Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1 Review

 

Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1 Review

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artists: Eddy Barrows & Yasmine Putri

Colorist: Adriano Lucas & Yasmine Putri

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artist: Eddy Barrows & Alejandro Sánchez

Variant Cover Artists: Mark Spears; Ariel Olivetti; Mario Foccillo & Pressy; Alex Eckman-Lawn

Editors: Jillian Grant & Paul Kaminski

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US/Variant $6.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: July 29, 2026

 

Superman's friends miss him. His Justice League teammates scour the timestream for him. Yet no one misses Clark Kent as much as Lois Lane. She misses her husband, co-worker, and confidant.

 

As the dangers to Earth multiply, so do the threats to her family. Lois Lane is a hardworking reporter. She oversees a global news outlet. But how does Clark Kent's absence affect his wife? And when Clark returns, how will wielding divine powers and his journey through time have altered him? Let's leap into Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1 and see what happens!

 

The Return of Superman: Story

While apart, Lois dreams they are together. Arising from their bed, she finds him on the couch, pouring his thoughts onto his laptop. Like her, Clark expresses who he is through his writing. Yet despite their dedication to spending their lives together, Clark envisions a different future than Lois.

 

Unlike his adversary Lex Luthor, or even his friend Batman, Superman never sought to transform his reality. Forging a perfect future where his Kryptonian family still lives is anathema to him. Instead, Superman seeks to heal the damage Darkseid had wreaked on reality. After correcting the damage to the past and present, Superman sensed further damage in the future. So, he sets off to correct those wounds.

 

In Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1, Clark has an investment in the future. After Time Trapper's revelation, he should protect the timestream to safeguard himself. Instead, Superman risks imprisonment and amnesia. Like people in his present, even his adversaries in the future deserve a second chance.

 

The Return of Superman: Art

When Lois Lane rises from bed, she finds Clark sitting on the couch. As they talk, a robed figure surrounded by chains and fire burns in Clark’s mind. Eddy Barrows replays Superman's memories of the Omega tournament across the top of a double-page spread, while Superman’s efforts to repair reality line the bottom. More glimpses from his odyssey spill around him as he flies onward. Superman discovers a vessel navigating the timestream that differs greatly from Booster Gold's. Yet as Superman remembers all he has lost, lightning crackles through the air, emanating from a giant white silhouette.

 

As Adriano Lucas lavishes luminous colors on Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1, Lois Lane rises from a dark bedroom bathed in indigo and violet. She finds Clark in a lighter room surrounded by shades of orange, violet, and red. But as he travels through time, yellow and orange dominate Superman's appearance. The blue of his costume fades as the red S symbol on his chest glows yellow and orange. His cape turns yellow, as does the headdress denoting the power he wields. Yet as Superman forms a streak of yellow and orange across a sea of red, blue, and yellow, he encounters a region surrounded by an entire spectrum of colors, with white at its center.

 

Legion Found: Story

As Superman navigated the future, he encountered some moments in time that were fixed, while others were more malleable. Yet when he discovered people who had turned their backs on villainy, Superman realized that he could break down the barriers to protect them and give others a similar chance to turn their lives around. But after he uses his power to help them and vanishes into the timestream, Superman creates an absence.

 

Everyone realizes that Darkseid is returning. In Legion Found, heroes and villains scramble to gain a foothold before the war for reality resumes. Joshua Williamson’s story evokes how Lois Lane sought to emulate her husband during her brief tenure as Superwoman, and why she prefers to report the news rather than make it.

 

Legion Found: Art

Two children in a playpen bring a smile to a man’s face. As he picks them up and carries them outside, his wife lingers in the doorway. Hovering among the broken buildings and ruined towers, someone watches the happy family who live in the shack surrounded by sandbags. Then a sudden arrival, trailing yellow and orange, casts smoke into the air, creating more rubble for the survivors to clear away.

 

As Yasmine Putri adorns her artwork with vibrant colors in Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1, red-and-brown roofs cover gray shacks. The blue, red, and yellow visitor watches as lightly colored people and colorful bubbles surround the family. At first sight, the object at the crash site seems little different from the dark gray ruins of the nearby city. Yet when silver appears, green represents the opposite of willpower.

