Darkseid is reborn! That means no one is safe. Your Major Spoilers review of DC K.O. #1 from DC Comics awaits!

DC K.O. #1

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Javi Fernandez/Xermanico
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Editor: Paul Kaminski
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: October 8, 2025

Previously in DC K.O.: The Heart of Apokolips has transformed Earth into a hellscape in preparation for the return of Darkseid! The end of the DC Universe is here! The Justice League’s only chance to defeat Darkseid is to enter a deadly tournament, an epic and over-the-top battle royale that will surprise you! The World’s Greatest Heroes fight to become the champion to enter the ring against Darkseid, but there’s a catch… the closer you get to the Heart of Apokolips, the more it corrupts you, changes you into something dangerous. Which DC character has what it takes to make it to the end?

Who is willing to do what it takes to win it all, even if it means taking down their friends and family?

YOU WANNA GET NUTS?

DC K.O. #1 begins with a game. Superman, Batman, Lois Lane, and Wonder Woman have gathered at the Kents’ home to play something that looks like Chutes and Ladders, save for the playing pieces being in the image of the heroes themselves. The discussion between them highlights the differences between Bruce, Clark, and Diana’s strategies, but before they can resolve their conversation, the sky lights up red. Darkseid has returned! Their battle is swift, brutal, and decisive, and the last thing Superman hears is the sound of every heartbeat on Earth synching… to match the Lord of Apokalips. As we cut to the Justice League, assembled in the Watchtower, the Quantum Quorum (The Time Trapper, The World Forger, Gorilla Grodd, and a centuries-old, traumatized Booster Gold) reveal that the death of all there is takes place in exactly seven days. What’s worse, they expended most of their power rewinding the world by one week, and all their #TimeTravelShenanigan powers have made one thing clear.

There is no undoing the end of the world.

LET’S GET NUTS!

Unless, of course, the heroes of Earth-0 engage in a single-elimination, no-holds-barred, battle-to-the-literal-death tournament to channel the power growing at the center of the Earth, power that will turn him or her into King Omega! Of course, it’s the getting there that gives me the most pause, as the seven days include the shunting of ALL the world’s super-villains into The Phantom Zone, the creation of mighty space arks to evacuate the planet, the deaths of Adam Strange, Damage, Ambush Bug, Captain Marvel, Blue Beetle, and BATMAN… It’s just overwhelming. That’s not to say that it’s not effective, but the sheer amount of STUFF that happens is just plain bonkers. Add in Fernandez’s indistinct art style, wherein several of the demised aren’t clearly shown, and it’s tough. The trio of cameos at the end of the issue that are ABSOLUTEly surprising are almost overshadowed by the combination of carnage, cosmic terror, and sketchy art. The final page reveal is an excellent visual, though, and Fernandez’s art is successful more often than it falls short, especially with the unexpected arrival of The Joker.

BOTTOM LINE: STRANGE BUT INVIGORATING

For me, the best part of DC K.O. #1 is the rare experience of a story living up to the hype of being “like nothing you’ve ever seen,” delivering the sheer, overwhelming chaos of Mortal Kombat in a way that stays mostly true to the DC Universe as we know it, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. I don’t know if I’m going to make it for the long haul, but this comic pulls off the difficult task of being both a massive universal crossover and a spotlight on the Man of Steel, and that alone makes it an interesting comic to read.

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DC K.O. #1

70%

70%

Big And Bombastic

There's no time to pause and get your bearings when the end of the world is upon us, but given the absolutely MOMENTOUS things occurring here, that's a mixed blessing.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  7
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