Austin Powers... - Zifei 11:21am CST, 6-26-99

Just learned from a friend, a Sega trailer IS in the latest batch of commericals in front of Austin Powers. And again, Sonic IS in the trailer. This ad is also about 1 min long. More details later.

Big Daddy... - Zifei 11:13am CST, 6-26-99

This is it, a Sega commercial IS in the movie Big Daddy that started showing yesterday. It's about 1 min long. And Sonic IS in it. Guess what fans? Sonic is on the big screen! And he looks darn good. I'm suspecting the trailer will be on the net soon, so stayed tuned! Now, as for the trailer in Star Wars, I don't know, it said so in the Sega press release. But they might have scrapped that idea after Lucas announced the no-commercial policy. But I'm still going next week to see it again to make sure...:-)

SSS#11. - Zifei 2:43pm CST, 6-25-99

Recently, Ken Penders told the comic new media about Super Sonic Special #11: Sonic Super Special #11 ships on Oct. 1 from Archie Comics. The "all-female" issue is written by Ken Penders. "After hearing way too many people say Sonic and Knuckles comics are aimed strictly at boys, it occurred to me that here was a chance to acknowledge our female readership, and so I concocted a theme issue aimed squarely at placing the female cast members front and center," Penders told The Continuum. "I picked five of the readers' favorite characters for the spotlight, and to make the Special really special, so to speak, I'd feature all five in solo stories where something pivotal happens to each of the main characters. Every story has an effect, a direct consequence, upon the main continuity in each series that simply can't be ignored, and will be expanded upon in future issues. "Having written all five stories, it also occurred to me that it might be a kick having each story pencilled by someone different, while I had the fun of inking every one, so I rounded up a list of suspects, which included Jim Valentino, James Fry, Colleen Doran and Sonic cover artist Pat Spaziante. I saved the fifth story for myself, as that featured a character I created."

SW/Knuckles Crossover? - Zifei 1:49pm CST, 6-25-99

Remember a few weeks ago, we first reported about the Star Wars/Knuckles crossover coming up by Manny Galan? And we said we weren't sure if it will happen because of the recent Knuckles sales. Ken Pendered commented on this: Manny must have spilled the beans to someone about a 2-part Knuckles story he wrote featuring a Star Wars like setting with characters. He has yet to set pencil to paper in regards to drawing it, and at this point, it's uncertain when, or if , it'll see the light of day. Yep...he must have...:-)

Bi-monthly Knuckles... - Zifei 12:43pm CST, 6-25-99

Knuckles will go bi-monthly starting around K#35 due to poor sales. Here's what Ken has to say regarding this matter: After KNUCKLES #34, Knuckles will become a bi-monthly series (more than likely) as opposed to even 9 times a year (still under consideration). What would have been KNUCKLES #35 will now be SONIC #82, just so readers won't have to wait an extra month for the conclusion to the SONIC ADVENTURE game adaptation. Before anyone makes a claim if we had done this or that, things would be different, let me relate some FACTS, as these are indesputable: FACT ONE: SONIC continues to outsell KNUCKLES, by a more than comfortable margin. KNUCKLES is clearly on the bubbble. However, the latest sales results are from issue #22, so any efforts fandom is doing to save this book as far as sales go won't be know for at least another four or five months at least. FACT TWO: Changing artists had no effect whatsoever in either the decision making process or on sales. KNUCKLES sales begin declining during a popular storyline while Manny was still regular artist. (The reasons for declining sales can probably -- and more like are -- due to poor distribution, but a poor name recognition in the marketplace is also being attributed. Sonic fandom very well knows who Knuckles is, but the general audience does not.) FACT THREE: Despite all the complaints over how lousy things supposedly are with the SONIC series and all the accolades over how well-done (for the most part) KNUCKLES is, sales do not support the contention that fans are unahppy with SONIC and happy with KNUCKLES. Again, one can argue quality until one is blue in the face, but the fact is a book sells for reasons beyond whether it's good or not. For example, there are several years worth of various Marvel and DC titles of some of the most popular characters -- Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men to name but a few - where the content has been totally substandard, especially in comparison to the good stuff, yet people still kept buying them. Why? Brand name has something to do with it. Sonic is a recognizable brand name. Knuckles, in all honesty, is not. So what does this mean? It means that unless more people support this book, it's gonna go bye-bye. What can you do? What I've recommended before, tell friends, and even write the publisher Michael Silberkleit and tell him how much you enjoy reading the series. It's now or never, and only you guys can do it. Please spread the word. Well, we can only hope that in a few month, sale figures will pick up.

