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DC K.O. #5 wraps up the event with a battle across history

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DC K.O. #5

In the melee that started with dozens of heroes and villains vying for their chance to win the ultimate power in the universe, now only one remains! But to truly be crowned the King Omega, you must battle more than the obstacles in your path…you must battle yourself. It’s the finale to end all finales as the one true champion is crowned, the fate of all that lives hangs in the balance, and a shocking decision will bring the DC Universe to the next level. We would type more, but honestly, anything else is a spoiler—so suit up, get ready, and leap into the final round! DC K.O. #5 wraps up the event with an interesting concept but overall a hollow finale.

The King Omega has been crowned and they must battle Darkseid for the fate of all of reality, past, present, and future. DC K.O. #5 is the culmination of months of stories heading up by Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson and an event that at times has been fun but overall, a bit of a headscratcher. This issue is a prime example of that. It opens with the King Omega crowned. We’re not spoiling who but when we left everyone in DC K.O. #4 that had happened and we flashed to another time to see the corruption of Booster Gold. DC K.O. #5 dives into the next round as the King Omega must face a giant Darkseid who has gone all kaiju. From there, it’s a battle through time as the champion and Darkseid punch it out for the fate of everything.

Visually, the comic is great with some very memorable moments of two combatants slugging it out literally through time. But, the comic leaves things a bit unsettled as a lot is unanswered as to the how and impact of it all and teases of yet another “Crisis” event to come. That’s the headscratcher, DC K.O. #5 doesn’t feel so much of a finale as just a resting point until the next major “Crisis” event. It’s a chapter in a very connected storyline. But, this teased storyline feels like something we’ve seen before with DC’s Metal concept and the Dark Multiverse. We get far more than just that with hints at “Next Level,” the launch of new series and characters getting the spotlight, plus storylines and possible other series yet to be announced.

The art is pretty solid. Javi Fernández, Xermánico, and Wes Craig handle different points of the story creating visuals that feel epic. Two combatants literally battling through time feels massive in the scope of it all though the fighting lacks a bit of a punch as far as the damage Darkseid does with his barrage. The trio are joined by Alejandro Sánchez on color and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou for lettering and together the comic looks good.

DC K.O. #5 goes for big swings and ideas as two titans battle. It doesn’t really hit at an emotional level when it should. It’s surface level entertainment missing a depth to really connect readers. It also reads as incomplete with a “to be continued” type ending as opposed leading to a new beginning and fresh start. Like recent DC events, DC K.O. comes off as one for the diehard fans invested in the meta story and who get excited when they see “Crisis” dropped on the comic page.

Story: Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson Art: Javi Fernández, Xermánico, Wes Craig
Color: Alejandro Sánchez Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: DC K.O. #5

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DC K.O. #5

(W) Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson (A) Wes Craig, Xermánico, Javier Fernández

THE FINAL BATTLE FOR THE HEART OF APOKOLIPS! In the melee that started with dozens of heroes and villains vying for their chance to win the ultimate power in the universe, now only one remains! But to truly be crowned the King Omega, you must battle more than the obstacles in your path… you must battle yourself. It’s the finale to end all finales as the one true champion is crowned, the fate of all that lives hangs in the balance, and a shocking decision will bring the DC Universe to the next level. We would type more, but honestly, anything else is a spoiler — so suit up, get ready, and leap into the final round!

DC K.O. #5

DC K.O. #4 has what we’ve been waiting for, the Contestants vs. Absolute Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman

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DC K.O. #4

Three mysterious new Omega-charged fighters have entered the tour nament…and this trinity of the Absolute will change the face of the DCU forever! It’s all down to how far the final four are willing to go to win in the penultimate chapter of DC K.O.! Plus: Booster’s true allegiance revealed, Darkseid’s return foretold, and a bonkers last page that will bring the battle to the next level! DC K.O. #4 delivers what readers have been waiting for since the beginning of this event.

When DC K.O. debuted, it teased an eventual showdown between Absolute Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, and the contestants. Issue after issue, it’s a thread that has been absent from the story, until now. But, why is this trio on the side of Darkseid? Who will win? DC K.O. #4 delivers all of that and more as the event begins to wind down towards the final battle.