 

Lettering

Ariana Maher fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters. Clark's white uppercase thoughts fill blue boxes, while in his transformed state, Clark's blue thoughts fill white boxes. Other characters' offscreen dialogue appears in colored boxes. Color-coded balloon borders further identify speakers. As sound effects accompany the dangers threatening the timestream, Superman's blue dialogue swells as he seeks to correct the imbalance. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Everyone wishes they had the power to improve the world around them. But when Superman's already formidable powers get upgraded, he risks his life to preserve everyone's ability to make their own choices. Still, villains lurk everywhere, evoking Batman's unhappiness over Superman's decision to divest himself of godhood in Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1. As Joshua Williamson's stories look back at Action Comics #1100, they also pave the way toward the Kingdom of Zod crossover and the Legion of Super-Heroes series.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside, see my preview of Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Action Comics #1100: Mission Failure.

 

For what happened after that, see my review of Action Comics #1100: Superman Meets Superboy.

 

For how Superman obtained divine powers, see my review of DC K.O. #5.

 

For how Lois helped her husband during DC K.O., see my review of Superman #35. 

 

 

Action Comics #1100: Superman Meets Superboy Review

 

Action Comics #1100: Superman Meets Superboy Review

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Daniel Sampere

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artist: Ryan Sook

Variant Cover Artists: Mark Spears; David Talaski; Jim Cheung & Jay David Ramos; Rahzzah; Daniel Sampere & Tomeu Morey

Editors: Jillian Grant & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US/$6.99 US Card Stock/$7.99 US Foil

Release Date: July 22, 2026

 

Young Clark Kent didn't ask Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold, and Mary Marvel to bring their battle to his time. He didn’t ask to lose his superpowers. Nor did he ask Epoch to try to kill him. Still, Clark gradually realized that, whether he wanted to or not, he had to reclaim his powers. Earth needed a Superman. And the threats facing his planet would only grow over time.

 

Now, Clark has regained his powers. Once more, Clark Kent is Superboy. But after defeating Epoch, Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold, and Mary Marvel believe he should accompany them on their mission. What will Superboy discover as he travels the time stream with his new friends? And how might it affect his future? Let’s leap into Action Comics #1100 and see!

 

Superman Meets Superboy: Story

After the events in Mission Failure, Clark accompanies Booster Gold, Mary Marvel, and Martian Manhunter on their search for Superman. While they fly through the timestream, Mary Marvel expresses her concerns that their flight could alter Clark’s future. Martian Manhunter also warns Booster Gold to curb his enthusiasm.

 

Still, Booster is in the driver’s seat in Action Comics #1100. He argues that Superman has vanished. Despite everyone's superpowers, no one has found their friend. Young Clark, with his super vision, represents their best hope of finding Superman. Amid his love for his friend and his desire to share that love with Clark, Booster shrugs off his friends’ concerns about revealing too much about Clark’s future.

 

Joshua Williamson’s story tackles the role of spoilers in our lives. Some people don’t want to know anything about their future. Others read the last chapter of a book to learn how it ends before deciding to read the book through. Booster's arguments suggest that knowing his future will give Clark a target to strive for. 

 

Superman Meets Superboy links with previous events in Action Comics with DC K.O. and Justice League Unlimited. And after Mary Marvel, Booster Gold, and Martian Manhunter asserted Clark’s importance to the future, Superboy gets to play a vital role in finding his future self. Mary Marvel and Martian Manhunter tried playing it carefully. Trying to shield knowledge of future events from Clark led to the trio being erased from time. So, they let Booster Gold call the shots in Action Comics #1100.

 

Superman Meets Superboy: Art

Booster sits before the controls of their time ship, while Clark, Mary Marvel, and J’onn stand. Booster's face reveals his exuberance as he thumps Clark on the chest. Clark's eyes glow, and his jaw drops, as he sees what lies ahead of him. When Mary moves forward, gesturing with her arms, Clark shrugs and points at the eye-catching visions beyond the canopy.

 

Their ship may look futuristic. Still, the keyboards and black-and-white monitors reveal its cobbled-together nature. Daniel Sampere tilts panels 45 degrees when separately showing Mary Marvel and J’onn frowning at Booster Gold’s decisions. But in a cinematic wide shot, the camera rights itself as Mary Marvel throws up her hands in Action Comics #1100.

 

Their ship travels along a stream of light as it ventures into the future. The white, light-red, and light-yellow bands of light contrast with the vibrantly colored occupants and the glimpses of the future. People in the timestream radiate colors like an aura, or multiply in slow motion. Then, their view outside grows opalescent until Alejandro Sánchez portrays their surroundings as individual bands of color amid a white void.

