Recap / Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Test Run Arc

We're testing out a new piece of tech! Care to join? ^note Issue #39 Cover B by Gigi Dutreix.

Written by:	Evan Stanley
Year:	Four
Saga:	Eggman's Legacy
Arc Duration:	#37 - #40

Belle is accepted as a member of the Restoration as she has nowhere else to stay. There, she finds a friend in Tangle. After a mysterious tower that causes freak storms appears, Sonic, Tails and Amy set off to investigate it, but get caught inside the testing chambers for robots where Dr. Eggman controls the spatial laws. Once he becomes aware of the group's incursion, Eggman decides to take advantage of the situation by pitting his robots against the heroes. Meanwhile, Tangle wishes to join the trio, but is prohibited by Jewel. She and Belle nonetheless set off to follow the others to the tower. There, it is revealed Belle is a Badnik created by Eggman back when the doctor was the amnesiac Mr. Tinker. Thanks to Tangle though, Sonic and co. escape the test chambers, who proceed to flee from the tower with their allies and enemies before it implodes from a feedback loop.

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Tropes

• Actually a Doombot: When Sonic, Tails and Amy run into an Egg Viper, they think it's Eggman inside piloting it. Sonic defeats it handily only to reveal it was a hologram inside it. The real Eggman was piloting it remotely through a virtual headset.
• Air-Vent Passageway: With the door already broken down by Team Sonic, Tangle and Belle sneak into the tower via a conveniently uncovered air duct.
• Alien Geometries: The Mobile Maze that Sonic and the others get trapped in warps into this when Sonic tries to use his speed to get ahead of the shifts.
• All of the Other Reindeer: Belle's first day at the Restoration doesn't go well. She keeps getting odd looks from some of the members due to being a wooden robot, and her clumsiness keeps causing accidents until the foreman ultimately throws her out. Tangle reassures her first days are always the roughest.
• Arc Villain: Dr. Eggman—the first time since The Last Minute where he's the Big Bad for a whole arc, and the only time he'd be so until much later.
• Ascended Extra: Lanolin, the sheep O.C. mostly seen in the background, gets some speaking lines this time and leads Belle to the machine shop.
• Bad Boss: Belle comes to realize this about Eggman when he describes how he uses his Badniks in the test chambers. To him they're noting more then guinea pigs and to improve on their efficiency for faster world conquering. He doesn't care much for them other then a means to an end and to stroke his own ego.
• Berserk Board Barricade: While in the Badnik village, Sonic, Tails, and Amy hunker down in a house to protect themselves from the Badniks outside. It works, but Eggman sets the house on fire, forcing the trio out into the open.
• Big Damn Heroes: Eggman has Sonic, Tails, and Amy at his mercy when Tangle bungee-jumps into the fray to save them. After helping defeat the Egg Vipers, she hoists her friends back to safety via the portal she came through. Using his super speed, Sonic to save the group and Orbot and Cubot from the imploding of the tower.
  Tangle: I was in the area and I thought I'd drop by. I hope you left me something to smash!
• Bittersweet Ending: The tower is destroyed (albeit accidentally), robbing Eggman of his training base and finally clearing up the storm it was generating. However, Belle confirms her suspicion that Eggman built her while he was Mr. Tinker and is left heartbroken from the revelation. Tangle consoles her, assuring her she did good and that her "true father" would be proud of her.
• Both Sides Have a Point: In the third issue, Tangle and Belle see Sonic, Tails and Amy struggling against the Egg Vipers. When Tangle suggests she use her tail as a landline and go through a portal to go help them. Belle points out how recklessly risky that is as they're not sure if the portal she goes into is the right one (they only have Cubot and Orbot's reactions to go off of) or what the effect the portal will have on her and could very well scatter her molecules on the trip through (she's not wrong; Sonic, Tails and Amy went spectrum earlier trying to escape the maze). But Tangle counters that they don't have time find a safer way and have to act now to help the three. Plus, even if they did defeat the Vipers, there was no guarantee the trio would find the exit from wherever they were stranded, so Tangle was their best bet in getting out. Belle ultimately has to agree and let Tangle enact her plan. In the end, they were both right: Tangle does safely get through the portal, but since she left her tail in the gate for too long, this causes a faulty feedback loop that ultimately implodes the tower. But Tangle's plan is likewise a success and leads Sonic, Tails, and Amy out of the gate so they can all escape together.
• Butt-Monkey: Orbot and Cubot.
• Call-Back: The tool shed in Silver's garden from the 2019 Annual now houses a secret elevator leading to the new Restoration HQ. Sonic and Tails lead Belle into the base via said garden.
• Cool Bike: Tangle and Belle travel to the tower using the Big Bang Extreme Gear from Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. Being a first-time driver, Tangle doesn't know how to control the bike and ends up crashing it. It isn't seen again and is most likely destroyed along with the tower.
• Company Cross References: Two from Eggman once he faces off against Sonic, Tails, and Amy with the Egg Vipers.
