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DC K.O. #1

Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Javi Fernandez, Xermanico Publisher: DC Comics Release Date: October 8, 2025 Cover Price: $5.99 Critic Reviews: 19 User Reviews: 34
8.4Critic Rating
8.2User Rating

+ Pull List

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 tak more

  • 10
    The Aspiring Kryptonian - Tyrone Tony Reed Jr Oct 8, 2025

    DC K.O. #1 is the event comic readers have been waiting for: bold, cinematic, emotional, and unrelenting. It's the kind of book that punches you in the gut, leaves you gasping for air, and makes you stand back up for another round. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Impulse Gamer - Howard Smith Oct 22, 2025

    In conclusion, DC K.O. #1 is a hot comic book to get into right now. For those who are on the fence about reading this story, its a vital piece to the grand story DC is telling right now. Readers shouldnt miss out on this one at all. Be sure to pick this one up and your local comic book store or where comic books are sold online. Read Full Review

  • 9.6
    The Super Powered Fancast - Deron Generally Oct 8, 2025

    Fernandez and Xermanico create some visually stunning and thrilling art throughout this issue. I love the visual style and the visceral action and adventure throughout this story. Read Full Review

  • 9.5
    The Comic Book Spot - Jeremy Bonnette Oct 14, 2025

    I'm coming right out the gate with a high rating. DC K.O. #1 is an event book that should get any DC fan absolutely excited for what's coming next. The buildup to this promises to pay off in a fun and, almost certainly, unexpected way. I highly recommend checking this one out if it has somehow escaped your reading list. Have fun, comic lovers! Read Full Review

  • 9.5
    Geek Dad - Ray Goldfield Oct 8, 2025

    This is how you begin an event, and we haven't even seen how the Absolute Universe is going to factor into all of this. Read Full Review

  • 9.5
    Nerd Initiative - Ken M. Oct 8, 2025

    Desperate times call for extreme measures as the DCU's fate hinges on trail by combat. The script maintains a high tempo during the non-stop drama. Readers are gifted a strong visual experience via the art. This issue goes for the knockout early and often. Brace for what's coming! Read Full Review

  • 9.1
    Comic Watch - Chad Burdette Oct 8, 2025

    DC K.O. #1 is a strong opening round to a story that is sure to be a real slobber-knocker of an event that is accessible to both die hard fans and casual readers. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Dark Knight News - James Attias Oct 15, 2025

    DC K.O. #1 is whirlwind inside a hurricane, setting up the biggest battle royale in DC Comics history. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to see where it ends up. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    But Why Tho? - William Tucker Oct 8, 2025

    The deliberation and attention to detail are immaculate in DC K.O. Issue 1. It's fantastic to see heroes who have been holding weapons and plans finally bring them into play. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    AIPT - Diane Darcy Oct 8, 2025

    Scott Snyder and Javier Fernndez unleash an Earth-2: World's End and Convergence-style event with DC K.O., but it will need to change the formula of DC's past "crisis" events to have any meaning as a story. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    ComicBook.com - Matthew Aguilar Oct 8, 2025

    The premise of DC K.O. is, on the surface, structured more like a typical comics event, but Scott Snyder effortlessly weaves in meaningful tethers to the Absolute Universe that automatically make this feel far more important. The issue itself is 40 pages, and it needs the first 20 to 25 of those to properly set up the story that's to come, and yet there was never a time I wasn't invested as all the building blocks were moved into place. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    Lyles Movie Files - Jeffrey Lyles Oct 8, 2025

    DC KO 1 offers some tantalizing surprises about what's in store over the next five months. This event gets off to a solid start, but it will be very interesting to see how this event plays out in the regular titles once combatants participate and lose along the way. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Weird Science - Gabe Hernandez Oct 10, 2025

