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DC K.O.
DC K.O.
The end of everything begins here. The heroes of Earth enter a tournament forged by gods, where victory means survival, and corruption claims the soul. From Eisner Award–winning writer Scott Snyder and artist Javi Fernández comes the explosive event redefining the DC Universe.
The Heart of Apokolips has transformed Earth into a twisted battlefield as Darkseid prepares for resurrection. To stop him, the Justice League and their greatest allies must enter an impossible tournament—one that pits hero against hero and friend against friend. Each victory brings the survivors closer to the Heart…but the closer they come, the more its dark power consumes them. A fight for the fate of the universe. A test of every hero’s will. DC K.O. is the ultimate clash of power, sacrifice, and corruption.
Collects DC K.O. #1–5.
The Heart of Apokolips has transformed Earth into a twisted battlefield as Darkseid prepares for resurrection. To stop him, the Justice League and their greatest allies must enter an impossible tournament—one that pits hero against hero and friend against friend. Each victory brings the survivors closer to the Heart…but the closer they come, the more its dark power consumes them. A fight for the fate of the universe. A test of every hero’s will. DC K.O. is the ultimate clash of power, sacrifice, and corruption.
Collects DC K.O. #1–5.
208 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2026
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,783 books5,426 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
September 2, 2026
DC K.O., the big event written by DC star scribe Scott Snyder, has gotten mixed reviews. It's a bit corny, essentially an excuse for an anime-style tournament arc, but it's very successful at being that and I am for it.
In fact, it's better and more coherent than his previous events Dark Knights: Metal & Death Metal. It is a bit forced that the DC Trinity end up the winners at the end (not really a spoiler), plus the main two villains Lex and Joker, and then in the very end an epic cosmic fight between Superman and Darkseid. What a ride to get there.
A fun crossover, good at being that, I enjoyed it.
In fact, it's better and more coherent than his previous events Dark Knights: Metal & Death Metal. It is a bit forced that the DC Trinity end up the winners at the end (not really a spoiler), plus the main two villains Lex and Joker, and then in the very end an epic cosmic fight between Superman and Darkseid. What a ride to get there.
A fun crossover, good at being that, I enjoyed it.
September 23, 2026
That most personable of villains Darkseid wants to - get this! - take over the world/universe/everything?! But his motivation is never that generic! Oh wait it always… Is. But - get this! - superheroes have to save the world/universe/everything from the big bad villain! But this storyline couldn’t be the most generic piece of garbage - could it? Oh wait it’s a DC comic so of course it is. Do you think the goodies save the everything world universe from the baddie?! I’m on the edge of my… woooah!
Shocking - a superhero event comic that sucks giant donkey balls, what a rarity. DC KO is the least interesting trope in superhero comics - the dull, predictable fighting - for an entire book. Because to defeat Darkseid this time, the heroes have to fight each other (and some villains who’re here - why?) to get King Omega (KO) powers which will enable them to go up against Darkseid.
So it’s a fighting tournament where brute force wins to get the ultimate brute force to fight another brute with brute force. And Superman - the strongest most powerful anything anywhere - is in the tournament. Gee, I wonder who’s gonna win?!!?!?! (I might overdose on sarcasm in this review)
This feels like an unused storyline for a DC video game that failed to get off the ground because it’s too thin and stupid for it to have been conceived as just its own book. Something this surface-level works for a game because story is at best secondary to the gameplay so it doesn’t matter that much if it stinks. That or Scott Snyder is attempting - and falling far short of - his own version of Grant Morrison’s Batman RIP/Final Crisis but in a much more ham-fisted, rushed way.
When the characters aren’t standing around expositing dreary, irrelevant dialogue, they’re fighting pointlessly. Nothing that happens matters. Superman gets his hand chopped off but it doesn’t matter because there he is a few pages later with his hand back. Characters “die” but of course not really.
Who finds any of this rubbish entertaining? Is anybody engaged in watching D-list characters like Lobo, Firestorm and Metamorpho fight? Or seeing cameos from characters in other books who show up to stupidly throw hands for a few pages before toddling off to make way for another desperate cameo?
DC KO is utter trash. Instantly forgettable, a waste of everybody’s time and abilities, and completely disposable. This is the dumbest of dumb comics and one of the worst superhero books I’ve read in… well, let’s not go crazy. Probably not that long ago as superhero comics as a whole are pretty terrible these days, but it’s still down there as something not worth bothering with.
Shocking - a superhero event comic that sucks giant donkey balls, what a rarity. DC KO is the least interesting trope in superhero comics - the dull, predictable fighting - for an entire book. Because to defeat Darkseid this time, the heroes have to fight each other (and some villains who’re here - why?) to get King Omega (KO) powers which will enable them to go up against Darkseid.
So it’s a fighting tournament where brute force wins to get the ultimate brute force to fight another brute with brute force. And Superman - the strongest most powerful anything anywhere - is in the tournament. Gee, I wonder who’s gonna win?!!?!?! (I might overdose on sarcasm in this review)
This feels like an unused storyline for a DC video game that failed to get off the ground because it’s too thin and stupid for it to have been conceived as just its own book. Something this surface-level works for a game because story is at best secondary to the gameplay so it doesn’t matter that much if it stinks. That or Scott Snyder is attempting - and falling far short of - his own version of Grant Morrison’s Batman RIP/Final Crisis but in a much more ham-fisted, rushed way.
When the characters aren’t standing around expositing dreary, irrelevant dialogue, they’re fighting pointlessly. Nothing that happens matters. Superman gets his hand chopped off but it doesn’t matter because there he is a few pages later with his hand back. Characters “die” but of course not really.
Who finds any of this rubbish entertaining? Is anybody engaged in watching D-list characters like Lobo, Firestorm and Metamorpho fight? Or seeing cameos from characters in other books who show up to stupidly throw hands for a few pages before toddling off to make way for another desperate cameo?
DC KO is utter trash. Instantly forgettable, a waste of everybody’s time and abilities, and completely disposable. This is the dumbest of dumb comics and one of the worst superhero books I’ve read in… well, let’s not go crazy. Probably not that long ago as superhero comics as a whole are pretty terrible these days, but it’s still down there as something not worth bothering with.
