LET’S GET READY TO RUUUUUUMBLE!
(Spoilers for DC K.O: Superman and Captain Atom follow!)
The premise of DC K.O is a simple but entertaining one: superheroes (and villains) from around the globe compete against one another in a thrilling fighting tournament where the winner becomes the King Omega, a being with enough power to challenge Darkseid, who is currently an omnipresent god that threatens the universe. After the first two issues of the event proper, we get right down to it in the form of the actual brackets of the tournament and boy, what a match to kick things off! Superman is paired against Captain Atom and impossibly, the fight is even more over the top than I could have predicted and I predicted a lot. Let’s break it down!
The issue begins with a quick summary of Captain Atom’s origin, catching us all up to speed. We’re told how Nathaniel Adam grew up, wanting something more from his life which in turn led him to joining the United States military before volunteering for a top secret project that would forever alter him, transforming him into the atomic powerhouse, Captain Atom. We also get a deep dive into Nathaniel’s headspace, watching along as he muses over having embraced being an agent of good, a weapon, and a superhero. But there’s one thing he’s always denied: the title of being a *god*. He goes on to say that atoms aren’t just an explosive thing of destruction, but rather the stuff that everything is made of. And it’s that power inside of him that he resolves to embrace. But first he needs to get past his opponent. And what an opponent they turn out to be…
But first we get a brief recap of the events of DC K.O #2, namely that of Captain Atom dispatching Supergirl, which of course doesn’t sit well with Superman. The two engage in a debate over the nature of the tournament with Nathaniel telling Clark they need to make tough choices to ensure they win. Superman remarks that the two of them aren’t done discussing Captain Atom’s behavior which soon leads into the pairing of the remaining sixteen fighters in the tournament. And it’s here that Captain Atom discovers that the person standing in the way between not only embracing his destiny, but winning the tournament is none other than the Last Son of Krypton himself!
Round One…FIGHT!
In what is probably the most game changing element of these fights is the fact that we actually get a sense of the rules and stipulations of the one on one bouts going forward. We discover that the fighters must compete in a standard best two out of three match format. Seems standard, right? But here’s the kicker: when a combatant loses, they must “pick a form” to ensure victory. What does that mean? We’ll get to that, don’t you worry. Superman and Captain Atom get warped to what appears to be Metropolis, though Superman seems to pick on something not being quite right, especially given the mass exodus of civilians they were responsible for prior to the start of the tournament. Captain Atom has decidedly less reservations and immediately takes control of the fight, punching Superman through multiple buildings in a scene that almost harkens to the series finale of the Justice League Unlimited animated show. But despite all that, Superman is more disappointed than hurt as showcased by how, now that he’s ready, is able to catch that same mean punch from Captain Atom with his palm.
Their brawl escalates with Captain Atom arguing they need to stop holding back and fight for real, whereas Superman insists there has to be another way, there *must* be. As Nathaniel’s containment suit starts to show signs of damage - long time fans of the character will realize what that signifies - he ups the ante in the form of channeling both red sun energy and Kryptonite, laying into Superman with a devastating two piece combo. Superman attempts to appeal to Captain Atom’s sense of morality and justice, but it’s too late.
The quantum powered hero starts absorbing Superman’s energy, lashing out at the Man of Steel over the many times his suit had been ruptured, resulting in him being lost across time and space…only for Superman to not once even look for him. Shockingly, Captain Atom continues to absorb energy from Superman as Earth’s greatest hero has his atoms reduced to nothingness, resulting in a major victory for Captain Atom! The Heart of Apokolips begins to thrum and beat as Nathaniel can feel the Omega Energy radiating, a mere taste of what could be possibly should he win the tournament.
Round Two…FIGHT!
