A GHZ Newsboard ExclusiveIt certainly seems to be the season for Japanese Sonic books. Last week we had the first instalment of my strategy guide scans, with pages from the Sonic Mega Collection guide, and this week Mr Hari Hari has very kindly created this web gallery of Sonic Manga scans.
Mr Hari Hari is, of course, no stranger to GHZ regulars, as he previously provided Fang’s profile from the Sonic & Tails 2 manual and scans from the Sonic 1 & 2 Japanese strategy guides.
His latest set of scans consists of an entire issue of a Japanese Sonic manga, which appears to be by the same artist who produced the comic in the Sonic 2 strategy guide. Set before the events of Sonic 1, the manga chronicles how Sonic obtained his super speed and established a rivalry with Dr. Eggman.
It’s not clear what involvement Sonic Team had in the creation of the manga, which was originally released in 1992, when the Sonic Team name wasn’t being actively used. It is, however, an official Sega of Japan product. The presence of specially created characters might place this story into a different continuity than that of the games, although it is worth noticing that the newly introduced characters are written out of the story line by the end.
If you have any comments you’d like to send to Mr Hari Hari, post them here and I’ll past them on.
Viewing scans is no substitute for owning the real thing. Thankfully, Yes Asia has finally updated their database allowing you to order virtually all of the Sonic Japanese strategy guides that have been released since 2002.
Sonic Mega Collection (Official Sonic Team guide) $20.45(USA)/£11.14(UK)
This is the official handbook for Sonic fans and contains level maps for all the platform-based games on Mega Collection including Ristar, Comix Zone and The Ooze. (Flicky, Mean Bean and Blue Spheres don't have maps as they are puzzle games. Knuckles’ game in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 also does not have maps but his S&K adventure does.) The maps use an icon system making them very easy to understand for non-Japanese speakers. They list all the powers up in the stages and the number of rings per a level. Profiles are given for all the enemy characters in Sonic 1-3, Sonic & Knuckles, Ristar, the Ooze and Comix Zone. The guide also comes with a limited edition Sonic sticker.
Sonic Advance 2 (Official Sega guide) The official Sonic Team Sonic Advance 2 guide was never released, making this the only one available for the game. Although not a Sonic Team guide, it has been endorsed by the Team and features a limited edition Sonic Team Sonic sticker. The guide features full level maps for all stages, enemy profiles and an additional level-map poster.
Sonic Advance 3 (Official Sonic Team guide) $14.29(USA)/£.7.78(UK)
Sonic Battle (Official Sonic Team guide) $13.64(USA)/£7.43(UK)
Official Sega Sonic Heroes strategy guide $18.82(USA)/£10.36(UK)
Official Sonic Team Sonic Heroes strategy guide $21.82(USA)/£12.01(UK)
Official Sonic Team Sonic Adventure DX strategy guide$19.09(USA)/£10.51(UK)
Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, Yes Asia were unable to obtain any of the earlier Sonic guides. On the plus side, however, they are offering free shipping if you order 3 or more of any of the above titles (subject to order location).
