DC Comics’ current event, DC KO, has been promoted as more than a tournament to decide who the best fighters in DC Comics are. The little-known part is that it will also determine the fate of the multiverse.
After Darkseid’s disappearance (in DC All In Special, his influence was felt across the multiverse. Among them was the energy from his "death" creating the Absolute Universe. Readers didn’t know the other effects until recent comics like Joshua Williamson’s Superman and Justice League: The Omega Act Special. That’s where it’s learned that the former Lord of Apokalips has corrupted heroes like the League of Heroes. In DC KO, writers Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder show that things are worse than we knew.
DC KO creative team:
- Writers Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder
- Artist:: Xermánico and Javier Fernández
- Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez
At the start of the issue, Booster Gold, Time-Trapper (formerly Doomsday), the World Forger, and Grodd explain the severity of the situation. In one Week, Darkseid would come to their world, and his influence over everything would be absolute. As Superman describes it from experiencing the future, Kal-El said he could feel every heartbeat beating exactly like Darkseid’s. That’s something the Justice League can’t abide by. So, they come up with a plan.
At the center of the Earth, there's a heart growing, and it's full of Omega Energy. They want to use that energy to become King Omega and fight their enemy to protect the universe. The problem is, they can’t just pick someone. Once they confront the heart, a tournament will begin to determine who will be the king and have the ability to do whatever they want with the universe.
The first thing the heroes do is attempt to take the villains off the board. That doesn’t work. Somehow, Giganta, Lex Luthor, Starro, Cheetah, King Shark, and The Joker find their way there. As if that’s not bad enough, The Joker kills Batman. Now, one of the greatest heroes, and one of the few that can do what needs to be done to win, is off the board.
This is where things get funny. Before DC KO was released, the bracket and the fighters were announced. This issue ends with a major shakeup. The Joker has taken Batman’s place in the tournament. And while it’s doubtful he’ll win, he’s going to cause plenty of havoc. Especially after the beings in running the tournament explained that this won’t be a one-on-one fight. That means chaos, and who’s more chaotic than the Clown Prince of Crime?
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