, and if the Sonic-Sally wedding print as illustrated by Spaz does indeed become a reality, it will be an OFFICIAL product LICENSED through Sega. We're doing this one the right way. So...my April Fools joke might turn out to be true...

Ben Hurst. - Rich email 3:55pm CST, 4-14-99

Remember that sometime ago, we told you that we will have an interview with Ben Hurst soon? And it never came? Will Ben just emailed one of our readers about why: I'm sorry I've been so unavailable, but my schedule has been truly brutal. Travel, meetings and impossible deadlines add up to neglecting all the Sonic folk and for that I am truly sorry. Thanks for all the nice words and yes, I'm still interested in doing the interview, but I'm in the midst of a large, cumbersome museum project, writing the equivalent of a dissertation, so I'm afraid it won't be very soon. I hope interest hasn't died out by the time I can schedule it. Hope this finds you well. Take care, Ben Hurst As you can see, the interview is still on, we just don't know exactly when. Mean while, we'll have a very cool Manny Galan interview coming up. If you have any specific questions you want to ask Manny, email them to me now!

Knuckles Comic Endangered! - Zifei 4:35pm CST, 4-14-99

This will probably upset a lot of you, but, here's what Ken Penders said earlier today: I'm not one to normally do something like this, as I recognize immediately that some people will claim my motivation is strictly self-interest. To be honest, self-interest does play a part, but only to a certain extent. However, when the deck keeps geeting stacked against you, you tend to resort to everything and anything in the hope that something will work. The problem is this...because various suits have affected the way KNUCKLES is distributed, KNUCKLES is now on the endangered list, with the very real possibility of being published only nine times a year, maybe six, or even being outright cancelled. How can this be so? you ask. Let me explain. Months ago, some woman complained to a manager at a WalMart that her child bought a comic book with offensive material at his store. Rather than simply not carry the offending title, WalMart made the corporate-wide decision to not carry ANY comics altogether. This resulted in 10,000 less copies of KNUCKLES alone being sold. While some of those readers probably bought subscriptions, the majority went looking for other sources. Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming evidence that SONIC and KNUCKLES would only bring in more customers, many comics retailers still refused to increase their orders. As for other outlets, they've proven to be hit and miss due to various factors with newstand distribution. Which brings us to the second shoe being dropped: how the current system of newstand distribution could spell disaster for KNUCKLES fans. In case anyone hasn't noticed lately, there are more magazines being published than there is room in stores to display them for sale. That means if you wish to get your product to market, you have to jump through the hoops set up by newstand distributors. Recently, the distributors have decided to charge more money for less space. That means a publisher like Archie has to cough up more money to maintain every title on the newstand they currently publish, or... ...they could pay the same amount and get less shelf space, resulting in some books getting cancelled, and others scaled back in their frequency of publication. While SONIC has been a solid performer with name-brand recognition, for some reason, both KNUCKLES and SONIC SUPER SPECIAL have a harder time getting through the food chain and into the readers hands. Be that as it may, the fact is, the publishers don't care about the whys and wherefores. They're not looking for explanations. Either a book sells or it doesn't. While that may not be fair from a fan's point of view, this is how business is currently conducted in America today. Now that we've defined the problem, that various factors are making it more difficult than ever for KNUCKLES' fans to follow their hero, we obviously need a solution, and in this case, there's only one. The only one the publishers will listen to. If you really, truly think the book is worthy of your time and effort, I recommend that everyone who feels this way buy one extra copy for six months and pass 'em along to different friends, getting them hooked. I say six months for two reasons. One: it's going to take that long for the initial sales figures to reach Archie, and Two: it's going to take several months of steady sales to encourage the publishers to maintain KNUCKLES on a monthly basis. As it stands now, after issue #35, there's a very real chance of a "skip" month between every 3-issue story, resulting in only nine issues a year of KNUCKLES. Once that happens, it'll be a long time, if ever, before KNUCKLES is fully restored to 12 issues a year. If anyone has really looked at what's on the magazine racks these days, you know that both the retailer and the distributor make more money selling Time, Newsweek, Better Homes and Gardens, etc., than they do selling comic books. Therefore, if you wish to save that which you enjoy, you have to make the effort to show that support. The more fans that do come through, the louder the message will be. So start by spreading the word, and if anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask. The Ken went on to say that: One of the factors I didn't carefully explain is why a book like KNUCKLES can be on the endangered list, despite being one of the better selling titles on the market. Because Sega owns KNUCKLES, Archie has to pay them a fee each time an issue is published, therefore when you factor this in and other budget costs, it costs Archie more to produce KNUCKLES than, say, your typical issue of BETTY & VERONICA. Because of that, if Archie's share of the profit on KNUCKLES doesn't exceed that of BETTY & VERONICA's, the company doesn't consider publishing the book to be worthwhile to them. After all, they don't own the character, so they can't exploit it like they can their own. Personally, I don't understand it, either, but the concept of not making enough of a profit is just as bad as actually losing money to a lot of companies these days. They expect to make a certain amount, and if they don't make it, they look for any excuse to cut costs, figuring the product wasn't good enough even though other factors, such as distribution difficulties and costs in this case, were the main reason the product wasn't exposed to the widest possible audience looking for it. So what could we do to help? Personal suggestion: complain to Wal-mart, since their the ones that started this whole mess in the first place. When they get over 100 complaints on one thing, they'll probably question their decisions.