  • He controls all three of the Vipers remotely using a VR headset, which is directly modeled after the unreleased Sega VR.
  • He says "I haven't had this much fun in ages!" which is a reference to Sega Ages; a series of ports, remakes, and compilations published by Sega.
• Elaborate Underground Base: The Restoration's new base had been relocated underground in the ruins of their old one. The group has pretty much managed to get things up and running with computer bases, a machine shop, and a central area that's designed like a mall.
• Eldritch Location: The "pocket dimension" (as Eggman puts it) within the tower. The whole place is a Mind Screw realm over which he has full control, allowing him to keep Sonic, Tails, and Amy trapped until Tangle drops in uninvited.
• Failure Montage: Belle goes through one while working in the new Restoration HQ's machine shop, culminating in an Epic Fail that Tangle has to save her from.
• Fire, Water, Wind: After Sonic's group defeats the first Egg Viper mech, three more show up: a red one that shoots fire, a blue one that shoots water, and a green one that unleashes whirlwinds.
• Foregone Conclusion: Belle kept insisting that her father/creator is Mr. Tinker, not Dr. Eggman, but almost everyone else, both the cast and readers, knows that they were one and the same when Eggman lost his memory. Whether it's denial or false hope, Belle meeting Eggman exposes her to that Awful Truth; it was just the matter of when she finds out for herself.
• From Bad to Worse: Sonic, Tails, and Amy get lost in the tower as soon as they arrive, and their predicament gets even worse when Eggman discovers their intrusion. The trio are ultimately unable to escape on their own and have to be rescued by Tangle.
• Funny Background Event: At the end of Issue #40, as the heroes are flying home, Orbot and Cubot can be seen floating in the ocean down below.
• Hassle-Free Hotwire: Belle performs one on the aforementioned Extreme Gear bike to get it started.
• Heroic BSoD: Belle has one after finding out Eggman is indeed her creator (via when he was Mr. Tinker). She has to put it on hold to help the others escape the tower, but once they're in the clear, she lets her feelings out and breaks down sobbing. By the end of the arc, she's still a bit gloomy about the revelation, though Tangle does manage to cheer her up a bit by stating Mr. Tinker would've been proud of her for the good deeds she has done.
• Hurricane of Puns: Eggman unleashes one to taunt Sonic's group throughout Issue #39. As Amy points out, his puns aren't very good.
• Internal Reveal: Belle now knows that Mr. Tinker was nothing more than a persona that Dr. Eggman took in his amnesic state.
• Jump Scare: Played for Laughs in-universe when Tangle seizes Orbot and Cubot with her tail.
• Leap of Faith: Sonic, Tails, and Amy take one to advance beyond the Badnik town. Tangle also takes one soon after, jumping through a warp gate to rescue the others despite the potential risks of doing so. Discussed between Tangle and Belle in the latter case.
• Loss of Identity: Belle's purpose for investigating the tower with Tangle is to find out her origins, even if it means confronting Dr. Eggman to do it. When Egg Pawns ignore her when she stumbles in front of them, she worries that this would confirm her being a Badnik. Tangle assures her that since Sonic and Tails vouched for Belle, it shouldn't matter where she come from since she is trying to do some good.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: Issue #40 finally clears the air about Belle's creator, revealing that Eggman made her while under his "Mr. Tinker" persona. Naturally, Belle doesn't take this well.
• Lured into a Trap: Zig-zagged. Eggman reveals the tower was just to test his mechanical creations and wasn't really expecting Sonic to invade it. But figures, since Tails, Amy and he are there, might as well make the most of it and sets his Badniks at the group to test his bots' abilities.
• The Mentor: Tangle, ever ready to make new friends, quickly becomes this to Belle.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: The Badniks that Sonic, Tails, and Amy face take on a new, slightly creepier spin, mixing and matching their designs.
• Mobile Maze: Once Sonic, Tails and Amy get inside the tower, they find themselves in a maze which they quickly find keeps shifting around them. Sonic manages to go fast enough to "break" it in a sense, but it activates a warp of sorts. Eggman claims it would eventually have become totally inescapable, even for Sonic.
• Moment Killer: Belle is fondly reminiscing about her father when Eggman vents at Orbot and Cubot for not warning him about Tangle.
  Eggman: WHAT ARE YOU TWO NINCOMPOOPS DOING?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT BLASTED LEMUR HAD GOTTEN IN?!
• Mythology Gag:
  • Sonic jokingly assures a disappointed Tangle that they'll give her a call for help if Eggman ever summons a "god of destruction" or digs up any "ancient fighting robots".
  • Sonic, Amy, and Tails fight four variants of Eggman's Egg Viper, the Final Boss of Sonic's story in Sonic Adventure.
  • The retailer incentive cover of Issue #40 is filled with small references. The party UI for Sonic, Tails, and Amy is based off of Sonic Chronicles, along with commenters in Eggman's stream chat named SSSSSScratchman and Supergrounder93, a donation from a user named inf1nyxW0rlds who says "weak", and a Mega Octus emoticon styled after the PogChamp Twitch emote.
• Noodle Incident: Tangle isn't allowed in the machine shop of the new base due to a "ball bearing incident," according to the foreman.
