In the last issue of DC x Sonic the Hedgehog, readers witnessed what happened when Sonic and friends had to fill in for the Justice League. Now DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #4 takes the opposite approach, showcasing what the Justice League was up to after they stopped Darkseid from utilizing the power of the Chaos Emeralds. Now stuck in another world, the prime time super team winds up battling what remains of Darkseid’s forces…not to mention Sonic’s other enemies, who are taking advantage of the fact that there’s no Blue Blur around to stop them.
Much like DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #3, this issue consists of a series of vignettes that showcase each member of the Justice League taking on a different threat. But part of the fun of that issue was seeing Team Sonic unite with other DC heroes, while showcasing their new DC-inspired redesigns and how they’d handle DC’s villains. Here, the fights between the League and Sonic villains are few and far between, as most of the battles take place with Darkseid’s forces. It makes sense since the Lord of Apokolips is the main threat driving the issue, but I was hoping for a little more “DC heroes in Sonic’s world”, especially since those are the best parts of the issue.
Case in point: the first encounter is between Wonder Woman and Blaze the Cat. DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #4 once again plays up the dynamic between the two: both are princesses bestowed with incredible power, and charged with a great duty to protect the Earth. Ian Flynn does a great job writing the interactions between Wonder Woman and Blaze, to the point where I would have loved to see an entire miniseries of them hanging out. Ditto for Superman’s fight against Doctor Robotnik, as Sonic’s arch-nemesis learns the hard way that the Man of Steel’s used to battling mad scientists. And don’t even get me started on Batman vs. Metal Sonic!
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Ian Bryce Thomas and Matt Herms bring plenty of energy to their pages, but they also make each sequence flow into the next with a speed that even Sonic would envy. Each one of these sequences also feels distinct, thanks to Herms’ colors. The stainless steel interior of Robotnik’s metallic fortress provides a stark contrast to the inky night that’s a highlight of the Batman vs. Metal Sonic sequence. Thomas really shines when he gets to draw the Flash, as the Fastest Man Alive transforms into a red and gold blur that dashes all across the page. It makes sense: after all, The Flash, like Sonic, is a character built on speed. The one time Thomas rivals the Flash sequence is with Green Lantern, who gets a surprising power-up during his battle with Granny Goodness.
DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #4 flips the script to reveal what the Justice League was doing in Sonic’s world, resulting in a solid romp. Now that Team Sonic and the League are reunited, hopefully we get to see more of the crossover element that fueled the first two issues.