 

Steve Wands fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase black lettering that grows bold with intonation. Offscreen dialogue appears in white boxes with colored borders, while Superboy’s appears as white words in blue boxes. Sound effects reveal how the ship reacts to changes in the flow of the timestream. As alarms wail inside the transparent canopy, the dialogue swells, and balloons change shape in Superboy Meets Superman. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Mary Marvel and J’onn argue that learning secrets will heap more responsibility on Clark’s young shoulders. Yet Booster Gold insists on sharing the secrets he knows Clark will enjoy hearing. As the trio argues over two sides of the same coin, they embody different aspects of friendship while searching for their greatest friend in Action Comics #1100.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside the previous story, Mission Failure, see my preview of Action Comics #1100. 

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Action Comics #1099. 

For how Clark lost his powers, see my preview of Action Comics #1098. 

 

For Clark's battle at the Metropolis Expo of Tomorrow, see my review of Action Comics #1097. 

 

For how Superboy met Martian Manhunter, Mary Marvel, Booster Gold, and Epoch, see my review of Action Comics #1096.  

 

 

Wonder Woman #34 Review

 

Wonder Woman #34 Review

Writer: Tom King

Artists: Daniel Sampere & Bruno Redondo

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Daniel Sampere & Tomeu Morey

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Inhyuk Lee; Annie Wu

DC Pride Cover Artist: Fatima Wajid

Editors: Marquis Draper & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

Discovering Steve Trevor on Themyscira should have overjoyed Diana. Yet she had battled and slain soldiers to reach the secret prison. Worse, the Matriarch's male soldiers guarded her sacred shores. So, while Elizabeth hugged the father she knew only from her Corgi-chasing trips through time, Diana held back. Then, defying the Gods that allowed the Matriarch to murder her friends and defile her homeland, Diana used Lex Luthor's God Killer sword to carve open a passage to the Underworld.

 

The Gods dislike it when their subjects defy their omnipotence. So, when Diana, Steve, and Elizabeth enter the Palace of the Moirai, the Fates invite another guest to the impromptu party. Can Elizabeth and Lyssa rediscover their childhood friendship? Or must Wonder Woman and the Matriarch fight to the death in Hades? Let’s leap into Wonder Woman #34 and see!

 

Story

The Matriarch smiles, not realizing that the sword stored in her White Palace is a copy. When Diana shatters her sword, the Matriarch is as surprised as when she went too far torturing Superman. But as the Fates debate the origins and meaning of myths, the Matriarch claims that there are more powerful things than gods and their swords. Then she uses her power ring to summon a hard light construct.

 

As the Matriarch confronts Diana in Wonder Woman #34, she recalls how she secured the power ring and what she has done to keep it. While the two warriors fight, Lyssa recognizes that she faces the pride of Themyscira. Diana defeated her mother to become her island's emissary to the world. So, after slaying other superheroes and becoming a world leader, Lyssa regards killing Diana as the final act in securing her domination.

 

While Tom King ponders how we relate to others, he focuses on how we judge our worth and determine what will make us happy. Lyssa may not clothe herself in chains to celebrate her victories. Yet she values strength. As the Matriarch, Lyssa has devoted her life to enduring pain to become the ultimate oppressor. Diana defines herself in different terms. Lyssa thinks she must have everything to be happy. But even amid her greatest trial, Diana protects others and takes only what she needs in Wonder Woman #34.

 

Art

Amid arid terrain, a Green Lantern corpse on the road evokes extraterrestrial events in another reality. As the power ring rises from the still hand in this ravaged future, the red surrounding her eyes defines what drives Tomar-Lyssa. Despite taking place two decades hence, Daniel Sampere and Bruno Redondo adorn the two Amazons in armor that recalls a brutal past, when the strong took whatever they wanted, and might equaled right.

 

As the absolute ruler of the United States wields her hard light sword, the Matriarch’s grayscale hair and armor contrast with Diana's red, white, and blue uniform. The Princess of Themyscira adorns her head, heart, and shoulders with gold in Wonder Woman #34. Yet the scarlet running down their faces defines their anger at what each other represents. While Alejandro Sánchez paints the God Killer sword brown, its organic shape and color link it with the Green, as Diana battles a leader who will destroy everything and everyone to get what she wants.  

