DC K.O. is the latest crisis event that builds on Justice League Unlimited’s “We Are Yesterday” storyline, and sets up an epic finale for DC’s All-In era. Not only is this the event that will finally introduce Earth-0’s heroes to their Absolute Universe counterparts, but it’s even setting up the groundwork for DC Next Level, which aims to capitalize on the Absolute line’s success. With DC K.O. #3 being the middle issue, Scott Snyder and Javier Fernández start delivering on those promises, but not before having a tiny bit of fun before the big moment everyone’s been waiting for.
In the aftermath of December’s All Fight Month, the number of heroes and villains still in the ring for the King Omega crown has been significantly reduced. For the third round of DC K.O., the surviving combatants consist of Superman and Wonder Woman, Joker and Lex Luthor, Aquaman and Zatanna, Cyborg and Guy Gardner. But rather than reduce their numbers further by simply fighting each other to the death, the Heart of Apokolips allows each surviving combatant to choose a fallen champion to fight alongside them to increase their chances of winning.
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Whom these surviving combatants end up choosing is the heart of DC K.O. #3, with some choices more easily predictable than others. For instance, fans are unlikely to be surprised by Zatanna choosing John Constantine as her fighting partner, or Guy Gardner choosing another fellow Green Lantern like Hal Jordan to give him his winning chance. The real surprises are who the villains end up choosing as their fighting partners, like Lex Luthor choosing Supergirl, and the Joker choosing a certain foe from another dimension with a similar penchant for “jokes.”
Though Snyder and Fernández still make Superman’s journey the focus of the story, and the choices he’s willing to make to save the world and people he loves, it is actually the villains who steal the issue. It’s also not hard to see why. For instance, no one is going to be surprised by Superman being inspired by Lois Lane’s wisdom to “be Superman” to guide him through every challenge. What fans will be surprised about is how Lex and Joker plan to cheat the third round, which informs who they choose as their partners. This not only makes for a fun spectacle, but it showcases their talent for meticulous planning on Batman’s level.
Of the two villains, Joker’s plan is more outlandish, which is perfectly captured by Fernández’s chaotic panel layouts and fast-paced action sequences. The Joker sequences are also where Snyder’s writing shines the most. Apart from Snyder having a strong grasp on the Joker’s voice, with Fernández succeeding in capturing his trollish behavior, the way this creative dynamic duo depicts Joker messing with Constantine and Zatanna is both unexpected and brilliant.
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With both Justice League Dark heroes being prominent magic users, it makes sense for Joker to use this strength against them. But this is also where Snyder chooses to mess with readers a little (in a good way) by seemingly bringing back one of his most polarizing creations: The Batman Who Laughs. As if anticipating the sounds of fans bemoaning the return of this Dark Multiverse Batman as a deus ex machina (as expressed by Constantine), Snyder pulls the rug from under everyone. The true ace up Joker’s sleeve is a certain Superman foe that the Clown Prince of Crime would never think to team up with outside of DC’s Silver Age.
On the subject of Superman foes, Lex Luthor has an equally bizarre plan for securing his survival for the fourth round, and it actually works. In this case, Lex chooses to weaponize two of Supergirl’s greatest weaknesses (red kryptonite and her unrelenting hatred of Lex) to give himself the upper hand. The way Fernández executes this in the artwork results in some of the funniest panels DC K.O. #3 has to offer in an issue full of hilarious moments like these.
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Of course, the big prize at the end of this third issue for fans is the formal introduction of the Absolute Universe heroes to the King Omega contest. Luckily, fans don’t have to already be familiar with the storylines taking place in the Absolute Universe to be able to follow these heroes in the DC K.O. event. Likewise, Absolute DC fans don’t need to pick up DC K.O. to be able to follow the storylines happening in this line of comics. The way Snyder and Fernández setup their introduction is pretty divorced from every major storyline happening between these two Earths, effectively keeping the K.O. event self-contained.
On the whole, DC K.O. #3 is a pleasant read that sets up an exciting finale, and starts setting up the premise of DC Next Level. The only drawback is that fans will have to read the All Fight Month one-shots from December to find out what happened to the other characters that were featured in the previous issues. But other than that, DC K.O. #3 is a pretty straightforward read.
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