SonicXtreme. - Zifei 3:55pm CST, 4-13-99

Yep, another fan is making another Sonic game. This one is called SonicX(treme). Here's what the producer J.B. told me: I am currently in the process of making a Sonic 2d scroller for the PC. I have finished the initial level editor for it , All the editor lacks is the ring and enemy placement. The editor saves the files as *.lvl that the game can run. However , I need people to make levels since I can't draw very well. As you can see, JB is in need of a good artist, if you are the one, contact him now! You can visit his page for more info.

Sonic #72 Release Date! - Zifei 5:55pm CST, 4-12-99

Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog comic issue #72 will be released in stores across America on April 21, 1999.

Dreamcast - Vector 5:42pm CST, 4-12-99

The maintainer of The Super Sonic Zone has posted a report on his news page about his experience trying out a Dreamcast at a Babbage's, including a possible DC retail price that he got from the store clerks. Keep in mind that, despite what the report said, the price (and the Sat-Cast) are NOT confirmed.

In Sega News... - Zifei 3:25pm CST, 4-12-99

The news below are sort of Sonic related: It is reported by Dimension-S that word going around in the industry is that Sega has signed an agreement with Lucas Arts to have a Dreamcast commercial in the Star Wars:TPM movie. Most likely this is a done deal. A Dreamcast magazine is on the way, most likely it'll be published by Imagine. This also looks to be a done deal.

Cover Previews... - Zifei 8:53pm CST, 4-11-99

Ken Penders posted more cover previews for upcoming Knuckles issues on his webpage recently, this time, it's for Knuckles #30, #31, and #32.

Sega Ready To Rumble? - Zifei 6:23pm CST, 4-10-99

Just check out SoA's new site design and sign up to their news letter. They're up to something.

Sonic HQ One Year Old! - Zifei 6:21pm CST, 4-10-99

Hard to believe, isn't it? But Sonic Headquaters is officially one year old tomorrow. In the past year, we have set a bunch of benchmarks in the Sonic internet fandom: 1) The first Sonic page to reach 100,000 hits. 2) The first Sonic page ran by a staff. 3) The first Sonic page with a Q&A. 4) The first Sonic page with a Graffiti Wall (taken off though due to flames). 5) The first Sonic page to have extensive news coverage of all Sonic events. 6) The first Sonic page to establish a well formed message forum AKA Mobius Forum. 7) The first Sonic page with interviews. 8) The first Sonic page with a Trade Forum (and Sonic Store). And a few other things are going up too, so hold on to your hats, boys and gals, as we head into the next year...

