DC X Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 3

DC X Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 3

Publication Date: May 21st, 2025

I've spent a lot of words lately describing why corporate crossovers and collaborations are so common these days. Ya see, kiddies, when two massive international conglomerates love money very very much, they get together and have a Fortnite skin or a SquishMellow or whatever. I suppose this raises a second question, of why they used to be uncommon. "DC vs. Marvel" was considered a seismic, once-in-a-lifetime event in 1996. (Though it wasn't and seems unlikely to be the last...) The string of crossover games Capcom made with various Marvel characters were perceived as a weird fluke, not a blueprint for countless titles to come. I suppose the thought was that these companies were in competition with each other. To shake hands on any sort of temporary team-up would compromise market share dominance. In the 21st century, we are long past the point of companies pretending there is anything fair about capitalism. Most mega-corps are now owned by even more gargantuan networks, monopolies being de-facto. DC Comics and Marvel Comics are merely peripheral organs, clinging appendix-like to the bloated monoliths that are Warner/Discovery and the Walt Disney Company. Tossing out a fun little team-up is a mild discomfort now, one that will sell some t-shirts and push a stock margin a teeny tiny bit higher. 

You have to be cynical about this shit because entities like "DC X Sonic the Hedgehog" are determined to flash-bang blind you with the childish joy of seeing your favorite superheroes and your favorite video game stars appearing in a comic book together. Let me point out the obvious then: When this collaboration was first revealed, we knew it wouldn't merely see the Justice League and Sonic and pals hanging out together. From the get-go, we were presented with slick artwork of Sonic dressing up as the Flash, Shadow cosplaying as Batman, Tails partially roboticized into Cyborg, and so forth. Was this an exciting comic storyline or a launch event for exclusive new "Sonic: Speed Forces" skin? You could buy a T-shirt of Shadow the BatHog two seconds after they announced this thing. It's not as if I'm immune to the blatant manipulation going on here. If they do make action figures or plushies or whatever of Knuckles as Superman, I'm going to buy them. Yet it is hard to shake the feeling that "DC X Sonic" exists less because it's a story that needed to be told and more because it served the corporate interests of the cyberpunk dystopian future we are living in. 

That becomes especially obvious on the third part of the mini-series. Not only because it's the debut of those nifty, extremely marketable mash-ups of Sonic and the gang. This comic book also features a notable appearance from Mr. Terrific, as the guy who watches the Watchtower when the rest of the Justice League is out of town. Despite the not-that-impressive on the surface title of being the Third Smartest Man in the World, DC Comics is pushing Mr. Terrific a lot lately. Not the least bit because he's got a plum supporting role in the new "Superman" movie that comes out in a few weeks. Once you notice that, you also notice that Hawkgirl – who is also in the upcoming big budget reboot – is also in this comic book. She appears alongside Supergirl, subject of another upcoming movie forming the foundation for the retrofitted DC Cinematic Universe. These are all long established heroes in the comics, of course, so it's entirely possible that their appearance here is a mere coincidence and not cross-promotional synergy with a movie WB has a lot riding on. At the same time, it wouldn't shock me if Flynn got a decree from on-high to specifically incorporate these characters somewhere in this crossover. Instead of allowing him to give a spotlight role to Zatanna or Plastic Man or Space Cabbie or whatever weird favorites he might have. 

But you are probably sick of hearing me complain about how corporate this whole endeavor is every time I bring it up. Once again, I must ask if "DC X Sonic" can overcome this impossible-to-miss surface level cynicism. Issue three sees Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Silver stranded on the JLA Watchtower. Mr. Terrific makes it know that their world seems to have blinked out of existence, taking the Justice League with it. Now that this Earth is without its resident team of protectors and our furry friends don't know the current status of their own home, they decide the best thing they can do is take up the Justice League's mantle for the time being. Silver becomes a Green Lantern, Sonic begins racing through Central City. Knuckles flies around Metropolis in the cape and tights. Shadow assumes the role of the grim guardian of Gotham. Amy dons Diana's tiara and mini-skirt to safeguard Washington DC, because God forbid the woman gets her own cool fantasy city. As they start tangoing with the resident supervillains of this world, they quickly notice that the bad guys have gotten their hands on Chaos Emeralds. They realize this means their world didn't vanish forever, that the Justice League must still be alive... Rescuing them also means bringing Darkseid back, a risk the gang has to take. 

I've been saying the whole time that "DC X Sonic" seems to be getting by on fun factor and novelty alone, not having much room for depth in-between all the crossover crisis confrontations. Issue 3 begins with an extremely depressing bit of news: The world that Sonic and friends have always called home, that they've fought to defend countless times, where everyone they love and care about lives, is seemingly gone. Likewise, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and other icons you probably have some attachment to are missing-in-action. Now, Sonic, Tails, and Amy are all too plucky and optimistic to truly believe their world is gone forever. Obviously, we the reader is all too aware that DC Comics didn't kill off their most famous characters in a crossover with "Sonic the Hedgehog." Nor that Sega is giving up their own universe for the sake of this brief mini-series. This lack of stakes and tension is a constant problem in superhero comics, where the status quo is inevitably restored and all drastic losses are merely temporary. Furthermore, despite the "13+" rating on the cover and Mr. Terrific saying "DAMN" in one panel, the target audience for this comic book is most likely within the six-to-ten demographic. Itty bitty little baby children who probably would be overcome with sadness by such irreversible death and destruction. At the same time, it would've been nice if the book could've taken a second to acknowledge what our heroes have lost here. We get one whole panel of Shadow brooding over whether protecting this other world is what Maria would want him to do. Sonic and the others seem to let the news that all their friends are dead slid right off their backs. 

Because that would be sad. And this crossover isn't about being sad, of contemplating loss and the grim inevitability of the end of all things. It's about how marketable cool Sonic and friends look dressed up as the Justice League! Once again, I have to admit to being part of the problem here. Flynn has five brief issues to cram in as many DC Comics cameos as possible. This is presumably how we ended up with Silver talking with Ch'p and Amy doing some mild asphyxiation on Gorilla Grodd. I can't lie and say I don't get a thrill out of this. Of seeing Sonic outsmart Eobard Thawne or Knuckles chit-chat with Lois Lane. It is fun and there is an evident joy in these sequences. 

It's only with a mere minute of reflection that one begins to question why Knuckles had to put on Superman's duds or what benefit Sonic gets by activating the Flash's costume ring. Would the locals be scandalized to see these cartoon animals exposing themselves to the general public? I mean, Mr. Tawky Tawny does wear pants after all. Silver fitting himself into Green Lantern's tights makes sense as those guys Moon Prism Power Make-Up the minute they slip the ring on. What benefit does Shadow get driving around in the Batmobile? Why is Amy's car suddenly able to turn invisible like Wonder Woman's jet? Does Sonic have to wear the Flash's uniform because air friction is suddenly a problem on this world? Professor Zoom wonders if being stuck on this planet somehow gives the hedgehog access to the Speed Force, that plot contrivance that allows DC's speedsters to casually break the laws of physics whenever they want. That remains as a suggestion though. Did Tails willingly agree to turn himself into a Cyborg just so he could hang out with Raven and Starfire? Did I miss the panel last time where Wonder Woman handed Amy her tiara and lasso or are these spares she had lying around? 

