Sonic the Hedgehog protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog, a blue hedgehog able to run at supersonic speeds, and recurring villain Dr. Eggman, an evil scientist whose ambition is to conquer the world. Among Sonic's many allies, the most well-known include: Miles "Tails" Prower, a twin-tailed, highly intelligent yellow fox who is Sonic's sidekick and best friend; Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog who is Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend and a hero in her own right; Knuckles the Echidna, a coolheaded red echidna who is the guardian of the Master Emerald; Shadow the Hedgehog, an anti-heroic doppelgänger of Sonic with a dark past; and Metal Sonic, a
Sonic the Hedgehog (character) British publications, including "Sega handbook" "Stay Sonic" (1993), four novels published by Virgin Books (1993–1994) and the comic book "Sonic the Comic" (1993–2001), published by Fleetway Publications/Egmont Publishing, used this premise as their basis. The American comics published by Archie Comics, "Sonic the Hedgehog" (1993–2017), "Sonic X" (2005–2008), and "Sonic Universe" (2009–2017) are based on the settings established by earlier animated TV series, the ABC "SatAM" cartoon, the "Sonic X" anime, and an expansion to the series, respectively. The former series is currently the second longest-running licensed comic series in the history of American comic books, second only to Marvel's