Written by Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson, DC K.O. #4 is a fun issue that sort of sticks to the formula of new level and boss battle. And that formula has generally worked delivering an event that feels epic and popcorn fun rolled into one. Four contestants remain as Superman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and Joker have to face off with a Booster Gold infused Darkseid and his trio of warriors and the battle is entertaining. Yes, the comic sticks to the formula of heroes battling it out before teaming up, but it gives good reason as to the motivations and causes of all of this. There’s also enough twists and turns to keep readers on their toes.

The art by Javi Fernandez and Xermanico continues the bombastic style of the series that feels like Capcom making a new brawler featuring just DC characters. They’re joined by Alejandro Sanchez on color and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The art is entertaining and the battles feel fierce and epic as expected. What’s particularly great is the overall ominous feel of Darkseid’s forces and the flashback where we get to see how his warriors were recruited is fantastic with some great page layouts. There’s some small quibbles like the size of Absolute Batman that grows (can easily be explained by Omega energy) but his height doesn’t line up with what we’ve seen in the recent Absolute Batman/Wonder Woman crossover.

DC K.O. #4 doesn’t break any ground but it’s a fun blockbuster. There’s a lot going on and it does a solid job of telling and showing the why and how of it all while delivering punches. The issue has some solid surprises as well that adds to the enjoyment and “comic book” feel of it all. DC and its team have put together an event that’s a summer blockbuster on the printed page that delivers crazy concepts and great visuals that allow you to sit back and just enjoy.

Story: Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson Art: Javi Fernandez, Xermanico
Color: Alejandro Sanchez Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 7.95 Art: 7.95 Overall: 7.95 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: DC K.O. #4

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DC K.O. #4

(W) Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson (A) Xermánico, Javier Fernández

THE FINAL FOUR ARE PUT TO THE ABSOLUTE TEST! Three mysterious new Omega-charged fighters have entered the tournament… and this trinity of the Absolute will change the face of the DCU forever! It’s all down to how far the final four are willing to go to win in the penultimate chapter of DC K.O.! Plus: Booster’s true allegiance revealed, Darkseid’s return foretold, and a bonkers last page that will bring the battle to the next level!

DC K.O. #4

DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 Teases Potential But Feels like it Holds Back

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DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1

Unexpected fighters from beyond the DC Comics enter the arena! Wait… What? WHO?! As the remaining champions in the K.O. tournament prepare for the final rounds, they discover that there isn’t enough Omega energy left to crown the winner a King Omega. To have any hope of stopping Darkseid, they’ll need to engage in combat with the champions of other worlds beyond our own including Annabelle, Homelander, Sub-Zero, and more! This shocking, star-studded crossover sets the stage for the final chapters of the epic DC K.O. event and features matchups you never imagined possible. The ultimate battle is only beginning! DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 delivers some unexpected battles but overall feels like it doesn’t go far enough.

DC K.O. has been going on for the past couple of months and has DC’s heroes and villains going through a gauntlet to see who will eventually challenge Darkseid. As part of that, the contest has felt like video game match ups mixed with a March Madness bracket as the contestants get winnowed with each release. DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 takes place after the third issue of the series and has the remaining four heroes battling characters from outside of the DC universe to gain power to then use against Darkseid. It’s a side quest to level up.

Written by Jeremy Adams, the comic brings together some very unlikely characters and match-ups and has a few that we’d like to see more of. Contestants are sent to various worlds to battle having heroes and villains face Annabelle, Homelander, Sub-Zero, Sabrina, Vampirella, and Samantha Strong. Some of the battles work and work really well while others barely happen.

There’s some battles like Batwoman vs. Vampirella that seem like they’d be great but barely register in the comic. Sabrina’s addition feels rather odd in its execution. But, Wonder Woman vs. Red Sonja and Superman vs. Homelander are both battles we need to get an entire comic of. And that pretty much sums up the issue. There’s some aspects that are barely a blip while others don’t get enough of a focus. Lex Luthor taking on Samantha from Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees has so much potential and seeing Lex freak out with what he’s facing has some great humor to it. But, that gets far too few pages. The Joker arguing with Annabelle has some laugh out loud moments. Again, it too is given little beyond a few pages but they’re a highlight. Superman fighting Homelander could be great to really juxtapose those characters but it doesn’t go far enough to do so. It’s a comic that’s full of hits and misses. It teases something really great but isn’t given enough pages to do it and with what little each moment has, plays it rather conservative.