March 10, 2026
I forget who said that this would be the equivalent of smashing action figures together but they’re 100% right. It was perfectly entertaining but nothing really more. The one liners were rough I’m not gonna lie, especially Clark, Bruce, and Diana’s. I appreciate the Superman glazing though, Scott Snyder is just like me for real.
March 10, 2026
I think everyone and their mother could guess this tournament would come down to Superman vs. Darksied, which is exactly how it ends up after the Lex fake out. Joker had a disgusting amount of plot armor here and frankly I was disappointed they didn’t let Jason Todd get his revenge in their fight. Especially considering how little Joker contributed to the plot afterwards. Keeping him around just for Batman to unceremoniously kill him wasn’t as impactful as letting Jason do it in my opinion.
If you follow the Absolute books there is a brief cameo at the end that again does little to advance the plot. Felt like this whole “event” was built around hype and not actual story. I found the short Knightfight companion series to be more compelling than the actually KO storyline, it had better writing and art.
If you follow the Absolute books there is a brief cameo at the end that again does little to advance the plot. Felt like this whole “event” was built around hype and not actual story. I found the short Knightfight companion series to be more compelling than the actually KO storyline, it had better writing and art.
Review of advance copy
After a good start, Scott Snyder gets sucked back into trying to emulate Morrison and Kirby and it becomes too silly, complex and conceptual - a strong ending would have saved it but instead half the issue acts as a launchpad for some relatively mediocre new series and plot lines in existing runs - it all feels like a disappointing anti climax.
September 7, 2026
Não posso me dizer decepcionado, pois as expectativas iniciais já não eram muito grandes.
DC KO é um gibi de confronto de bonequinhos, uma homenagem/tentativa de recriar em HQ uma estética de game de luta, como Marvel vs Capcom etc. Talvez seja um gibi que deveria ter saído na época do auge desses jogos, uns 25 anos atrás (ou esse tipo de jogo ainda faz sucesso?).
Vou acabar discutindo o evento todo em vez de só a mini principal reunida nesse encadernado.
A premissa é que após os eventos do All-In Special Darkseid está retornando para conquistar a Terra (e, por consequência, todo o universo principal da DC), plantou um “coração de Apokolips” no núcleo do planeta e um campeão deve ser escolhido por meio de um torneio para lutar contra ele - algo até interessante é que o KO do título do evento pode remeter a nocaute (knock out) ou a King Omega, o título que esse campeão recebe do coração de Apokolips.
Quem conta isso aos heróis é o novo Senhor do Tempo, Apocalipse, aquele mesmo que matou o Super três décadas atrás. Como ele obteve essas informações todas? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Nunca fica claro.
O evento principal poderia ter tido um pouco mais de edições, pois alguns momentos são apresentados de forma muito apressada, especialmente aqueles que mais foram divulgados como o “toque especial” da história.
=====E aí vêm os spoilers======
Um dos chamarizes de DC KO seria um confronto, já perto do final da mini, entre a trindade da DC e a trindade do universo absoluto. Que acontece em pouquíssimas páginas, com desenvolvimento bastante raso.
Numa outra edição especial, Boss Battle, temos um clash de personagens da DC com personagens de outros selos editoriais - Vampirella, Sabrina aprendiz de feiticeira, Samantha (a ursa de Um belo dia para matar), Homelander de The Boys etc. Se o desenvolvimento dos confrontos das trindades era raso, este nem a esse grau de desenvolvimento chega. Que fosse uma minissérie em duas ou 3 partes, pelo menos (mas a contribuição efetiva para a narrativa do evento é zero).
O que mais valeu a pena, para mim, foi Knightfight, em que é explorado o relacionamento de Batman com 4 dos Robins (Stephanie Brown ficou de fora) em realidades simuladas em que cada um deles se tornou Batman. Mas o propósito dessa minissérie no escopo do evento é risível; Batman é devolvido ao torneio para não fazer muita diferença - no máximo farma uma aura encarando feio o Batman absoluto.
DC KO é um gibi de confronto de bonequinhos, uma homenagem/tentativa de recriar em HQ uma estética de game de luta, como Marvel vs Capcom etc. Talvez seja um gibi que deveria ter saído na época do auge desses jogos, uns 25 anos atrás (ou esse tipo de jogo ainda faz sucesso?).
Vou acabar discutindo o evento todo em vez de só a mini principal reunida nesse encadernado.
A premissa é que após os eventos do All-In Special Darkseid está retornando para conquistar a Terra (e, por consequência, todo o universo principal da DC), plantou um “coração de Apokolips” no núcleo do planeta e um campeão deve ser escolhido por meio de um torneio para lutar contra ele - algo até interessante é que o KO do título do evento pode remeter a nocaute (knock out) ou a King Omega, o título que esse campeão recebe do coração de Apokolips.
Quem conta isso aos heróis é o novo Senhor do Tempo, Apocalipse, aquele mesmo que matou o Super três décadas atrás. Como ele obteve essas informações todas? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Nunca fica claro.
O evento principal poderia ter tido um pouco mais de edições, pois alguns momentos são apresentados de forma muito apressada, especialmente aqueles que mais foram divulgados como o “toque especial” da história.
=====E aí vêm os spoilers======
Um dos chamarizes de DC KO seria um confronto, já perto do final da mini, entre a trindade da DC e a trindade do universo absoluto. Que acontece em pouquíssimas páginas, com desenvolvimento bastante raso.
Numa outra edição especial, Boss Battle, temos um clash de personagens da DC com personagens de outros selos editoriais - Vampirella, Sabrina aprendiz de feiticeira, Samantha (a ursa de Um belo dia para matar), Homelander de The Boys etc. Se o desenvolvimento dos confrontos das trindades era raso, este nem a esse grau de desenvolvimento chega. Que fosse uma minissérie em duas ou 3 partes, pelo menos (mas a contribuição efetiva para a narrativa do evento é zero).