But Captain Atom doesn’t have much time to revel in his first round victory as Superman respawns moments later. The two share words, with two again arguing over the nature of the tournament and what it takes to win it. It’s here that the story outdoes itself and somehow stops Superman being disintegrated in the first round! As mentioned earlier, after a combatant is defeated, the fighters must choose a “form”. This means that these characters competing in the tournament can quite literally pick an alternate variation of themselves across the entire DC Multiverse. It’s as crazy as you think it is and if you know anything about the different Superman and Captain Atom versions across DC’s expansive lore, you can probably guess what versions both heroes pick of themselves.
Captain Atom decides his best strategy here is to bring his biggest weapon and there is no bigger weapon across Captain Atom’s storied history than that of the infamous Monarch, an alternate version of Captain Atom that stood tall as one of the most powerful entities in the DC multiversal and was capable of fighting multiple Supermen simultaneously as well as fighting an amped version of Superboy-Prime (as depicted in the series Countdown). But Big Blue is no one’s fool and he is quite aware that Captain Atom is going to pick Monarch as his form for the second bout. And that prompts Superman to pick what is arguably one of his most powerful variations in the form of the golden Superman-Prime from the 853rd century: a Superman who has bathed in the sun for countless lifetimes and literally empowers the entire Superman Dynasty! The stage is set for what is honestly an insane battle that only gets more insane from here if you can even believe it.
The Heart of Apokolips takes the two overpowered heroes to the small rural hometown of Captain Atom as Monarch merely remarks that bringing them there will only strengthen his resolve and remind him what he’s fighting for. Superman-Prime tries to reach him but when words again fall on deaf ears, he takes to the skies. Monarch gives chase as the two reach the sun, with Monarch dryly remarking that if Superman-Prime is thinking about absorbing its energy, he’ll simply drain it. But Superman-Prime, inspired by something the Flash once told him, instead decides to use his super breath on a cosmic scale and literally *freezes the sun* and presumably perhaps the solar system or beyond. He explains that atoms and quantum fields can be slowed down when exposed to extreme cold and that despite their insanely powerful forms, they are just as susceptible. As the beyond cold energy takes them both, the golden Kryptonian explains that he has just enough power he’s absorbed from the sun to barely outlast Monarch. And the gambit pays off, resulting in Superman tying the fight making the record 1-1 respectively!
FINAL ROUND…FIGHT!
The third and final round commences as a frustrated Nathaniel realizes his mistake. The combatants are again told to pick their form and Nathaniel does what I can only say is a *ballsy* move. Impossibly, he picks ALL of his variations, absorbing the power from all his Captain Atom forms. Superman, however, refuses to budge and instead decides he’s not going to lose himself in this deadly game, acknowledging the temptation from the Heart of Apokolips and the seductive Omega Energy and choosing to remain in his standard mainstream continuity form. Captain Atom scoffs, believing that by absorbing all of his forms into one fused Monarch form, his powers over reality eclipse that of the Heart, meaning that the two heroes don’t even have to fight each other any more. Superman counters by saying it can’t be that easy and that the Time Trapper previously warned them that the Heart of Apokolips will defend itself and sure enough, the Heart’s fiery energy simmers down…
Just as Captain Monarch attempts to seize the Heart, Superman intervenes, revealing that the Heart itself is using Nathaniel’s power against him, literally throwing him backwards into his own timeline. Superman and Captain Monarch battle in a reality bending cosmic melee as the latter reveals to the former the vision he received from the Heart: a world he could create where there would be no need for a soldier like him. Superman, to his credit, once again tries to reason with Captain Monarch, warning him of the influence of the Heart and how he, too, was shown a world he could create with its power. But whereas Superman rejects the temptation, Captain Monarch only covets it more as the fight rages on. Captain Monarch then, in what is probably one of the most meta and cosmic tier “only comics could be this crazy” moments I’ve seen in a long time, uses his own history as weapons, literally grabbing the panels of his history and using them as projectiles against Superman! The Man of Steel makes a good account of himself, but eventually he is struck with an “Origin Bomb”, a panel representing the fateful moment in his life that Nathaniel Adam was forever altered into Captain Atom in the first place. Words don’t really do it justice, and I’m trying, but seriously….W.T.F.
