History Recap / SonicTheHedgehogIDWImposterSyndrome

||Miniseries #: || 3||

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs[=/=]StormingTheCastle: Starline's overall plan of usurping the empire out from under Eggman's nose involves two examples of this trope. Starline's team first conquers another one of Eggman's bases as a warmup round before going on to invade Eggman's new HQ, Eggperial City, which Starline takes control of while Surge and Kit dispatch Metal Sonic.

* ToBeContinued: The mini-series ends not with a "The End" but rather to catch the finale in Issue 50.

* TooDumbToLive: Once again, Starline, attempting to succeed where Eggman fails, only makes more or less the [[DidntThinkThisThrough exact same]] [[EvilIsNotAToy mistakes]] he criticized his ex-idol for. Surge even calls him out on his idiocy before she and Kit overpower him.

-->'''Surge:''' '''That's What you get!''' See what happens when you mess with the best?! Huh?! '''Huh?!'''

||Year: || Four (Issue #1) and Five (Remainder)||

* OutClonesAreDifferent: ''Imposter Syndrome'' introduces Surge and Kit as if they are robotic clones created by Dr. Starline to serve as his minions. They demonstrate some extreme amounts of independence from their source, having separate names, memories, powers, [[OppositeSexClone genders]], and even ''species'' from their source characters. It's then subverted when it is revealed that they were not created at all, but were rather brainwashed by Starline and modified with {{cyb|org}}ernetic implants, FakeMemories, and the Metal Virus to make them believe they are his creations.

* AesopAmnesia: After spending much of ''Bad Guys'' learning to be his own villain and breaking away from Eggman, Issue 2 has Starline revert back to worshiping the doc after seeing the latter's Egg Cave still has the action figure of himself.

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs[=/=]StormingTheCastle: Starline's overall plan of usurping the empire out from under Eggman's nose involves two examples of this trope. Starline's team first conquers another one of Eggman's bases as a warmup round before going on to invade Eggman's new HQ, Eggtropolis, which Starline takes control of while Surge and Kit dispatch Metal Sonic.

* ArcWelding: Issue #3 explains how all of Starline's actions post-Metal Virus Saga tie together into his new masterplan.

* TheBadGuyWins: Downplayed. The miniseries ends with Starline managing to succeed in his goal of usurping Eggman, but it's obvious that his victory is going to be short-lived as three opposing forces are about to ruin it for him: Sonic, Tails and Belle arriving at Eggtropolis, Eggman activating one of his mechs and Surge and Kit enacting their plan of betrayal against Starline.

** Motobud, the friendly Badnik Belle met while camping is one of the Badniks shown affected by Starline's virus.

* CerebusSyndrome: Arguably the comic's darkest StoryArc since the Metal Virus Saga, this miniseries deals with some unpleasant subject matter including emotional abuse, existential crisis, live experimentation, and {{Gaslighting}}--all of which are ''[[TruthInTelevision real things]]''.
* {{Cliffhanger}}: Dr. Starline successfully takes over Dr. Eggman's base Eggtropolis and rallies all of the badniks in the vicinity, while Eggman barely escapes capture and makes preparations to retaliate with a HumongousMecha. Surge and Kit await their fated battle against Sonic and Tails, as well as the opportunity to betray Starline. The question of who comes out on top would be answered in the 50th issue of the main series.

* GilliganCut: Near the end of Issue 4, Starline says that even though Eggman escaped, he is defenseless due to his program taking control of any machine he might use. Cut to Eggman in a mech with an offline mode on, presumably allowing him to get around the program.

* LuredIntoATrap: Starline's plan involves luring Sonic and Tails to Eggtropolis so Surge and Kit can kill them.

* MysteriousPast: Surge and Kit remember nothing of their pasts before Starline altered them, and Starline considered who they were ''before'' he got his claws on them so unimportant that, despite making detailed recordings of his monologues, he made ''no'' reference of who they were because he didn't consider it to be worth anything.

** Eggman's city, Eggtropolis, is a reference to his Archie and Satam counterpart's home city of Robotropolis.

* NewEraSpeech: Starline makes one just before the storming of Eggperial City. Surge and Kit aren't that impressed.

* VillainExitStageLeft: When Starline seizes control of Eggtropolis, Eggman flees through an escape chute to reach a hanger full of HumongousMecha so he can fight back.
* VillainousBreakdown: A retrospective example for ''[[Recap/SonicTheHedgehogIDWAllOrNothingArc All or Nothing]]''. As revealed in one of his vlogs, Starline ''lost it'' after Eggman fired him, plus his HumiliationConga preceding that; it took him a while to calm down before ''Bad Guys'' began.

* {{Cliffhanger}}: Dr. Starline successfully takes over Dr. Eggman's base Eggtropolis and rallies all of the badniks in the vicinity, while Eggman barely escapes capture and makes preparations to retaliate with a HumongousMecha. Surge and Kit await their fated battle against Sonic and Tails, as well as the opportunity to betray Starline. The question of who comes out on top will be answered in the 50th issue of the main series.

* HijackedByGanon: Inverted: By the end of the third issue, Surge and Kit manage to overpower Starline and (once Surge gets his glove) hypnotize him into unconsciousness. Surge, [[AwfulTruth still furious over what they have learned]], decides to "burn it all down" [[KickTheSonOfABitch (starting by beating Starline up some more)]]... before Kit puts forth a suggestion: since Starline's plan involved getting everyone together in the same place, they should ''pretend'' to go along with Starline's plan... before "[taking] it in [their] own direction", to get rid of Sonic, Tails, and both Doctors.
-->'''Surge''': Let the doc go to all this trouble [[HoistByHisOwnPetard just to set himself up for the fall?]] [[LetsGetDangerous (stares at Starline's Hypno Glove with malicious intent) I can work with that.]]

