Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Tríona Farrell
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Cover Artists: Dan Mora, Guillem March, Jorge Molina & Kendrick “Kunkka” Lim
Editors: James Reid & Rob Levin
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock
Release Date: December 3, 2025
Batman fell before he could enter the contest to rule the Heart of Apokolips. But he had a contingency plan. After he dies, his armor revives him and teleports him back to Gotham. But it isn't the Gotham he knows. Instead, Dick Grayson is Batman. Dick rules Gotham from his Bat-Tower. He oversees an empire, protecting nations around the world with field offices in every major city.
Dick Grayson has fulfilled Bruce's hopes. He has become a far greater leader than Bruce ever could. Yet while claiming that Bruce was a control freak, Dick is Earth's sole Batman. Can Bruce Wayne convince Dick Grayson to work together with him again? And how is Bruce's fate linked to the Heart of Apokolips growing in the Earth’s core? Let’s grab our batarangs, leap into DC K.O. Knightfight #2, and see!
Story
Like Sherlock Holmes and London, Bruce Wayne knows Gotham inside and out. Protecting his city has been his lifelong mission. But Bruce has come to realize that no one controls Gotham. Like the heart pumping with Omega energy at the Earth’s core, Gotham has its rhythms, moods, and a will of its own.
In DC K.O. Knightfight #2, Batman listens to Dick Grayson’s heart while they fight. Bruce knows the toll protecting Gotham has taken on him. He also knows Dick’s heart, having raised and trained him. Yet Bruce also hearts the Mother Box he secreted in his Apokoliptian armor. The Heart of Apokolips sends it a signal, convincing Batman that he cannot trust his senses.
Batman proposed this plan. He agreed to battle his friends in the Justice League to master the Heart of Apokolips, become the King Omega, and remake the Earth in his image. He saw no other choice. The future belonged to Darkseid unless Bruce or another contestant could supplant him. But Batman cheated. Unlike his friends and comrades in the Justice League, Batman raced to enter the tournament with an Apokoliptian ace up his sleeve. And in Joshua Williamson’s story, that places Batman in a unique position.
Batman never wanted to rule the world. All he wants is to protect Gotham. He takes pride in his accomplishments and the family he has built. Instead of battling other opponents, the Heart of Apokolips forces Bruce Wayne to confront his greatest fears. In DC K.O. Knightfight #2, Batman battles Dick Grayson and another of his Robins. Both of his “sons” protect the world differently from Bruce. But in training them and pouring his life into them, Bruce gave each of them a piece of himself. And just as Darkseid sacrificed his son to forge the Absolute Universe, Batman must prove he can do the same by battling and defeating his family.
Art
The Bat-Tower hovers above Gotham amid the driving rain, a symbol of all Dick Grayson has built. Yet Dick tries to kill his mentor before monuments to Bruce’s other protégés. Batman defends himself wearing colorful, medieval-style armor. Like Dick’s army of Robin followers, the armor calls attention to itself. A legion of panels marches across pages as Dan Mora showcases Batman’s battle against overwhelming odds. Amid the fighting, Bruce grasps a weapon that recalls Darkseid's sacrifice.
Tríona Farrell adorns Bruce in yellow, green, red, pink, gray, and blue, while Dick wears a somber blue-and-black costume. The Robins shout their presence with brighter colors, suggesting Dick wants people to see them, while he directs them from the shadows. When Bruce and Dick fight in a flurry of time-lapse images, the page becomes a sea of blue and pink. But when Bruce overcomes one challenge, the Heart of Apokolips hurls him into a Black-and-White world. Only a few colors emerge from this starker reality, forcing Batman to face his fears over making the wrong choices.
Amid Dan Mora's action-packed art and Tríona Farrell’s vivid colors, Tom Napolitano fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters in DC K.O. Knightfight #2. Batman’s thoughts appear as white letters in black boxes with yellow outlines. While sound effects heighten a battle with Dick Grayson, they swarm into panels as Bruce battles another opponent. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Slain by the Joker, Batman traverses a nightmare in which his sons hate him. Bruce Wayne thought he could escape death. But while his friends fight and die to become the new master of Earth, Bruce battles the people he loves most, and would sacrifice his life for, in DC K.O. Knightfight #2.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside see my preview of DC K.O. Knightfight #2.
To catch up see my review of DC K.O. Knightfight #1.
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