The smoke clears as Captain Monarch has quite literally sacrificed his own history as the panels depicting his past that we saw earlier in the issue are fragmented, shattered. But it’s all worth it in the end because not only did Captain Monarch win, but the world will be reshaped as he sees fit!
Or will it?
In what is obviously a recurring theme of over the top action being outdone for even more over the top action, Superman stands tall, sporting a familiar silver sheen over his body as Captain Monarch looks on stunned. Apparently, by throwing his literal origin at Superman, somehow the heart allowed Superman to “take” that origin, effectively turning him into a Superman/Captain Atom hybrid, combining their powers. Immediately, Superman goes on the offensive, deciding to drain Captain Monarch’s power, just like how Captain Atom drained his own in the first round of their fight. Nathaniel struggles, trying to rewind time to reset the round, but Superman prevents him from doing so, rapidly taking his energy. It is here that we, perhaps ironically, see Nathaniel Adam at his weakest while simultaneously being in a form that would undoubtedly be the strongest he’s ever been. He begs Superman not to go through with it, knowing that should he explode, he’ll teleport out of the tournament and there’s absolutely no telling where (or when) he’ll be. He would, again, be lost. But for Superman, the choice is made: there is no choice. He continues siphoning Nathaniel’s energy until his amalgamated opponent erupts, resulting in Superman finally being declared the winner of the contest. But as the Heart of Apokolips thrums once more, seemingly in approval, the Man of Steel somberly muses that he has claimed victory…but at what cost?
While our main story concludes at this point, we do get a brief interlude at the Watchtower as Booster Gold (actually revealed to be Darkseid possessing the time traveling hero) strangles Doomsday/Time Trapper with Gorilla Grodd and the World Forger watching on. The possessed Booster Gold hurls Time Trapper back to his own reality as he remarks on how much he REALLY hates Doomsday and the fact that a monster could never challenge a god such as he. Our story comes to an end as the World Forger stands behind the Darkseid controlled Booster Gold as the events of DC K.O rage on for the months to come. And damn, what a ride!
Overpowered in the Best Possible Way
The premise here, again, was simple. Throwing DC characters in a fighting game style like tournament. As a fan of both fighting games as well as shonen anime/manga - in which tournament arcs are staples - I felt I was pretty prepared for what this first issue held in store.
I WAS NOT.
I’ll be the first to tell you that I prefer story over feats. I’ll playfully engage in hypothetical “who’d win” discussions because they can be fun to mull over, but the narrative should always take priority over settling fanboy arguments. That said, this issue was so gleefully and unabashedly absurd, I can’t help but appreciate that they really leaned so hard into it. And with two perennial powerhouses in the form of Superman and Captain Atom, Joshua Williamson delivered and then some. Not only was framing the majority of this story through the perspective of Captain Atom a brilliant choice, but killing off Superman in the first round? Bold choice and one that worked well. As a long time Superman fan, when it comes to “who’d win” battle board forum type debates, there’s usually two (extreme) lines of thought: Superman is wildly OP and cannot be beaten ever OR Superman is actually incredibly weak and could be beaten by anyone. I’d wager a pro like Williamson is probably aware of the type of intense fan debates these discussions can inspire and not only gave us a very plausible and in character scenario that resulted in Superman being “killed”, but he also managed to protect both Superman and Captain Atom by giving us context (the bane of versus debates everywhere, believe me) and making both characters literally reality shattering demigods.