O que mais valeu a pena, para mim, foi Knightfight, em que é explorado o relacionamento de Batman com 4 dos Robins (Stephanie Brown ficou de fora) em realidades simuladas em que cada um deles se tornou Batman. Mas o propósito dessa minissérie no escopo do evento é risível; Batman é devolvido ao torneio para não fazer muita diferença - no máximo farma uma aura encarando feio o Batman absoluto.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2026
I did like it overall quite a bit but I’m not sure what Superman is doing. However Prime is here and the current Superman runs been good
Review of advance copy
somehow they found a way to make "what if all your favourite action figures had a big boxing tournament" overcomplicated and boring
September 6, 2026
I can see the mixed opinions here as a trade. Event trades are normally rough. The events can be influential and tell great stories. But the trades only cover portions and sometimes the beauty of an event is not only in its main issues but a couple key side issues. This trade really grew on me as I read it. The ethos of it sorta flips near the end. I really enjoyed the message it went for. The world sucks and we want to control it. But instead, embrace the chaos and the human experience. There is optimism in that chaos that is the human experience.
The trade's first half covers each round as the remaining players whittle down. Everything is done super fast. A bunch of cool stuff happens but it doesn't let you linger on it. It's just immediately onto the next cool thing on the next panel. Each round could be its own two issue event but the pace is breakneck. I am a bit disappointed that the round entirely of one on one fights were brushed aside. They are collected in a separate trade. That's also the entire thing I remember DC KO selling itself on so having the main round that's been sold to readers be absent from the main trade is a bit disappointing. Instead though you get every other round as Superman slowly loses it and hears the siren call of being the King Omega. I heard power-hungry angry Superman is controversial but it works well here. It's the crux of this story as he is trying to get enough evil Omega Energy to become his universe's Omega Energy infused God to fight Darkseid later on.
But then in the final few issues things turn extremely cosmic. Superman becomes the King Omega but willingly rips it out right as he could beat Darkseid. Because he doesn't want to control everything. He wants everyone to exist, to be an individual, to live life as they can in each of their own visions rather than just his own. It's really beautiful. The epilogue is a bit of a shame though as it implies we're bringing back the entire Multiverse again. Or at the very least it's being used to give Darkseid multiple universe's level of King Omega. That sort of highlights how cosmic and over the top things get. But honestly, by the end, it manages all its craziness pretty well. Sure the rounds had a bajillion cool things that were in a page and then gone. But these larger concepts and beats focused on the core message of the event? It's easy to follow and just so refreshing.
And all the plot beats of the larger DC storyline just develop in cool ways. It might be hard as someone's first trade in this portion of DC history but it really does handle most if not all of the current larger DC storyline plot lines (Time Trapper, Booster Gold, Darkseid's future control of the Absolute heroes) really well. I just really hope Darkseid doesn't come back too soon. Darkseid appearing here has me scared that this whole fiasco will be over in the next event. Especially with how over the top this event went and knowing editorial is going to want to top it.
The lettering is interesting. The Apokolips Hearts narrates and it includes some quite edgy lettering as certain words are put in a font that's meant to look etched in. It gets pretty tryhard though as it continues and loses its impact. This ties into the constant narration which I found exhausting at points. It reminded me a bit of Tom King at his worst with just constant slightly verbose or atmospheric descriptions that slog more than bring you into the world. Though, like this trade as a whole, it gets much better as it goes on.
There are a lot of different artists here and each one does well. You got some homey watercolor stuff with the frequent callback to board game night which I enjoyed. But it’s mostly cinematic and intense with really striking paneling. Everyone is going all out to impress and it does.
The trade's first half covers each round as the remaining players whittle down. Everything is done super fast. A bunch of cool stuff happens but it doesn't let you linger on it. It's just immediately onto the next cool thing on the next panel. Each round could be its own two issue event but the pace is breakneck. I am a bit disappointed that the round entirely of one on one fights were brushed aside. They are collected in a separate trade. That's also the entire thing I remember DC KO selling itself on so having the main round that's been sold to readers be absent from the main trade is a bit disappointing. Instead though you get every other round as Superman slowly loses it and hears the siren call of being the King Omega. I heard power-hungry angry Superman is controversial but it works well here. It's the crux of this story as he is trying to get enough evil Omega Energy to become his universe's Omega Energy infused God to fight Darkseid later on.
But then in the final few issues things turn extremely cosmic. Superman becomes the King Omega but willingly rips it out right as he could beat Darkseid. Because he doesn't want to control everything. He wants everyone to exist, to be an individual, to live life as they can in each of their own visions rather than just his own. It's really beautiful. The epilogue is a bit of a shame though as it implies we're bringing back the entire Multiverse again. Or at the very least it's being used to give Darkseid multiple universe's level of King Omega. That sort of highlights how cosmic and over the top things get. But honestly, by the end, it manages all its craziness pretty well. Sure the rounds had a bajillion cool things that were in a page and then gone. But these larger concepts and beats focused on the core message of the event? It's easy to follow and just so refreshing.
And all the plot beats of the larger DC storyline just develop in cool ways. It might be hard as someone's first trade in this portion of DC history but it really does handle most if not all of the current larger DC storyline plot lines (Time Trapper, Booster Gold, Darkseid's future control of the Absolute heroes) really well. I just really hope Darkseid doesn't come back too soon. Darkseid appearing here has me scared that this whole fiasco will be over in the next event. Especially with how over the top this event went and knowing editorial is going to want to top it.
The lettering is interesting. The Apokolips Hearts narrates and it includes some quite edgy lettering as certain words are put in a font that's meant to look etched in. It gets pretty tryhard though as it continues and loses its impact. This ties into the constant narration which I found exhausting at points. It reminded me a bit of Tom King at his worst with just constant slightly verbose or atmospheric descriptions that slog more than bring you into the world. Though, like this trade as a whole, it gets much better as it goes on.
There are a lot of different artists here and each one does well. You got some homey watercolor stuff with the frequent callback to board game night which I enjoyed. But it’s mostly cinematic and intense with really striking paneling. Everyone is going all out to impress and it does.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2026
Look, the thing about power-scaling is that we all know that the ultimate answer is going to be "whoever the author wants to win", but I refuse to believe that out of ALL of the heroes and villains in the running, the Joker and Lex Luthor would've made it to the final four without being shoehorned in by editorial.
