DC KO #1 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Javi Fernandez, Xermanico, Artists; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Scott Snyder has been busy with the Absolute Universe for a while now, so it’s easy to forget just how unique his events are over in the main universe. Metal and Death Metal took the cosmic focus of Crisis events, and infused them with a dose of bare-knuckle brawling and lovecraftian horror that took me by surprise. This event seems to do the same – and dial it up to eleven. It starts with the Trinity meeting for a game night with Lois, and Clark being uncomfortable with the intense competitiveness. Then Darkseid arrives on Earth, a powered-up version unlike anything ever seen before – and quickly destroys everything, killing one hero after another as this Earth becomes just another world to fall before him.
This is, of course, a preview of something that didn’t happen yet – kind of. Time Trapper has actually rewound the universe a week to give the heroes time to avoid the inevitable – and his plan is to create a new universe where the heroes will live on, in some form. This leads to some hilarious jokes about the New 52. Shots fired. But this will also mean the end of the memories the heroes have now, and they’re not willing to accept that. Instead, they slowly come up with an insane idea – find the heart of Apokalips that Darkseid planted in the world long before humanity, and claim it for themselves, allowing one hero to harness its whole power and become an equal to this new cosmic Darkseid.
This is all an excuse for the massive tournament that’s to come, of course, but it lends itself to some surprisingly fantastic character moments. Superman has always been uncomfortable with using his full strength and fighting to win, so he’s the most skeptical. But this is the only way, so preparations for the apocalypse begin – with the heroes warning the public, spending time with their families, and trying to take the villains off the table so none of them can claim the power. And then, the heroes gather to enter Skartaris, where the Heart is being held and the tournament can begin – but the tournament isn’t what’s waiting for them. Many of them are never even going to see the battlefield.
The last quarter of this comic is one of the most chaotic things I’ve ever read, in a good way. The battlefield becomes a wild frenzy of murderous leviathans, deathtraps, and surprising casualties right out of the gate. The bizarre limbo this takes place in makes very clear that the deaths here aren’t going to stick – one casualty actually seems intended to make sure we know that, in fact – but the impact of each one still sticks. The visuals by Javi Fernandez and Xermanico are stellar, the ending features one twist after another, and we still haven’t even gotten to the tournament! This is how you begin an event, and we haven’t even seen how the Absolute Universe is going to factor into all of this.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
