The Summer of Sonic 2009 is set to be even bigger than the first in 2008, with many special guests, a load of events taking place on stage and around the venue, and the return of areas and features that you guys loved – only ten times bigger! Here’s where you can learn more about the guests taking part, the games you can play and the specific things taking place in each area.

• This page will change on a regular basis as we reveal more information, so please keep an eye on this page for the latest updates.
• For special events taking place at the Summer of Sonic, please refer to our ‘On Stage’ page.
• All features are subject to change, in the event of circumstances beyond our control.

Special Guests

Nigel Kitching – Writer and Artist, Sonic the Comic Integral to the success of Fleetway’s Sonic the Comic series in the UK, Nigel Kitching created an alternative universe for Sega’s franchise that borrowed heavily from the original game’s source material, yet expanded on it in a way that never felt pointless or patronising, such as the Super Sonic alter-ego being an evil entity and Fang the Sniper an estranged member of the Chaotix crew. With his stories and occasional art duties he has won himself many fans.

Nigel Dobbyn – Artist, Sonic the Comic Nigel Dobbyn is most famous in the Sonic community for his work in the Tails and Knuckles story arcs in the Sonic the Comic books. With a comic career spanning works such as the dark and illustrious 2000AD, it seems perhaps a strange thing for an artist used to the world of Dredd and The Gronk to focus on the colourful cheery world of Sonic the Hedgehog. Instead, Dobbyn provided a unique style of art that borrowed heavily from both contrasting comics – under the guide of alternate universes. As a result, seeing Tails fight Trogg in The Land Beyond was both exciting and an interesting diversion, whilst not deconstructive to the core Sonic world.

Bentley Jones – Music Artist, Professional Mixer The artist formerly known as Lee Brotherton has had a colourful history with the Sonic the Hedgehog series in recent years. Starting his career as a professional remixer for Remix Factory, he enjoyed making Sonic fan mixes in his spare time, and was featured on the OverClocked Remix website. Shortly after, he produced two special, official remixes which featured in 2005′s Shadow the Hedgehog. He has worked with Jun Senoue and Sega’s sound studio on regular occasions ever since, with his most famous work being “Dreams of an Absolution”, Silver’s theme in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of Sonic The Hedgehog.

Steve Lycett – Executive Producer, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, Sumo Digital Travis Ryan – Lead Designer, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, Sumo Digital Sumo Digital is an independent UK studio, that has formed close ties with Sega since developing a faithful console port of the arcade classic, OutRun2. Confessed die-hard Sega fans, the studio have since created critically acclaimed updates to Virtua Tennis and revived the ‘Sega Superstars’ brand in a tennis game that was well received by fans and critics alike. Their latest title, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, aims to bring back more of the classic Sega design and gameplay that many associate the publisher with, and both Steve and Travis will be discussing the game on stage during a Q&A session on the day.

Signing Table

After certain events, some of our special guests will be available for signings and having a chat with fans. If there’s a burning question you want to ask, or a piece of merchandise close to your heart that you’d like signed, feel free to come along and meet with the stars! If you miss them at the signing tables (which will be located close to the Stage area) then you may still see them wandering the venue floor experiencing the convention for themselves – there’s nothing stopping you from chatting to them about Sonic but do be considerate!

Art Corner

The popular Art Corner returns to Summer of Sonic – only this time it’s much bigger! There will be room for roughly 90 people to sit down and draw their favourite characters at their own leisure. Take a seat away from the manic action on stage, grab a pen and some paper and get doodling with newfound friends!

There will be an Art Contest throughout the day, with winners announced on stage in the evening, and there will be a wall dedicated to your works of art. We hope to build a great collection of your pictures – maybe by using different colours we can build a mosaic of Sonic’s head?

Comics and Cartoons

Fancy chilling out with your favourite Sonic-related comic? Want to chat to other like-minded fans about which issue ruled Archie, or how well the stories worked in Sonic the Comic? You can do all that in the Comics area, a place where you can learn more about each comic book and their impact in the fanbase. You can pick up choice issues to read (or you can bring some of your own to show off!) and sit at a huge oval table. If you bring your own dupes, you might even be able to find someone you can trade comics with!

Games Zone

It all started with the computer games… and we showcase the broad history of Sonic the Hedgehog games in our own Games Zone! Information on the games and characters can be found here, along with many game pods featuring all of Sonic’s greatest hits to play. There may even be a surprise or two in what games you are able to see at the Summer of Sonic!

There’ll be opportunities to time trial certain classic levels to get the fastest time, and if you fancy cracking out the portable handhelds, you can sit at tables that are dedicated for gamers to sit down and play some wireless Sonic Rush or Sonic Rivals.

Photo Wall

We’ve always wanted to have a photograph taken with Sonic the Hedgehog. At the Summer of Sonic, you’ll be able to do just that! Sonic will be at the event during the day to pose with fans, mingle with the crowd and have photos taken at the dedicated wall area.