Even before it hit comic shelves this week, people went crazy for a leaked image of Batman and Shadows first encounter in the pages ofDC x Sonic #1. For good reason: its wonderful in the best way a crossover can be, utterly absurd and yet at the same time completely sincere in its conviction. But the best part of their brief dynamic in the issue is what comes after. The overall premise ofDC x Sonic #1, by Ian Flynn, Adam Bryce Thomas, Matt Herms, and Becca Carey, is par for the crossover course. Darkseids shown up in Sonics world in a little planetoid-sized version of his own face, seeking the Chaos Emeralds as a way to divining power beyond even the Anti-Life Equation itself, and immediately starts flinging parademons about the place. Suddenly, Sonic and all his pals find themselves fighting back with new allies in the form of the Justice League of America. The pairings are similarly obvious, but still fun: Knuckles and Superman bond over their belief in their respective duties; Cyborg and Tails geek out over tech; Sonic and Flash, naturally, are cocky hotheads who try to one up each other as the fastest being alive, man or hedgehog. And then of course, like two emo kids beelining for the same corner at a party, Shadow and Batman gravitate toward each other. Well, more accurately, they gravitate toward not wanting to be part of a large group. Adam Bryce Thomas, Matt Herms, and Becca Carey/DC Comics This is where the now-viral moment comes from in the issue, when Shadow, already sick at the prospect of a team up at the best of times, walks away from the thought of having to cooperate with all these new heroes. And of course, Batman absolutely nails the reason as to why, exploring the kinship between the Dark Knight and the Ultimate Life Form in a way that is both empathetic, but also tactical, ensuring that he makes it clear he sees Shadow for who he is, and that there are places for people like them at this broader table.It is a great moment, even beyond the inherent absurdity of Batman and Shadow the Hedgehog talk about the Waynes and Maria and its some form of comic book canon. Like I said, good crossover stories relish in the fannish absurdity of moments like this but do so by delivering them with sincerityand thats exactly what this moment is. Its not a joke over how similarly brooding Shadow and Batman are, its not a joke to mention the parallels between Bruce losing his parents and Shadow losing Maria, like fans clapping for her to get got in Sonic 3. This is just these two people sizing each other up, recognizing their strengths, and figuring out a way to navigate that recognition. So yes! Its great. But its not the best Batman/Shadow moment in DC x Sonic #1.Theres one brief, tiny bit shortly after thats even better.Once Shadows convinced by Bruce its worth playing nice with the rest of the League to stop Darkseid, Sonic, his allies, and the Justice League start pairing off and going off on their separate missions. We get a really fun set of panels as we see Team Sonic and the League really start bondingand theyre talky panels, filled with back-and-forth dialogue as each side of the crossover starts to find friendship and commonality with each other. And then you get to the last panel of the page, Batman and Shadow zooming away on bikes. And its silent. The only noise is to communication the rumble of their bikes engines. Adam Bryce Thomas, Matt Herms, and Becca Carey/DC Comics Its the perfect encapsulation of them as a pair, and why they are so different to their respective allies. Its such a fun contrast to the rest of the bouncy, breezy dialogue across the page prior, to be hit with this panel of almost-nothing, but it speaks to how Bruce and Shadow alike dont need the bonding or the pleasantries: they already got their estimations of each other sorted, they have a job to do, and theyre doing it. What else needs to be said? Its the moment that really gets who they are, and who they would be to each other, that again is that perfect crossover mix of funny and yet spot-on in its sincerity. All the gags and charm in DC x Sonic are great, but its little moments like this that are already making it click as a fantastic crossover. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.