DC K.O.: Boss Battle has to be the most shocking crossover in comics since Marvel and DC crafted the Amalgam Universe. Maybe even more shocking, since this week’s one-shot features multiple characters from different licenses fighting DC’s heroes and villains – characters currently licensed by IDW, Dynamite, and more, spanning fantasy, video games, and horror. Is this a hokey event tie-in or something more?
DC K.O.: Boss Battle, written by Jeremy Adams, has a lot of fun jumping around between matchups. Not only is the appearance of such wild matchups like Superman vs. Homelander exciting, but the one-shot also manages to have larger implications on the event. That means it’s not a blatant cash grab! Add in the fact that a rather robust art team splits up for each fight, and the change in artists feels natural.
Kicking things off, the story opens on Gorilla Grodd and World Forger licking their wounds. They know Darkseid has the edge as the four remaining challengers (Joker, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor) are about to face the Absolute Universe heroes. In order to make the fight fairer, they decide to send the heroes off on battles across the multiverse to power them up with extra omega energy. Makes sense, right?
From there, the story jumps around, starting with Black Lightning and Plastic Man fighting Sub-Zero. In one page, we get the gist that a fight must commence, and Sub-Zero is playing for keeps. The next matchup is Wonder Woman versus Red Sonja, Joker versus Annabelle, Batwoman versus Vampirella, Sabrina versus Star Sapphire, Lex Luthor versus Samantha Strong, and finally Superman versus Homelander. After the fights are established, the story jumps from one to another, revealing who’s winning, who’s losing, and other wrinkles in these matchups.
Possibly one of the coolest matches in the book that doesn’t meet expectations.
Credit: DC Comics
Adams comes up with clever enough things in each battle to make them feel unique, with the larger story building towards all fighters coming together in one arena. Most importantly, though, each battle at least has the heroes reflect on what they’re up against, and trade a blow or two…mostly.
Weaknesses in this issue include fights that feel lacking. Joker versus Annabelle, for instance, is more about Joker waiting around for something to happen. Another weak fight is Batwoman versus Vampirella, simply because we don’t get to see much beyond the initial confrontation. Getting more nitpicky, shockingly, Superman versus Homelander is more of a stalemate, while Wonder Woman has to pull some superpowered strings to get an edge on Red Sonja. None of these fights is necessarily bad, just that we don’t get enough of the fights, and there is no definitive winner that comes out of each one.
Art is by Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, and Pablo M. Collar, with colors by Hi-Fi and letters by Tom Napolitano. They all bring their A-Game – Joker vs. Annabelle leans into the haunted-house vibe, while Red Sonja vs. Wonder Woman is a touch cartoony, which suits the busty Red Sonja. Sam vs. Lex steals the show with some great fight choreography. Color choices also vary, even though they’re all by Hi-Fi, which helps establish the different vibes of each matchup. Finally, Napolitano caught my eye more than once, like when Plastic Man speaks in the Mortal Kombat universe, and his word balloon is smushed as he lies on the ground.
DC K.O.: Boss Battle could’ve easily been a cynical stunt, but instead it lands as a clever crossover that understands both spectacle and story. Adams treats the mashups like more than novelty bouts, using them to feed directly into the event’s stakes while letting each clash explore what makes these characters tick. Even when some fights feel too short or inconclusive, the creativity, pacing, and visual ambition make this one-shot feel like a must-read chapter rather than optional fluff.
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