DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1

DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 brings us that classic crossover we used to dream about sitting in our rooms as kids. It's full of action, and every universe has a moment to shine and stand out. This is a must-grab issue! Read Full Review

This issue bites off so much, with so many plot threads, but Jeremy Adams does a great job of packing it with one sure to be viral moment after another even as it plays a key role in the overall story. Read Full Review

DC K.O.: Boss Battle is a nice break in the King Omega Tournament story that doesn't detract from the larger story and subjects the finalists to the wider comic book multiverse, teasing readers and hopefully leaving the door open for further crossoversin the future. Read Full Review

DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is an entertaining one-shot that some readers may find to be a slight letdown. Ultimately, it's worth a read because of the character variety and fun battles. Have fun, comic lovers! Read Full Review

Adams crafts a fun and entertaining interlude from the main story and I really appreciate it. Not only does it have some fun moments, but it also showcases some comic titles I really like outside of the big two of DC and Marvel. Joker’s frustration with Annabelle was hilarious and I loved seeing Luthor deal with the fury of Samantha. My only complaint is that it felt too short. I would have really liked these stories to be their own shorts or for the story to run at least three issues. Other than that, it was a fun read. Read Full Review

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. Read Full Review

Whether you've been following the DC K.O. event from day one or you're jumping in just for this colossal mashup, you will certainly find something to love in Boss Battle. This one-shot from Jeremy Adams is an explosive and ridiculously fun read that presents some truly satisfying brawls, all complemented by a team of artists that bring their A-game to their respective parts. Read Full Review

DC K.O.: Boss Battle Issue 1 is delightfully chaotic. It's nonsensical fun, where the details and the plot don't matter. Read Full Review

Never say a dream fight can't happen in comics. "Boss Battle is a video game rock'em sock'em brought to life. Adams pens an exciting trip into the fun side of the tourney. Each art team puts their spin on the crazy match-ups on display. It's a great compliment to what's happening overall while leaving fans wanting more. Read Full Review

DC K.O. Boss Battle #1 condenses an ultra-crossover into a 31-page issue. Some encounters clearly got more time than others and readers will commonly tell you they wished they had more. However, there are moments where I had to put the issue down to pump my fist in celebration. You know what parts Im talking about. Read Full Review

It's hard to pick a favorite battle, but it might be a tie between Lex vs Samantha and Joker vs Annabelle. It's amazing what can happen when there is trust between creatives, and this book is sure to make a lot of people very happy. Shoutout to Jeremy Adams for his trifecta of DC K.O. one-shots, and congratulations to the entire creative team and the leaders at these publishers for helping to make this issue a reality. Read Full Review

And that's the thing with DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1, it packs a lot in. It expands the story beyond the remaining for contestants. If it focused on just that four, it'd have been a far tighter and better issue with each getting a bit more time to enjoy. But, it's an issue that attempts to put too much into it which makes everything feel a bit short. It's not bad and there's some things that are really great. It overall shows off some potential we'll hopefully see more of in the future. Read Full Review

This special comes to us from Jeremy Adams, who has already written two DC K.O. tie-in issues (Green Lantern Galactic Slam and The Kids Are All Fight). And Adams is joined by a murderers row of amazing artists, including Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, and Pablo M. Collar. This is certainly the most ambitious of all the DC K.O. tie-ins so far, and I really do give everyone here an A for effort. However, even for what was billed as a fun bonus stage, DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is more of a whiff than a knockout. Read Full Review

DC K.O. Boss Battle #1 is a loud, colorful, and chaotic celebration of the multiverse. While it may be a filler issue in the grand scheme of the DC K.O. saga, it's the kind of filler that reminds you why you started reading comics in the first placeto see what happens when the impossible meets the unbelievable. Even if that sometimes feels like a high-budget commercial for the various franchises involved. Read Full Review

While a tantalizing one-shot, Boss Battle really could have played out stronger if allowed to take place over multiple months. Read Full Review

If your comic budget is tight and you need story first, DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 is an easy skim and skip. If you are the kind of reader who buys on art and wild crossovers alone, this can justify a spot as a flashy one-time read, not a must-own. It feels like the kind of book you read once, talk about the crazy matchups with a friend, and then file away rather than revisit. In short, it is a fun curiosity, not an essential purchase. Read Full Review

More than merely a childish roll throug the carpet with different action figures, D.C. K.O. has been experimenting a little bit here and there with different ideas of how to present traditional superpowered action sequences. There's been a great potential to really get into that in a way that would be a lot of fun. But the potential experimentation with this is largely left off the page. This is too bad as it really does have the potential to be something really interesting. Read Full Review

The one saving grace to all this is the art, which manages a sense of gravitas the script never manages. Those who have been following the DC K.O. event can safely skip this without fear of missing anything. Those hoping for some amusing action or an answer to the Superman vs. Homelander question will be deeply disappointed. Read Full Review

Shy

Feb 04, 2026

I found it to be pure fun. I love all of the other universes crossing over. These are matches I would only get to see once in comic form.

daspidaboy

Feb 08, 2026

honestly I found it to be harmless entertainment. The only issue is that I expect Homelander to lose a lot quicker but this issue could have been better with. better art. But its decent

orbisstelassis

Feb 06, 2026

Massive waste of time.

Brandon

Feb 04, 2026

What can be said about this book... I'll start with this. Jeremy Adams is a normally fantastic, fun writer. I love his run on Green lantern and Aquaman. When he is left alone to flesh out stories and ideas he thrives. But he leans into bad ideas and past mistakes in an effort to make it better. Sometimes it's best left alone. This is an idea that DC editorial came to him with and most likely said " make this cool" it was impossible. This book is a bait and switch. No battle with the Absolute universe takes places. At all. If I ruined it for you -sorry but I spared you. Do not buy this book. It offers nothing. In fact it's less than nothing except a shameless cash grab of $4.99. Ohh Superman vs home lander yeah we get maybe 3 panels of it. Subzero. Red Sonya. All here. Barely. Like I mentioned at the beginning- Jeremy had a task that he should have walked away from. But he leans into it. And it's really bad. Shame on you DC. This deserved negative scores but this site doesn't allow it.awful plot. Decent art. And the promise of a epic battle that is immediately snatched from the reader like some crap WWE booking. more