 

Clayton Cowles fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. As block letters emphasizing diagonals locate us in time and space, offscreen dialogue in colored boxes provides divine commentary. Balloons become clouds with wavering arrows when a speaker digs deep to summon extraordinary willpower. Sound effects enhance a battle before disapproving gods who wonder how the combatants will determine their future. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Diana defied Zeus and the order of the Underworld to reach the Palace of the Moirai. Like Steve Trevor, Diana has sinned against the Fates. As she battles the daughter of a woman she sought to rescue, Diana must determine how she will face Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos' judgment in Wonder Woman #34.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Wonder Woman #34. 

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Wonder Woman #33. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Wonder Woman #32. 

For how The Wonder War story arc began, see my preview of Wonder Woman #31. 

 

DC K.O. #5 Review

 

Writers: Scott Snyder & Joshua Williamson

Artists: Javi Fernández, Xermánico & Wes Craig

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Editors: Marquis Draper & Paul Kaminski

Cover Artists: Javi Fernández & Alejandro Sánchez; Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer; Jerome Opeña; Ian Bertram; Mike Del Mundo; Ben Oliver; Dan Mora; Steve Skroce & Dave Stewart; Mahmud Asrar & Alejandro Sánchez

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: March 4, 2026

 

Like everyone else, the Heart of Apokolips knows Darkseid controls the future. It believes that Darkseid is its master. Yet when Booster Gold stopped and resuscitated it with Omega energy, the Heart saw an opportunity for a different life. It invited each of the heroes to reshape the world with it. As the Heart has guided the combatants through each round, it modeled the contests after the only master it knows.

 

Then, the Heart of Apokolips transported the final four combatants to an Earth where Darkseid’s dominion is beyond question. Superman, Lex Luthor, Joker, and Wonder Woman battled the Absolute versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Yet, as he did to the Quantum Quorum on the Justice League Watchtower, Darkseid attacked them through Booster Gold. Now, only one combatant remains. How will he fare against Darkseid? And how does the Heart of Apokolips feel about Lex Luthor being the King Omega? Let’s leap into DC K.O. #5 and see!

 

Story

After spending much of his life as a destroyer, Time Trapper helped the Justice League preserve the universe. He sought to protect them by traveling to the future to confront Darkseid. When that failed, Time Trapper offered to preserve the heroes in a time bubble. But the Justice League refused to abandon their universe to Darkseid. So, Time Trapper helped them orchestrate the tournament for the Heart of Apokolips.

 

It may be in Time Trapper’s nature to be suspicious. But when Lois Lane brings him the information hidden within the Kryptonian archives, it flips Time Trapper’s perspective yet again. In DC K.O. #5, Time Trapper reveals that he has defied a longtime foe's wishes. And like Superboy-Prime and Robo-Superman, Time Trapper shows that it's never too late to realize your promise.

 

As the Heart of Apokolips narrates this cosmic battle, it reveals its feelings about the combatants for the crown. Once again, the story addresses different views on winning and losing. It recognizes that our views on perfection will vary. As Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson’s story reshapes the DC Universe, it ponders how we should respond to the inner voice that guides our lives. Yet an earlier conversation about what might constitute an ideal non-superhero life lingers as DC K.O. #5 reaches its conclusion.

 

Art

An exultant Lex Luthor defies panel borders as he stands before the Heart of Apokolips. While Darkseid congratulates Lex, the camera focuses on the players relegated to the sidelines. A double-page spread recreates the opening scene from this series, as diagonal panels of the game night participants frame Darkseid’s invasion of space and time. Darkseid and Lex's battlesuits seem to shrink their heads by enhancing their trapezius muscles. Then, one of the giant chess pieces taken off the board awakens and joins Time Trapper on a cosmic journey in DC K.O. #5.

 

While Alejandro Sánchez lavishes vivid colors on Javi Fernández, Xermánico, and Wes Craig’s art, Time Trapper ferries a companion amid the sea of eternal darkness. But space is rarely dark, as his companion glows with white and yellow energy while a blue orb hovers above one hand. Around them, the Heavens burst with rays of light encompassing a spectrum of colors. While Darkseid’s realm echoes his gray and red suit, his challenger shines amid gems glittering in a mother-of-pearl void.