I think this suffers a lot from being marketed as the "main event" volume of the DC K.O. event but not actually featuring any one-on-one fights that the reader would expect from a title called DC K.O.. The character selection was also...pretty weak. I LOVE Batwoman, but I will be the first to say that she did not belong in this line-up on account of HAVING NO POWERS. WHY were Harley Quinn, Jason Todd, and Connor Hawke there when they have no powers and this is a death match against characters like Superman and Captain Atom? Why are literal children Damian and Billy in the literal death match? Why are characters like Black Lightning, who just has lightning powers, and Giganta, who can just get big, even in the same discussion as CAPTAIN ATOM? Not to mention that despite the thirty-two bracket members being a huge hype point for this comic, barely any of them are actually in this comic. Pretty sure Black Lightning and Batwoman weren't even on-page despite making it to the final 32.
I went into this event expecting dumb fun, and I'm guessing I'll get that in the later tie-ins, but for the "main" volume, this committed the cardinal sin of somehow being boring despite supposedly being about superheroes having a death battle.
More character selection gripes:
- The Titans being written out was so obviously just so that Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire couldn't compete
- WHERE were the brawlers? If you're gonna have non-powered characters like Harley Quinn, why not have Wildcat, Black Canary, Cassandra Cain, Bronze Tiger, or even Lady Shiva?
- Literally whyyyy was Harley there. I am generally pretty neutral on Harley and think DC is getting *better* about writing her as a compelling character and not a quirk chungus zomg so random!!!! wannabe Deadpool, but she should not be here! She has no powers, she's severely mentally unwell, and the fact that they're genuinely trying to hype up Harley Quinn versus ZATANNA as a compelling match is insane. Zatanna solos in a second.
- Outside of Vixen and Swamp Thing, big lack of people tied to the Red and the Green. Should've at least brought in Animal Man.
- Also personally if I was picking people to compete in a fight that determines the fate of the world, I'd probably at least TRY to bring in Doctor Fate, the Spectre, the Phantom Stranger...fuck it, drop a line to Doctor Manhattan and see if he picks up!
- Look, you all know I LOVE the JSA, but why did they send Jay out of all of the Flashes when he's the oldest and Wally is generally considered to be the strongest Flash.
- Also again: I love Guy, he's my second favorite Lantern after Alan, but I'd absolutely pick John, Kyle, or Hal over him for this.
I think this suffers a lot from being marketed as the "main event" volume of the DC K.O. event but not actually featuring any one-on-one fights that the reader would expect from a title called DC K.O.. The character selection was also...pretty weak. I LOVE Batwoman, but I will be the first to say that she did not belong in this line-up on account of HAVING NO POWERS. WHY were Harley Quinn, Jason Todd, and Connor Hawke there when they have no powers and this is a death match against characters like Superman and Captain Atom? Why are literal children Damian and Billy in the literal death match? Why are characters like Black Lightning, who just has lightning powers, and Giganta, who can just get big, even in the same discussion as CAPTAIN ATOM? Not to mention that despite the thirty-two bracket members being a huge hype point for this comic, barely any of them are actually in this comic. Pretty sure Black Lightning and Batwoman weren't even on-page despite making it to the final 32.
I went into this event expecting dumb fun, and I'm guessing I'll get that in the later tie-ins, but for the "main" volume, this committed the cardinal sin of somehow being boring despite supposedly being about superheroes having a death battle.
More character selection gripes:
- The Titans being written out was so obviously just so that Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire couldn't compete
- WHERE were the brawlers? If you're gonna have non-powered characters like Harley Quinn, why not have Wildcat, Black Canary, Cassandra Cain, Bronze Tiger, or even Lady Shiva?
- Literally whyyyy was Harley there. I am generally pretty neutral on Harley and think DC is getting *better* about writing her as a compelling character and not a quirk chungus zomg so random!!!! wannabe Deadpool, but she should not be here! She has no powers, she's severely mentally unwell, and the fact that they're genuinely trying to hype up Harley Quinn versus ZATANNA as a compelling match is insane. Zatanna solos in a second.
- Outside of Vixen and Swamp Thing, big lack of people tied to the Red and the Green. Should've at least brought in Animal Man.
- Also personally if I was picking people to compete in a fight that determines the fate of the world, I'd probably at least TRY to bring in Doctor Fate, the Spectre, the Phantom Stranger...fuck it, drop a line to Doctor Manhattan and see if he picks up!
- Look, you all know I LOVE the JSA, but why did they send Jay out of all of the Flashes when he's the oldest and Wally is generally considered to be the strongest Flash.
- Also again: I love Guy, he's my second favorite Lantern after Alan, but I'd absolutely pick John, Kyle, or Hal over him for this.
August 7, 2026
Leído en números individuales publicados por Panini Cómics.
DC K.O. es el evento palomitero organizado por Scott Snyder y Joshua Williamson. Nos prometieron un torneo donde los héroes de DC se darían de hostias y nos han dado un evento de DC en los que los héroes de DC se han dado de hostias. Y qué hostias. Ha sido divertidísimo. No tenía pretensiones de ser un evento fundamental, así que tampoco me parece que debamos juzgarlo como tal. Si alguien busca otra cosa que no sean palomitas aquí, va a salir decepcionado.
Todo comienza cuando de repente aparece Darkseid invadiendo la tierra con unos poderes cósmicos imposibles. Los héroes del Universo DC se tienen que unir en la Atalaya de la Liga de la Justicia para entrar en un torneo cósmico que solo uno de ellos ganará. Se convertirá en Rey Omega y entonces podrá luchar contra Darkseid. La premisa no es demasiado enrevesada, así que cualquiera puede entenderlo bien.
Entonces, comienzan las rondas. Cuando hay muchos personajes, decepciona de una manera brutal. Posiblemente el peor número de los cinco que componen esta obra es el #2 por este motivo: para ver las hostias, tienes que ir a todas las series individuales de los personajes principales para ver quién gana y quién pierde. Menos mal que Panini sí que recopiló todos estos números en una tapita blanda y la publicó entre el número #2 y el #3.
A partir de aquí, todo fluye de una manera bastante fluida, sin hacer necesario leer ninguno de los demás tie-ins. Yo no lo he hecho, a excepción de Knightfight, el de Batman, y me he enterado absolutamente de todo, así que en recuperaciones posteriores como el formato que estoy reseñando de USA, no habrá problemas cuando alguien compre el evento.
La caracterización de los personajes no me ha parecido fuera de lugar. Sin embargo, hay que recordar que estamos hablando de Scott Snyder. Todo va a ser exagerado; todo tiene que molar. Sin embargo, para mí, lo consigue. No sé si por la colaboración de Williamson, al que no tenía muy en el radar y me está gustando últimamente.
