REVIEW: DC K.O. The Kids Are All Fight Special #1
I already highly recommend DC K.O. as an event for fans of superheroes and comics, all the tie-ins included. However, it don’t think I would include DC K.O. The Kids Are All Fight Special #1. With previous reading knowledge from several limited series required and continued underutilization of Jon Kent, it leaves you wanting and wondering more.
Eisner winning artist Bruno Redondo’s cover brings Jon Kent back into the light after the grittiness of Secret Six. Joining him is Cassandra Cain as Batgirl, Judy Garrick as Boom, Raghu Seetharaman as Quiz Kid (Mr. Terrific’s side kick), Jefferey Holt as Fairplay (Mr. Terrific’s son), and Lian Harper (Arsenal and the original Cheshire’s daughter). The last few years in the respective hero comic series must’ve been busy because these are all new brand faces to me. Great to see a new Cheshire, though.
I love Todd Nauck’s art, such a unique mix of toon and comic art –fitting young heroes like a glove which is why he’s one of the best Spider-Man artists out there. He also has done his share of Stargirl and since Boom featured in a limited series with her, he seemed like a right choice for these young group of heroes looked after by Superson. It looks they just intruded on Granny Goodness’s turf, and she’s probably looking to go after Earth with all the heroes in the tournament.
Chrissie Zullo Uminga is another artist that draws young heroes with a style that perfectly suits them. Her variant covers out main cast in the way that is uniquely hers. All the simpleness and styling of a children’s book applied to the comic book medium is genius on her part.
Other variants are available from Joe Quinones and Juni Ba.
The Titans are safeguarding Earth while the Justice League participates in the Omega tournament. Some are on Earth while others have evacuated the population to Gemworld. However, both fronts aren’t doing too well with Terra set on conquering Gemworld and Grail attacking Earth. Donna Troy and Arsenal are heading into the fray, and leave Superson aboard the Watchtower with the younger heroes –Boom, Fairplay, Quiz Kid, and Cheshire. Donna says that Jon is the Titan’s last line of defense and must stay behind.
The kids are also meant to stay put. But when Fairplay detects Granny Goodness skulking around, they head down to Earth to stop her –behind Jon’s back that is. They arrive and are confronted with a new Female Fury roster of Stargirl, Yara Flor, and Irey West along with regulars Mad Harriet, Lashina, Bernadeth, and Gilotina. On the Watchtower, Jon gets help from Cassandra Cain to help track the kids down.
Jeremy Adams is also the upcoming DC KO special of Green Lantern Galactic Slam. This issue feels like something he was hitting up along the way. To his credit, it’s a lot of characters to manage. So many so that some readers may not be familiar with all of them. At the same time, they need something interesting to do. The cover gave the impression Jon was leading them against a threat, but this was anything but the case. In Jon sees very little action until the end. And unless you’ve read the limited series Mr. Terrific Year One, Cheshire & Cheetah Rob the Justice League, Stargirl: The Lost Children, and the last couple story arcs of The Flash –you’re meeting these characters for the first time. Even the major reveal at the end points out a new upcoming special you’ll need to read to get more context in February.
But by now, people know who Superman’s son is and want to see him in action. The last big adventure he had on his own was on the Injustice Earth. I also thought the whole purpose of Dark Crisis was him coming front and center. Either writers don’t know what to do with Jon Kent other than a backup Superman or they are too afraid utilize him in meaningful ways. His role in this story could’ve been played by any other hero. Letters are by Dave Sharpe.
Travis Mercer, with colors by Andrew Dalhouse, carry what is a lackluster issue with the visuals. For a DC K.O. issue, there are only handful of pages of any fighting. But when there is, they make them count. Weirdly enough, Jon is still in his Action Comics suit from years ago. I think he’s the only one still using it.
(4/10) DC K.O. The Kids Are All Fight Special #1 is the black sheep of the event. The characters are too obscure to warrant a special of their own as if they are established to the average reader, Jon Kent remains the underutilized background character he’s been since Dark Crisis, and there’s far too many referrals to other series.