    DC K.O. #1 is a multiversal haymaker with ambition and twists to spare, steamrolling its heroes, villains, and timeline over forty-something frenetic pages. It throws cosmic spaghetti at the wall so hard some bits splatter, but the meat of the story sticks. If Snyder's script doesn't stop your heart, Fernandez's artwork will. Just don't blink, or Darkseid might win again while you're still looking for the page numbers. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    KPB Comics - Phillip Creary Oct 8, 2025

    DC K.O. #1 delivers on all its promises: a chilling new take on an old foe, a ridiculous but necessary tournament, and a chaotic, high-stakes spectacle. The issue closes out with a major reveal that will floor you and a promise of even more chaos to come. I'm hyped. This is the kind of bold, high-octane event comics need, and it's a slam-dunk start. Read Full Review

  • 7.5
    Batman-News - Christian Gonzalez Oct 8, 2025

    DC K.O. #1 did what it was suppose to do. It got all these heroes and villains together in a bombastic way and created a scenario where they have to fight each other to determine who fights Darkseid and becomes "King Omega. While it was a fun ride and the artwork was really good, the story was a little convoluted and new readers might get lost. But with that said, I have faith that Scott Snyder and the rest of the creative team will produce an event that's worth the hype. I'm intrigued in what happens next. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Comic Book Revolution - Kevin Lainez Oct 8, 2025

    DC K.O. #1 does its job in getting over Darkseid as the endgame boss of the DC Universe. This issue drives home that all the heroes can do is participating in a tournament to crown a champion who may have a chance to defeat Darkseid. That sign of hope may not be big because of other revelations made in this issue. All that success makes the things that don't fully work, such as how Batman is removed from the equation, frustrating. There is so much to like about this event but there are also things that hold it back from selling the big commitment this event will be for readers pull list. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Henchman-4-Hire - Sean Ian Mills Oct 11, 2025

    The cool factor struggles to overcome the silly, somewhat rushed nature of the set-up; but hopefully the resulting coolness makes up for it. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Major Spoilers - Matthew Peterson Oct 14, 2025

    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. Read Full Review

  • 3.0
    You Don't Read Comics - Russ Bickerstaff Oct 8, 2025

    Theres a whole lot of love thats been crammed into this opener. That love generates a great. deal of fun, but theres little question that the crossover event runs the risk of being profoundly silly if it doesnt find the right way to frame a very childish concept that rests at the heart of it all. Still...there IS hope. Marvels Secret Wars in 84 turned out to be a much better story than DCs Crisis on Infinite Earths...and Secret Wars was created to sell toys...so...yknow...its possible that this could turn into something good. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Lantern Oct 8, 2025

    leave it to Scott Snyder to write the coolest of comics!

  • 10
    Amoebas Oct 8, 2025

    Comic "events" that promise the world and deliver little is the norm nowadays.

    This issue is a major set up for the battles yet to come - but it's written in a way that keeps the reader connected. Superman's reluctance is real and it's heart breaking when he finally takes Batman's vision of considering it a game.

    And Batman - nice twist there Snyder, I did not see that coming.

    Whether or not they land the conclusion is an issue for another day/month, but for now between the gripping writting and the amazing art, this reader is in for all the upcoming rounds.

  • 10
    motorik Oct 8, 2025

    What a swerve.

    Love this.

    + LikeComment
  • 9.5
    bomp Oct 8, 2025

    loved it !

  • 9.0
    BillyBat Oct 9, 2025

    Finally, an event focused on Superman! The story isn’t overly complex, but let’s be honest: Snyder really knows how to build hype, deliver big moments, and hook you from the start without letting go. The tournament concept is simple, even very shonen-like, but super effective. I was a bit lost at first, especially with the Time Trapper, since I hadn’t followed the other DC events and comics, but nothing impossible to catch up with. I just hope it doesn’t end up like Dark Metal did for me: great at first, but kind of lost me toward the end.