Hay que hacer aplaudir también el apartado gráfico, por parte de los españoles Javier Fernández y Xermánico. Nada, nada mal, sobre todo, conforme avanzaba la serie y había menos personajes a los que dibujar, lo que ha debido facilitarles bastante el trabajo.
DC K.O. abre la puerta al Next Level de DC. Tendré que echarle un vistazo a las nuevas series.
DC K.O. es el evento palomitero organizado por Scott Snyder y Joshua Williamson. Nos prometieron un torneo donde los héroes de DC se darían de hostias y nos han dado un evento de DC en los que los héroes de DC se han dado de hostias. Y qué hostias. Ha sido divertidísimo. No tenía pretensiones de ser un evento fundamental, así que tampoco me parece que debamos juzgarlo como tal. Si alguien busca otra cosa que no sean palomitas aquí, va a salir decepcionado.
Todo comienza cuando de repente aparece Darkseid invadiendo la tierra con unos poderes cósmicos imposibles. Los héroes del Universo DC se tienen que unir en la Atalaya de la Liga de la Justicia para entrar en un torneo cósmico que solo uno de ellos ganará. Se convertirá en Rey Omega y entonces podrá luchar contra Darkseid. La premisa no es demasiado enrevesada, así que cualquiera puede entenderlo bien.
Entonces, comienzan las rondas. Cuando hay muchos personajes, decepciona de una manera brutal. Posiblemente el peor número de los cinco que componen esta obra es el #2 por este motivo: para ver las hostias, tienes que ir a todas las series individuales de los personajes principales para ver quién gana y quién pierde. Menos mal que Panini sí que recopiló todos estos números en una tapita blanda y la publicó entre el número #2 y el #3.
A partir de aquí, todo fluye de una manera bastante fluida, sin hacer necesario leer ninguno de los demás tie-ins. Yo no lo he hecho, a excepción de Knightfight, el de Batman, y me he enterado absolutamente de todo, así que en recuperaciones posteriores como el formato que estoy reseñando de USA, no habrá problemas cuando alguien compre el evento.
La caracterización de los personajes no me ha parecido fuera de lugar. Sin embargo, hay que recordar que estamos hablando de Scott Snyder. Todo va a ser exagerado; todo tiene que molar. Sin embargo, para mí, lo consigue. No sé si por la colaboración de Williamson, al que no tenía muy en el radar y me está gustando últimamente.
Hay que hacer aplaudir también el apartado gráfico, por parte de los españoles Javier Fernández y Xermánico. Nada, nada mal, sobre todo, conforme avanzaba la serie y había menos personajes a los que dibujar, lo que ha debido facilitarles bastante el trabajo.
DC K.O. abre la puerta al Next Level de DC. Tendré que echarle un vistazo a las nuevas series.
September 15, 2026
3.5 stars. This core DC KO book written by Scott Snyder is, at its core, a Superman book. The newly reinvisioned Doomsday/Time Trapper (a character from Joshua Williamson's Superman run) provides the seemingly omniscient narration for the event, as he's found a way to assist Clark and the heroes against Darkseid. Being a Superman character, Time Trapper's narration is very close to knowing Clark and what Superman does and must do, so, that fits.
There are also a number of relevant flashback scenes throughout the book, to just before the start of this new Darkseid emergency. Clark, Lois, Bruce and Diana are enjoying some downtime and playing a board game, and, aside from being charming, they casually and playfully converse, with relevance to who Supes is and the choices he makes in the series. It's very affirming of Superman, in the way he thinks of others and would help them/let them be, ideally.
It's a treat seeing Scott Snyder write the true Batman again, if only for a little as Bruce is not this book's true focus. But what's there is good, and Snyder actually gets lots of character moments with the whole host of DC characters. That's kind of baked into this event, which features iconic team-ups in a combat tournament in which the winner powers up to take on Darkseid, and even rearrange the universe. Lex and the Joker are among the combatants, and they've got some nice character moments too.
The fate of the Earth and the universe is at stake, and I really like having read the JLU DC KO book as well, as that is its own story, by Waid, but is very complementary. I'm hoping the DC KO: Battle Royale TPB turns out just as good as that one, with that book's focus on Batman.
I like Superman, so this DC KO core mini is a good enough read, and in a story that’s like having all the DC action figures getting to fight one another. That maybe throwaway but there's some nice character-substance to it as well.
There are also a number of relevant flashback scenes throughout the book, to just before the start of this new Darkseid emergency. Clark, Lois, Bruce and Diana are enjoying some downtime and playing a board game, and, aside from being charming, they casually and playfully converse, with relevance to who Supes is and the choices he makes in the series. It's very affirming of Superman, in the way he thinks of others and would help them/let them be, ideally.
It's a treat seeing Scott Snyder write the true Batman again, if only for a little as Bruce is not this book's true focus. But what's there is good, and Snyder actually gets lots of character moments with the whole host of DC characters. That's kind of baked into this event, which features iconic team-ups in a combat tournament in which the winner powers up to take on Darkseid, and even rearrange the universe. Lex and the Joker are among the combatants, and they've got some nice character moments too.
The fate of the Earth and the universe is at stake, and I really like having read the JLU DC KO book as well, as that is its own story, by Waid, but is very complementary. I'm hoping the DC KO: Battle Royale TPB turns out just as good as that one, with that book's focus on Batman.
I like Superman, so this DC KO core mini is a good enough read, and in a story that’s like having all the DC action figures getting to fight one another. That maybe throwaway but there's some nice character-substance to it as well.
August 31, 2026
No se puede negar que esta basura da justo lo que promete: un montón de súpers inflándose a tortas por la más tenue de las excusas argumentales. Dicho esto, considero que esta serie es una mierda como un piano, pero lo sabía perfectamente desde el minuto uno, así que...