I've made no secret of how much I despise the obsession with power scaling that a lot of people have. Having said that... I do think some of the gang are a little in over-their-heads here. Knuckles is not as strong, fast, or overall as powerful as Superman. I'm not sure Amy Rose is capable of doing some of the things Wonder Woman has to do during her daily adventures, such as decapitate a monster or suplex Solomon Grundy. This issue has Tails spit-balling about inter-dimensional travel and string theory, which is quite a leap from him simply being a really gifted mechanic. There's been much debate over the years about whether Sonic is as fast as the Flash or capable of some of the same ridiculous feats. I don't feel like tearing that claim apart but the way he easily defeats Professor Zoom here strikes me as a bit on the unlikely side. Dropping Sonic and friends into the DC Universe is a fun idea and would be a way to explore a lot of the limitations of these guys as crime fighters. Instead, "DC X Sonic" continues to function on cool factor alone, never asking any deeper questions about what would happen from such a switch-a-roo. 

Listen, I'm not saying I didn't have some fun with this. The best thing about this crossover continues to be the parallels and differences the writer has found between these two sets of characters. Yes, the way Superman protects Metropolis can be compared to how Knuckles protects Angel Island. Amy swinging her heart-generating Piko Piko Hammer while dressed as the Warrior of Love is a nice bit of metaphorical symmetry. However, the differences between these guys is also highlighted in ways that prove far more amusing. Lex Luthor, another bald super-genius, attempts to mislead Knuckles and, thankfully, he doesn't fall for it this time. When that doesn't work, the villain produced a Chaos Emerald that he's mistaken for Kryptonite. Obviously used to Superman peacefully flying away after an attempt on his life, Lex is startled when Knuckles swings back around and beats him. Similarly, Shadow the Hedgehog somehow proves even more humorless than Batman by swatting Joker aside the head with a rocket skate without saying a single word. 

Such encounters between our superhero-ified Team Sonic and the various native villains and allies of this world is, in fact, what composes most of this entire issue. Silver clobbers Sinestro alongside some of the better known Green Lantern Corp members. While Gorilla Grodd is the enemy that Amy pummels in the District of Columbia. Tails references fighting off Brother Blood alongside the other Teen Titans but we don't see that play out. That speaks to, once again, the hyper pacing of this entire story arc. The compromise is clear: Flynn clearly had a hundred ideas and scenarios he wanted to showcase during such a crossover as this. He only got five issues to explore them all, forcing the issue to rush through a bunch of scenarios that are clearly only a small selection of what has been going on during this time. 

Honestly, this entire issue feels a little bit like Flynn is simply happy to play in another sandbox for once. Sinestro and his Chaos Emerald charged Yellow Lantern summon some Parallax looking dragons. Gorilla Grodd descends on our nation's capital with a fleet of psychically controlled super-gorillas. The Joker, clearly in more of a wacky agent of mischief than mass-murdering demon-clown mode, rides around on a Joker-Mobile looking go-cart with a matching rocket launcher. Flynn even sneaks in a one-page appearance from Beast Boy and has the good guys hanging out at the Hall of Justice. You can tell that he's truly enjoying the chance to touch on all these beloved characters and elements. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if this entire mini-series wasn't a backwards scheme of Flynn's to maybe get hired by DC and write about something other than blue hedgehogs for once? 

Not that I think Flynn has anything but love and admiration for the “Sonic” cast and universe. He includes his fair share of in-jokes and shout-outs here. After Beast Boy turns into a green echidna to mock Knuckles, Sonic quibs that Knuckles would look awful in green. Yes, there's no way that's not a sideways poke at the much-loathed Chaos Knuckles arc, making this the first time an official piece of “Sonic” media has recalled the Archie series since it ended. The fanboy-ing out is a two way street, as well. You can tell the writer had a good time getting to include outrageous characters like C'hp, Grodd, or have Tails shout “Boo-yeah!” I never detected much influence on Flynn's “Sonic” writing from traditional superhero fair but it's clear he must be a reasonable fan of D.C. Comics shenanigans if he's casually dropping Sojourner Mullein or King Solovar into this crossover. 

If Flynn is relishing the chance to play around with an I.P. bigger than Sonic, you can tell Adam Bryce Thomas is as well. His take on Grodd, the Green Lantern Corps, Supergirl, and Hawkgirl all look pretty damn great. He was clearly especially happy to get a chance to draw the Joker, who is extremely animated and exaggerated looking on his pages. He brings his own approach to Lex Luthor too, who is a bit portlier and more Kojak-looking than he has been recently. Say what you will about the gimmickry of having Sonic and the gang dress up like the Justice League, there's no doubting that the costumes look cool as shit. The scenes of Shadow pursuing the Joker through traffic or the action beat with the Green Lantern Corp and Sinestro are as dynamic and smoothly illustrated as we've come to expect from this guy. IDW clearly did find the right man for this job, one of the few artists out there who can make both Sonic characters and human beings look bad-ass.

All along, I've been asking if “DC X Sonic” will rise above the novelty of its premise and actually provide a compelling story in its own right. More than half-way through at this point and I'm starting to realize that's not happening. I don't think this crossover is running on any idea deeper than it being cool to see these two universes interact. For sure, it absolutely is cool and I'm enjoying the unlikeliness of that. However, once again, I come away from another issue of this event wishing it was a little less breathless in its approach. Would've been nice to take a little more time to explore these circumstances and root what happens in a bit more heart. At the same time, Knuckles the Super-Echidna punches Lex Luthor through a glass window and across his desk and I'm not going to piss up your leg and claim I don't love that. Smashing your action figures together is fun but I do wish there was slightly more depth than that. [7/10]

Happy Batman Day

Happy Batman Day

Original Release Date: September 21st, 2024

Up until very recently, the shared history of Sega's "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise and DC Comics' Batman has been extremely limited. Batman is a strong contender for the title of Most Iconic Superhero of All Time. He has been a constant presence in pop culture since the forties. He's been appearing continuously in comic books in all that time. Batman has shown up in movies, television, animation, video games, action figure aisles, music videos, live theater, amusement park rides, serials, cereals, collectable glassware, unofficial Filipino parodies, and literally every other type of media imaginable. In comparison to the Dark Knight's eighty-six year membership in the Characters Everyone Knows Club, Sonic the Hedgehog can only seem like a Johnny-Come-Lately. He's only been around for thirty-some years. While the blue hedgehog has certainly made his mark in the world of comics, animation, and merchandise, he's probably still best known as a video game character. As someone who has been here for basically the whole ride, I honestly feel like Sonic hadn't reached maximum pop culture saturation until the recent success of the theatrically released films. You can't truly put them on the same level of popularity, though I guess Sonic has indeed earned his placement in the same Characters Everyone Knows Club. 

