When DC X Sonic the Hedgehog was first announced, a series of images captured everyone’s eyes: Sonic and his friends would don costumes matching the Justice League’s at one point. At the time, it seemed like a neat little thought experiment, but DC X Sonic the Hedgehog #3 shows there was a reason for these redesigns. Following their battle against Darkseid, Team Sonic is stranded in the DC Universe, while the Lord of Apokolips and the Justice League are nowhere to be found.
This leads Sonic to make a suggestion: he and his friends will fill in for the missing members of the Justice League. What follows is a comic that’s not only a fun mashup of Sonic and DC tropes, but it also lets the creative team of Ian Flynn and Adam Bryce Thomas have some true fun with the idea of Sonic characters being in the DC Universe. It turns out that not only is Team Sonic capable of protecting the DC Universe, but the reactions that they have are downright hilarious.
A key example – and probably the best one – is when Knuckles tracks down one of the missing Chaos Emeralds to Lex Luthor. Not only does Luthor think the Emerald is Kryptonite, but he actively tries to poison Knuckles with it, which the echidna hilariously calls him out on one page later. In fact, the entire issue is filled with hilarious moments like this, including Silver running down the (very lengthy) list of Earth-based Green Lanterns or Sonic flat out insulting the Reverse-Flash. Flynn has a gift for balancing the absurd with the awesome.
DC
Thomas gets the chance to design Sonic characters in a whole new light with DC X Sonic the Hedgehog #3, especially with the respective powers they have. From Silver’s Green Lantern-styled makeover to Tails’ Cyborg inspired costume to Sonic donning his own Flash suit, these designs are amazing, and correspond to the DC heroes in more ways than one. Of course Amy Rose would fit in with Wonder Woman and the rest of the Amazons. Of course Shadow would be Batman; he broods enough to rival the Dark Knight.
Thomas’ best work comes when he has to pit Team Sonic against DC villains, and once again he shows a great mix of the Sonic game mechanics and the world of the DC Universe. Shadow’s able to knock out the Joker with a flurry of rapid kicks; Amy still uses her hammer to knock out Gorilla Grodd, despite having the Lasso of Truth; Knuckles soars through the air with the same grace as Superman. Matt Herms’ vibrant color palette only helps to sell the superheroic elements, particularly the scenes with Silver.
DC X Sonic the Hedgehog #3 doesn’t just prove that Sonic and friends work really well in the DC Universe, it has an insane amount of fun with the idea. I always like my crossovers to make a bit of sense, and this one fits so well I’m surprised no one thought of it sooner!
You must be logged in to post a comment.