News Shorts... - Zifei 10:46pm CST, 6-24-99

Slow news day, here are some short news: The price of Sonic Adventure in Japan has dropped, early reports already indicate a pick up in sales on the first day. The official Dreamcast Magazine's homepage is now up. Click here to see it.

Project Sonichq.com. - Zifei 4:45pm CST, 6-23-99

It has started, the Sonic HQ project for this year. And you basicly can guess what it's about. Five to six members will be put on this project, so updates will be slow for the next two weeks. At the end of this project, we will have all pages up and running, several pages redesigned. And we will have a much requested fan art page. The porject ends on July 4th.

Number 8! - Zifei 4:40pm CST, 6-23-99

It's been eight years now since Sonic the Hedgehog first came out for the Sega Genesis back on June 23rd, 1991. Now 8 years later, Sonic Adventure's price will go down to $15 tomorrow in Japan.

SSS#10 Release Date! - Zifei 9:10pm CST, 6-22-99

I almost forgot about this Sonic super special. But Sonic Super Special #10, the Sabrina/Sonic Underground/Sonic crossover special, will be shipped to comics stores around America on June 30th for $2.29.

Knuckles' Chaotix. - Sonic13908 email 1:35pm CST, 6-21-99

Last time I checked the Video Game Liquidators website, I think I saw Knuckles' Chaotix on sale for $12.00 or less. Just letting you know..

SA 2 Not Coming...Yet? - Zifei 1:29pm CST, 6-21-99

Two weeks ago, Mofo of Gaming-Age reported that the Sonic Team is making Sonic Adventure 2 already, this week, he went back on that remark: When Mofo is wrong he admits it. I rumored a Sonic Adventure 2 sequel two weeks ago, and the bad news is that it's not in the works..yet. The good news is that part of the Sonic team is working on a secret title that has nothing to do with Nights or Sonic. Your guess is as good as mine.. I'm thinking it'll be an action-RPG of sorts, to match Zelda.

Bye Bye To MP3s? - Sonic13908 email 1:25pm CST, 6-21-99

For all you Sonic MP3 lovers, this might be bad news for you. Starting on March of next year, the music indutry will try to completely kill the MP3 format. Click here for more information.

Butler Gets A Baby! - Steve email 11:33pm CST, 6-16-99

Here's what the latest issue of Sonic had: Hey, Sonic fans! We should take this oppurtunity to congratulate Steven and Christy Butler for the birth of their baby girl, Lily Ann Butler. She was born on March 6, 1999. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 20 inches long. OK...so it's a bit late...not our fault. But we would also to congratulate Steven Butler. Way to go!

Sonic Adventure Gets 8. - Steve email 5:13pm CST, 6-16-99

In the latest, and newest, the Sega Dreamcast magazine issue #0 dummy issue published by Imagine Media, Sonic Adventure the import version received a 8 out of 10. The main reason is for the camera bugs. It does state however that all the bugs will be fixed for the US version.

Fan Made Sonic Movies? - Zifei 4:57pm CST, 6-16-99

Maybe a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog movie made by fans isn't that far off anymore. With all the 3D software such as Bryce and 3D Studio Max, everyone could make 3D cgi animations. Here's a polygonal Sonic clip made by Nime (avi, 29K). Now she isn't exactly making a Sonic movie, just a clip...but, here's an idea for everyone. Source: Stuf.

Sega On Game Boy False? - Steve email 10:37pm CST, 6-15-99

It is reported on several Sega sites over the internet that the Sega developing for Gameboy is a false rumor started by UK Trade magazine MCV. A Sega of Europe PR denied it out right.