Conflicting Reports. - Zifei 6:20pm CST, 4-10-99

Is the Sonic Anime out or not? We're getting conflicting reports...the below quote says it's out: A friend of mine got the Sonic Anime from F.Y.E. (For Your Entertainment) in Michigan on March 23rd for $20. The anime comes with both parts and it is unedited. And another quote says it's not: I emailed someome (brad@advfilms.com) who works for ADV films and he said that the Sonic Anime hasn't been releaseed yet and it should release by or arround this fall! We'll look deeper into this. We might have the voices for the American version soon.

SA US Version... - Zifei 6:40am CST, 4-8-99

According to Katana Edge: Sega is currently putting the finishing touches on Sonic Adventure for North America and part of that includes remixing the music. KEDGE learned today that one very cool guy is currently in the process of handling two remixes for the US version. Chris Vrenna, a percussionist who frequently plays drums with NIN and Trent Reznor, is mixing the new tracks along with Mark Blasquez. Hope they make it really good!

SA at Software Etc. - NetRaptor email 2:47am CST, 4-8-99

It has been confirmed that Sonic Adventure can be played at some Software Etc. stores.

Sonic Adventure Sales... - Zifei 6:57am CST, 4-7-99

Are pretty terrible right now. In the week of March 15-21, according to the DC Magazine, Sonic Adventure only sold 3,015, putting the told units sold at 372,703. Hopefully, the sells will picked up as more DCs are sold.

Sonic #75 Cover! - Zifei 3:27am CST, 4-7-99

Thanks to Detroit News, we now have the cover to Sonic #75! Here's a short description of the issue: "I Am The Eggman." Dr. Robotnik is back -- and he's carrying a whole new bag of tricks and surprises. For starters, he's imprisoned Sonic and The Freedom Fighters and he intends to roboticize them.

Knuckles #29 Preview! - Zifei 3:26am CST, 4-7-99

This would be Art Mawhinney last take on the Sonic/Knuckles comics until further announcemnt. cover KNUCKLES #29 Written by Ken Penders, art by Art Mawhinney and Rich Koslowski. "My Special Friend." Princess Sally visits the Floating Island on a diplomatic mission on behalf of her father, and a personal mission for her mother. Will her mission of mercy succeed or fail? Will Knuckles' renewed commitment to his homeland conflict with his loyalty to his friends? Can things ever be the same again? The issue ships on July 23.

Looking For Fleetway Scans? - Dr Zachary email 3:26am CST, 4-7-99

Well, look no further, Dr. Zachary has got a new Fleetway page up at his home page, the Zacweb.

Note From Paul Castiglia. - Zifei 3:25am CST, 4-7-99

If you email Archie a lot, read this: Hey, gang. As many of you know, I'll be leaving my full-time post at Archie Comics at the end of this week. As a result, we'll be shutting down the SonicNotes@aol.com and KnuxNotes@aol.com addresses. From here on out, Sonic email should be addressed to jfreddyg@archiecomics.com While we still receive mail at SonicNotes and KnuxNotes due to back issues floating around with those addresses in them, we've been printing the jfreddyg address in new comics for quite awhile now, so it shouldn't be too tough a transition. Just thought everyone would like to know. Best regards, Paul Castiglia

Updates End For The Sonic Corner - Vector 5:14am CST, 4-6-99

I learned of this news from The Super Sonic Zone. Mr T, who first notified us about the Simplenet Crisis, runs that page. On Sunday, JD Harding announced that his site, The Sonic Corner, would no longer be updated. This quote was taken from TSC's Updates page: This site will not be updated anymore. This is the last and final update. I'm very busy and I don't have any more spare time to work on this site. I'm sorry about this, but I must stop updating TSC. I'm beginning professional work on Music, and I cannot be bothered with this site. Knuxcom closed less than a week ago, and now another of the greatest Sonic sites will no longer be updated. Fortunately, it sounds like TSC will still be available in the future.