Pues eso, que no puedo quejarme. Odio los eventos porque son una porquería. De acuerdo, salvamos la primera Crisis, Legends tal vez, y pare usted de contar. En el Universo Marvel la cosa está todavía peor, porque no se salva ni uno, pero lo que se dice ni uno. Pero vamos, que da igual, que desde hace cuarenta años la fórmula es idéntica, cansina y artísticamente paupérrima. Sin embargo, al menos, en esta serie veo dos ventajas: 1) como he dicho, no nos intentan vender la moto, desde el principio se sabe hacia dónde va la cosa (Superman contra Darkseid, vamos que el misterio...) y 2) el último número remonta de una manera impresionante (tampoco es que fuera muy difícil, vistos los cuatro anteriores, y también la mayoría de los tie-ins). Y es que el Superman que se nos propone en este final nos recuerda mucho al de Morrison (el de All-Star y el de Final Crisis): un icono de potencial ilimitado y un símbolo de la maravilla y la esperanza. En eso, los plumillas de turno dan en el clavo, y logran dotar de emoción —aunque sea tarde y apresuradamente— a un artefacto sin alma únicamente concebido para vender cómics. Por eso, se merece la segunda estrella.
Por cierto, apuesto a que en menos de un año arreglan todo el absurdo desaguisado que se han montado con Doomsday y el Trampero Temporal. Chapucero no, lo siguiente...
Pues eso, que no puedo quejarme. Odio los eventos porque son una porquería. De acuerdo, salvamos la primera Crisis, Legends tal vez, y pare usted de contar. En el Universo Marvel la cosa está todavía peor, porque no se salva ni uno, pero lo que se dice ni uno. Pero vamos, que da igual, que desde hace cuarenta años la fórmula es idéntica, cansina y artísticamente paupérrima. Sin embargo, al menos, en esta serie veo dos ventajas: 1) como he dicho, no nos intentan vender la moto, desde el principio se sabe hacia dónde va la cosa (Superman contra Darkseid, vamos que el misterio...) y 2) el último número remonta de una manera impresionante (tampoco es que fuera muy difícil, vistos los cuatro anteriores, y también la mayoría de los tie-ins). Y es que el Superman que se nos propone en este final nos recuerda mucho al de Morrison (el de All-Star y el de Final Crisis): un icono de potencial ilimitado y un símbolo de la maravilla y la esperanza. En eso, los plumillas de turno dan en el clavo, y logran dotar de emoción —aunque sea tarde y apresuradamente— a un artefacto sin alma únicamente concebido para vender cómics. Por eso, se merece la segunda estrella.
Por cierto, apuesto a que en menos de un año arreglan todo el absurdo desaguisado que se han montado con Doomsday y el Trampero Temporal. Chapucero no, lo siguiente...
Review of advance copy
This one was so fun honestly!
I liked how it started with like a crisis of cosmic levels as usuals with Darkseid invasing and all that and our heroes needing to gather omega energy to beat him and they have to conduct like sparring rounds like wwe contest or something and it gets wild with every issue and reading the tie-ins specially Superman series which ties-in so well and love all the characters and the dynamic between them!
I loved it overall like Superman realizing he needs to be brutal and like Darkseid which is so unlike him yet he never loses hope and love how it all came together! Superman vs so many heroes and villains like Captain atom and Guy gardner which were amazing and then like getting shazam powers and even cap powers and his whole rivalry with Luthor was so cool loved it actually!
And Darkseid is a beast and like that issue with absolute characters was so awesome adn the fight and the team up between the two trinities was cool too and yep the last issue kinda became weird where its like too much of .. yeah.. idk i didn't like it.. like it felt very similar to the ending of DN Metal but yeah overall it ends with hope and Superman doesn't lose who he is despite the situation which is strong characterization and as far as endings go it wasn't bad..
but yeah Darkseid will return again but now time for DC Next level!
Overall I enjoyed the event and how hyped I was reading it every month and the conversation around it and it had so many fun tie-ins and like one of their best event anyways!
I liked how it started with like a crisis of cosmic levels as usuals with Darkseid invasing and all that and our heroes needing to gather omega energy to beat him and they have to conduct like sparring rounds like wwe contest or something and it gets wild with every issue and reading the tie-ins specially Superman series which ties-in so well and love all the characters and the dynamic between them!
I loved it overall like Superman realizing he needs to be brutal and like Darkseid which is so unlike him yet he never loses hope and love how it all came together! Superman vs so many heroes and villains like Captain atom and Guy gardner which were amazing and then like getting shazam powers and even cap powers and his whole rivalry with Luthor was so cool loved it actually!
And Darkseid is a beast and like that issue with absolute characters was so awesome adn the fight and the team up between the two trinities was cool too and yep the last issue kinda became weird where its like too much of .. yeah.. idk i didn't like it.. like it felt very similar to the ending of DN Metal but yeah overall it ends with hope and Superman doesn't lose who he is despite the situation which is strong characterization and as far as endings go it wasn't bad..
but yeah Darkseid will return again but now time for DC Next level!
Overall I enjoyed the event and how hyped I was reading it every month and the conversation around it and it had so many fun tie-ins and like one of their best event anyways!
August 6, 2026
DC KO is very good at doing what it says it's going to do. It's a story about a superhero fight tournament with the fate of the multiverse at stake, and it has superheroes fighting each other, with the fate of the multiverse at stake. I don't think that's anything to rag on it for - it knew what it wanted to be, and the writers made sure that that was what it was.
There are, of course, twists and turns and a few unexpected surprises, but by and large, it does what it says on the tin. It's not trying to be the next Infinite Crisis or Dark Knights: Metal or something and rewrite all the rules. There's something to be said about constant multiversal level threats over and over again getting stale, but that's more of a DC directional thing and not this book's fault either.
So this is fun. People punch each other, there's a big emotional payout at the end, and Darkseid continues to loom in the background as the Next Big Threat (despite being The Last Big Threat too). Mindless fun overall.
What I will take umbrage with is how DC have chosen to collect this. This volume has the main DC KO #1-5 issues, but there's so much going on between the pages that's basically essential reading, like the All-Fight month specials, and even the Boss Battle one-shot, which are collected elsewhere.
So yes, I would recommend reading this. Just maybe wait for an omnibus or something with all the important parts!
There are, of course, twists and turns and a few unexpected surprises, but by and large, it does what it says on the tin. It's not trying to be the next Infinite Crisis or Dark Knights: Metal or something and rewrite all the rules. There's something to be said about constant multiversal level threats over and over again getting stale, but that's more of a DC directional thing and not this book's fault either.
So this is fun. People punch each other, there's a big emotional payout at the end, and Darkseid continues to loom in the background as the Next Big Threat (despite being The Last Big Threat too). Mindless fun overall.
