Money appears often in Sonic the Comic. It is used to buy goods and exchange services much like it is on Planet Earth. Money appears in several forms throughout the years and is different in each of the main series.
Mobius
Money has never been fully established on Mobius. Following Doctor Ivo Robotnik's rise to power, money started to be used everywhere, although many Mobians had very little of it. Unsurprisingly, most of the money was exchanged in the Casino Night Zone, where unhappy citizens attempted to gamble themselves into a better life. However, the Zone was originally affected by a Hypnosis Beam, forcing people to bet when the odds were fixed against them, resulting in people like the shirtless dog losing everything. Matters improved when the Freedom Fighters destroyed the beam and the machines had their odds balanced.
The Casino Night Zone continued to be a massive source of income for those who knew how to play the people. Max Gamble opened his own casino and ruthlessly pressed them for money. He would continue to open more casinos and eventually owned the entire Zone once Robotnik was deposed. Gamble's money-making schemes were extremely amoral, ranging from the Badnik-creating Pit Plunge Roller Coaster to exotic holidays to the dangerous Flickies' Island. The slimy lizard would often enjoy the feeling of money briefly until it was taken away from him by Sonic the Hedgehog or other circumstances.
Outside of the Casino Night Zone has been a plot point on numerous occasions. Just a few examples include:
- Madge giving Super Sonic Arthur's beer money.
- Claws hiding the money from a bank robbery under his duvet.
- Nack the Weasel stealing gold bars from the Metropolis Zone Central Bank by shrinking it and pulling it through a crack in the wall.
- Doctor Genius failing to rob a bank when the money was repelled by his forcefield.
- Fabian Vane owing his helpers money, leaving his wallet empty.
In Sonic the Comic Online, Power Rings have been mentioned as sources of money on at least one occasion, despite their size. Rouge the Bat received payment from Master Scholar in the form of Aurics, although this may be Drakon currency.
Non-Sonic comics
The Sega Superstars comics would use their own types of currency, usually reflecting their setting.
In Streets of Rage story The Only Game in Town, Blaze Fielding placed a $20,000 bet on crossing the East River at 100/1, despite her dire situation. She eventually succeeded and accepted her $2m winnings from Mr X's successor. The Shinobi series saw the Yakuza gamble their money in the Mitsugi Casino, whilst Eternal Champions' Larcen Tyler received a payment to steal from the White Orchid.
The Decap Attack series was set in Transylvania, even though their currency seemed to be identical to the United Kingdom, particularly the Bank of England. In The Hungry Guest, Igor handed Billy No-Friends a banknote for ruining the costume party. However, much later in Good Luck Chuck, the main characters were seen to be rich, with Professor Frank N. Stein throwing "Bank of Kitching" notes in the air. This currency (pictured) was later given away as a free gift in the Script to Strip section of Sonic the Easter Special.