 

As Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou places black dialogue in white balloons, the Heart of Apokolips's narration and dialogue appear as tall white letters in black fields. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. One character’s white off-camera dialogue appears in colored narrative boxes. Sound effects herald Time Trapper accepting his destiny, Omega Energy bursting from the Heart of Apokolips, and the heir to the crown battling a god who will never be satisfied with less than everything. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

When the victor claims the crown, the Heart of Apokolips transforms the universe. But even then, the victor must defeat Darkseid. While addressing how we grow and change through life, DC K.O. #5 reminds us that how we respond to fear and crisis shapes our future and the world around us.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of DC K.O. #5. 

Superman #35 Review

 

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artists: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Julio Ferreira

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: Dan Mora, Guillem March, Rod Reis, Davide Paratore & Chris Stevens

Valentine’s Day Variant Cover Artist: Chrissie Zull-Uminga

Editors: Jillian Grant & Paul Kaminski

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: February 25, 2026

 

Sun Boy gifted Lois Lane with superpowers. Superboy-Prime possesses Kryptonian abilities like her husband. Lois has downloaded crucial information about Darkseid into a robot her husband created. But the person who can most benefit from the archives is Time Trapper, who killed her husband as Doomsday.

 

The Superman robot follows Lois's instructions. Yet as it travels with her and Superboy-Prime, the robot asks itself, "Who am I? And what would Clark do in this situation?" But two hours can fly by when you're trying to save the planet. When Lois reaches the Justice League Watchtower, they find Time Trapper near death. Then the Omega Legion arrives, and they’re not interested in furthering Time Trapper’s interests. Will Darkseid’s heroes destroy the Kryptonian archives inside the Superman robot? And will Superboy-Prime use his power to kill his enemies? Let’s find a phonebooth, leap into Superman #35, and see!

 

Story

Everywhere Time Trapper looks, he sees failure. He has tried to help the Justice League save the future. Instead, he watches as the Earth transforms into Apokolips. While ostensibly working alongside him to help one of Earth’s heroes become King Omega, the Quantum Quorum helped Earth’s villains sneak into the K.O. Tournament. Time Trapper didn’t even realize that Darkseid had possessed one of his teammates.

 

With his hopes betrayed, Time Trapper watches Superboy-Prime, Lois Lane, and Robo-Superman confront the Omega Legion in Superman #35. As the trio fights for their lives, they also battle over their identity. Superboy-Prime yearned to compete in the K.O. Tournament. Yet he realized that defending Lois and Robo-Superman was more important than the thrill of victory. Robo-Superman knows Superman created him with Kryptonian powers and abilities. Then Superman kept Robo-Superman in storage, fearing the robot would value its life over others.

 

Of all of them, perhaps Lois has seen the greatest transformation. Lois has traded the freedom of being a reporter for the responsibility of running a worldwide news organization. Now, Sun Boy has gifted Lois with Kryptonian powers, transforming her identity once again.

 

As Joshua Williamson covers the three-pronged battle on the Justice League Watchtower, he also reveals the combatants’ hearts. Each of the characters has something to prove in Superman #35. Whether they see themselves as heroes, villains, synthetic people, or echoes of people who died long ago, each of them must decide if they will yield to Darkseid’s dominance or cling to hope for a better future.

 

Art

As Time Trapper reflects on his past with Superman, a two-page spread shows Superboy-Prime and Robo-Superman fighting in Clark's stead. The Omega symbol looms large on the Legion's uniforms, while Saturn Girl's glowing irises echo part of the symbol on her chest. Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Julio Ferreira portray the fighting and death Saturn Girl envisions with a series of diagonal slashed panels. The artists counter a one-page montage of Lois and Saturn Girl fighting with a two-page collage portraying the battle taking place in their minds.

 

While Alejandro Sánchez paints Superman #35 with rich and powerful colors, red, pink, and orange convey the power Saturn Girl revels in. When she touches Lois’ forehead, Saturn Girl’s face appears on Lois’ purple eye. While white energy crackles from Lightning Lad’s eyes, the sheen of Superboy-Prime's pauldrons and vambraces enhances his warrior status. As they risk their lives to prove their worthiness, a red star forms in Superboy-Prime's right eye, and Robo-Superman's exposed metal eye glows red.