Nevertheless, there have been some attempts to compare Sonic and Batman. Namely, through the age old tradition of writers referencing something a lot more famous and successful than whatever the current thing they are working on is. The Archie Comics "Sonic" series featured parodies of Batman at least three times: In issue eight, Robotnik drew inspiration from Sonic's own comic book collection for a series of superhero-inspired robots, which included a "'Botman." In issue 19, as part of a whole batch of multiverse shenanigans, a version of Sonic seemingly mashed up with Batman appears briefly among many other weird hedgehog variants. In issue 38, Sonic cooks up his own comic book to entertain a sick Tails, combining himself and his sidekick with Batman and Robin for a one page gag cover. You'll notice all of these so-called "parodies" fall within the super lazy school of comedy that merely combines one thing with another thing and calls that a joke. They also all imply that "Batman" comics exist within the Archie "Sonic" universe, a detail that definitely should not be thought about too hard.

Hell, Batman himself appeared in an Archie "Sonic" comic, as an easily missed shadowy cameo via more multiversal chaos in the infamous Image Comics crossover. Three of these examples were written by Ken Penders, exactly the kind of overly referential fan boy shit he was known for before going mad with power. There are definitely more, prior examples of Sonic the Hedgehog and Batman cross-pollinating in some form. Whether the cartoons ever did a blatant Batman spoof or any sort of homage, I can't recall. It definitely feels like the kind of thing "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" would have done, especially since Batmania was still kind of ongoing when that show was in production. The point is this: "Sonic" writers were definitely aware of Batman. Whether "Batman" writers have ever referenced "Sonic" in any way, I can't say. My knowledge of that franchise is not as encyclopedic as this one. I do know that a tribute character to Sonic does exist in the DC Universe, so it certainly seems possible. All of these examples reside in the legal grey area of spoofs and thinly veiled references, none of the previous crossovers being official in any way and existing merely as cute in-jokes. 

All of that changes now. I have already reviewed the first issue of the official "DC X Sonic" crossover event mini-series. That such a thing exists at all remains astonishing to me. How this confluence of pop culture universes came about is probably more the result of our current corporate culture's hunger for recognizable "intellectual properties" than anything else. As a veteran fan of both these things, I guess I still think of "Sonic" as more mocked for its weird fans and games of debatable quality than as something worthy of any respect. Certainly not from the leaders of the comic book industry, who rarely acknowledged the character's record-breaking success in the medium. Superhero comics, meanwhile, are always high on their own supply, often touting their self-proclaimed status as modern day mythology. DC Comics, perhaps, does this even more than their distinguished competition. Now, however, we have a comic book approved by all legal right holders in which Sonic and Batman are standing side-by-side and being treated as figures worthy of the same level of respect. Regardless of how I feel about the current state of crossover I.P. slop – much less whatever the quality of the finished comic book mini-series ends up bring – I still can't help but think this entire endeavor simply existing is pretty cool. 

Better yet, this is not a quickly rushed out bit of cross-promotional synergy or something DC is acting ashamed of. "DC X Sonic" is getting a reasonably big commitment from the company. Five whole issues may not seem like a lot but DC and IDW have already promised actual merchandise inspired by this comic will debut before the end of the year. There's supposed to be apparel, toys, and other collectibles. We've seen spiffy designs combining Sonic and friends with members of the Justice League. You can already buy a T-shirt with Shadow as Batman on it. All of that is a whole lot more promotion than most comic book series get. It suggests that DC and Sega realized they can both make a lot of money by catering to "Sonic" and superhero fans at the same time and are pursuing this idea as far as they can. 

In order to show us all how serious this whole collaboration is, Sega released a twenty second teaser to their YouTube channel on September 21st of last year. (Close to the day that has officially been declared Batman Day, a time to buy more Batman branded junk than you already have.) That teaser is what I'm technically here today to discuss, as part of my on-going quest to review every bit of miscellaneous "Sonic" animation I can find. Not that a little commercial that runs shorter than a minute provides much to talk about. The brief narrative shows some shifty, untrustworthy looking guy with a sack of presumably stolen money lurking around the streets of Gotham, under the glow of the Bat Signal. He ducks into an alleyway to hide only to be startled by a sound from behind him. Emerging out of the shadows is a familiar pair of glowing eyes and an accompanying silhouette... Except it's not who you think it is. It's Shadow the Hedgehog cosplaying as Batman and seemingly taking up the Dark Knight's duties for a night, I guess. 

"Happy Batman Day" is one of those things that is both so brief as to barely award commentary but also too cool to ignore. Yes, it's only twenty seconds long and doesn't have a plot, so much as the threadbare setup for a premise. At the same time, that Sega, Warner Brothers, and all involved parties went to the extra effort to make sure this looked as good as it does is impressive. When you read that Tyson Hesse was behind the teaser, all that starts to make sense. Why the random thug looks so perfectly thuggish. Why the shot of the stray bills blowing from his bag of ill-gotten loot is so neat. While the reveal of Shadow as Batman is so nicely done and the backgrounds are so lovingly rendered. They could've just thrown together a quick teaser with some stock art and a little bit of editing. Instead, Hesse and his team once again went unnecessarily hard in creating a cool little extra, rather than just another piece of cynical advertising. 

It is, in other words, neat. That everyone involved managed to keep a lid on this before it came out, rendering it a complete surprise, is even better. When the short first came out, it took people a minute to realize this was a commercial for a full-blown partnership and not merely a bit of fun. That Shadow is now the "Sonic" cast member assigned the role of Batman shows we've come a long way from those earlier parodies. The average person in the street today now knows enough about superheroes and Sonic to realize that the Blue Blur as the Flash and Shadow as the Caped Crusader makes a lot more sense thematically than simply sticking Sonic in the cowl. In other words, "Happy Batman Day" ain't much but it's also a whole lot cooler than it has to be, suggesting those involved actually want to make this whole crossover a proper event. As someone who grew up playing with those Happy Meal toys of the Looney Tunes dressed up as the Justice League, I want to say that I truly appreciate the extra effort. [7/10]

DC X Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 2

DC X Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 2

Original Publication Date: April 16th, 2025

It must be tricky writing a big, inter-corporate crossover like "DC X Sonic the Hedgehog." You have two sets of characters to balance, both of which have certain expectations fans will want to see met. (And two sets of legal barriers from corporate overlords to obey, which is surely no fun at all.) The DC Universe is a vast and sprawling construct, with established characters and concepts that easily measure in the thousands. The "Sonic" license is also extremely convoluted and huge. How do you begin to narrow down who and what you want to feature? Then you must organize all those ideas into a semi-coherent narrative of some sort, usually within the boundaries of only a few issues too. That's enough to stymie the most hardcore of fan boys. I'm going to have some criticism for Ian Flynn's script for the second installment of "DC X Sonic" here in a minute but, when you consider all of the above, some of the flaws make a lot more sense. 

We pick up where we left off last month, with Sonic and the Flash about to face down Darkseid, who has gotten his ominous mitts on the Blue Chaos Emerald. The tyrant of Apokolips and his Omega Beams prove more than even these two speedsters can handle, the New God of Fascism walking off with the glowing gemstones. He realizes that these reality-altering rocks have more than enough juice to achieve his dimension-shattering goals. He deploys all his henchmen to hunt the remaining six down. The Justice League and Team Sonic do what they can to track down the stones before these villains can. However, the Blue Emerald is enough to start shaking the very fabric of existence up. With an assist from Eggman, both groups of heroes take the fight to Darkseid on his RagnaRock... But is the fate of two worlds already sealed?