Sonic At World Hobby Fair. - Zifei 7:48pm CST, 6-14-99

After finishing starring in Sonic Adventure, Sonic went home and relaxed...and got really fat. Now he needs something to carry him around...:-) Carry him all the way to the World Hobby Fair in Japan. There he and several of his out-of-proportion friends entertained the crowd. And the crowd went wild! Source: Dreamcast-HQ.

Knuckles #28 Preview. - Zifei 4:18pm CST, 6-14-99

Ken Penders just posted the Knuckles #28 preview with a few inside scans, so head on over to his page and check it out! Also, check out the colored cover to K#31 by clicking here.

150,000 Hits... - Zifei 4:08pm CST, 6-14-99

That's the mark Sonic HQ passed last week, becoming the first Sonic site to do so. 3000 and some hits later (about 5 days), The Sonic Foundation also passed the 150,000 mark, becoming the second Sonic site to do so. And the race for 200,000 continues...

New News Poll! - Zifei 3:58pm CST, 6-14-99

In the last poll, we asked you if you'll by Sonic Anime when it is released in the US on 9-9-99. Here are the results after 112 voters voted: 1) Yes (68) 61% 2) Maybe (30) 27% 3) No (14) 12% Not really a surprise that more than half of the fans wants a copy. Now for the next poll, it's a hot topic: Should Sega of America change the music in Sonic Adventure? Doesn't matter if it is confirmed or rumored, should they? Start voting!

Jaleel White Stuff... - Chuckie Chipmunk email 2:22pm CST, 6-13-99

Although this may have nothing to do with Sonic, the guy who did his voice, Jaleel White (Steve Urkel) is going to be the star of a new UPN show called "The Grown-Ups" this fall. From the previews, the nerdy voice is gone..:-)

About The MTV Commercial. - Zifei 1:54am CST, 6-11-99

You know the commercial that has the 9-9-99 at the end with "it's coming"? Well, it's NOT a DC commercial in contrast to what the other sites are reporting. It's actually a commercial about the upcoming MTV Musical Awards on 9-9-99. Why else do you think Sega is sponsoring that event? Just letting you know. The first DC commercial on TV will hit in late July.

HQ Exclusive: Sonic #75 Gets An A! - WB 1:34am CST, 6-11-99

I found a review for Sonic 75 today! It was in Comic Buyers Guide and done by a panel of 6 reviewers. It got the highest grade of all the other comics - one being a Marvel crossover with all their characters. For the grade, the comic got an A from kids and a B+ from adults. The cover sports a light blue look, kinda like SSS#3.

DC Rental... - Zifei 12:34pm CST, 6-10-99

It is confirmed that the US DC could be rented in July at...Hollywood Video. Hehe, lucky for me, there's one down the street from me.

Invasion Mobius... - Zifei 3:35pm CST, 6-9-99

It's coming...for a long time, we watched other people make fan comics. Now we here at Sonic HQ are going to make one. It'll be the best Sonic fan comic ever seen, I promise you that match. Lien (the great Knux artist) and me will be doing the art. I'll have a preview page up soon with all 3D graphics. Here's a concept drawing by me.

Sonic Rock Osaka. - Zifei 3:25pm CST, 6-9-99

Sega held a promotional convention at Osaka on June 6th. Sonic and Tails were there in full force. Sonic Adventure sales are expected to skyrocket when the price tag drop to around $15 on June 24th. One other DC news, DC pre-orders in the States has passed 100,000

Iomega Zipped The DC... - Zifei 8:27pm CST, 6-8-99

Check it out, Sega will use this Iomega Dreamcast Zip Drive to let you store game add-on patches. Could the Sonic patch coming out this Christmas from Yuji Naka be for this? We'll keep an eye on it.

HQ Exlcusive: Character Designs! - Lien 8:19pm CST, 6-8-99

We actually posted part of this about several month ago, but took "the head" off because of a not-forced NDA. Now we have them back! The character designs by Manny Galan for his stories in the #30 issues of Knuckles (Star Wars crossover, anyone?). Here is Jax and his chaos sabre, and here is Boda Ferret.

