Like most big crossover comic events, DC K.O. has grown to envelop a massive chunk of DC’s current titles. There’s the main DC K.O. title, the “All Fight Month” dedicated to the King Omega tournament’s second round, and the upcoming DC K.O. Boss Battle, bringing in characters from Mortal Kombat, The Boys and Archie into the fray. DC K.O.: Green Lantern Galactic Slam #1 takes its own unique approach, as it brings Green Lantern Kyle Rayner into a different kind of fight.
Kyle is among the heroes left on Earth who are battling a legion of Parademons in an attempt to keep the peace. During the fight, he’s tackled through a portal, winding up on a spaceship called the Hub. The Hub is home to wrestlers who participate in W.A.M. (Wrestling Across The Multiverse), including reigning champion, Omega Bam Man. With his Green Lantern ring low on juice and trapped on a ship that’s actively hostile to Green Lanterns, Kyle must join forces with Omega Bam Man to find a way back to Earth.
Throughout DC K.O.: Green Lantern Galactic Slam #1, the creative team of Jeremy Adams, Cian Tormey, and Pat Boutin makes sure that Omega Bam Man is the standout. It’s not hard to see why: he’s the champion of a massive intergalactic wrestling ring. He comes up with plenty of nicknames for Kyle, including the surprisingly charming “Bro Bro”. His origin story, given anime-esque flair by Boutin, has Rocky vibes that set up the one-shot’s biggest plot twist, which ties into the events of DC K.O.
This leaves Kyle as mostly a side character, which feels like a bit of a bummer given that this is called Green Lantern Galactic Slam. From the covers and the titles, I was expecting him to participate in a few matches or fight against a surprise supervillain. While Kyle does eventually participate in a wrestling match, it’s more of a joke – especially as he’s sporting an absolutely ridiculous costume – and it amounts to setting up future storylines in the mainstream Green Lantern book, which Adams is currently writing. Here’s hoping those storylines give Kyle more of the focus than this one-shot does.
DC
Despite a minimum of Green Lantern action, Galactic Slam is chock full of wrestling action. Tormey draws everything from body slams to earth-shaking punches to submission holds, and it looks like he had a blast while doing it. The traditional superhero action also pops, especially a moment where Kyle goes into his White Lantern state to hold off a wave of Parademons. Romulo Fajardo Jr’s colors bring plenty of energy to the page, whether it’s the blinding white of Kyle’s lantern energy or the bright purple of Omega Bam Man’s skin.
DC K.O.: Green Lantern Galactic Slam #1 might be light on the Green Lantern action, but it has plenty of moments that’ll make comic fans and wrestling fans happy. It also shows that even though DC’s heroes are fighting for the fate of the Earth, its creators can still have fun with the idea of a tournament arc.
You must be logged in to post a comment.