It’s an absolute showdown as the heroes from the all-new DC Absolute universe have come for the penultimate battle in Darkseid’s tournament. The end is here as the King Omega moves his chess pieces into the final position, with our heroes having but one final gasping chance to win. Today we crown our last man standing!
Creative Team: Scott Snyder (WRITER), Joshua Williamson (BACKUP WRITER), Javi Fernandez (ARTIST and COVER), Xermanico (BACKUP ARTIST), Alejandro Sanchez (COLORS and COVER), and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (LETTERS).
This is a joint review by Matt from the Hops “Geek” News podcast and Megan from the Vigilante Vibes Podcast
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
The Story:
Megan: DC K.O. continues to be a thrilling roller coaster ride full of surprising twists you don’t see coming. In DC K.O. #4, the battle between the contestants and the Absolute Universe has officially taken off, and our heroes realize what’s off about the Absolute characters. They’re 100% Darkseid DNA all the way down to a singular atom. This changes things for most of the remaining contestants, except one. Joker decides to switch sides, which is unsurprising. Fortunately a former contestant joins the fight, evening the odds.
So much happens in this fourth issue, it’s hard to believe it all fit into one comic. Identities are revealed, hope is lost, hope is regained, the winner of the tournament was chosen, and we find out that simply winning the tournament was never that simple. DC K.O. #4 does a fantastic job at showing the true stakes of the tournament, and showing how far Darkseid is willing to take this, and even shows what chaos we’re in for next in the wild event of DC K.O.
Matt: There are so many twists and turns to this story that Scott and Joshua have yet to unveil. Every single time I begin to think that this is the end, they can’t possibly pull something else off, I am proven wrong. Joker, of course, decides to switch sides and join Darkseid in this fight, which I didn’t mind at all. Especially when Batman makes his grand return, which finally sees him kill Joker. When we flash back to game night, of course, Batman knows how to manipulate the dice to always roll just right in his favor. This feels very tongue-in-cheek and perhaps the last moment of joy this tournament brings us.
As Darkseid returns in a very grotesque manner, we are left with one last major surprise: Lex Luthor somehow becomes the final man standing set to face off against Darkseid. It feels as though we are watching our two least favorite teams square off in the Super Bowl, it builds massive amounts of anticipation for issue 5.
The Art and Letters:
Megan: The only thing more thrilling than the story is the artwork, which was hands down the best it’s been in this run. Javi Fernandez, Xermanico, Alejandro Sanchez, bring so much heat to the pages of DC K.O. #4, with their use of pristine drawings, excellent detailing, and eyebrow-raising color sets that make the characters practically pop off the page. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, who handles the lettering, gives so much depth to the dialogue, that you can feel the pure power in the words of Darkseid.
Matt: Speaking of Omega energy, this issue is full of it as Javi, Alejandro, and Xermanico all pack an insanely powerful punch to every single panel. The panel where we see Darkseid climbing out of Booster Gold’s mouth is so uncomfortable, and we cannot look away because the detail and the ability to capture the size of Darkseid as he comes out are impressive. The array of colors in the final pages is, though a spotlight has been turned on as we near the finale. I want to shout out the way the Absolute heroes are drawn in this issue as well. There is a panel where Diana has a split face of herself and Pegasus, which is detailed so well. The way they bring a darkness to these heroes we have learned to love in their respective universes blew my mind.
Final Thoughts:
Megan: 10/10. So much happens within the pages of DC K.O. #4! Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson up the stakes and brings even more excitement to event.
Matt: 10/10. DC K.O. #4 is the perfect penultimate issue as we near the end of the tournament. There is an insanely amazing amount of detail in the artwork, with twists and turns throughout every single page. I’m ready to see how this ends as they’ve built up the anticipation to perfection.
Overall Grade – 10/10
How does this all end? Let us know below!
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