 

Time Trapper’s thoughts appear in orange boxes, while Saturn Girl’s off-camera dialogue appears in pink boxes. Ariana Maher places uppercase letters in colored narrative boxes and white dialogue balloons, while Robo-Superman speaks in bold block letters. Words grow bold for intonation and emotional intensity and shrink for lowered voices. Lois's lowercase reply inhabits a cloud with a slithering arrow when searching for the strength to carry on. While sound effects enhance the battle, the sound of sparking electronics hits the hardest. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

While some see hope as a character flaw, others equate it with freedom. But as heroes and villains fight for their reality, each realizes that hope is the key to getting a second shot at the life they want in Superman #35.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Superman #35. 

DC K.O. #4 Review

 

Writers: Scott Snyder & Joshua Williamson

Artists: Javi Fernández & Xermánico

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Editors: Marquis Draper & Paul Kaminski

Cover Artists: Javi Fernández & Alejandro Sánchez; Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer; Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo; Mike Del Mundo; Jeff Spokes; Ben Oliver; Dan Mora; Aaron Bartling

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: February 11, 2026

 

Wonder Woman won through Round Three by increasing her knowledge of Apokolips. Lex Luthor triumphed by manipulating others. The Joker channeled the power of creativity and imagination to get one step closer to turning reality into a black, laughing void. And despite Batman's insistence that Clark crush his opponents, Superman won Round Three by sharing with others. How will the final four fare in Round Four? And after the events in DC K.O. Knightfight #4, will someone else be joining them? Let’s leap into DC K.O. #4 and see!

 

Story

Heroes seek to protect others, while villains strive to exploit them. In this contest about who will become the best dominator, Round Three winnowed the heroes from six to two, while both villains made the cut. So, when the Heart of Apokolips transports them to the world Darkseid created, it seems ironic that Superman, Wonder Woman, Joker, and Lex Luthor confront four heroes. But as Wonder Woman tells Superman, what the Heart touches, it corrupts.

 

In DC K.O. #4, the champions fight Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Booster Gold. While Booster Gold hails from their world, the other three call the Absolute Universe home. But when Superman studies them, all he senses is Darkseid. Like when Darkseid burst into their world and interrupted their game night, Darkseid inhabits all four at the cellular level.

 

Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson fill their story with plenty of twists and turns. Amid the battle, the membership changes on both sides. The story looks back to the past, as memories of their game together enlighten the present. Yet the situation everyone faces is that the allure of power is all-consuming. Superman discovered this when the Heart showed him the world he could create, and the Green Lanterns attacked him. In DC K.O. #4, the people who hunger most for completeness emerge as the victors.

 

Art

Superman wears an uneasy smile while the Joker delights in confronting their opponents. The Batman of Darkseid’s realm showcases his venom spikes. His new ally, Wonder Woman, utilizes her magic arm. Absolute Superman's hands and forearms glow. As they channel Omega energy, the features of Darkseid’s heroes contort with rage, evoking Chancellor Palpatine when his use of the Dark Side drained him of youth and vitality.

 

While Alejandro Sánchez lavishes vivid colors on Javi Fernández and Xermánico’s action-packed art, green links the Joker and Lex Luthor with Kryptonite. But red dominates, coloring characters' skin and clothes, and filling their eyes as they attack their opponents. Red infuses the air of Darkseid’s industrial realm, while explosions rock combatants and incinerate champions. Crimson droplets splash across the pages of DC K.O. #4, whether inhabiting the present or portraying events in another time. It merges with yellow and orange to create a cosmic, otherworldly feel in this pink and purple realm.

 

The Heart of Apokolips welcomes readers with tall white letters in black fields. As Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou places black dialogue in white balloons, the letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Booster Gold speaks white letters into black distorted shapes that evoke Darkseid’s polluted realm, while dialogue and balloons change color as the intensity of the battle increases. Sound effects heighten the deadly battles, as one character expresses his will with red letters in white clouds with red borders. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When the four champions travel to Darkseid’s domain, they battle heroes shaped by a harsh world that forces heroes to fight harder to survive. As they fight for the right to battle the Heart of Apokolips, DC K.O. #4 provides crucial backstory to help readers understand how evil took over the universe.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of DC K.O. #4. 

DC K.O. #3 Review

 

Writers: Scott Snyder & Joshua Williamson

Artists: Javi Fernández & Xermánico

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Editors: Marquis Draper & Paul Kaminski

Cover Artists: Javi Fernández & Alejandro Sánchez; Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer; Mike Del Mundo; Carla Cohen; Lucio Parrillo; Cully Hamner; Sanford Greene; Dan Mora; Ben Oliver

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: January 14, 2026

 

Superman has been here before: forced to fight to impress others. But the stakes were never so big. As he battled in a graveyard of the elder gods to reshape reality in his image, Clark Kent's objective was to ensure that Lex Luthor lost. Instead, Lex Luthor survived, while Clark's friends and fellow heroes died.

