Sonic Universe

Sonic Universe is an American comic book series that was published by Archie Comics in association with Sega, based on the latter's Sonic the Hedgehog. It is a spin-off of the comic book series of the same name, and shared continuity with that title. Sonic Universe centers on several characters featured throughout the franchise and comics, including Shadow the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, and Silver the Hedgehog.

Sonic Universe follows a format in which its lead character and story arc change every four issues, with the events usually occurring concurrently but separately from those in the flagship Sonic the Hedgehog title. Unlike the main comic, Sonic himself is usually not the focal point of the story. It was published monthly by Archie Comics alongside the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic series. The first issue was released in February 2009, following the cancellation of Sonic X spinoff comic series, and ran until issue #94 in January 2017. In July 2017, Sega announced the discontinuation of their business relationship with Archie Comics, ending their publication of all Sonic the Hedgehog comics, including Sonic Universe.

Issues #1–4, entitled "The Shadow Saga", follow Shadow the Hedgehog continuing the events from Sonic the Hedgehog #196 and Sonic X #40. Shadow and Metal Sonic end up on the alternate world that is home to Blaze the Cat, who teams up with Shadow to help him defeat the robot and return to his own reality. Following this, Shadow and Rouge the Bat team up with Sonic the Hedgehog to neutralize a weapon that Dr. Eggman intends to use against Sonic's team of Freedom Fighters and possibly other forces opposed to him. This was followed by Shadow's first encounter with future teammate E-123 Omega, and the pair teaming up with Rouge to become Team Dark and retrieve a Chaos Emerald.

Issues #5–8, covered "Mobius: 30 Years Later", featuring a return to a possible alternate reality visited in the main series. In this arc, time-traveler Silver the Hedgehog travels to this time period in an attempt to thwart events that will bring devastation to the future from which he hails. In the process, he ends up joining forces with a new team of Freedom Fighters, made up of children of the heroes from the present reality of the series, to thwart the evil King Shadow the Hedgehog, who unleashes a monstrous fusion of Tikal and Chaos from the video game Sonic Adventure.

Issues #9–12, known as "Knuckles: The Return", in which Knuckles and his teammates, the Chaotix, set out to capture the Echidna villain Dr. Finitevus and punish him for his recent involvement in Knuckles' brief possession by the evil entity Enerjak. As a result of the search, they end up fighting Dr. Finitevus and his temporary allies, a chapter of the Dark Egg Legion composed almost entirely of Platypus members, led by Grandmaster Bill, a former Freedom Fighter. They are joined in battle by the Downunda Freedom Fighters, the local chapter of heroes defending the region. This arc also introduced Thrash the Tasmanian Devil as a temporary Freedom Fighter member, but who acts recklessly and shows particular animosity towards echidnas.

Issues #13–16, called "Journey to the East" (a parody of the Chinese story Journey to the West), this arc took place between issues #209 and #210 of the main series, and featured Sonic, Tails, Sally Acorn, and their ally Monkey Khan traveling to the Dragon Kingdom, Khan's homeland as well as that of their mutual enemies, the Iron Dominion. The purpose of the journey was to break ties between the Iron Queen and King and the four ninja clans who swore allegiance to them. In the process, the group learned more about characters they had previously encountered, formed a temporary alliance with a group of foes known as the Destructix, and were rejoined by estranged ally Espio the Chameleon, who had left the Chaotix to join his people under the Dominion but became free to rejoin the heroes as a result of the efforts of Sonic's group.

Issues #17–20 were a loose adaptation of the Sega game Tails Adventure, which was also the title of the arc. As in the game, Tails engages the Battle Bird Armada, a group of birds who have set up a facility near the remote Cocoa Island. In the comic's version of events, Antoine and Bunnie D'Coolette, Tails' fellow Freedom Fighters, joined him on this adventure, having traveled with him to Cocoa Island for an overdue honeymoon. In this story it is discovered the Armada are working with Dr. Eggman, but as an independent force not under his control. The arc also establishes connections between the Battle Bird Armada and the Babylon Rogues, who used to work in the faction.

Issues #21–24, named "Treasure Team Tango", starred a variety of Sega characters. The premise of the arc involved Amy and Cream teaming up with a reluctant Blaze the Cat, dubbed "Team Rose", to locate a nearby Sol Emerald, a magical gemstone that's needed to save Blaze's homeworld. Their search is complicated by the arrival of other parties seeking the gem, including Team Dark, who have been ordered to capture the gem for G.U.N., Team Hooligan, consisting of classic Sega characters Nack the Weasel, Bark the Polar Bear, and Bean the Dynamite, and Team Babylon, consisting of Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow and Storm the Albatross.