If SEGA was really mandating "no humans" across all media, why the fuck would they allow that? It's obvious the mandate isn't as strict as people claim.

Flynn has outright said in bumblekast or whatever that he has zero interest in putting humans in the comic. Dude just wants to write his OC donut steel characters having relationship drama instead of actual Sonic shit. And don't even get me started on Evan, have you SEEN her attempt at drawing Elise? It looks like fucking dogshit compared to the Sonic Channel version. Girl clearly knows she can't draw humans for shit so of course she's not gonna push for them. She also knows several of the artists on the comic suck at drawing humans too. It's easier to just blame "SEGA mandates" than admit you suck at drawing people.

The fact that we can see places like Spagonia and Central City with zero humans just proves they're going out of their way to avoid them. Any competent creative team would at least throw some background humans in there to make it feel like an actual Sonic world instead of this weird furry-only universe they've created.