Recently, a new bit of Zoomer slang – forged, no doubt, within the darkest depths of TikTok or Roblox or something – has wedged itself into the internet's lexicon. That would be "hype moments and aura." As a geriatric millennial, barely clinging to life by the straps of my JNCO jeans, it's entirely possible I'm misunderstanding all of this. However, as far as I can tell, that string of words refers to when a piece of entertainment – anime, video games, movies, what have you – substitutes exciting moments of action or suitably awe-inducing spectacle for writing of genuine depth. We old folks would refer to this, I think, as "style over substance." The degree to which a story's aesthetic appeal and its actual narrative depth contribute to one's enjoyment of a piece of art is as old as criticism itself. Many have argued that style is substance. There's no doubt, that many illustrators, musicians, and filmmakers have elevated the artificial presentation of their work to such a degree that it becomes an astounding work of art all its own. You can even say that the grasping of the ineffable quality that makes something cool – its aura, if you will – is quite a challenging and precise task of its own. 

At the same time, we do live in an especially distracted time. Many aspects of our daily lives have become far too similar to professional wrestling, where someone very much can mask a lack of technical skill with the ability to excite an audience. There's no easier way to generate a "hype moment" or some "aura" than to nod at something people already know, something they've been waiting for. When Captain America said "Avengers assemble!" in "Avengers: Endgame," it was guaranteed to result in an orgasmic tidal wave of fans finally getting the dopamine they were promised. Marvel is betting a lot of money on a similar reaction to an 84 year old Patrick Stewart croaking out "To me, my X-Men!" against an ashen green screen environment in their next billion-dollar crossover movie. I'm not immune to this. Sonic going Super in the second movie got a similarly oversized reaction from me. However, in a world increasingly driven by corporations mining our nostalgic connection to yesterday's creations for easy buzz amid an ever-more artistically hollow entertainment landscape, we must remain diligent. The term "We've got hype moments and aura" is actually a good piece of pop culture critique. Making the reader cheer is not the same thing as making the reader cry, making the reader think, or changing the way the reader feels about the world or themselves. Style has its place but it's not a substitute for depth, certainly not in a world where the stories we consume – the reflections of our reality that represent us grappling with our existence – are under threat of being replaced by machine-generated dross devoid of any value at all. 

The point I'm making in far too many words is this: "DC X Sonic" doesn't have to actually be good to get people losing their minds. When you are shoving two beloved pieces of pop culture like this together, depending entirely on "hype moments and aura" represents the path of least resistance. Did I get a buzz simply from seeing Sonic the Hedgehog attempt to outrun Darkseid's crooked, hero-seeking Omega Beams? You bet your ass I did. Having an image of Shadow and Batman riding side-by-side or Knuckles and Superman taking to the skies together is an insane dream come true. This comic book contains a panel where Wonder Woman rides around on the back of Amy Rose's pink electric car. How am I to react to that with anything but cries of "This is fucking cool?" Ian Flynn certainly packs the book with these moments. He litters this comic with callbacks to DC lore. Classic Darkseid henchmen like Lashina, Mantis, and Kalibak all clash with our good guys. Steppenwolf threatens to take a bridge Shadow and Bruce Wayne are standing on for a magic carpet ride. Watching Silver the Hedgehog and Green Lantern attempt to combine their powers to stop Darkseid is friggin' exciting. 

As I said before, it's also a lot. If there's any big complaint I have about "DC X Sonic" so far, it's that this comic book is as fast paced as both the Blue Blur and the Scarlet Speedster combined. Those two are fighting off Darkseid for a page or two before we are off on a MacGuffin chase after the Chaos Emeralds. Seeing this unlikely pairing take on a selection of sub-bosses from Apokolips is cool... It also represents only a handful of panels in a brief issue. Batman and Shadow barely get to show Steppenwolf how born to be wild they were before the heroes have to redirect their efforts towards confronting the Anti-Life pusher man directly. That cataclysmic struggle with the bad guy itself only lasts a brief time before the crossover is moving onto its next hype moment, which surely exists to set up more hype moments in the future. I know the fate of two worlds hang in the balance here but maybe a slightly less breathlessly deployed series of incidents would have been nice. 

An individual comic book that's part of a limited mini-series leaving you wanting more is not the worst crime. That's kind of the whole point of the medium, right? To get you so hyped up that you can't wait for part three to drop next month? There's a difference between exciting us with the promise of more to come and leaving too many scraps on the plate though. This issue introduces a fun plot point. Darkseid and his minions are going to tear Sonic's world apart. That won't leave much for Eggman to build his amusement park on, so the villain makes a shaky truce with his life-long enemies against a far bigger threat. It's a classic comic book set-up and one we've seen before. However, what we haven't seen before is Eggman badgering the Justice League into taking a ride on the Egg Carrier before slamming point first into the giant eye of Darkseid's personal Death Egg. Eggman's role in the story isn't much more than that and it feels like a waste. That such a juicy idea, as Eggman and Team Sonic putting aside their differences to team up against the new Antichrist in town, is reduced to merely one incident among many is disappointing. 

The Flash points out that Superman also has an egomaniacal balding mad scientist obsessed with defeating him. More parallels like that – otherwise known as the main reason we like to read goofy crossovers like this – were definitely needed. What joy the first part of "DC X Sonic" gave me was mostly born out of Flynn contrasting these two sets of action figures. There's a little bit of that in issue two. Sonic and the Flash continue to banter and bait on another, constantly razing the other about who is faster. The Flash brags about surpassing picoseconds and Sonic quips that it's cute his speed can be measured. That's what we want to see, man. Sadly, in his attempt to shove in as much stuff as possible and fuse the script with the Speed Force, Ian Flynn robs us of more truly fun interactions. These characters probably aren't going to meet each other again. Maybe slow it down a bit? 

Instead, the ways these heroes are similar and different are only highlighted fleetingly. Shadow is bragging about being the Ultimate Lifeform to Batsy for a single panel before they are distracted by the next crisis. Tails and Cyborg techno-babble in a laboratory on the way to inventing a plot saving doohickey. Otherwise, there's disappointingly little of that here. Wonder Woman promises to help take on Eggman next time she's around – is that an Egg-Fu reference???? – which Amy is enthusiastic about. Superman stands back and looks a little embarrassed as Knuckles goes HAM on Kalibak. Otherwise, it's only an action beat here and there. Silver and Jon Stewart get it the worst, not doing much more than throwing some green constructs and telekinetic waves at Mantis. It's cool but is it enough? 

I still don't know but I am sure of something else: Ian Flynn and Adam Bryce Thomas sure are impressed with Darkseid. I never would have guessed that Flynn was such a big fan of Jack Kirby's blending of classic mythology and far-out sixties sci-fi but you can see it clearly here. "DC X Sonic" totally buys into the idea that Darkseid is the biggest threat to the multiverse. He drops that iconic line about how "Darkseid IS," which still ranks among comic-dom's hardest rap brags. The issue emphasizes his grandness, that he truly is a god, and it goes a long way towards making the stakes here feel extra high. You know a comic book has a top shelf bad guy when you feel like the heroes are totally outmatched against him. You can tell Adam Bryce Thomas also had a lot of fun drawing stuff a lot weirder than blue hedgehogs and Chao for once too. He designs a weird cosmos-resetting Fatherbox for the bad guys that reminds me of H.R. Ginger's "Li II" painting. Whether that was an intentional reference or not, biomechanical psycho-sexual vibes are not something I ever expected to get from an officially branded "Sonic" comic. 

