After months of teases, we finally have the first issue of the Sonic the Hedgehog x DC Comics crossover. The limited series of comics has Sonic and his friends teaming up with members of the Justice League, each superhero pairing off with one of Sega’s anthropomorphic animals. Sonic naturally ends up racing alongside The Flash, Tails puts his tech skills to the test in tandem with Cyborg, and Shadow has a brood-off with Batman. Bruce Wayne and the Ultimate Life Form have more in common beyond their angsty demeanor, of course, both being defined by a traumatic loss. When the crossover was announced, fans wondered if Batman and Shadow might bond over grief, and just one issue in the comic has delivered.
Sonic fans will know that Shadow’s villain origin story is the death of Maria Robotnik, a young girl who he was created to help save from a terminal illness. However, any chance of that was taken away when the government shut down the project and killed her in the process. Batman has experienced a similar loss:, as watching his parents die as a child spurred his whole superhero deal.
The crossover series has Sonic and the Justice League teaming up to defeat famous DC villain Darkseid, and initially Shadow is uninterested in getting involved. As he begins to leave, Batman tells Superman that he’ll handle the dark, brooding hedgehog and immediately clocks his whole deal. Batman asks Shadow, “Who was it?” This takes Shadow off guard, and then the world’s greatest detective delivers the real gut punch and adds: “The one you couldn’t protect. The one you watched die in front of you.”
Given their shared trauma, it makes sense that Bruce could sense Shadow carried the same pain. The caped crusader manages to bring Shadow around to the cause, reminding him that they honor those they’ve lost by protecting the world they loved in life.
Fans are losing it over the interaction. Sometimes crossover events can feel vapid, more like you’re just slamming toys together that didn’t come in the same box. We’re only one issue in and the Sonic x DC Comics is already digging beyond the superficial similarities of its heroes, which bodes well for the rest of the comic.
Sega and DC have stated the collaboration will expand beyond the comics and into merchandise well into 2026.