World Sonic Closes - Vector 5:05am CST, 4-6-99

I learned of this news from The Super Sonic Zone. Another Simplenet site is closing. This time it's World Sonic. On March 1, 1999, Dash talked with his staff about a "new" website. It was suppose to be called E Productions. E Productions would be a fanmade company that made fancomics. Of coarse, that suggestion did not become a reality, but something else did. The next day, Dash (that's me!) went around the net asking people in message boards and e-mailing them personally about what they thought about World Sonic. Most of them said the site is good, but not real good. But the loudest answer I heard was The Sonic Saga. Everyone I asked said that The Sonic Saga looks real promising and couldn't wait to see it done. Then I remembered that I haven't been putting that much time into the making of The Sonic Saga, but instead, putting all of my time into World Sonic. That's when my mind clicked. Why keep a Sonic site that dose not receive good responses from the visitors? Why not make a website about something that people like. The Sonic Saga! With a new website, all about The Sonic Saga, I would be able to put A LOT more time into making the comic. And without World Sonic to worry about, I could make The Sonic Saga into a great fancomic! So, that's what I'm doing. I'm closing down World Sonic and opening a new The Sonic Saga webpage! However, this may only be temporary. Because I have the World Sonic webpage loaded into my Computers hardrive, I could upload it back up on the net anytime I want. This means NO ONE can copy the World Sonic name or it's design. Their both copyrighted by me and I'm not giving them up. This is great for me really! That's why I'm doing it. Now, about the features on World Sonic like the interview and fancomics page. Here is a list of things that were on World Sonic that will still be on the new The Sonic Saga webpage. Danehog's fancomic, STH: Character Chaos Zone Interview's Downloads That's all. Everything else, like the fangame, will be canceled. Sorry. Also, keep in mind that the new website will stay at this domain (Http://wsonic.simplenet.com) and will not move!"

Robotnik To Come Back...! - Zifei 3:40am CST, 4-6-99

But in another form -- Eggman! This is what Paul Castiglia has to say about it: Hey, gang. Paul Castiglia here. After several discussions with editor Justin Freddy Gabrie, we've decided to reveal (well not entirely -- you'll have to read the comic for the complete story!) what we've got in store for you in Sonic The Hedgehog #75, which heads your way this July. It just might be the beginning of a return to "status quo". It's definitely the return of Robotnik -- wait till you find out just what he is and how he got that way! It should all make sense soon... IT'S THE MOMENT SONIC AND HIS FRIENDS HAVE BEEN DREADING: THE RETURN OF THE WRETCHED DR. ROBOTNIK, IN THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! Get set for not one, but two milestones for Sonic and his pals this July! First off, we're proud to present the 75th issue of Sonic's monthly comic series. Since Sonic's debut in 1992, many comic series sprung up, but just as quickly, many fizzled out as well. But Sonic's legion of faithful fans -- many of which take their hero's exploits as seriously as fans of "Star Trek", have proven that when it comes to longevity, look no further than Sonic! He's been going strong from the get-go. The same can't be said for the evil Dr. Robotnik, Sonic's sworn enemy. After terrorizing the blue blur and the other Freedom Fighters for 50 issues, Sonic finally defeated the maniacal menace. Or so he thought! Now, 2 years and 25 issues after his apparent demise, Dr. Robotnik returns to once again wreak havoc on the peaceful citizens of Knothole Village! If you read only one comic this summer, THIS IS IT! SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #75, OCT. cover date, ships 7/9. 32-page, full color comic, $1.79 US; $1.99 CANADA. "I Am The Eggman": In this issue-length nail-biter, Dr. Robotnik is back -- and he's carrying a whole new bag of tricks and surprises! For starters, he's imprisoned Sonic and The Freedom Fighters and he intends to roboticize them! Isn't this where we all came in?!?! SCRIPT: Karl Bollers. ART: Steven Butler and Pam Eklund. LOL, "I Am the Eggman"...this is probably a very good move from the economic stance, this change will take place right before Sonic Adventure arrives, so all the new fans will know what the comic is talking about right away.

