In this review of DC KO: Boss Battle #1, multiple universes collide as the final four fighters prepare to face one of Darkseid’s toughest challenges – the Absolute Trinity.
DC K.O.: BOSS BATTLE #1
Written by JEREMY ADAMS
Art by CARMINE Di GIANDOMENICO, RONAN CLIQUET, KIERAN MCKEOWN, PABLO M. COLLAR, TRAVIS MERCER
Main Cover: JAMAL CAMPBELL
Variant Covers: DARICK ROBERTSON, PATRICK HORVATH, FRANK CHO, JEFF SPOKES
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: 2/4/26
This review contains spoilers
As DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 begins, the final four tournament combatants prepare to face off with Darkseid’s Absolute characters. World Forger and Gorilla Grodd are tasked with figuring out a way to make Earth’s champions stronger. World Forger calls upon Black Lightning, Plastic Man, Batwoman, and Star Sapphire to help Superman, Wonder Woman, Joker, and Lex Luthor generate Omega Energy by sending them through reality fissures to fight well-known characters from other worlds.
Black Lightning and Plastic Man get dropped into the world of Mortal Kombat to fight Sub-zero and Scorpion. Wonder Woman enters into an arena to square off with Red Sonja. Joker ends up in Annabelle’s house. Batwoman arrives at Vampirella’s castle. Star Sapphire travels to Greendale to match up with Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Lex encounters Samantha Strong. Superman drops into New York City to battle Homelander.
While the fights ensue, World Forger begins to weaken from the strain of holding the fissures open. This causes the universes to bleed into one another until things get to a point where it’s a giant royal rumble of fighters from different worlds. The battles do their job in generating Omega Energy and World Forger is able to send that energy to the final four KO contestants. In doing so, the fights between worlds end abruptly. The final four, now fueled with Omega Energy, are ready to take on Darkseid’s Absolute fighters.
Analysis
DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is one of the more “out there” entries in the DC K.O. line of titles. Writer Jeremy Adams has his hands full in crafting an issue that incorporates a wide range of characters and settings. He does a good job of bringing in the Easter eggs we’d expect from each franchise such as the “Fight!” that begins a match in Mortal Kombat or the brutality of Samantha Strong’s attacks on Lex.
My biggest complaint with DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is the lack of finality with all of the fights. Due to the nature of the story, none of the fights actually have to go the distance. I was looking forward to seeing the results for the Superman and Homelander battle. While the fight itself was fun, there was no winner, so I found it a bit frustrating. I understand the purpose of the story was to get the final four an Omega Energy power boost, but if we’re going to have these characters from different universes battle it out, let’s have some actual results.
The artwork throughout DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is solid. There are different artists tackling everything going on within these pages, so the styles are varied from start to finish. Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, and Pablo Collar all turn in attractive artwork. The coloring is handled by Hi-Fi, so there’s consistency in this area. The variety of artists makes sense given the fact that we’re dealing with a multitude of characters from different lines.
Final Thoughts
DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is an entertaining one-shot that some readers may find to be a slight letdown. Ultimately, it’s worth a read because of the character variety and fun battles. Have fun, comic lovers!