This was obviously a dream gig for the artist. The variety of superpowers on display here allow for all the high dynamism we expect from Thomas' action sequences. You often feel the speed and the power of the blows here, of Wonder Woman lassoing Darkseid or Superman trading blows with the New God. Of course, the speed and agility of Sonic and the Flash get some theatrical presentations too. I also really like ABT's decision to often depict Darkseid's face as nothing but glowing red eyes bathed in shadows. If I had to leverage any criticism against this extremely gorgeous artwork, it would be that Thompson makes Superman a little prettier than I like. He gives him feathery eyelashes and a graceful dancer's posture, when I like my Clark Kent to be a little closer to an old time-y circus strongman aesthetic. But that might be strictly a me thing. 

It's cool. No shit it's cool. A comic book with Sonic the Hedgehog and Batman in it would have to be a disaster for it to be anything less than cool. Only someone like Ken Penders could fumble a touchdown that badly and they don't let him into comic shops anymore. Flynn never letting up on the gas is frustrating, especially when what we truly want to see is more of these two teams interacting. There is plenty of hype and aura, no doubt about that, but I do wish it was a little less rushed. The ending – in the tradition of comic crossovers, far graver than it actually will end up being – shows that Sonic and the gang will get to delve more into the DC Universe as this goes on. The Justice League might be getting a bit more unlimited than I initially expected, which hopefully means we Aquaman fans won't be left on dry land here. Whether "DC X Sonic" winds up being a satisfying whole remains to be seen but I guess I'm too big of a nerd not to keep hoping for the best. [7/10]

DC X Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 1

DC X Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 1

Original Publication Date: March 19th, 2025

Childhood play sessions have no respect for the boundaries of international copyright laws. There's nothing stopping little Billy from slamming Optimus Prime against Cy-Kill. When toy boxes are emptied out onto bedroom floors, Cobra Commander and Skeletor can get drinks together at the Mos Eisley Cantina. Leonardo can hang out in Barbie's dream house while Prime, Goku, and Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake compare bulging pectorals on the second floor. Most kids don't understand the complicated contractual agreements and red tape that keep such wild meetings from happening in real life. Those that do still have little interest in abiding by them. I was this way as a kid too, The Power Rangers and the Street Sharks teaming up to keep Godzilla from eating my Lego city is the kind of shit I got up to in the early nineties. When children see a bunch of wacky, unrelated, colorful characters, it's only second nature that we want to see them interact. Especially if the combination is so bizarre as to be extremely unlikely to occur in real life.  

That's what kids used to do anyway. I don't know if they do that today. They're probably too busy learning how to make a blood sacrifice to Mr. Beast from the TikToks or whatever now. While the habits of actual children are beyond me now, the millennials are the generation that has refused to put away childish things. Adult collectors are aggressively marketed to by toy corporations today, sometimes to the exclusion of actual children it seems. Moreover, late stage capitalism has made all of our wildest childhood crossover ideas more possible than ever. Every publisher and company getting scooped up to become a part of one massive corporation means lots of different intellectual properties are houses under the same umbrella. Similarly, it seems to have become common knowledge that crossovers benefit everyone, drawing more eyes to different series and making more money for everyone. Or, at least, the people who sign the checks. Certainly not, say, the original writers or whatever. 

In other words, massive brands are now more than happy to make the playtime daydreams of middle-age man-children actually come true. Video games really pioneered this approach, with "Super Smash Bros" and "Marvel Vs. Capcom" making many a gamer realize that the roadblocks to unexpected crossovers might not be as Byzantine as they thought. Now, guest characters and crossover promotions are standard practice for most triple-AAA titles. The Terminator is in both "Call of Duty" and "Fortnite" now, after previously showing up in "Mortal Kombat." He can dab next to John Wick and Chun-Li, if you want. There are "Final Fantasy" characters on "Magic: The Gathering" cards. Pokemon are everywhere. Obviously, it goes without saying, that superheroes have been at the forefront of this growing IP-ifacation of all media. I think the case can be made that Disney buying Marvel is probably what flew open the floodgates for all of our culture becoming like this now. 

Comic books, of course, pioneered weirdo collaborations like this. There used to be a goofy charm to them. If Alien Versus-ed Predator or Charles Xavier and Jean-Luc Picard got to compare domes, it happened because somebody thought it was a fun idea. Only a maniac would pitch "Ape Nation" or "Jason Vs. Leatherface." Now, a lot of these crossovers seem algorithmically generated. Every day, I hear about how Godzilla is going to stomp the Fantastic Four or the Justice League or the Power Rangers. We are so used to these things that Red Sonja fighting the "Mars Attack!" aliens or the Ninja Turtles meeting Naruto no longer generates any awe. It's commonplace. This is all the more frustrating for me because, as a kid, I loved this shit. I can recall getting excited to watch Scooby-Doo meet the Addams Family simply because different universes bumping into each other really amused. 

"Sonic the Hedgehog" is a nostalgia property now, meaning it too has been subjected to this brave new world of weirdo crossbreeds. My beloved blue hedgehog has become a Lego, a Transformer, a Smash Bro, a Roblox, and a, uh, Fall Guy, I guess. On the comic book side of things, however, we haven't seen unexpected cross-brand synergy since the Archie days... That changes now. Where once before "Sonic" comic readers had to be satisfied with appearances alongside Sabrina the Teenage Witch or the Maxx, the hedgehog is now a recognizable enough of a comic mainstay to grace the pages with the big boys. As in Superman and Batman, the names literally synonymous with the medium and two of the most popular fictional characters in the world. Now that was a crossover suitably unhinged enough to awaken me from my complacency. I don't know if this means Sonic, as a character, is comparable in popularity to Superman now or if DC Comics is simply desperate enough to move some product that they'll agree to any sort of stupid bullshit. Either way, the kiddie video game comics I love being acknowledged by the capeshit market leaders is one I never expected. The crossover is simply entitled "DC X Sonic," putting Sega's crew on equal footing with the entire DC Universe. I don't think this means the Chaotix will be cracking cases with Detective Chimp or that Brother Power the Geek will join the Restoration but they all exist in the sprawling multiverse now. What a time to be alive. 

Now, how exactly does one go about getting Sonic and friends in the DC Universe and vice versa? Ian Flynn doesn't waste any time in Part One of "Chaos Crisis." Sonic, Amy, and Tails are chilling at Never Lake when a vessel that looks a little like Jack Palance's face busts through an interdimensonal wedgie hole. A horde of winged assholes named Parademons fly from the ship and go on the attack. Yes, Darkseid – the New God of Tyranny and high villainous poo-ba of the DCU – has set his sights on the Chaos Emeralds. After destroying the Master Emerald and Angel Island, they move on to Sunset City. Sonic and friends are not alone in fighting back these strange new invaders. The Justice League – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Cyborg, and Green Lantern Corp member Jon Stewart – appear to assist the furry little heroes. During an ebb in the invasion, the different heroes pair off to cover more ground. Sonic and the Flash race over to the hedgehog's most familiar stomping grounds to see that Darkseid has already gotten his mitts on one Chaos Emeralds. 

