Preview pages for Sonic The Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island #4 has referenced a Super Mario Bros. Z line.On Twitter, @IDWSonicNews posted four preview pages for Daniel Barnes' Sonic The Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island #4, a spinoff of the franchise's original comic book series with art by Nathalie Fourdraine and Jack Lawrence. In one of the panels, Mecha Sonic declares, "I'll crush you," which prompted a shocked reaction from many fans. In Episode 6, "Brawl on a Vanishing Island" of Mark Haynes' fan-made flash series Super Mario Bros. Z, Mecha Sonic utters the exact words in a battle against the Axem Rangers.
What is Super Mario Bros. Z?
Super Mario Bros. Z is a crossover between the Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises. It also references Dragon Ball Z. The British series aired eight episodes from 2006 to 2012 but received a reboot in 2016. In 2019, Haynes, also known as Alvin-Earthworm, brought the project out of a four-year hiatus after Nintendo shut down his Patreon. In 2020, Super Mario Bros. Z acquired a 4K remaster with Dolby audio support for the original 2006 series.
Since Super Mario Bros. Z, Mario and Sonic have joined forces for their Olympic Games spinoff. A recent rumor suggests the sports video game series could receive another installment following a SEGA job listing to work on a Sonic game attached to the Olympics. The athletic franchise began with the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics version for the Nintendo Wii. The five subsequent installments include visits to London, Sochi, Rio and Tokyo, the latter being the series' most recent entry for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
New Sonic the Hedgehog Content
For 2023, Sonic the Hedgehog boss Takashi Iizuka promised fans a second wave of content throughout the year. "We have already announced the distribution of additional content for Sonic Frontiers, but there is plenty more to come, so stay tuned," Iizuka said. In 2022, the SEGA franchise had a jam-packed release schedule across several media categories, including the premiere of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Origins, Sonic Frontiers and Netflix's Sonic Prime series. It's undetermined if the additional Sonic products will include LEGO's leaked plans to release five sets based on the video game series.
Beyond Sonic the Hedgehog's success, the franchise's co-creator Yuji Naka landed himself into trouble following insider trading charges. In December 2022, Japanese authorities discovered Naka allegedly purchased $1,080,000 in stocks for ATeam ahead of its official announcement of the mobile game Final Fantasy: The First Soldier. Before Naka's arrest, Square Enix revealed its plan to shut down The First Soldier barely a year after its release date. Previously, Naka reportedly spent around $20,000 in developer Aiming's stock before it unveiled Dragon Quest Tact.
Source: Twitter