SU Review - Vector 7:22pm CST, 4-5-99

Allessandro Sanasi gave his opinions of the new cartoon on the newsgroup. Hello. About a week ago, Traitor (traitor@thegrid.net) asked me about my personal opinion about the show... for your reading pleasure, here is what I replied: First off, just in case some of you don't know already, I put up some nice online information about this cartoon at http://www.franken.de/users/deco/su/su.html and http://www.franken.de/users/deco/su/su_news.html It gives a general overview of the characters, as well as some basic information about the plot itself. IMHO, Sonic Underground can be considered as a mix between the SatAM cartoon and the syndicated "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" cartoon, with the stronger tendency going toward SatAM. The animation is well done, and the scenes show lots of dynamic and speed (especially during fights), sometimes even more dynamic than they had in SatAM. However, while SatAM showed Robotnik as someone who wanted to 'own' the whole planet, turn everyone with no exception into robots and pollute everything with his machines, forcing the Freedom Fighters to hide away in the forest, in the new cartoon he is only a 'normal' dictator who is satisfied to 'own' only _Robotropolis_ and rule over the rest of the population with his army of SWATbots, without roboticizing them. Therefore, most of the cities on Mobius are still undamaged and well populated. The aristocratic (rich) furries on Mobius even have some kind of VIP status because Robotnik needs their support (mostly money) to finance his dictatorship. Of course Robotnik still captures and roboticizes furries once in a while, but it's only a very small fraction of the total population. Also, the furries aren't turned totally into metal, they simply get robotic 'parts' added that make them obedient slaves. Another thing to mention is that the 'variety' of different-looking species that we had in the SatAM version is pretty much gone. Most of the supporting cast looks pretty generic. Usually they have human-shaped bodies (although a lot slimmer), 'dog' faces with button noses and small 'dog' ears. When they do use characters that differ from this generic style, usually they are hideously ugly and mis-shaped. The 'hip' Mobian outfit consisting only of gloves, shoes and maybe a belt or hat is also pretty much gone. Apart from Sonic & siblings, usually everyone is completely dressed. Sonic, Manic and Sonia all have different personalities, abilities and skills, which IMHO is a plus. For example, Sonia is the more adept person when it comes to things like remote-controlling a plane or scanning for SWATbots, and is also a very emotional and caring person, while Manic is better with opening locks, pickpocketing and bypassing security. Sonic is his usual fast, witty and impatient self as always, and the born leader and fighter. This variety among the three main characters _does_ offer a lot of possibilities for interesting plots, but when comparing it with SatAM I have to say that it 'stays behind'. Or to say it simply, I think it is more interesting when for example Sonic's girlfriend Sally gets captured by Robotnik than Sonic's sibling Sonia, or when Sally falls for a cute handsome guy and Sonic trying to re-gain her attention than when Sonia falls in love. It's a fact that people always care more when for example cute little Tails gets captured than when it happens to 'heroes' like Manic, who can pretty much fight back on their own. All the interesting relationships that the Knothole Freedom Fighters offered, like Sonic's and Sally's love for one another (although none of them wanted to admit it openly), Sally's relationship to Tails, who loved him almost like her own kid, while Tails called her 'Aunt', Tails' adoration for Sonic, Bunnie's cuteness and friendliness, although she suffered greatly from being half robot, Antoine the jerk, who always tried to impress the princess, or Rotor the tinkerer, always there with a fitting gadget when there was a need. But in the new cartoon, the main cast is only those three hedgehogs, and all relationship that will ever be among them, and all their reason to come to the rescue when one of them is in danger will always be nothing more but the relationship that is between siblings. Sonic coming to the rescue for his 'love', or to save his 'little bro', and all the fun interaction that was possible between the SatAM characters will not be possible in the new cartoon. Sonic & siblings still make jokes among each other, and still have conflicts and emotional stuff to handle, but because they are brothers and sister, it will never get as deep as it was possible in SatAM. And finally, because Sonic & siblings have formed a band in this series, each episode features a small musical interlude, either a 'stage performance' or something in the line of an 'MTV video clip' thrown in. Now to sum it all up, IMHO Sonic Underground is worth watching, especially when you already are a Sonic fan. It has pretty decent artwork, mostly interesting, funny and exciting plots, fast-paced action, and Sonic & siblings all act pretty cool, especially during fights. The stories are less 'dark' than SatAM was (mainly because Robotnik doesn't want to pollute the whole planet and turn all living beings into robots, but is instead satisfied to just rule over its population), but luckily don't slip to the AoStH level. The supporting characters are more 'generic' in appearance, taking away a bit from the true 'Mobian' feeling. What SatAM fans will miss the most however is the lack of characters like Sally or Tails... but I guess we have to live with that. As a final note, I would like to tell everyone that IMHO the musical interludes _suck_, because they almost always feel like a 'break' in the storyflow than helping it along, and all the added computer effects (to give it the typical 'MTV' feel) do the rest. ;) And that's that... Bye Alessandro --- You get what anyone gets. You get a lifetime. Good news (depending on your taste) and bad news, I guess. IMHO, it sounds like DiC has handled Robotnik better than they had in the previous cartoons, though the "generic furries" sound rather disappointing.

