HOME | DD
Swirlything —
Sonic 20th: Archetype
Published: 2011-07-15 17:28:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 292786; Favourites: 7105; Downloads: 4296
Redirect to original
Description
Sonic the Hedgehog, still running since 1991~I finally finished the Sonic 20th anniversary image which I started back in May. It was meant to be done for the 23rd June, but real life went and got in the way and after missing the deadline I sort of took my time over it.
I wanted to try something big and ambitious this time, and one of my first ideas was to draw something from each of the main games... but I decided on something different in the end. Because for me that's not all the Sonic franchise is about.
I became a fan of Sonic through Fleetway's Sonic the Comic. And ever since then it's struck me how diverse the series is. It's not just about the games, but the cartoons and the books and the comics and everything else- and almost every one of those spinoffs has its own distinct universe and story. Sonic the hedgehog spans so many different worlds and universes and concepts that there's pretty much something for everyone. And yet at the heart of it all is still the same little dorky blue hero.
And that's a large part of what I love about it.
So... I decided to bring together as many of those universes as I could in one image.
The foreground represents the games, while each background panel is based on one of the non-game official universes. I didn't include them all, since there are so many different publications- that would've been near impossible. There are probably some I don't even know about. So I just concentrated on the 'main' ones, i.e those I could find out enough about to actually draw, and the ones I thought were distinct enough from everything else to be classed as an alternate universe of their own. (though admittedly I did cheat a bit with the Sonic manga.)
I tried to get a bit of each universe's individual art stlyle into the image, be it physics-defying quills or ear placement or colouring. There's a fair bit of artistic licence used though, especially where there isn't any official artwork or what little there is doesn't match the description in the text (i.e novels)- or where the style changed a lot through the course of the series (Fleetway/Archie). The Modern Super Sonic and Shadow are in my personal style.
~
-Sonic the Hedgehog games- Modern and Classic- 1991-present
-Sonic Manga, Mega Drive Fan Magazine- 1991
-Sonic Manga, Shogakukan no Gakushuuzasshi/Corocoro- 1992-1994
-Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog & its spinoff series- 1993-present
-Egmont Fleetway's Sonic the Comic- 1993-2002
-Sonic the Hedgehog novels by Martin Adams- 1993-1994
-Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure Gamebooks- 1993-1996
-Sonic the Hedgehog, cartoon (SatAM) - 1993-1994
-Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, cartoon- 1993
-Sonic the Hedgehog OVA/Sonic the Movie- 1996
-Sonic Underground, cartoon- 1999-2000
-Sonic X, cartoon, comic & novels- 2003-2007
(can you tell which is which?)
~
Honourable Mentions- these aren't in the image, but still deserve a shout out. I haven't included them because I either couldn't find a copy to get an idea of what I was supposed to be drawing, or I didn't think I could make them stand out next to a similar universe I did include. Sadly I didn't have room for everything.
- That Infamous Disney Adventures Comic <.<
- Stay Sonic novel by Mike Pattenden- 199?
- UK Sonic publications: Sunday newspaper strip, Annuals- 1990s
- Ladybird Children's Books- 1990s
-Sonic the hedgehog novels by Michael Teitelbaum- 1993-1996
- Sonic Adventures: Dans Les Griffes De Robotnik, comic, 1994
- Dash & Spin; Super Fast Sonic, Corocoro Comics- 2005
-Various one-off comics and books
- It's semi-official but we can't forget STC Online
....And I know I missed some. @_@
Keep being awesome, Sonic. <3
*offers cookie to anyone who actually read this through*
Edit: Updated the honourable mentions list!
Edit 2: ....holy... a DD? o____O I don't know what to say!
Edit 3:
(pssst... I don't really post to DA anymore, but I'm in a few other places where you can find more art with less watermarks.
www.weasyl.com/~swirlything
www.furaffinity.net/user/lurky…
teapoweredart.tumblr.com/
I also have this image and my other two anniversary pics available as prints on Redbubble! www.redbubble.com/people/swirl… )
Related content
Comments: 766
This looks absolutely amazing! Its got me feeling nostalgic from looking at all the different events.
Do you mind if I use this as my laptop wallpaper?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I didn't realise you were on DA! Thanks and go ahead
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
DUDE I WOULD LOVE THIS AS A PRINT ON MY WALL *Drools*
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
am luvin this pic
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Wow. Just...wow.
Bravo, Umbra - you've really outdone yourself with this one. This is just...wow, words can't describe how amazing this is. You've really captured the essence of Sonic the Hedgehog. You're totally right - it's not just the games, it's everything from comics to TV spin-offs that really makes this story the 20-year force that it is.
Though it definitely helps them to have amazing fans like you helping to not only bring the series to life, but to keep it going strong.
Again, absolutely amazing job. I'd tip my hat during a standing ovation if you could see and appreciate either of those. Happy 20th, Sonic! Here's to twenty more! <3
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
...*is at a loss for words so just faves for now*
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Wow, this is awesome! *snuggles Sonic and Shadow*
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Damn... I've been working on a picture using the exact same concept as this, but you've absolutely kicked my ass @_@
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I want to see this! I'm sure it'll be awesome <3
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
So much detail and so much awesomeness! SEGA would be proud of this!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
*whistles* Damn, that's impressive!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Top from left to right:
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Both Manga Sonics?
