DC K.O. #1
Recap
the gloves come off as the greatest superheroes in the universe enter the arena in a thunderous tournament where the stakes are sky-high!
Which 36 fighters will enter the tournament of champions?
DC Comics News:
- DC K.O. Is Here And It’s Going To Be A KNOCKOUT And Readers Can Get In On The Action
- Sound The Ringside Bell As The DCU Prepares For DC K.O. This Fall
- DC K.O. Event Unfolds Across Five Explosive Monthly Issues This October
- DC Comics Reveals All 32 DC K.O. Contestants In Final Variant Covers
- This December is Fight Month In The DC Universe As The DC K.O. Event Explodes
Heroes will rise. Legends will fall. It’s time for a cosmic throwdown as the Heart of Apokolips has transformed Earth into a hellscape in preparation for the return of Darkseid!
The Heart of Apokolips has transformed Earth into a hellscape in preparation for the return of Darkseid! The end of the DC Universe is here!
The Justice League’s only chance to defeat Darkseid is to enter a deadly tournament, an epic and over-the-top battle royale that will surprise you! The World’s Greatest Heroes fight to become the champion to enter the ring against Darkseid, but there’s a catch... the closer you get to the Heart of Apokolips, the more it corrupts you, changes you into something dangerous.
Which DC character has what it takes to make it to the end? Who is willing to do what it takes to win it all, even if it means taking down their friends and family? You want to get nuts? Let’s get nuts!
Review
DC K.O. #1 is the linewide event that the All-In Era has been building towards in its first year and it looks to be an exciting one based on this first issue.
Snyder and Williamson do a good job setting the stage for readers whohave been watching event’s unfold across the various titles and casual readers who may be picking up the book on the premise of heroes and villains fighting each other. The writing duo avoid the usual tropes that one might expect from a story that pits hero vs. hero and hero vs villian.
They also lean into the idea that the DC Universe has been restarted in past continuity aka The New 52 and perhaps a similar event is the only way to stop Darkseid. The heroes also learn that Darkseid has created his own universe ( see the Absolute Universe titles) but no further details other than what the recently returned Booster Gold can tell them which is not much.
There are some great moments between the members of the Trinity as they debate thier options for how to confront the looming crisis that seems inevitable from the panels where Darkseid stands triumphant. The opening pages of the three playing a DC Comics based boardgame is a bit on-the-nose at first but is used a framing device for the larger story and later revisited in the panel layout as the heroes and villains (a variable they thought they had removed from the equation) as they run The Gauntlet for the chance to complete to become an equal of Darkseid.
Aside from the threat posed to the DCU, there are some lighter moments that will break the tension such as the Ambush Bug cameo, Billy Batson talking smack to Superman, and Harley’s running commentary during the Gauntlet scenes. The issue ends with the reveal that Darkseid somehow has taken the place of one of the contestants and that the Absolute counterparts of the Trinity will somehow become involved in the larger story.
The artwork for the issue is good, although a bit loose in certain panels which can momentarily distract from the conversation taking place on the page but only happens in passing. The colorwork helps to set the tone for the book and compliments the art in a satisfying manner.
Final Thoughts
DC K.O. #1 is a strong opening round to a story that is sure to be a real slobber-knocker of an event that is accessible to both die hard fans and casual readers.
DC K.O. #1: The Scene Is Set For A Real Slobber-Knocker Of An Event
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 8.5/108.5/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10