DC KO No. 2 somehow had to be as good, if not better, than issue No. 1. After Batman being taken off the board by The Joker, the Legion of Doom coming in as a team (for now), and Booster Gold not seeming like himself (more on that later), that was a tall order.
Thankfully, the creative team on this series was not only up to the challenge, but they also succeeded in making this another banger.
DC KO No. 2 creative team
- Writers: Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson
- Artists: Javier Fernández and Xermánico
- Colors: Alejandro Sánchez
The rules in round two were simple. There were 16 items in the arena, and the only way to win was to be one of the fighters left holding one of them. Unfortunately, there were 32 competitors. That meant half of the characters would be eliminated.
As Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson said before the event began, this series wouldn’t be a tournament about who’s the best fighter. This was going to come down to strategies and personalities. This would leave a character’s fighting prowess and power levels protected by making the rules about more than punches, kicks, and laser eyes. Which is another reason why removing Batman in the premiere was genius. He doesn’t have superpowers, but there isn’t a strategist better than him. That’s confirmed by his backup plan in case he was eliminated.
Here are the people moving on to the next round in the DC KO tournament.
Great moments
- Wonder Woman uses Thor’s hammer to defeat Starro.
- Lex Luthor almost kills Superman.
- Joker kills Barda by using Captain Atom’s belt to shrink and go into her brain.
- Lex Luthor uses the Black Power ring to control dead gods.
- Superman uses Darkseid’s powers.
- Lobo uses Venom.
Darkseid is... who?
At the end of DC KO No. 1, Booster Gold, Timekeeper (a.k.a. Doomsday), Grodd, and Alpheus (World Forger) are keeping time slowed so that the heroes can become strong enough to defeat Darkseid. But in the last panel, you can see Darkseid’s Omega Symbols in Booster Gold’s eyes. Many assumed that this meant that Darkseid was controlling Booster, but there was no confirmation. At least not until the most recent issue of DC KO.
On the last page of DC KO No. 2, Darkseid grabs Timekeeper by the throat, announces that he is controlling Booster and entering the tournament. This will certainly make things more difficult for everyone, but it also leads me to believe that Booster is the person to bet on.
Having Booster fight back against Darkseid’s control and set reality straight would be a major win for the time traveler. Plus, since he was the first person to see what Darkseid did after the DC All-In Special, it would make sense for him to be the one who stops him. Booster also understands that things should be put back to normal without anyone's interference or biases. This matches his personality and keeps the DC Comics Universe moving as it should.
WINNERS!
- Jay Garrick: It makes sense because he’s one of the best and has been doing this the longest.
- Joker: Of course, he survived. Having him beat Batman to lose in the next round would be foolish.
- Etrigan: This is great because his eventual loss should come from someone who needs the win.
- Superman: Well, duh, he's Superman, and he is probably going to be one of the last ones standing.
- Hawkman: It’s doubtful anyone truly cares. He won’t last much longer.
- Lobo: Just like Etrigan, he’s gonna lose to someone or during a moment that matters. At the very least, it will be funny.
- Zatanna: Zatanna not losing here was surprising after seeing how close she was to getting defeated in this issue. The question now is how far she can really go.
- Guy Garnder: It took three tries, but he survived. However, he won’t last much longer.
- Lex Luthor: Luthor is back to being a villain, and it’s great. Not because it feels right, but it looks like he’s becoming more aggressive.
- Harley Quinn: Harley is loved by most, so her advancement isn’t shocking. I see her staying around past the next round after beating the next person on the list.
- Red Hood: Red Hood making it to round two is shocking. As a major fan, here’s hoping he makes it to round three, because we know he isn’t winning it all.
- Aquaman: Aquaman becoming a god was mentioned, and it should have been. It’s a reminder that he’s not the old Arthur Curry who was looked at as a joke. That’s why his winning was a must. Losing takes away from the current storyline.
- Wonder Woman: Seeing Diana with Thor’s hammer was a heck of a moment. It’s something we’ll hopefully see again. Does this end with Superman vs. Wonder Woman vs. Batman (we know he’ll be back)?
- Captain Atom: Honestly, he’s bait for Superman, Wonder Woman, or Lex Luthor. I expect him to defeat Lobo.
- Swamp Thing: A lot of people think Swamp Thing can win this. Depending on how people react to him, his time here could lead to a future solo series.
- Cyborg: He wasn’t in DC KO No. 2 much, but how he survived makes sense for his character. We’ll see how long the only Titan in this tournament will last.
Losers: Black Lightning, Power Girl, Supergirl, Damian Wayne, Batwoman, Plastic Man, Metamorpho, King Shark, Cheetah, Carol Ferris (Star Sapphire), Connor Hawke, Giganta, Starro, Vixen, Firestorm, and Barda.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow’s social media pages on Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more DC comic book, TV, and movie news, opinions, and rumors as they come out.