As I said above, back in my youth, I enjoyed a good crossover every now and then. Mostly in the form of fanfiction, which used to be the only way for stories like this to exist. While you couldn't say that all of them began with a tear of the fabric of reality opening in the sky and some jerks from a different universe dropping, some of them definitely did. We want to see these two otherwise unrelated groups interacting as quickly as possible, so why waste time with a whole lot of set-up? Similarly, Flynn went with the most obvious route when finding a story for this crossover. Darkseid, always in search of new worlds to conquer in his quest for the Anti-Life Equation, has now staked out Sonic's World. The Chaos Emeralds, the go-to plot device, are what he seeks. The Justice League follows through the exact same portal as the bad guys, since Cyborg's origin story is tied up with the New Gods mythology these days. As far as cosmic crossovers go, this is the path of least resistance. 

The funny thing is... It's very easy to imagine a Sonic/Justice League crossover set in the hedgehog's world beginning with the heroes, sitting around having a picnic. It's a lot harder to imagine the same story beginning this way on the DC side of things. That is a big reason why this particular crossover is unexpected. Sonic has tangoed with world-shattering threats over the years, sure. While Superman and Batman have been sold to babies for far longer. Yet Sonic's archenemy is a somewhat whimsical egg-shaped mad scientist. Batman's archenemy is a psychopathic clown that a beat a child to death with a crowbar once. The Flash, famously, went to trial for murdering his nemesis. One could make the comparison between Robotnik using the Roboticizer to strip away people's free will and Darkseid looking to subjugate all life in the universe to him via Anti-Life but it seems to be of a magnitude greater. Ya know, Elongated Man's wife got raped on the JLA Watchtower by Doctor Light once. When Cyborg was on the Teen Titans, the guy they fought the most was an actual pedophile. It's a little weird to think that Sonic the Hedgehog is that close to having an adventure in the same world as that shit. 

Okay, yes, it's not that any of these events happened to these versions of the Justice League, about whom we know very little. Like I said, iterations of the DC Comics universe that have all their harsh edges completely sanded away have been running alongside the comics for decades. Right now, there's a cartoon for toddlers where the various vehicles in Batman's garage have personalities and learn lessons about friendship together. Generally though, it is fair to say that Sonic and the Justice League are grappling with different levels of threats. Yes, Eggman is a tyrant who has surely caused plenty of death and destruction over the years. He's probably technically as bad as Lex Luthor or the Joker. However, "Sonic" media has usually – usually, mind you – refused to show people actually dying. Maybe Darkseid, intergalactic space Hitler with his dominatrix shock troops, are a little above Sonic the Hedgehog's pay grade. That brings up another good point: War, specific real world wars, exist in the DCU. Poverty, class inequality, corrupt politics, sex slavery, sex in general, pornography, racism, genocide, and sketchy businessmen all canonically exist in the DC Universe. It is difficult to imagine Sonic the Hedgehog tussling with crisis on infinite Earths that contain that kind of misery and suffering. 

I suppose I am, in typical fashion, overthinking it. Ian Flynn was no doubt aware of how grim and gritty mainstream superhero comics can get. Especially in comparison to the light and colorful world of Sonic and his pals. Rather than try and bring either universe up and down to these mutual levels, he instead smartly focuses on what these universes have in common. Sonic and the Flash are both super-fast smart-asses. Of course, in the middle of their adventures, they stop to debate who is faster. Knuckles and Superman are both lone survivors of their kind – except for when they aren't, of course – with a special relationship to green, glowing rocks. Tails and Cyborg are both young techno-geniuses. We get scenes of the different teams bonding over their similarities and they are reasonably amusing. Such as Amy fan-girling over Wonder Woman being able to fly or Silver and Green Lantern comparing power sets. In one sequence, Flynn zeroing in on how these two sets of heroes are cut from the same archetypes becomes surprisingly moving. Shadow isn't a team player and skips away to brood early on. Ever perceptive Batman immediately recognizes in the so-called Ultimate Lifeform a kindred spirit. Namely, someone else who has watched the person they love most in life die right in front of them, be helpless to save them, and promised to make sure nobody else ever feels that pain. It's a brief moment and exists largely so that Shadow can believably be written interacting as a team player. Yet it's a moment that zooms in on some essential truths about these characters, why they are iconic, and why they endure. 

Most of the rest of "Chaos Crisis, Part One" is too preoccupied with setting up its premise to leave moments like that. Like I said, crossovers like these are often about mashing your different action figures together. The fun factor is inherent in seeing these two unrelated cast interact. Shadow riding his chopper alongside the Batcycle is cool. Sonic and the Flash racing is fun. Superman being his wholesome heroic self around Knuckles is cute. There are expected moments designed to make the reader bubble up with nerdy glee. Such as Cyborg saying "Boo-yah!" Or the Flash mistaking Sonic for Krakkl, the pre-existing homage to Sonic within the DCU. (No word on if this Flash is Barry or Wally yet, though.) On that level, I do think issue one of "DC X Sonic" is successful. The novelty of seeing these two entities bounce off each other is certainly enough to make this an entertaining, easy read. I'm glad I read this comic book and that it exists in the first place. 

Mostly, I think this crossover was created to make power scalers scream in abject horror. The varying fastness of Sonic and the Flash depends greatly on what the writer wants them to be able to do at any given point. I think applying hard rules or limits to cartoon superheroes is very silly. On the other hand, the Flash is obviously waaay faster than Sonic is traditionally depicted as being. Superman is, without a doubt, much stronger than Knuckles. And yet, in this comic, we see the Blue Blur and the Scarlet Speedster keeping afoot of each other. We see Knuckles floor Kalibak, Darkseid's eldest son and one of Superman's more physically imposing antagonists, with a single punch. It's not uncommon for power levels to get greatly increased or softened in order to make crossovers such as these possible. Considering how much of the internet is now consumed by people arguing over which cartoon character is faster or stronger, these moments feel like Flynn intentionally fucking with us. 

If this crossover was going to work at all, the folks at IDW and DC needed to do something very important: Find a "Sonic" artist who can draw decent looking superheroes or find a superhero artist who doesn't totally suck at drawing "Sonic" characters. There's no doubt that artists more akin to one style over the other other have struggled when ask to make the leap. Luckily, Adam Bryce Thompson was available and he's pretty damn good at both. Obviously, he's very good at drawing Sonic and friends. Since this first issue is mostly action scenes, we get a lot of flashy, dynamic panels of them zipping around and displaying their powers. The Justice League look good too, if not as good. I like that Thompson gives them nice heroic builds that aren't unbelievable, preposterously swole or stacked. You can tell that this isn't the kind of thing that ABT usually draws. Batman or the Flash maybe look a little weird in one or two panels. Mostly, it looks pretty damn good. No complaints. 