 

Before all this began, Bruce Wayne encouraged Clark to think outside the box. But Batman has fallen while Superman fights on. After two championship rounds and individual battles to trim the field, eight combatants remain. As he prepares for the third round, what kind of King Omega will Clark fight to become? The President, who oversees a mighty nation? Or the fireman who rescues imperiled individuals from agony and death? Let’s leap into DC K.O. #3 and see!

 

Story

The Heart of Apokolips wants the contestants to fight for the world they want. So, it gives them a vision of the utopia they could craft if they win. Before Clark and the others can glimpse the cracks that threaten any civilization, the Heart snatches the dream away, leaving only hunger in its place.

 

Superman may belong to the Justice League Unlimited. But this story began with a conversation with Bruce and Diana. When they learned that Darkseid had conquered reality and conceived this contest to stop him, Batman and Wonder Woman convinced Superman to embrace the plan. Now, allies and enemies surround Clark. But the person he initially looks to for support and camaraderie is Diana.

 

Scott Snyder divides the narrative between the eight combatants as they battle in four rings. As each entrant chooses a partner to fight alongside, the reasons behind their decisions vary. Most partners are grateful to have a second chance to prove themselves. But the Heart of Apokolips rewards those who channel Omega energy by dominating others. While the Joker delights in chaos, Lex Luthor knows the power of the Kryptonian menace. But as the focus keeps returning to Clark, others share Luthor’s belief in DC K.O. #3.

 

Amid the battles, some partnerships work better than others. As in life, a forward-thinking person can awaken something unexpected in their partner. And as Joshua Williamson points out, everyone has a different definition of victory. But in this battle like no other, the combatants who can harness their partner’s wisdom, strengths, and abilities most effectively survive.

 

Art

When Clark Kent dreams, he does so in circles. Straight lines don't mar Superman’s utopia in DC K.O. #3. People walk along circular platforms, connected to round towers by gently arcing pillars. Like the freedom in which the citizens thrive, cities float among the clouds, tracing gleaming diagrams across the world as they meet each new day. But at the Earth’s core, Superman awakens in darkness. A ghostly glow surrounds him and the other competitors. Statues of fallen champions surround them. The giant likenesses evoke mummies, preserved to commemorate their battles.

 

Scenes stretch across pages as Javi Fernández follows each battle. The combatants fight in rings atop stone pillars surrounded by boiling lava. As on Mustafar, the primary colors are yellow, orange, and a hint of red. And in a remembrance of Clark’s game night with Bruce and Diana, Alejandro Sánchez paints the same fiery colors over the kitchen range in Xermánico’s art. Instead of tracing designs of liberty across a globe, white signals magical attacks. Close-ups of the teammates appear in pink bandage-like panels. Green represents dire threats, while gold celebrates perfection.

 

The Heart of Apokolips narrates DC K.O. #3, etching tall white letters into black fields. When they awaken, the combatants also speak white uppercase letters into the darkness. As Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou places black dialogue in white balloons, the letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. The letters shrink with lowered voices and turn lowercase with distance. Colorful sound effects accompany this quartet of battles, while enlarged purple laughter resounds in this realm of Omega energy. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Everyone has dreams they'd like to realize. As heroes and villains fight for the power to pursue those goals without restraint, DC K.O. #3 asks if perfection is worth striving for, or something you should avoid at all costs.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of DC K.O. #3. 

Superman #30 Preview

 

 

Darkseid's Legion wants Superman to lose hope. Kal-El knows that giving into fear, pessimism, and despair never improved anyone's life. Yet even the Kryptonian has his weaknesses. Can Superman retain his optimism while corrupted versions of his friends torment him? 

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

Superman #30

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Dan Mora

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: Dan Mora, David Aja; Ariel Olivetti, Saowee; Claudio Castellini & Tom Reilly

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: September 24, 2025

 

Booster Gold…Fugitive of the Darkseid Legion!

 

Superman has found the mysterious hero known as Booster Gold. Together, they must return to the present day to warn the Justic League, but Darkseid’s Legion stands in the way. The shocking events of this issue lead into next month’s massive next chapter in the All In saga!!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.