Sonic #74 Release Date! - Zifei 2:29pm CST, 6-8-99

Archie Comic's Sonic the Hedgehog comic issue #74 will be released in comic stores on 6-16-99 for $1.79.

Sonic Adventure 2! - Zifei 2:09pm CST, 6-8-99

Yeah, I know, Sonic Adventure hasn't even reached this side of the Pacific yet, and they're already talking number 2? Well according to MoFo's Rumor Report at Gaming-Age, they are: Along with Nights 2, Sonic Adventure 2 is a title that Sonic Team is working on. The Team came to the States to rework the first Sonic game and actually started the conceptual work for the sequel! No news on a release date yet. A source close to a few Sonic Team members told me that this just maybe the first DVD game for the Dreamcast. Well...this is only a rumor, but a very reliable one, since most of the stuff from Mofo has turned out to be fact. As for the DVD, Sega will somehow get a DVD upgrade out in 2000 or 2001 for a very cheap price. Don't know how they'll do that, they're not talking.

SA At Weenie Roast! - Zifei 1:39pm CST, 6-8-99

This is from Sega themselves: Weenie Roast, June 19 at Irvine Meadows, California. Sega@Dreamcast will be performing live at KROQs 7th annual Weenie Roast -- the coolest alternative music festival in Southern California. More than 18,000 fans and bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, Orgy, Metallica, Blink 182, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Live, The Living End, Eve 6, Freestylers, Lit, Lo-Fidelity Allstars and Pennywise will get a chance to play with the ultimate gaming machine and see for themselves what everyone is talking about. For the first time in the U.S., Sega@Dreamcast will be giving people a chance to play some of the sixteen titles that will be available at launch for Sega@Dreamcast including Sonic Adventure(tm), NBA 2k(tm), NFL 2k(tm), Ready to Rumble(tm) from Midway, Soul Calibur(tm) from Namco and Power Stone(tm) from Capcom. The contest will rock with more than 18 kiosks featuring blistering 128 bit performance and booming 64 channels of audio that only Sega Dreamcast can deliver. At the show, Sega will also be giving away free stuff. So if you live in Southern California, try to be there!

Play SA In July? - Zifei 11:49pm CST, 6-7-99

SoA has confirmed that they will start an official promotion in July by letting people rent the Dreamcast and 3 finsihed American titles. Well, you can almost bet on Sonic Adventure being one of the titles. The rental store will most likely be Blockbuster Video. More info soon.

Want To Work At Archie? - Zifei 11:48pm CST, 6-6-99

There are so many Sonic fans out there that wants to work on the Archie Sonic comics. Well, is there a chance for them? Not much according to Ken Penders: At the moment, and for the foreseeable future, there's just no way anyone else is going to get in at Archie to work on Sonic and/or Knuckles. First off, Justin already has a number of freelance professionals, including myself, who work on the books regularly. Then he has a established professionals he can call on if he needs to for other things beyond what was planned. Finally, he already has the next year's worth of material already under development, which we're already fighting tooth and nail to see that gets published. Hey, we can always create fan comics...

Ken On Robotnik Again... - Zifei 12:38am CST, 6-5-99

Ken Penders again confirmed that the Robotnik we used to know is dead. Here's what he said: Sure thing. Robotnik IS dead. Yet we're promoting the return of Robotnik. How can this be? Without giving away any surprises, we had this planned for quite some time. Sega gave us permission to kill off Robotnik as long as we brought him back some time later. They were figuring on six months later. We were already figuring out how to fight a guerilla war to keep him out of action longer than that. The major reason we did so is that we never felt that particular version was believable as Sonic's ultimate villain. We wanted something closer in concept to the games and the anime, something that would really make the Sonic fans go wild. Personally, I like what Karl has done, but the ultimate jury has yet to be heard from. Gee...I wonder what that meant...