Also, Flynn has what seems to be Darkseid's version of the Death Egg called the Ragna Rock, which definitely feels like the kind of wordplay Jack Kirby would have come up with. Like I said, I was cynical about "DC X Sonic" when it was first announced. Few crossovers such as this live up to the hype for me. DC Comics is another hyper-nerdy interest of mine that I have way too much investment in, if perhaps not to the degree I do with "Sonic." It would have been easy to fuck it up. Flynn approaches both universes with respect and seems to have a good grip on them. He also doesn't avoid the very safe middle ground you'd expect for such a crossover. This is nearly a very bland comic book that subsist mostly on the novelty of its premise. I guess we'll see how this plays out over the next few issues, if it can ever rise above that level. Mostly, I liked it... Except for there being no Aquaman. Come on, Ian, how are you going to do a DC/Sonic crossover and not include the Arthur Curry, the King of Atlantis? If there's not a scene of Sonic sinking into some water and nearly drowning just to be plucked out of the deep by Aquaman, I will instantly declare this entire enterprise a failure. [7/10]

O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Episode 3.03: Let's Meet Sonic

O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Episode 3.03: Let's Meet Sonic

Original Air Date: August 4th, 2010

You know that one of your favorite little niche fandoms has reached full pop culture saturation when it starts getting referenced, parodied, and stolen from in totally unrelated shows, comics, and games. As a kid, I barely knew anyone else who was a "Sonic" fan. More pressingly, I didn't know anybody as obsessed with this character, his games, cartoons, and comics as me. Which meant, whenever a "Sonic" homage or spoof would pop up in something, it was a rare validating moment. When Sonic zoomed on-screen for a split second gag on a classic "Simpsons" Christmas episode, my eyes lit up. When Lewis Black said the words "Sonic Hedgehog" on an episode of "The Daily Show," I was elated. (Despite my deeply autistic brain being bothered by the inaccuracies in these appearances. Sonic wouldn't want Bart to shoplift!) When I saw the naked cat girl from "Darkstalkers" do a spin-dash, it confirmed that series as my other favorite video game franchise. It made me realize there were, in fact, other people like me in this world, devoted to this little blue guy who runs around. 

All of the above shout-outs occurred when "Sonic" was more-or-less a contemporary property. In the new century, "Sonic" has now been established for upwards of three decades. Meaning there are actual authors, comic creators, and show runners that have grown up as fans of "Sonic the Hedgehog." Which is a lot different than a random show yelling out Sonic's name as a riff on a newly popular fad. Now we have examples of artists who have been influenced by "Sonic," who were fans as kids and have now matured into writers and filmmakers, telling their own stories and showing the mark other pieces of pop culture has put on them. In other words, now we have concrete examples of people doing what I would absolutely do if I got to write a long-running book or cartoon: Include references to "Sonic" because it's a thing they love and our own artistic visions and dreams are influenced by the stories we consume. 

In other words, when I saw references to "Sonic" in "Scott Pilgrim" or heard from other people online that some Cartoon Network show had some jokes about my favorite hedgehog, I was delighted, slightly jealous, but not surprised. We Sonic fans like to think of this series as strictly ours but it's an iconic bit of our collective culture now. Obviously, "Sonic" will influence other stuff. However, putting some red and white shoes on a random background character or having someone run through a loop is still quite a bit different from a newer series having an official, Sega-approved crossover with "Sonic." We are in undeniable Batman fighting the Green Hornet, "Archie Meets the Punisher," "Ape Nation" territory now. This is the kind of crossover that corporate negotiations and serious paperwork must be signed off on to make happen. Crossovers of this degree with Sonic used to be rare, the odd run-in with Spawn or Sabrina the Teenage Witch aside, as Sega is fairly protective of their mascot... That has changed somewhat in our modern age though, when Sega is willing to loan out their precious I.P. to other corporate entities, all in the name of everyone making a lot of money. Now, it's not unusual to see Sonic giving exposition to Wreck-It Ralph, rubbing blocky minifig shoulders with Batman, or asking Flo from Progressive if he can save some money on his car insurance. It surprises me though, when Sonic randomly pops up like that, cause I'm still used to this series being the redheaded stepchild of the console wars. 

It's all the more surprising when such crossovers happen with stuff I've never heard of. Sonic having some sort of promotional collaboration with other video games like "Minecraft," "Roblox," or "Fall Guys" is weird to me – I barely know what those things are too – but it's understandable. That's staying within the realm of electronic gaming. When Sonic transgresses the fourth wall and ends up on a movie or TV, that's a much more unexpected event. Such a thing would happen in 2019, when some Cartoon Network show called "O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Hero" did a whole episode built around its characters meeting Sonic and Tails. I rarely emerge from my shell of selective pop culture consumption – horror movies and like six comic books – to look at a newer cartoon. When news of this episode first trickled down into my subterranean lair, I assumed this must be some show built around brand-name team-ups or something. Not true, it turns out. Apparently the creator of "O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes!" is simply a big "Sonic" fan and, presumably through the deal that led to "Sonic Boom" airing on the same network, had a chance to make a crazy dream come true. This is the only crossover of this nature in the show's three season existence, as far as I can tell. 

Obviously, I had to write about this but will admit that I'm going in as a total novice to "O.K. K.O.!" I remember seeing some, uh, creative fan art of the purple haired chick when the program was new but that's the entirety of my exposure to it. A little bit of Wikipedia skimming informs me that the program revolves around K.O., a wannabe hero who lives in a wacky cartoon city while working a mundane job with his friends, fighting bad guys and trying to prove his mettle as a hero. A glance at the show suggested to me that it was heavily inspired by classic gaming. The titular hero's name brings "Street Fighter" to mind while his bandanaed, bare knuckled appearance recalls any number of fighting game and beat-em-up protagonists. The series is also set in the year 201X, for you Mega Man dweebs, and regularly features robots, mad scientists, ninjas, aliens, and other retro gaming nonsense like that. When I pressed play on this episode, I was greeted with an eighties style theme song and some synthwave-y graphics, making the connections obvious. To find out the creator of the series is only a few years older than me and part of the same scumbag Geriatric Millennial demographic was not surprising. We probably grew up watching, reading, and playing a lot of the same bullshit.

Anyway, "Let's Meet Sonic" begins with K.O. starting another day at the bodega where he works. His friends, Enid and Radicles, are more interested in napping the day away. That's when, to his utter shock and delight, Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails the Fox come rushing through the door. The two Sega mascots heard this place had some great chili dogs. Instead, the entire thing has been a trap laid by Dr. Load Box and his minions, K.O.'s regular adversary. The villain has grabbed the Master Emerald and plans to kidnap Sonic. His henchmen grab K.O.'s friends instead. Sonic and Tails team up with the little guy, while the fox expresses some jealousy over Sonic immediately fulfilling K.O.'s request to become his new best friend. Lots of running, fighting, slapstick, and frantic bantering ensues. 