What I will take umbrage with is how DC have chosen to collect this. This volume has the main DC KO #1-5 issues, but there's so much going on between the pages that's basically essential reading, like the All-Fight month specials, and even the Boss Battle one-shot, which are collected elsewhere.
So yes, I would recommend reading this. Just maybe wait for an omnibus or something with all the important parts!
August 27, 2026
This frustrated me a lot, especially with all of the bullshit pulled just to keep Joker in the game for as long as was. I also disliked how inconsequential the appearance of both the absolute trinity and bruce was in issue four. I understand the absolute universe's appearance in this event given that it's centered around Darkseid, but having them fight for what- 3 pages? - made no sense to me. Just felt like a waste of time that served no plot points just to drive sales (batman and absolute batman fight in this issue!!! blah blah blah). I also wish that bruce post knightfight got a bit more action besides just taking the joker out as it does render everything he goes through in knightfight less consequential. Honestly my main critique of this entire book is that it's painfully obvious what parts (and characters) were kept in to drive sales at the detriment of the overall flow and plot which I honestly despise. Forgive me for expecting editorial to prioritize good writing over spectacle and hype moments i suppose...
Despite all of this, the book did stick the ending for me. I've seen it be criticized for being a bit corny, but honestly I do like it when Clark is a bit of a corny loser, and I felt the ending was very true to his character. It is very hard to rate this book just because there's so much extra content from outside this book that contextualizes it, but I think it ended of being very unemphatically okay for me.
Despite all of this, the book did stick the ending for me. I've seen it be criticized for being a bit corny, but honestly I do like it when Clark is a bit of a corny loser, and I felt the ending was very true to his character. It is very hard to rate this book just because there's so much extra content from outside this book that contextualizes it, but I think it ended of being very unemphatically okay for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 4, 2026Now, I don't really consider myself a superhero comics reader anymore, although from time to time I'll check in on Batman and I can't say I haven't been at least amused by the Absolute books, so I thought I'd check in and see what there was to see with DC's latest big event book. Long story short, I could have skipped it. Some of the art here is cool and the panel layouts go cosmic for broke, but ultimately it's an MCU movie in miniature and that movie is Ant-Man: Quantumania, a fate of the world clusterfuck that really just bides time for the next big event: Crisis on Absolute Earths! Boooooo.... Everything else is just kind of predictable or happening outside the limits of these five issues in books that I'm unlikely to care about enough to seek out (it is funny they skip a whole round of the tournament and pawn it off to an editorial footnote to read the solo books). I’m also fairly certain there’s a huge and glaring typo in Big Red Letters on a splash page towards the end - not sure how that one slipped by when any trade is by nature a second (or third or more) printing. Curiosity satisfied, I'll stick to the Absolutes and everything else outside the realm of superheroes.
September 23, 2026
"Above all, let it be DARING, and take us to the NEXT LEVEL and BEYOND. THAT'S how we all win."
A fun little event, that I probably would have enjoyed more had I read all the tie-ins (but honestly, I could have liked it even less, let's be honest) but enjoyed all the same. A tournament to crown a new King Omega, with Darkseid the big bad, as it honestly should be. As a die-hard Snyder fan, I enjoyed (I do know Joshua Williamson also is included, least I forget to mention him), but have enjoyed his still character stories (i.e. Batman) more than his team-up things (have yet to read his JUSTICE LEAGUE run but absolutely on my massive backlog).
It's a fun time that, honestly, if you only read the core five issues, I think you'll enjoy it all the same. Not the greatest things, and I will admit I bought into the hype before it was even released, but not something I think I'll be so eager to dive back into.
The collected edition (Kindle edition, at least), collects the core five issues and some bonus material of variant covers. Honestly, all pretty much the stuff you expect for a graphic novel of today.
A fun little event, that I probably would have enjoyed more had I read all the tie-ins (but honestly, I could have liked it even less, let's be honest) but enjoyed all the same. A tournament to crown a new King Omega, with Darkseid the big bad, as it honestly should be. As a die-hard Snyder fan, I enjoyed (I do know Joshua Williamson also is included, least I forget to mention him), but have enjoyed his still character stories (i.e. Batman) more than his team-up things (have yet to read his JUSTICE LEAGUE run but absolutely on my massive backlog).
It's a fun time that, honestly, if you only read the core five issues, I think you'll enjoy it all the same. Not the greatest things, and I will admit I bought into the hype before it was even released, but not something I think I'll be so eager to dive back into.
The collected edition (Kindle edition, at least), collects the core five issues and some bonus material of variant covers. Honestly, all pretty much the stuff you expect for a graphic novel of today.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
What a complete and utter let down. How they managed to make such an action oriented premise so hollow and devoid of fighting is beyond me. DC are seemingly incapable of making an event that can be followed solely by reading the core issues, and that's on full display here. Most of the actual one-on-one fights that are promised are given to the tie-in issues, and what you get here falls flat until the very end that is saved solely by the snippets of multiversal crossover. Why are there even brackets for the tournament if everyone is just going to box whoever they come across first? What's collected here are 5 core issues in a 43 issue long event, and these 5 simply aren't enough to tell a story on its own. I was going to give this a two star rating, but after multiple instances of being burned by DC's practices when it comes to crossover event storytelling and packaging it in TPBs for a wider audience, I am tired.
August 12, 2026
Carried by the art but much like Dark Knights: Metal this one got super corny 🌽
The scenes with Clark playing the board game with Diana, Bruce, and Louis were a highlight for me; however, the rest of the story was bogged down by awful dialogue and contrived plot devices. Etrigan the Demon made an appearance and when you write Etrigan dialogue it should be in verse and it should be clever and in this book his dialogue felt phoned in and lame and most of the characters in this story feel like caricatures of themselves.
The art is brilliant and the themes were stronger than Dark Knights: Metal but I think this may be my last Scott Snyder helmed event comic. The man is obviously talented and he can draw a crowd with his writing; however, his events just may not be to my taste.
Knightfight by Joshua Williamson was really fun with great art by Dan Mora!!!