* MysteriousPast: Surge and Kit remember nothing of their pasts before Starline altered them, and Starline considered who they were ''before'' he got his claws on them so unimportant that, despite making detailed recordings of his monologues, he made ''no'' reference of who they were because he didn't consider it worth it.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: PlayedForLaughs. When Dr. Starline sees that Tail's house is shaped like his own head, Starline notes that he might have more in common with Eggman than he's willing to admit.

* PummelingTheCorpse: ''justified''; Surge was hurt by the Eggbreaker's Mace fist and despite finishing off (see OffWithHisHead above). She aggressively stomps on it’s carcass, while taunting it.
--> '''Surge:''' '''That's What you get!''' See what happens when you mess with the best?! Huh?! '''Huh?!'''

||Episode Count: || 4||

* {{Egopolis}}: Eggtropolis, Dr. Eggman's new headquarters following the Zombot Apocalypse.

* GladYouThoughtOfIt: Throughout issue 1, Surge is begging/demanding to face Sonic, but Starline wants to stick to his main plan while further testing her and Kit to ensure they are functioning properly. After knocking them out again, he exploits this by telling Surge, after waking up, that ''she'' wanted the testing to take place. Confused at first, she buys his claim thanks to Kit.

* IdiosyncraticCoverArt: Each issue's main cover is one-quarter of a bigger image showing the imposters racing their counterparts (or in Starline's case, Eggman ''and'' Metal Sonic) before coming together in a MeleeATrois. Too bad most such confrantations don't happen (see CoversAlwaysLie above).

* NewEraSpeech: Starline makes one just before the storming of Eggtropolis. Surge and Kit aren't that impressed.

** Starline gets this three times: the aforementioned JumpScare moment, when Surge and Kit overpower him, and finally when Cubot reveals Eggman managed to escape as Eggtropolis was overtaken.

[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/is1coverri2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349: The new and improved "heroes" are here. [[note]]Kitsunami on top, Surge on bottom.[[/note]]]]

Doctor Starline is back, and this time he has the ultimate plan to once and for all topple Sonic's hero status and take Dr. Eggman out of the race to become the world’s rightful ruler. And he plans to do it with the help of his new creations, Surge the Tenrec and Kitsunami the Fennec, whom he plans to make the new “heroes” of Sonic’s world. Will Starline finally manage to topple his former idol? And can he manage to keep Surge and Kit in line?

* DrivingQuestion: In issue #3, Surge and Kit discover through video files that they were converted to cyborgs and programmed into being Starline's enforcers with specific traits; Surge with an IrrationalHatred towards Sonic, someone she has never met in her life, and Kit with an UndyingLoyalty to Surge. However, while they wonder why these traits are necessary, the biggest question that frustrates them is who they were originally; if they actually volunteered to join Starline or were abducted against their will. The files they search for relating to their origin aren't available and Starline considered such information "irrelevant" to his own goal.

* TakeThat: Starline's "Sonic Cycle" theory is named after, and similar to, a popular meme/discussion of the Sonic fanbase anticipating an upcoming game entry, only to be [often] disappointed at the final result, but hopeful for the next entry.

* ToBeContinued: The mini-series ends with Starline managing to take over Eggpolios and all of Eggman's operations while Surge and Kit have defeated Metal Sonic. However Eggman has escaped capture and preps one of his legacy mechs which can bypass Starline's control signal to prepare to take his base back. What's more, as seen in Issue #49, Sonic, Tails and Belle are en route to the base to find out what going on. The last panel has Surge and Kit getting ready for Sonic and Tails arrival so they can execute their plan to take out all parties. Setting the stage for Issue #50.

** The friendly Badnik Belle met while camping is one of the Badniks shown affected by Starline's virus.

* WouldHurtAChild: As shown in Issue #3, Kit and Surge were shown ''suffering in agony'' as Starline was installing cybernetics into them. After discovering the truth, the duo attack Starline. However, Starline manages to (temporarily) incapacitate Kit by electrifying his water tendrils, as well as stun Surge by injecting her with a neurotoxin.

* TheBadGuyWins: A downplayed example as the miniseries ends with Starline managing to succeed in his goal of usurping Eggman. But it's obvious that his victory is going to be a short-lived one as three opposing forces are about to ruin it for him: Sonic, Tails and Belle arriving at Eggtropolis, Eggman activating one of his mechs and Surge and Kit enacting their plan of betrayal against Starline.

* TheBusCameBack: The climax of this miniseries marks the return of Dr. Eggman and his main hench-bots after lengthy absences from the comic.
** Metal Sonic, absent since the climax of the Metal Virus Saga in Issues #29-30 of the main series, finally shows up again to battle Surge, who eventually defeats him with Kit's help.
** Orbot and Cubot return after not being seen since the end of Issue #40.
** Eggman reappears after being largely absent since Issue #41.[[note]]discounting flashbacks, the 30th Anniversary Special, and the chronologically-ambiguous FCBD 2022 one-off story[[/note]]

* IdiosyncraticCoverArt: Each issue's main cover is one-quarter of a bigger image showing the imposters racing their counterparts (or in Starline's case, Eggman ''and'' Metal Sonic) before coming together in a MeleeATrois.