DC KO: Boss Battle #1 – Jeremy Adams, Writer; Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, Pablo M. Collar, Artists; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: We’re coming to the last act of DC KO, and the final four await their biggest challenge yet – the heroes of the Absolute Universe, seemingly corrupted by Darkseid. It seems like a hopeless cause, and that’s where this issue comes in. The World Forger, one of the key players of past events, is still alive and on the run from Darkseid, and he’s teamed up with Gorilla Grodd to set up a unique way to power up the heroes for their final battle. It involves resurrecting some of the fallen from past matches – Black Lightning, Plastic Man, Star Sapphire, Batwoman – to join the battle as the World Forger summons champions from other worlds to face off against them. Now they just have to survive the experience.
The announcement of this crossover was one of the craziest things we’ve seen out of DC in a while. Some of the matches are fairly straightforward, but still entertaining. Wonder Woman goes up against fellow warrior Red Sonja in a gladiator match, while Batwoman’s history with femme fatales continues as Vampirella might be able to win her match with her without ever throwing a punch. Black Lightning and Plastic Man find themselves in over their heads against the humorless, ruthless duo of Sub-Zero and Scorpion, while the funniest match definitely goes to Star Sapphire vs. Sabrina. Carol really doesn’t want to fight the teenage sorceress, but their attempts to avoid it cause just as much chaos. And then there’s Joker vs Annabelle, which is just as surreal and confusing – and hilarious – as it sounds.
There are two showdowns that are the clear headliners, though. A fight between Superman and the arrogant, fascist Homelander has been wanted for some time, and it doesn’t disappoint – even if Homelander is definitely toned down. Then there’s Luthor vs. Samantha Strong, as the killer bear is highly confused by the presence of this weird hairless animal but tries to kill him nonetheless. What an amazing coup by Patrick Horvath for his creation to make her DC crossover debut. This issue bites off so much, with so many plot threads, but Jeremy Adams does a great job of packing it with one sure to be viral moment after another even as it plays a key role in the overall story.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
