Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #1 Review

Dr. Starline is trying to change the heroes and villains’ narrative. He sets his eyes on Eggman and Sonic in Operation: Remaster! Check out Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #1 by IDW Publishing!

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: IMPOSTER SYNDROME #1 (OF 4)

Writer: Ian Flynn
Artist: Thomas Rothlisberger, Aaron Hammerstrom, and Matt Froese
Colorist: Valentina Pinto
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Editor: David Mariotte
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 17th, 2021

Previously in Sonic the Hedgehog: Check out the all-new mini-series from Ian Flynn. Dr. Starline is using every tool in is arsenal to try and stop Sonic, Tails, and even Eggman!

PASS YOUR TESTS

Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #1 begins with Dr. Starline telling the reader his plan. He wants to change the narrative of Sonic always beating Eggman because it makes people complacent. There is no room for progress because Sonic always saves the day. He decides to use Surge and Kitsunami to eventually replace them as heroes once his plan is fully intact. Dr. Starline puts them through a series of tests to make sure they are ready. Surge struggles with stealth and patience while Kit has a lack of confidence. To top that off, Dr. Starline uses mind control to put them to sleep when they begin to question it. Unfortunately, the effect is becoming less and less effective the more he does it. But they are ready to do the next step of Operation: Remaster. They are going after Eggman. 3

GASLIGHTING

I was surprised about the complexity of this comic. Sonic the Hedgehog is a kids title that is designed for a younger audience. I was really surprised that Imposter Syndrome #1 had a huge theme of emotional abuse between Dr. Starline, Surge, and Kit. He effectively erased their minds and gaslit them into believing something that isn’t true. Because of how difficult this theme is, it didn’t feel like a kids comic despite having that classic Sonic art style. I commend the writing team for their work here. Mental health is important, and kids don’t get enough chances to explore those complex themes. And these themes are easily digestible to people reading. Great work from the creative team.

BOTTOM LINE: GREAT START

I was really impressed with Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #1. I don’t usually care about a Sonic title and picked it up because I was curious about the “Imposter Syndrome” part of the title. And I’m glad I picked it up. I’ll be following up with this series in the next issue. 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

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