Over the years wayyy back to the beginning, there have been different formats. For example: for the first 30 or 35 issues, we've dealt with seperate, different main stories, along with the solo ones. that had hardly carried on into the next issue. Then starting around issue #36-#50, things began changing, such as in search for the king, death egg saga, endgame, Ivo Robotnik's defeat.
Issues #51-#67, there had been sort of different stories (Downunda Freedom Fighters, Sand Blast City, Monkey Khan, etc.)
Issues #68-#107, were mostly carried on issues one big conflict would follow another like a soap opera.
Issues #108-124, they sort of went back to the old format where they had a main, different story along with a solo story & a Knuckles story.
Issues #125-Present, excluding a few times (such as The Original FF 2-part story & the Mobius: 20 Years later wrap up back in #166-167), it has been a combination of both the personal and professional lives of the characters.
I'm sorry if I'm not making any sense here. But that's what I mean by the "format".
My answer is that I like the format they had for a little bit that began with #108-125 when they had different main & solo stories, like when they did in the beginning. Curious to read your responses.
I get what you're saying. I perfer the present "format". I started with issue 102 and I really enjoy the "format" of that period too.
I think much of the story style or "format", you say depends on the writer. The previous main writer, Karl Bollers perfered a more sereous tone with heavy action and suspence while current writter Ian Flynn perfers a more light hearted tone overall maybe even slightly comedic but can be extremely dark and suspencefull when needed.
yeah, I mean this format is good too. Though they should come out with a future special or issue where they displayed more Sonic Data Files. I enjoyed reading some of the characters' backgrounds. Yeah, I started at issue #29, so I too wasn't aware of half of the format, especially when I took breaks from buying the comic (I am too devoted to let that happen again 
)
We're probably not seeing more Data Files because whatever new information we'll need for the foreseeable future (and a lot of old stuff and clarifications) will be put in the Encyclopedia that's going to be released near the end of this year.
I can't think of anyone too-new that they'll need to do a Data File immediately for except possibly Regina, though. 