  • 8.5
    BirdmanG07 Oct 12, 2025

    Very event gimmicky but a fun read nonetheless

  • 8.5
    daspidaboy Oct 8, 2025

    It took me a while to get it, and while it was slightly confusing, overall I got the hang of it. Scott Snyder works well for me when he's not bogged down by continuity, and he's not trying to be cosmic with Darkseid's heart in Earth and the Alpha/Omega energies. But the issue still works for me personally.

  • 8.5
    ComicsGild Oct 8, 2025

    Didn't expect it to be any good, but it was very decent.

  • 8.0
    HuckEverlasting Oct 8, 2025

    This premise is so goofy but its fun.

  • 7.0
    Martin Oct 13, 2025

    DC KO #1 was a ridiculous mess. The story was an overly complicated plot device to have the DC heroes fight each other. I don’t know what I was expecting from such a silly concept. It’s well written and that alone might have me return for the next issue … the art was decent … though it seemed a bit sketchy and during the final pages was a tad confusing. The concept that in a real fist fight Superman might lose is a bit ludicrous - looking at the heroes (and villains) they are using for this story … he could punch half of their heads off without even trying. This is by far the silliest Crisis or event DC has put forth since the original … however - it’s already better than Final Crisis or Heroes in Crisis or Dark Crisis … and more

  • 7.0
    fzanca Oct 11, 2025

    Some really good art from amazingly talented people. It is extremely text-heavy, but I guess that's what is needed for the start of an event. Having Darkseid being one of them does negate the bracket, but they have a twist for us. let's see what happens.

    My Comic Review Channel - https://youtu.be/LPCaLFpoYSk

  • 6.0
    Silver Rocket Oct 9, 2025

    Just okay.

  • 5.5
    Kreniigh Oct 11, 2025

    This is one of those comics where I keep getting stuck staring at panels to try to make sense of what's happening in them. The art's way too busy and sketchy for a story that has dozens of cameos that need to be identifiable. As an example, without the speech bubble where he identifies himself, Damage would have been just a black shape and a weirdly-colored partial figure (mostly arm). The coloring also makes it hard to distinguish who's who and what they're doing, with whole panels just being similar shades of unnatural colors.

    The story, eh, it's silly; really just a gobbledegook working-backwards to justify the bracket tournament which is the core. It peaks when Mister Terrific captures every super-villain on Earth in a fe more

  • 5.5
    BatSledge Oct 10, 2025

    While the art was pretty good, the writing was one gigantic exposition dump. I mean exposition upon more exposition, followed by even more exposition. While the central idea seems simple enough in the big picture, it’s the details of how it all comes to be that creaks, groans and shudders under its own weight. It’s not very clear what was magically done to originally keep the villains subdued, nor was it clear what happens to the vanquished heroes. Additionally, some of the characterizations seem…off…from their main titles. I think the key to such a BIG IDEA is to just go along with it (after all, it’s comics), but for a long-time reader like me, I need it to make sense here and there. Which it ultimately failed at. The story more

  • 10
    JD Oct 15, 2025

  • 10
    RJ Oct 8, 2025

  • 10
    StrandedGecko54 Oct 8, 2025

  • 9.5
    mokakoni__ Oct 8, 2025

  • 9.0
    eltorocomics Oct 10, 2025

  • 9.0
    Tony Oct 10, 2025

  • 9.0
    jpablojr Oct 10, 2025

  • 9.0
    Tolusze Oct 9, 2025

  • 9.0
    ICanDoItToo Oct 9, 2025

  • 9.0
    Outerflame Oct 8, 2025

  • 9.0
    Matsuro Oct 8, 2025

  • 8.5
    ed1138 Oct 11, 2025

  • 8.0
    Jawnyblaze Oct 20, 2025

  • 8.0
    Kryptic Oct 11, 2025

  • 8.0
    Danilo Silva Oct 8, 2025

  • 7.5
    Sintar Oct 18, 2025

  • 6.0
    ZachPort123 Oct 8, 2025

  • 6.0
    MaxOfSteel616 Oct 8, 2025

  • 5.0
    Nicetrylaoche Oct 11, 2025

  • 5.0

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