• Nothing Is Scarier: After breaking out of the maze, Sonic's group finds themselves in an eerily empty and quiet town-like area. Amy even says out loud that the place gives her bad vibes.
• Now You Tell Me: Tangle neglects to warn Belle about her lack of Extreme Gear-riding experience until they're already en route.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Belle has this reaction when a forklift in the machine shop drives over her tail, causing her to kick a box she was holding into a crane and said crane to almost drop the huge boat it was holding before Tangle saves it. Belle gets another one seconds later when the foreman berates her for her clumsiness.
  • Amy's Freak Out after hitting the red Egg Viper sets her dress on fire.
  • Tangle gets one when she emerges from the portal and finds herself plummeting towards the green Egg Viper (though the hard landing that follows doesn't faze her, as usual).
  • All five heroes, plus Orbot and Cubot, as the gate overloads and the tower starts imploding.
• Put on a Bus: Orbot and Cubot go on vacation at the end of the arc after letting the heroes throw them off the Tornado. They aren't seen again until sometime later.
• Save the Villain: When the gate starts to overload and implode the tower, and the heroes need to escape, they likewise take Orbot and Cubot with them.
• Screen Name: Fitting Issue #40's RI cover that is focused on streaming, it is littered with characters and their usernames who are chatting with Eggman.
  • TheRealTrueActualSonic is Metal Sonic, who typed in a thumbs-up emote.
  • ModOrbot is Orbot acting as Eggman's mod, reminding the viewers not to spam the chat or do any backseat gaming for Eggman.
  • EggPawnEF-XB2006 and EggPawnMB-XB1991 are based on the same Egg Pawn robots from Sonic Unleashed, who act as literal spambots who only post "Wow! So good! Thank you Dr. Eggman!"
  • The jumpinSpirallemur04 user is Tangle, with the name based on her hometown of Spiral Hill Village and the issue she first appeared in. She simply calls Eggman's stream bad.
  • SSSSSScratchman and Supergrounder93 are based on Scratch and Grounder from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. SSSSSScratchman is based on how Scratch was part of the Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad, with Supergrounder93 referring to how Grounder debuted in the first episode of Adventures released in 1993.
  • GearsAndStarters is Belle, whose name is based on her Character Catchphrase, asking to see if anyone knows a Mr. Tinker.
  • There's Infinite from Forces, as inf1nyxW0rlds, who donated 100 eggbits with a message that says "weak," a reference to his infamous Villainous Breakdown and how he disliked being called as such.
  • Then there's StarsAndLines, who is Dr. Starline, where he criticizes Eggman's gaming setup before unsubscribing. And then he sends in an additional message to correct his minor spelling mistake.
• Shout-Out:
  • A random character resembling Gadget Hackwrench is seen walking around the new base in Issue #37.
  • The tower's collapse is reminiscent of the infamous house-implosion scene at the end of Poltergeist (1982).
• Stunned Silence: Belle has this reaction when the Badniks in the tower discover her only to pass her by without attacking. Learning that Eggman is indeed her creator leaves her even more speechless.
• Suddenly Shouting: Played for Laughs when Tangle tricks Orbot and Cubot into giving her a lead on where Sonic's group is.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: One each for Tangle and Belle.
  • Tangle uses her tail to hold up a huge boat that Belle almost knocked over and claims she has things under control. No sooner are those words spoken that she strains and begs for help.
  • Until Issue #40, Belle refuses to believe Eggman is indeed her creator, or that she's a Badnik after all (at least not like Orbot or Cubot). However, when Eggman himself gives her the hard facts and mocks her memory of his amnesiac self, Belle sadly accepts that "Mr. Tinker" is gone and she really is a Badnik after all.
• Trail of Bread Crumbs: Once the trio are in the maze, they spot one Badnik using chalk on the walls before Sonic destroys it. After some wandering, Tails picks up on what it was doing and use the chalk to mark an arrow in the area they're in. After they walk around in a circle and coming back to the same area, the mark is gone, which clue the three in that the maze is shifting around them.
• Trash the Set: Due to Tangle leaving her tail in between the gate to get to Sonic, Amy, and Tails, this causes the energy output to expand and create a feedback loop that ultimately begins imploding the tower. The heroes (along with Orbot and Cubot) just barely make it out before the tower goes under.
• Walking Spoiler: There were/are many hints as to the identity of Belle's creator throughout the previous arc and this one, and in Issue #38, she even admits she's a Badnik when pressed about it by Tangle. Eventually, a panel showing part of Belle and Eggman's conversation was posted as a preview on social media just days before Issue #40's release, confirming the link between the two.
• When Life Gives You Lemons...: Orbot and Cubot decide to inform Eggman about Sonic's team finding the tower. Instead of going ballistic, especially after his previous defeat, he decides to use this opportunity to test the tower's facilities and defenses on them.
• You Didn't Ask: Said verbatim by Cubot after Belle asks why he and Orbot didn't mention that leaving something in the gate for too long could overload it.

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