Greg Martin, Box Art Illustrator for Sonic the Hedgehog, has passed away

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Yesterday evening we learned that Greg Martin had passed away in May of last year through a friend of his on the Nintendo Age forums. Greg Martin’s art had a prolific presence in early 90’s video game box art, spanning dozens of franchises. Though most Sonic fans may never have heard of him they will surely recognize his work: he was the man behind every piece of Sonic box art in the early 90s. His work came to define Sonic’s appearance in America and Europe, appearing not just in video game box art but also in a variety of adverts.

If you wish to learn more about Greg Martin, you can check out the Nintendo Age post that reported his passing. If you wish to see more of his work, please check out his website. Our thoughts are with his family

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Nuckles87

Nuckles87 has been an editor at Sonic Stadium since 2007, and has been covering events like E3, PAX, and SDCC since 2010. An avid retro gamer, he runs a monthly stream on Twitch where he explores obscure Sonic oddities, and how aspects of the franchise have evolved over the decades.

16 Comments

  1. Wow, I always wondered who did those art pieces. I never cared for the American Sonic design, but I always enjoyed looking at the artwork. The man was absolutely prolific; I’ve seen so much of his work throughout my life and had NO IDEA it was all the same guy. Crazy. Such a shame SEGA removed his credit from his artwork.

    May he rest in peace.

  2. First uncle Phil and now this :/ His art tho different than the Japanese version holds a very special place in my heart, it was beautiful in its own right and always made you smile. RIP Greg. :/

    1. I remember having many stickers and cards from some candy I used to buy in the 90’s that brought Sonic 3 promotions ect, good times.

  3. Is it actually him? Or is it someone with the same name as him, don’t wanna have another Christopher Evan Welch situation :/

    However, either way, it’s still very sad and my prayers go out to his friends and family.

  4. That is indeed sad, and his artwork was a staple for the classics.
    Prayer for his relatives, friends, and acquaintances.

  5. While I always preferred the Japanese artwork over his, I still appreciate the legacy he left behind. The only thing I really didn’t like about his art was that he gave Sonic a buzz-saw mohawk hairdo as apposed to his actual six conical spines, but that’s just a personal taste. He still did an amazing job illustrating a sample of the experience that could be promised with each game, which is more than I can say for the Japanese artwork, which mostly consisted of confetti backgrounds.

  6. Sad news indeed. I too prefer the Japanese Classic Sonic design but his artwork was of great quality, regardless of the American Sonic design. The Mega Drive Sonic game art mostly used the Japanese designs in Europe, but his artwork has a long-lasting impression on my life thanks to the Sonic 2 8-bit boxart, my first Sonic game. Condolences to his family and friends.

  7. Mm.. this is very sad news indeed. 🙁 Rest in peace, fine artist. The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Genesis box art was one I always liked.

  8. This is so sad, he was probably one of the best Sonic box illustrator, rest in peace, all your artwork will remain ever!. I always liked Sonic CD, Sonic 2 and Sonic Triple Trouble US box artworks, i’ll always like it.

  9. So many things to say but I shall say the most important one, He was an almost unrecognized generation marking artist and it is sad that he is gone from the life he just passed but may he have an even better next life and inthis life he was amazing. R.I.P. We all love you and your talents!

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