Sega DC Marketing... - Zifei 3:45am CST, 4-5-99

As part of the Sega Dreamcast marketing push starting this month, Sega will ship a number of Dreamcast to Software Etc stores (and maybe others) across America starting on April 19-22. So if you still haven't seen or played Sonic Adventure yet, there would be a good chance for you to see the game starting at Apirl 19-22.

Will Ken Quit? - Zifei 3:43am CST, 4-5-99

Ever since Ken Penders announced his own comic, The Lost Ones, people have started to question if he will leave Archie to pursue his own interests. In the month's Archie editorial, he answered the question: Does this mean I've quit working on SONIC and KNUCKLES? That I'm leaving Archie? Far from it. I can't say enough about what an enjoyable experience it's been working on not only SONIC and KNUCKLES, but on the flagship characters like ARCHIE, BETTY and JUGHEAD, to say nothing of getting the opportunity to work on childhood favorites such as THE JAGUAR and THE SHIELD. I also can't say enough about the terrific people I work with at the company. There's your answer, some people can cool they heels now...

New Poll! - Zifei 3:40am CST, 4-5-99

In the last poll, the result was not surprising. When asked which game Sonic fans would want to see next, the result after 104 person voted: Sonic Underground (13) Sonic Realms (6) Sonic the Fighters (17) Sonic R 2 (17) Sonic RPG (51) For this two weeks' poll, we ask you which Archie comic event you're looking forward to the most, so start voting!

SA Wins Award! - Zifei 2:32am CST, 4-4-99

At the 3rd CESA Awards during the Tokyo Game Show 99, Sonic Adventure won a Judge's Special Award. Sorta like a runner up award. To no one's surprise, the CESA grand prize went to Zelda: TooT.

SA Real Media! - Zifei 2:25am CST, 4-4-99

Now, if you still haven't seen Sonic Adventure "live" yet, then you're missing out big time. But to make up for you lack of SA, here are some Real Videos of the first level of the game and the Chaos Race. You must open the link with a Real Player.

Sorries About The No-update. - Zifei 2:24am CST, 4-4-99

My server's down, and I'm updating at another computer. I should be back tomorrow.

Robotnik Or Not Robotnik? - Zifei 11:11am CST, 4-1-99

That is the question many fans want an answer to. The hand of the stranger is still argued everywhere (check Mobius Forum). MerlinPwr has informed me that Ken Penders' once again confirmed that it is not Robotnik up there in space. So who is it? My money's on Eggman or Robo-Robotnik.

Lots Of News... - Zifei 11:10am CST, 4-1-99

Ken today gave out a bunch of new Sonic news: As for other developing news, Colleen Doran turned in the pencils she did on the Lupe story for the upcoming Female Furries Special, and we were so impressed, that she's going to be handling the pencils to the Espio back-up story in KNUCKLES #30 through #32 while Manny gets adjusted to life as a new father. (His wife recently gave birth to a baby boy which they named Jacen. I believe that's the correct spelling, but not 100% sure.) Jim Valentino returns to handle the back-up stories in KNUCKLES #33 through 35 during the SONIC ADVENTURE CROSSOVER. (#33 features Big the Cat, #34 spotlights E-102 and #35 wraps up with Knuckles.) Vector or Charmy will then follow. Ken also said that he might have a chat room up and running on his site soon. BTW, Manny named his son after Jacen, Leia and Han Solo's oldest offspring (read the Star Wars books).