Like I said, I don't watch a lot of newer cartoons, based on my innate middle-aged fear of things that are new and different. (And I realize this "newer" series is already over five years old at this point.) With the odd exception like "The Owl House," I've mostly checked out of the animation game. I've never seen a single full episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants," a statement that will surely sound unthinkable to many of you but is entirely true. Truth be told, it's not a choice I regret any. I know "Fairly Odd Parents," "Adventure Time," and "Gumball" are esteemed classics for many of you. However, I often find modern animation to be a little too manic, wacky, and willfully grotesque for my taste. This is probably how my parents felt about "Ren and Stimpy" and "Invader Zim." "O.K. K.O.!" definitely strikes me as abreast of these programs, with its aggressively wacky comedy and wildly exaggerated characters. Not to mention an animation style that emphasizes simple shapes, rough edges, and fast and loose movements. I can handle a single ten minute episode but sitting down to watch any more than that would probably require me to get hyped-up on some Captain Crunch first. 

Having said all of that, I did find "Let's Meet Sonic" to be an amusing ten minutes. The jokes are frequent, never more than a second passing between gags or one-liners. This is definitely a hyperactive, action orientated series as, mere minutes after Sonic shows up, the heroes are already embarking on a wild chase with some enemies. The animation is intentionally crude in some respects while also being extremely detailed and, at times, rather fluid. A moment where Sonic is running along some Chemical Plant Zone style pipes and turnpikes marks a visible improvement in the gracefulness and style of the show. K.O., an extremely enthusiastic and manic little guy, and his comedically incompetent adversaries strike me as potentially kind of annoying... But within the span of one episode, I can handle it. I suspect the show runners banked on a lot of people unfamiliar with "O.K. K.O.!" watching this episode, as it's fairly low on established characters and world building. It was nice of them to hold this old "Sonic" fan's hand as I was introduced to new and frightening territory. 

This episode doesn't represent merely a cameo appearance from a beloved series but is, in fact, an extended homage to "Sonic the Hedgehog" history. Within the opening minutes, K.O. is already striking iconic poses that Sonic has held on game covers over the years. Loops, rings, the Master Emerald, the Tornado, Green Hill Zone, and shout-outs to Knuckles and Robotnik are all present. What most impressed me about "Let's Meet Sonic" is that it doesn't reference only the surface level parts of the franchise. Yes, special moves like the Spin Dash, Light Speed Dash, and Homing Attack are mentioned by name. Sonic and Tails are voiced by modern mainstays Roger Craig Smith and Colleen O'Shaughnessy, as if they stepped right out of a recording for "Boom" and into this session. However, it quickly becomes clear that whoever is responsible for this crossover mostly has affection for the hedgehog's nineties heydays. A very detailed homage to the classic title screen appears, alongside instantly recognizable sound effects. Sonic's feet spinning into a figure eight shape or the exact way he curls into a ball suggests that these scenes were assembled by someone who spent a lot of time looking at and thinking about this character and his world. 

More than anything else, "Let's Meet Sonic" is jam-packed with homages to classic "Sonic" animation. When the bad guy's robotic henchman leaps on-screen, he makes Scratch's distinctive crowing laugh. I don't know if his partner is usually a little green guy with treads but that strikes me as a probable Grounder reference. Music that sounds a lot like the "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" theme plays a few times. The bad guy ties K.O.'s buddies under a distinctive oversized weight. Which ends up crossing Dr. Load Box instead, his pancakes visage floating back to the ground. In other words, the same fate that befell Robotnik during the end credits of every episode of "AoStH." The shout-outs to the denser, wackier "Sonic" cartoon climaxes with a "Sonic Sez" segment at the end, which inevitably features the hedgehog saying something is "no good." I get the impression, from this brief exposure to this show, that the particularly unhinged tone of "AoStH" seems to have been an overall influence on "Let's Be Heroes." 

That probably would've been enough. I spent far too much time re-watching VHS recordings of that cartoon and wondering at the opening screen to the Genesis too. But "Let's Meet Sonic" proves it was made by real hardcore hedgehog nerds by including elements from other cartoons. K.O. gets tossed in a glass tube, with curling wires and tubes overhead. It's referred to as a Roboticizer in dialogue and does, indeed, turn K.O. into a mechanoid. That's when the show embarks on a extended homage to the "Sonic" OVA. Specific shots from that anime, like Sonic running down a tunnel or Metal Sonic's turbines spinning to life, are directly copied. It all concludes with a comedic recreation of the film's finale, with "Metal K.O." sinking into a pool while directly quoting the volcanic conclusion to the anime. Sonic sits in a beach chair and acts like a jerk. This is the kind of obsessive dedication to nerdy details that a casual fan would never make. Clearly, those responsible for "Let's Meet Sonic" were die hard devotees to this series, having studied and obsessed over minute elements of it much the same way I used to. Feels good to see that shit, ya know? 

Honestly, it's difficult for me to be too objective about a little piece of animation so clearly assembled by other mega-fans of this franchise. On my second watch through, I even caught brief shout-outs to the Archie Comics and another one of Ben Schwartz' other famous roles. Jim Cummings is immediately recognizable as the voice of Dr. Load Box too, though this character is clearly more inspired by the "AoStH" take on Robotnik than Cummings' ominous take in the same character. In general, I was impressed at how much Sonic and Tails felt like they always have in this cartoon. Sonic's unintentional disregard for his friend might be slightly more focused on in the name of comedy but that's not too out-of-character for him anyway. There is a special treat in hearing Roger Craig Smith say a Jaleel White catchphrase like "Need to speed, keed!" The hedgehog's inability to swim is a major plot point too. Honestly, by the end of these ten minutes, I had come around to really liking the way our familiar duo looks in this animation style. They are still totally recognizable as themselves while also fitting into this world. 

Outside of the nostalgic keys jangling handpicked to make veteran dorks like me happy, I found this to be a satisfying episode on its own merit. I laughed a couple of times. K.O.'s constant state of fanboy awe at Sonic, such as his enthusiastic response when Cream the Rabbit is mentioned, is cute and funny. Despite the briefness of the runtime and the mechanics of needing to blend one universe with another, "Let's Meet Sonic" seeks in a proper character arc for its guest stars. Sonic's immediate bonding with K.O. makes Tails a little insecure about the status of their friendship, misunderstanding that is corrected by the end. The two prove their devotion to one another and all is well with the world. This includes a genuinely sweet flashback to how Tails met Sonic and how he inspires him, taken right out of the fox's origin story from the "Sonic 2" manual. 

I went into this episode not knowing anything about "O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes." I don't know if I came away as a fan exactly. Will this one episode inspire me to watch the rest of the series? It might, though it remains to be seen if constantly taking in excessive craziness like this might be grating in the long run. However, I absolutely came away with a lot of respect for the writers and animators of this episode. I want to sit down and chat about deep hedgehog lore with some of these people now. Do they have an opinion on Ken Penders? How do these guys feel about the Two Worlds theory? Can they draw Bean the Duck from memory? Let's get together over lunch and talk about the current whereabouts of Mobie the Cavebear. Anyway, I liked this. If other more recent cartoons featuring purple haired Latinas with big thighs want to shove Sonic and Tails into an episode with little warning and prompting, I'd like that too. Let's have these dudes pop up in all sorts of weird places. [7/10]