The highly anticipated DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 tie-in one-shot is finally here. Fans have been teased for months with promises of cameos from The Boys’ Homelander, Mortal Kombat’s Sub-Zero, Vampirella, and Red Sonja, among others, all set to crash the DC K.O. event of the year. DC has been on an absolute hot streak lately, partnering with various franchises and IPs across wrestling, Marvel, and video games—and in this issue, that streak of ambitious crossovers continues.
While filled with fun and interesting ideas, DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 ultimately falls short of its goal. It fails to deliver the meaningful interactions or definitive battle conclusions that fans have been anticipating for months. The premise itself is compelling and will likely be essential to the main DC K.O. finale; however, the contrast between the high-octane promotion and the actual execution left me wanting more from what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Despite its promise and potential, this issue feels like the typical tie-in cash grab.
What Happened in DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1
World Forger and Gorilla Grodd arrive to find that King Omega is terraforming the landscape into a new Apokolips. Forger believes that amidst the chaos, the semifinalists—Superman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and the Joker—stand no chance unless they collect enough Omega Energy for a power boost. With those instructions, Alpheus freezes Earth in time and resurrects Black Lightning, Plastic Man, Batwoman, and Star Sapphire to assist.
The team heads out into the newly opened universe to harvest the energy needed to combat the Absolute versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. They find themselves in a brutal gauntlet, battling the likes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Annabelle, Homelander, Red Sonja, Samantha Stone, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Vampirella to secure the Omega Energy and save the world.
The Fall Out Going Into DC K.O. #4
DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 leaves us right at the doorstep of DC K.O. #4. Now that we are down to the final four combatants, the question remains: who will take advantage of their new power sets to make it out alive to the finals? World Forger put his life on the line to give the semifinalists a chance to beat King Omega, a sacrifice that will undoubtedly play a major part in the series' conclusion. Each combatant faced fierce competition that pushed them to their limits as they head into the home stretch.
Will we ever see these otherworldly combatants in a DC book again? I sure hope so. The idea of a cross-promotional tournament featuring the fiercest characters in popular media is a hell of a concept. Until then, we have the main DC K.O. title to hold us over—and we are officially in the endgame now.
What Worked In DC K.O. Boss Battle
I thoroughly enjoyed that this tie-in felt like a "must-read" regarding the actual narrative arc of DC K.O. In many ways, DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 works like a DC K.O. #3.5, integrating major plot points directly into the main title. While some of the details are pure fluff and disappointing—as we’ll touch on shortly—the core concept works well for the story at large. World Forger realizes that the semifinalists will need a massive power boost to stand even a remote chance against the three Absolute versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Forger is thinking several moves ahead—not just for the semifinals, but for the moment one of the final four must face King Omega.
The characters used in this crossover were excellent. Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Red Sonja, Annabelle, Vampirella, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Samantha Strong, and, of course, Homelander all looked and sounded great in this issue. Even though they weren't fully fleshed out, the pairings were unique and inspired. Joker vs. Annabelle the doll was actually really funny—a highlight of the chaos.
So, while not everything landed completely, enough of it worked to get readers excited for the main title. DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 did its primary job: it made me extremely excited to read DC K.O. #4 when it drops.
The Battles Everyone Wanted…. Fell Short
As much potential as the idea of pairing DC icons with outside IPs had, it ultimately fell flat in execution. There wasn’t much resolution in the battles, leaving readers with more questions than answers. I’m not sure if this was an issue of fan expectations being too high, or a fundamental structural flaw; after all, we know that for legal reasons, DC can't exactly "mangle" another company's intellectual property.
For the pro wrestling fans out there: you can't have your biggest star looking weak for your promotion. That makes sense. However, this was advertised—especially with Homelander and Superman—as a definitive duel to determine who was stronger, a question that has been debated since Homelander first entered pop culture.
To be completely fair, this was a fun romp that was much bigger than just the battle pairings, but when I really started to think about it, I felt underwhelmed by the interactions. So, despite the fun, I’m leaving disappointed with battles that weren't fully fleshed out. I know the matches were framed by the World Forger simply needing the heroes to harvest enough energy to charge his weapon—meaning they didn't necessarily need to "win"—but it still felt like a cop-out.
The Art Rocked
The quality of writing in the DC K.O. event has been a mixed bag; while the main title has been fantastic, the tie-ins have remained inconsistent. However, the one constant throughout the entire run has been the art, and DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is no different.
The combination of Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, and Pablo Collar as co-artists works incredibly well. Each world and battle carries a distinct visual identity, yet they are cohesive enough to keep you immersed in the narrative.
For me, the artistic highlight of the issue was the absolute terror on Lex Luthor’s face as he confronted Samantha Strong. The pure, unadulterated look of fear as a talking, butcher-knife-wielding bear chases him is the kind of small detail that makes you love the medium. That frame is just one example of the consistently high-quality work this run has delivered.
I also can't finish this section without praising Hi-Fi and their coloring prowess. The colors in this book are exceptional; the Joker, in particular, looks fantastic—easily the best-looking iteration of the character in the DC K.O. saga so far. The standard for DC’s art has been sky-high lately, and this issue is further proof of that.
My Final Verdict
Even if I wasn't a big fan of the execution, I still think DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is worth reading. Although this single-issue tie-in had plenty of fantastic ideas that weren't fully fleshed out in the limited time and space provided, it remains essential for the grander narrative. This issue acts as a precursor and preview for the penultimate DC K.O. #4, so for those reasons alone, you should pick it up. I particularly enjoyed the "tournament-within-the-tournament" aspect, which has been a consistent and engaging thread across all the tie-in issues.
Ultimately, the lack of any significant resolution between the battles is what sank this issue, but the story at large acted as a lifesaver in those waters of inconsistency. I’d love for DC to revisit the concept of a multiversal tournament that stretches beyond their universe—one where the combatants actually lose. But for now, what we got from Boss Battle #1 will have to do.