Comic Previews! - Zifei 3:58pm CST, 6-4-99

Here are the comis previews for S#77, K#31, and SSS#11 thanks to Detroit News: Sonic #77 cover Written by Karl Bollers and Ken Penders, art by James Fry and Chris Allan. "Rebel Without A Pause." Sonic and Sally tirelessly continue their crusade against Dr. Robotnik, even if it goes against King Max's wishes. After their latest escapades, he orders Sonic to his chambers. What fate awaits him? Meanwhile, Sally has a tearful reunion of sorts with Alicia, who sleeps peacefully in her cryogenic tube. And what's this lurking on the horizon? Could Overlander vessels be heading for Mobius? 32 pages, $1.79, ships on Sept. 10. Knuckles #31 cover Written by Ken Penders, art by Ken Penders, Harvey Mercadoocasio, Colleen Doran and Andrew Pepoy. "The Thrill of the Hunt." The Overland known as Hunter sets his sights on none other than everyone's favorite echidna - and he's not giving up until he bags his trophy. It's no-holds barred excitement as Knuckles must team up with Monk the gorilla in a desperate attempt to make the hunter the hunted. Meanwhile, what about the Guardians while all this is going on. "The Best Of Friends." Espio gets the shock of his life when an old friend turns out to be his greatest enemy. 32 pages, $1.79, ships on Sept. 24. Sonic Super Special #11 cover Written and inked by Ken Penders, pencilled by Jim Valentino, Patrick Spaziante, Colleen Doran, James Fry and Penders. A special all-female furry issue. "Ascension" showcases Princess Sally undergoing the rite to follow in her father's footsteps, while "Family" reveals the fate of Lupe and her kin. See Bunnie Rab-bot experience an "Upgrade," resulting in a major redesign, as Hershey goes "Solo" on a mission deep in enemy territory. Finally, the story all Julie-Su fans have been waiting for, as her past is revealed in the haunting tale "Shadows." 48 pages, $2.29, ships on Oct. 1.

Sega DC Commercials... - Zifei 3:48pm CST, 6-4-99

Sega will start their TV marketing in August, here's what Peter Moore, senior vice-president of marketing at SoA has to say: We will be doing six TV commercials that will be filmed exclusively on Dreamcast hardware. No company has ever had the confidence to do that before with the quality of its product. It is generally the usual, here is some live action footage, cut to game play and back out to live action footage. Nobody has been able to put together commercials like ours before. We have signed an exclusive contract with PDI, who did Antz. The Antz team is working on the campaign. It will debut in August and it will blow people away. I'm pretty sure, as should everyone, that one of the commercials is a cgi Sonic commercial, since Mr. Moore goes on to say that Sonic Adventure is a big part of the marketing.

Lost Ones - Vector 6:58pm CST, 6-3-99

Not exactly Sonic news, but Ken Penders news... Finally, FINALLY, I have rock-solid information, having nailed down the all-important printer and distributor problems just to get the thing launched. Here's the straight scoop: THE LOST ONES #1 will be solicited in the August issue of Diamond Previews, and will be officially released in early October under my Aero Comics imprint. It will be 32-pages, full color and retail for $2.95. (As much as I wanted to, I simply don't have the resources of Archie, DC or Marvel to allow me to release at a lower cover price. I made up for it, however, in a number of ways as you will see.) The stories will run 28 pages in length, with a letters page and a fan art page as part of the package. Depending on what I have to work with, either could run more than one page in length. For those of you who don't have access to a comic book shop, subscriptions will be available. No set price yet, but the books will come sealed in a bag with a backing board, along with an autograph. The first 100 subscribers will also receive a special surprise. Details will be available on THE LOST ONES website when it goes online later this month.

Ken's Editorial. - Zifei 4:37pm CST, 6-3-99

Archiecomics.com just put up Ken's Sonic editorial for this month. You can click here to view it. It's about his covention schedule.

US Sonic Anime Box Art! - Steve email 3:57pm CST, 6-3-99

Here is the cover box art to the North American version of Sonic Anime, coming on September 9th for $19.

SegaStuff.com! - Zifei 3:47pm CST, 6-3-99

Sega of America opened their online store yesterday. It's all nice and neat, but one thing's missing,,,where's the Sonic toys?!