Here, Captain Atom is driven by desire to win, bolstered by his soldier background and his willingness to make sacrifices. He doesn’t relish in hurting Superman and even says as much, but he knows Superman won’t pull the trigger and in a setting like the ones our heroes find themselves in, it’s a liability. So yeah, as a *HUGE* Superman fan, I have less than zero problem with Captain Atom showing that if he were out for blood and Superman was trying to reason with him, he could lethally dispatch the Man of Steel. That said, throughout the entire fight across every round, Superman was trying his best to restrain Captain Atom/Monarch or try to win the fights as non aggressively as possible. Captain Atom took advantage of that. But we also see that once Superman realizes talking is no longer an option, he is arguably the shining example of what a truly irresistible force in comics looks like. Even when Captain Atom absorbs all his variants and begins using his backstory as a weapon, Superman refuses to give up and refuses to let the Heart of Apokolips change him. It’s a testament to who he is - who Clark is - as a person. And I loved it. Ultimately, this comic is an entertaining crazy slug fest that shatters the boundaries of space and time, but it is also a tragic introspective to an unsung and underrated hero in the form of Captain Atom, who is given his flowers against the greatest and generally speaking, physically most powerful hero in comicdom.
The Art of Conflict
The art here…I mean, Sean Izaakse gives us some incredible fight sequences that somehow out do themselves with each subsequent page. After seeing Monarch and Superman-Prime 1 Million appear, I didn’t think the comic could go higher and further. And yet, it did. And that’s in large part due to the work of Izaakse. Trish Mulvihill and Hi-Fi add their colors to the mix and the end result is more explosive than Captain Atom himself. There’s a lot of great scenes to pick here for what I feel is the highlight of the issue. But for me, it has to be the ingenuity displayed by the art team as Captain Monarch and Superman begin battling one another in the final round to the backdrop of Captain Atom’s backstory. When the actual comic book panels are ripped out and thrown at Superman, it absolutely *feels* like a crazy boss fight in a video game, where the level itself begins distorting and space and time seemingly act against you. The “Origin Bomb” sequence, in which Nathaniel takes the panel depicting his body being ripped apart by the quantum field, the very source of his powers, is incredible. I feel breaking the fourth wall and being meta have become somewhat commonplace in comics nowadays, but the style in which it was used here was fantastic.
There’s also a clever detail in the scene where Captain Monarch succumbs to his darker nature in which if you look into his eyes, you see the all too familiar “omega” symbol, signifying that the Heart of Apokolips is working overtime on his mind and impulses. We’re constantly told through dialogue that the Omega Energy, while needed to defeat Darkseid, is also basically the One Ring on cosmic steroids. And that’s important to reiterate. But it’s also important to show the reader through illustration and this fine detail does just that. It’s powerful and subtle all at once, adding a nice layer between this reality shattering contest.
Final Thoughts and Review
If I had any sort of gripe with this book, being frank, it’s simply asking where do you go from here? If you look at this event through the lens of not just a fighting video game but also something just as over the top like…professional wrestling - which ain’t difficult at all given the host of AEW covers that we’ve been treated to recently - where does the story progress? Superman vs. Captain Atom was such an insane opening round, I honestly don’t know what could match it, let alone top it.
Looking at the other seven rounds, I can say comfortably that I don’t believe any other pairing is going to hit the heights of insanity that Superman and Atom did. It’s like starting your pay-per-view or premium live event with Shawn Michaels versus Bret Hart at their peak ala Wrestlemania (I’ve dated and outed myself as what type of wrestling fan I am clearly, ha). But that’s what makes it exciting, too, right? Because where DO you go after this?
I have to hope that future rounds in the DC K.O event are even more over the top to say nothing of the whole Booster-seid development and the fact that we’re going to see the Absolute Trinity appear *and* a whole host of crossover fighters from completely different IPs ranging from Mortal Kombat’s Sub-Zero, The Conjuring’s Annabelle, and The Boys’ Homelander (please let him get one panel squashed by Superman, I beg of you).
All I do know for certain is that this book was an absolute trip in the best way.
Review: 9/10
If you like wildly overpowered superhero throwdowns that still have substance to them and a focus on characters instead of just merely (insane) power sets, this issue is right up your alley.