COMICS PORTAL: Marvel’s ‘Battleworld’ Takes on DC’s ‘K.O.’!

Is it a case of “great minds thinking alike?” Sure seems that way as the House of Ideas brings out Battleworld the same time as DC publishes K.O.!

I found it very interesting (to say the least) that both of the “big two” companies put out a mini-series that seems to touch the very same nerve! Let’s start with Battleworld:

“THE BATTLEWORLD FROM SECRET WARS RETURNS! ‘SLAY YOUR ENEMIES, PROVE YOUR WORTH AND ALL YOU DESIRE SHALL BE YOURS IN THE WORLD TO COME!’ Heroes from across the Multiverse are thrown together on a patchwork world to engage in their own Secret Wars for the survival of their timelines! Who or what has created this Battleworld, and for what nefarious purpose? Enter Maestro. Is he friend, or foe?”

This book is written by Christos Gage and features art by Marcus To. The cover artist is Leinil Francis Yu.

As I’m writing this column, the second issue has been released. We see several heroes from various times team up, including the return, of all things, of Star Brand. I haven’t seen that guy in years!

Now, let’s look at DC’s K.O. books:

“In this new event series from Scott Snyder and Javi Fernández, the Justice League’s only chance to defeat Darkseid is to enter a deadly tournament for control of the DC Universe! Read DC K.O. starting this October and make your pick for which iconic character will be crowned King Omega in our bracket challenge!”

This mini-series has a lot of tie-ins through the DCU, and the biggest part of this event seems to be the return of Darkseid, who’s passing from the DCU ended up causing the Absolute Universe’s creation. One of the big questions for me is, how will this affect the already popular Absolute Universe? We’ll have to keep reading to see. I do think that the “big guy” was always going to return to vex the DC heroes, so I wasn’t surprised to read about that!

If things go as they have in the DCU in the past, it may well end up being Superman versus Darkseid for all the marbles! But that seems kind of obvious to me, and I have come to understand that Mr. Snyder doesn’t often like the obvious!

We as comic book fans always like to ask ourselves, “Who would win between my favorite hero and another one?” We just want to know that the one we like best is actually superior to other costumed characters. Of course, the result depends on just who you like!

The first “contest” along these lines I can recall happened way, way back in a story called “Riddle of the Robot Justice League.” It took place back in the first Justice League of America incarnation, issue #13. The Justice League has been transported to a distant planet where they must fight their robot duplicates. Aquaman coaches his teammates from the sidelines, and his advice proves vital to their victories.

Of course, the House of Ideas has had several of these conflicts over the years, with the earliest and probably most significant happened when the Grand Master challenged the Avengers back in issue #69. The team must overcome at least three groups from history, and it all ended up with the Black Knight becoming an Avenger, which is why it’s one of my favorite stories.

Heroes have had to take on other heroes on several occasions, like the Secret Wars events, for instance. I’ve also liked it when the Squadron Supreme (or Sinister) has been involved because they are thinly veiled copies of the Justice League.

I know there is some cross-pollination between DC and Marvel, with various creators shifting from organization to organization based on the need that is presenting itself.

However, in just the first few issues, I’ve noticed some really similar happenings that make me wonder if there truly is someone or someone(s) who are sharing details.

For instance, both books have a team with heroes from several different eras or universes. The DC version includes an alien Hawkman who only speaks Interlac, a universal language, and is not all that familiar with Earth. There is an early version of Superman who has electric powers and wears blue and white instead of his usual Kryptonian garb.

Interestingly, Marvel has a group with a unique team as well, and this one includes a version of Thor who has taken on the role previously held by Odin, so he is even more powerful. There’s also the Maestro, a future Hulk, a leader version of the Wasp, Spider-Man (of course), and a Storm from the X-Men. Then there is an older Hank Pym, complete with white hair, which startles the Wasp.

Various villains are in the mix in each book, including the Sentinels and Baron Zemo in Marvel, then the previously mentioned Darkseid and the baddies from his circle as well.

The winners will be able to save their realities, so it makes me even more curious just how these two books could possibly have parallel development. Hmmm.

I’m going to be following both books to see how they turn out. It’s so much fun to see characters who have never met each other before learn to work together, so I’m already enjoying what’s happening.

What will strike me as intriguing is if these “new” teams actually continue on past the events that spawned them. Would that mean there was now an “all-new, all-different” universe in both of the companies? It might be fun, but I know several fans who really dislike it when there are more than one universe in a comics company. Me, I can keep track of things, so you can number the universes as you like, and if they hold my interest, I will be more than happy to enjoy several of them at one time—if the stories are great!

So, it’s team-up time in both Marvel and DC. Inevitably, K.O. and Battleworld will be compared and contrasted, and the one you prefer may have a lot to do with the company you like most. We’ll see!

What do you think? Is it just happenstance that both companies developed and released team-up books that have some interesting similarities? Would you like to see the “new” teams continue on past these events? Could this become a yearly happening, like the JLA/JSA crossovers used to be? Whatever your opinion, share it on the Major Spoilers Discord server.

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