DC Comics has been on a roll lately, frequently topping Marvel Comics in the sales charts. DC K.O. has been another hit for the publisher—that's already riding high thanks to the success of its Absolute line—and next month sees the release of the DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 one-shot.
Arriving in comic book stores on February 4, it's written by Jeremy Adams with art by Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, Pablo M. Collar, and Hi-Fi.
Dropping before we reach the explosive final phase of the DC K.O. event, this special issue throws DC's greatest superheroes into a gauntlet of unexpected challengers from across comics, horror, fantasy, and gaming.
For the first time, they'll face off against icons including Sub-Zero (Netherrealm), Homelander, Red Sonja and Vampirella (Dynamite), Samantha Strong (IDW), and even New Line Cinema's Annabelle, the infamous horror doll.
And in a surprise twist, DC has today revealed that Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Archie Comics) will make a cameo appearance.
"Patrick Horvath created an incredibly complicated and frankly, scary, character with Samantha Strong," Adams said today. "I feel lucky to be able to pit this serial-killer bear from IDW’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees against the greatest criminal mind of our time, Lex Luthor."
"Especially because Lex has no idea who it is he's stumbled upon. And, having written four animated Mortal Kombat movies, I jumped at the chance to write more of the Netherrealm world, especially for comics," he continued. "These characters hold a place dear to my heart as I've had the chance to interact with a huge swath of their fandom, their creators, and the MK universe as a whole!"
In DC K.O.: Boss Battle, the heroes of the DC Universe are running out of time and don’t have enough Omega Energy to enter the final battles. To stop Darkseid’s escalating threat, they must enter a series of escalating boss fights across the multiverse, each more unpredictable than the last. Every encounter pushes them closer to the edge, and failing to level up means certain failure in the final DC K.O. contestant brackets.
Adams noted, "DC K.O.: Boss Battle held surprises for me, too. I never anticipated that I’d be writing 'Welcome to Greendale!' in a DC comic! Home of our favorite teenage witch who volunteers to 'help' Star Sapphire in the Boss Battle. This was a bright spot to put together in the midst of the over-arching chaos of the issue. I found myself really enjoying the brief moments with Sabrina."
"And Homelander vs Superman! The biggest A-hole in pop culture right now fighting the big blue boy scout? Come on! My only regret is that I didn’t have more pages to show these guys punch and kick," the writer shared, "and for Superman to tell Homelander to shut his potty mouth before launching him into the sun."
As noted, DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 arrives on February 4 at participating comic shops and digital retailers with a main cover by Jamal Campbell and cardstock variant covers by Jeff Spokes, Darick Robertson & Diego Rodriguez, Patrick Horvath, Frank Cho & Sabine Rich, and Gleb Melnikov.
Check out some preview pages and cover art for the upcoming one-shot below.