The scenes with Clark playing the board game with Diana, Bruce, and Louis were a highlight for me; however, the rest of the story was bogged down by awful dialogue and contrived plot devices. Etrigan the Demon made an appearance and when you write Etrigan dialogue it should be in verse and it should be clever and in this book his dialogue felt phoned in and lame and most of the characters in this story feel like caricatures of themselves.
The art is brilliant and the themes were stronger than Dark Knights: Metal but I think this may be my last Scott Snyder helmed event comic. The man is obviously talented and he can draw a crowd with his writing; however, his events just may not be to my taste.
Knightfight by Joshua Williamson was really fun with great art by Dan Mora!!!
September 9, 2026
I really enjoyed DC K.O. I think that the hype leading up to it was great; I think that the premise is awesome, and I think that the idea of clashing our favourite characters together is something no one is opposed to.
The plot is good; we get a grand event that is explained well, and we are constantly reminded of the seriousness and stakes of what is happening. I really enjoyed the battles; the action was great, and the first few issues, where every character was originally fighting, were extremely exciting.
To top it all off, the art is gorgeous, every scene is beautiful, and you could tell that this event was handled with quality. I am not the biggest fan of the ending and how they handled the resolution to Darkseid, but it's clear that they did it to set up future plotlines (naturally).
The plot is good; we get a grand event that is explained well, and we are constantly reminded of the seriousness and stakes of what is happening. I really enjoyed the battles; the action was great, and the first few issues, where every character was originally fighting, were extremely exciting.
To top it all off, the art is gorgeous, every scene is beautiful, and you could tell that this event was handled with quality. I am not the biggest fan of the ending and how they handled the resolution to Darkseid, but it's clear that they did it to set up future plotlines (naturally).
September 2, 2026
A DC Comics event full of the usual offenders.
✔️Convoluted story involving crashing realities and absurd cosmic power scaling
✔️ The appearance of really niche characters for the sake of having cannon fodder
✔️ Having to read at least ten other tie-in comics to somewhat follow the story
✔️Concludes by teasing another big event(so it never really ends)
Literally read this for the Absolute Trinity(which only appears for like an issue and a half and does nothing to advance the story) and cuz I thought the fights with the characters from other franchises would have a bigger impact. I'm boo boo the fool.
✔️Convoluted story involving crashing realities and absurd cosmic power scaling
✔️ The appearance of really niche characters for the sake of having cannon fodder
✔️ Having to read at least ten other tie-in comics to somewhat follow the story
✔️Concludes by teasing another big event(so it never really ends)
Literally read this for the Absolute Trinity(which only appears for like an issue and a half and does nothing to advance the story) and cuz I thought the fights with the characters from other franchises would have a bigger impact. I'm boo boo the fool.
Review of advance copy
Fairly average superhero event. Some fun moments but I never believed there were many stakes to all the fighting. None of the outcomes were particularly novel, the characters I expected to be around at the battle royale generally were. I'm exceedingly tired of Darkseid as the uber villain at this point. I have no idea what his motivations are other than he is evil. Please give him a break. Clearly they won't since he's so involved in the absolute universe, but one can dream. Read this in issues.
August 22, 2026
Shockingly, this was better than it had any right to be. That was in part thanks to absolutely gorgeous art, and in part thanks to a fun narration style, supported by great lettering.
But Snyder also made sure it wasn't just a single-elimination tourney. His five rounds all felt very different and were a lot of fun.
Not deep, but there is a surprisingly deep look into Kal's character.
Overall, a quick, fun read and I actually have some interest in the side-stories, which I did not expect.
But Snyder also made sure it wasn't just a single-elimination tourney. His five rounds all felt very different and were a lot of fun.
Not deep, but there is a surprisingly deep look into Kal's character.
Overall, a quick, fun read and I actually have some interest in the side-stories, which I did not expect.
August 31, 2026
Really ? It is the best DC can do ? I was never impressed by Snyder's work (I enjoy Absolute Batman tho), but he reached a new low with this.
As always, he ends where he should have begun: the interesting part where Superman makes a stand and the (maybe ? It was confused) Omega/Alpha thing.
The art is also weak.
So: you can pass because it is not even fun to read and it will have exactly no consequences on what you are currently reading (the Absolute Universe having no need for an explanation in the grand scheme of things).
As always, he ends where he should have begun: the interesting part where Superman makes a stand and the (maybe ? It was confused) Omega/Alpha thing.
The art is also weak.
So: you can pass because it is not even fun to read and it will have exactly no consequences on what you are currently reading (the Absolute Universe having no need for an explanation in the grand scheme of things).
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Meh. Kept up with the monthly issues, which is much more than I can say for most comics, but this kinda fell flat for me. Mindless fun that ultimately ends up doing barely anything for the status quo. I won’t put spoilers since the story hasn’t been published in a trade yet, but this wasn’t much to me. Didn’t love the art as much as everyone else either. Haven’t read the tie-ins, but haven’t heard much about them.
March 28, 2026
This is not a long saga but the start of something else. The storytelling by itself is a bit weak as we have seen this kind of arc before, however, the fights between characters and sometimes between allies are the most intense and interesting. As always Superman becomes the main event here, which makes the other characters arcs weak and sidelined. Graphic design could also be better but overall very good.
Read
August 8, 2026This was not going to be profound, but I was hoping it would be fun. It is neither. The premise of this book should’ve facilitated insane visuals, team ups and never before seen character dynamics. With a conceit that opened up this comic to be anything at all, it still felt narrowly confined to boring things we’ve seen before. I’ll return to avoiding DC event series and enjoy these as they’re best experienced. As YouTube shorts.
Review of advance copy
4.25
Solid and interesting story. Not blown away amazing. But pretty fun, including some existential philosophizing.
It connects to a lot of other stories in meaningful ways and will have future implications.
Managed to be both a big story and a character study at the same time.
Also kind of silly, in the way good comic stories can be.
Solid and interesting story. Not blown away amazing. But pretty fun, including some existential philosophizing.
It connects to a lot of other stories in meaningful ways and will have future implications.
Managed to be both a big story and a character study at the same time.
Also kind of silly, in the way good comic stories can be.
Review of advance copy
Fun but not breathtaking comic, and that's totally ok!! The art was absolute GORGEOUS and worth reading just for that, and there were a lot of cool moments in the story that hold it up enough for me (as someone who really wants to stay connected to this current era of DC comics) and of course, I love crazy crossovers :)
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