>>535313434
Take a crash course on some wind-certified sources.
http://www.sonicjam.wikidot.com/sisss:index
https://www.theghz.com/
https://sonicretro.org/
& >>535315720 windii
>on the east/west divide
Obviously some manuals were worse than others. At its best, Western stories were merely condensed versions of the Japanese versions (actually most of them, and sometimes to its benefit to keep things simpler); other times, they're irreconcilable (Chaotix and Tails Adventures, and Sonic 2 to a lesser extent).
The official translations from Sonic Adventure to Sonic and the Black Knight got things mostly right. You'll definitely want a fan-translation for Colors (Wii) on, since the Japanese versions feel more like the polished final scripts while the English versions are like rough drafts in comparison.
>comics/cartoons
Varying degrees of windness. Most (really all) are AU, so take with a grain of salt. Archie is where you go if you want to see westerners spill their spaghetti and continuously fight over the direction of their little corner of the franchise in real time.