The art is handled by Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, and Pablo M. Collar with color by Hi-Fi and lettering by Tom Napolitano. It looks pretty solid and there’s some sequences that look absolutely solid. The art has a rather quick and frenetic aspect to it that matches the rather short time given to each aspect of the comic. There’s some matches that really stand out and there’s moments where a lot is packed into the issue.

And that’s the thing with DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1, it packs a lot in. It expands the story beyond the remaining for contestants. If it focused on just that four, it’d have been a far tighter and better issue with each getting a bit more time to enjoy. But, it’s an issue that attempts to put too much into it which makes everything feel a bit short. It’s not bad and there’s some things that are really great. It overall shows off some potential we’ll hopefully see more of in the future.

Story: Jeremy Adams Art: Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, Pablo M. Collar
Color: Hi-Fi Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.3 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: DC K.O.: Knightfight #4

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DC K.O.: Knightfight #4

(W) Joshua Williamson (A) Dan Mora

FOR BATMAN TO WIN, DOES DAMIAN HAVE TO LOSE? Bruce Wayne became Batman to strike terror into the hearts of criminals, but he never imagined a world where Gotham City would be so safe it no longer needs its Caped Crusader. But when he arrives in a Gotham where Damian achieved that very peace, will Bruce destroy everything his son has built to overcome the Heart of Apokolips’s test and re-enter the K.O. tournament?

DC K.O.: Knightfight #4

Preview: DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1

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DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1

(W) Jeremy Adams (A) Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ronan Cliquet, Kieran McKeown, Pablo M. Collar

TO SAVE OUR WORLD, THEY MUST BATTLE THE CHAMPIONS OF OTHER WORLDS! Unexpected fighters from beyond the DC Universe enter the arena! Wait… What? WHO?! As the remaining champions in the K.O. tournament prepare for the final rounds, they discover that there isn’t enough Omega energy left to crown the winner a King Omega. To have any hope of stopping Darkseid, they’ll need to engage in combat with the champions of other worlds beyond our own including Annabelle, Homelander, Sub-Zero, and more! This shocking, star-studded crossover sets the stage for the final chapters of the epic DC K.O. event and features matchups you never imagined possible. The ultimate battle is only beginning!

DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1

Preview: DC K.O.: The Kids Are All Fight Special #1

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DC K.O.: The Kids Are All Fight Special #1

(W) Jeremy Adams (A) Travis Mercer

Jon Kent always wanted to be a Titan when he grew up, but now that he’s working alongside them in the effort to evacuate Earth, he didn’t think he’d be stuck babysitting young sidekicks! When the kids sneak off to enter the fray and stop Granny Goodness, Jon will have to show these young heroes the ropes so they can save the day and prove there’s no age requirement to being a superhero — and you won’t want to miss the SHOCKING finale!

DC K.O.: The Kids Are All Fight Special #1

Preview: DC K.O.: Green Lantern Galactic Slam #1

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DC K.O.: Green Lantern Galactic Slam #1

(W) Jeremy Adams (A) Pat Boutlin, Cian Tormey

KYLE RAYNER BRINGS THE COSMIC REINFORCEMENTS! As the K.O. tournament rages on Earth, the cosmos holds its collective breath as the heroes of our planet fight for the survival of the very universe. But the cavalry is on the horizon! Kyle Rayner, in a bid to provide cover for his fellow Green Lanterns, has found himself pummeled across the galaxy and into the ring of… a wrestling federation?! Oh no… oh dear heavens no… is Omega Bam Man about to enter the DC K.O. fray?! Oh mah gawd! An entire cavalcade of brawlers is right behind him! Are there tables? Somebody get the tables!

DC K.O.: Green Lantern Galactic Slam #1
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