SatAM
Archie
OVA
My beloved Fleetway comics <3
Underground
The game book I do beleive, thats Cinos in the background after that big time paradox in the ROCC's chamber, am I right?
Sonic X
One of the Novels I believe
Bottom: Sonic games 1991 to present
Am I correct?
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
You are!
Well, sort of, the book with Cinos is one of the novels and the far right one is the gamebook (hence the teeny tiny dice in the picture).
*gives cookie* ^_^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, I realised and corrected myself
At least I know where one of the Sonic the Comic Speed Lines art, Zonic and Tailz, was inspired from (Speaking of which, I've been a fan of your art since your Super Sonic vs Metal Super Sonic art in one of them too =3)
I loved Fourth Dimension, I borrowed it from school once, when I was a kid Cinos seemed like an amazing concept
And yay, cookie! *Nibbles on the biscuit*
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh god, the funny thing is that pic was a year old before it even got printed! XD I had another printed later, too, which was a lot... nerdier.
Fourth Dimension was the first of that series that I managed to get hold of, and it's still my favourite out of the four. I wish they'd done more with Cinos, he was a lot of fun. I liked Arctur a lot, too.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh? Which picture was that?
I'm afriad theres so much I don't remember of it, it was about 7 years ago now >,<
I'd loved to have read the others in the series they, are they just as fun to read?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It was a Sonic/Star Trek crossover pic <.<
They are, although it depends what kind of writing you prefer. The other three books are more heavily comedy-based. ('Martin Adams' was in fact three different authors sharing a pen name, so I suppose that might explain the differences.)
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
SO! I finally got a hold of the books (and I mean ALL of them, they showed up at the Oxfam Books shop I volunteer at and I scooped them up)
I find myself enjoying them for TOTALLY differant reasons... by GOD they were very... 90s XD
One might even say... 'radical'ly so
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Oh, I remember that ^^
I never did watch much Star Trek, sci-fi wasn't my thing back in the day, not till I played Phantasy Star Online anyway
To be fair I think in my old art Archives I have a Sonic/Power Rangers crossover pic so it's not /that/ geeky
And thats a shame, since Fourth Dimension had a similar tone to Fleetway if I remember right
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
No wait, the Cinos one is a novel, Fourth DImension I think
And the one at the right, is that the game book Sonic vs Zonik?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Cinos? Got a scan of that character from that book?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Was a novel, not a comic, so it was just written, but he was descibed as looking like Sonic but with White Fur, Black Eyes and Green Shoes/Gloves
Was the result of a time paradox
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Oh my gosh!
This is just... amazing. So much nostalgia in one place. Though I have to be honest and admit that I didn't know what universe the panel on the far right was from, but got it from the process of elimination. 
Loving absolutely everything on this, had a fangirl moment to see you drawing my favourite characters like Sally, Bunnie, Scourge, Zonic and Manic, but more than that there's just so much to this. :3 My favourite panel is possibly the AoStH one because it's got so much life to it and I love the way you've drawn Sonic's spines - got to be the best portrayal of AoStH I've ever seen.
So much dedication here, thanks for providing love to all those other Sonic universes that most people forget.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I love how you captured Sonic's appearances in different places and added it into one picture. I also like how you put the main plot of Sonic and Shadow outside of the rest of the boxed in pictures.
Very awesome, this to me deserves a daily deviation 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I love how you even included the OVA
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Awesome. I recognize all of them except the gamebooks and novels.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Wow, looks like you´re a big Sonic´s Fan!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I see: Adventures/?/SatAM/Archie?/OVA/Fleetway/Underground/?/X/?.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Oh, this is AMAZING. Great work, really well done! I don't recognize a few, but what I do is very distinctive!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
AMAZING!!!!! Makes me feel like a real Sonic fan again...
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is incredible! Such amazing work, you should be proud! 
My fav parts of the piece is the first box with Grounder and Scratch and your personal style of Super Sonic and Shadow battling on the ark!
Wonderful work!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
So many (if not all?) incarnations/versions of Sonic in one picture. I can't think of a better tribute to his 20th anniverary. And so well done.
Great work! And a fav for sure!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No problem. As I said, I really like the picture. Must have taken quite some time. But IMO, it was worth it!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
such a great picture man! that's awsome!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Quite the AMAZINGLY created collage! Awesome work paying tribute to pretty much ALL versions of the Blue Blur
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You've gotta have love to have the patience to put all of this together into such a lovely piece! 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you! I only came across that manga recently when a friend linked me to some scans. It's a really cute story ^_^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Don't mention it!
Wait, someone put up scans? If possible, would you mind sharing the link please? I'm sorry to be intruding upon you like this, aha. 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
[link] here you go, it's no problem! XD Sadly the person scanning them seems to have gone on hiatus so not all the pages are there, but you can read the first few issues and another, earlier Sonic manga.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh wow, thank you very much! It's too bad they have gone on hiatus, but I can imagine how hard it must be to scanlate and make things look pretty. I just appreciate what they have up so far!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Why
Why hasn't this gotten a Daily Deviation
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
<= Prev | | Next =>