“Darkseid is” inevitable. The dark lord of Apokolips has found new success. He has created his own universe in which he rules. His thirst for power hasn’t been quenched. The home of the DCU is next on his list to conquer. In the past, he has always been stopped. This time feels different. With more power flowing through him, the goal is within reach.
Darkseid’s threat is so grave that is has formed a Quantum Quorum in hopes to stop him. Their solution will challenge both hero and villain in new ways. A champion must be found via combat to step up and fight. Who will it be?
DC K.O. #1 by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Xermánico, Javier Fernández, Alejandro Sánchez & Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou kicks off an ambitious new storyline. *** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
LET’S TALK STORY!
MEGAN: If you think you know what’s going to happen in DC K.O. #1 or you think you’ve got it figured out, I can promise you don’t. You would think it’s just a straightforward battle of the bests, but absolutely not.
There are secrets inside secrets in the battle, rules being broken behind the scenes, and someone isn’t playing this game fairly. With your favorite heroes battling it out to save the universe, we all have some skin in the game with who we want to see win.
However, once you start seeing Superman have doubts and show his anxiousness, that’s when you realize something big is coming. No one other than Scott Snyder could bring us something this wild, this explosive.
MATT: We thought this was going to be a straightforward tournament, but I should have known better, as Scott has some tricks up his sleeve that took me by surprise. I enjoy the concept that everyone knows they have to fight one another and that ultimately it is to save the planet. However, I wasn’t ready for Darkseid to be amongst them and unleash holy hell. Scott truly does an incredible job setting up a futile and hopeless landscape for everyone involved. This feels like a gigantic no win scenario. Did my eyes deceive me or is there something ABSOLUTE also coming..
KEN: Leave it to Scott Snyder to craft such a wild concept. Opening the story with a board game among friends eases readers into the book. It doesn’t take long for the action to pick up. A new and deadlier Darkseid has arrived. His devastation is endless. Multiple heroes are taken down in combat. This leads to the real truth to come to light. The Quorum has presented their case of what’s to come.
Readers watch as the proposed solution is a gamble to say the least. The writing shows the extreme lengths in question. After seeing how Darkseid has risen to his new level, it casts doubts of all hope. This moves into breaking down the possible answer. Snyder shows the difficult build toward the imposed deadline. Scenes vary from forging attacks to saying goodbye.
This results in a chaotic close. There’s plenty of action to flood the pages. In its wake is the opening stages of the fight for the crown. The close teases much before dropping a major bombshell. After finishing reading this, there’s no question that readers have walked into a true event.
HOW ABOUT ART AND LETTERING?
MEGAN: Let me just warn you, there are some panels in DC K.O. #1 that will make it extremely hard to flip the page. I had trouble taking my eyes off of a lot of panels, all thanks to Javier Fernández & Alejandro Sánchez. You get a really good idea how impressive their work is by the first time you see the ultimate threat of the story, and it just never stops growing in quality from there. All gas and no breaks.
MATT: There are scenes in this book that will truly take your breath away, such as what Fernandez and Sanchez do when they showcase Superman ready to fight Lex and the villains near the end of the book. They kick off their detailed and breathtaking art immediately, showing Darkseid laying waste to the world in a way we’ve never seen before. It sets the stage for what we can expect to come. The artworks just as well in the closing pages they take us on a journey teasing that there are characters yet to be seen in a montage for the ages.
KEN: Fernández & Sánchez open up with Superman ready for a fight. It is a brief but effective pace setter. Even as the “game night” teases a calm, it isn’t permanent. The two page spreads of Darkseid laying waste to Earth is huge! The art shows how global his attack truly is. Laying waste to the heroes in beginning raises his threat levels. This quickly wraps up as the Quorum takes stage. In this moment, a full page brings Darksied’s rise to the forefront.
The weight of the possible solution is not an easy one to carry. Superman’s expressions scream the deadly cost at hand. Batman’s calm sense gives way to an emotional onslaught. This carries into the previously mentioned splashes. The “end of days” feel shines in these pages. This gives off a bittersweet aura as the heroes prepare for combat.
The next pages are all action as the heroes attempt to go on offense. Readers watch as the chaos takes hold of all involved. This results in a shocking turn of events. There is also a few shocking moments as to who’s eluded to join the party. As great as these scenes are, the final panel takes it home. It is a subtle one but packs quite a goodbye punch. No better way to end an event like this.
OVERALL GRADE: 9.5/10
MEGAN: 9.7/10. I really had no idea what to expect going in, but I came out the other side with my mind blown and my eyes stuck wide.
MATT: 9.5. The highly anticipated K.O. event is finally here, and it does not disappoint. What we thought would be a straightforward tournament is going to be anything but in a true fight for the fate of the universe. Nobody could have prepared us for this event, and I cannot wait to see it unfold.
KEN: 9.5. Desperate times call for extreme measures as the DCU’s fate hinges on trail by combat. The script maintains a high tempo during the non-stop drama. Readers are gifted a strong visual experience via the art. This issue goes for the knockout early and often. Brace for what’s coming!
Let us know your thoughts on DC K.O. in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
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