DC K.O. #4: I Used To Roll The Dice & Feel The Fear In My Enemy’s Eyes

Four issues in and Scott Synder, Joshua Williamson, Javier Fernández, and the rest of the creative team behind this line-wide event come out of the corner swinging as the bell rings for the penultimate round of the tournament for the Heart of Apokolips.

The story continues to be fresh and full of life as the heroes from the main DCU confront the next challenge, the doppelgangers from the Absolute Universe, under the influence of their creator, Darkseid, who still resides in the body of Booster Gold. No time is wasted as the heroes find themselves outmatched by the younger, stronger, and Omega Energy powered “imposters.”

The Joker, as always is the wild card, opting to switch sides and getting a cool Parademon makeover, which opens the door for a certain other hero to return to the fry in an attempt to sway the odds. It was nice to see that the Knightfight tie-in meant something in the larger story and not just another money-grab extra title, although a short reference to the events of  Boss Battle would have been a nice touch also. This issue also had plenty of lighter moments, such as the flashback to the boardgame night the Trinity had before Darkseid attacked which Bruce, accused of loading the dice, explains simply that he does not cheat, he is Batman and studied the dice so he knows how to throw them for his benefit. It is also a nice touch that the use of the game metaphor is used as to why the heroes press on even though the odds are against them.

It was a nice touch to see the short backstory about Darkseid’s creation of the Absolute Universe, and that even though the heroes are his creations , that they retain free will, but can be used by Darkseid at anytime. It was also a nice touch to see the Dark Legion brought into the backstory as it ties together the main titles in which they have been trying to influence events in order to prepare for Darkseid.

The twist comes at the end of the main story as the victor of the tourney is crowned and set to face Darkseid in the final issue. This reveal was not one out of left field, but one that was sown, and allowed to grow as the larger story unfolded. This turn of events definitely leaves lots of questions to be answered  in the final installment, but with what has transpired so far, Snyder and Williamson are sure to deliver the knockout blow in the end and prepare the DCU for the next storytelling journey.