THIS WEEK: DC shows us how disparate their publishing line can be, by publishing one of the most corporate comics ever alongside the return of Vertigo. Both are good!
Note: The reviews below may contain spoilers.
DC K.O. Boss Battle #1
Writer: Jeremy Adams
Artists: Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomencio, Kieran McKeown, and Pablo M. Collar
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Cover: Jamal Campbell
On a recent episode of Off Panel, host David Harper noted we’ve seen a surge in intercompany crossovers recently. Godzilla is everywhere (in crossovers published by at least four different companies). Marvel is making frequent use of the IP Disney acquired when it bought 21st Century Fox, including setting both the Predator and Aliens loose in the Marvel Universe. (Yes, that’s technically not intercompany, but it’s close enough.) DC and Marvel published four crossovers last year, with more to come in 2026.
Characters from different franchises getting in each other’s soup? It’s hot right now. But even knowing that, DC’s initial announcement of DC K.O. Boss Battle was surprising. Did anyone expect Superman and Homelander to fight in an officially-licensed comic book? Did anyone expect Beneath the Trees Where Nobody See’s Samantha Strong to appear in the DCU? My money is on no. And yet, here we are.
The sheer audacity of the concept and characters involved made me want to check out Boss Battle. Pulling all these disparate characters from other franchises into an event that is crucial to the DC All In narrative is a wild move. So I wanted to see how it all played out. I’m sure many other comic buyers out there will feel the same this week, and be tempted to splurge on this comic.
If they do, they’ll be rewarded. Because DC K.O. Boss Battle is a goofy, fun production that (after some hand-wavy exposition) allows every character within it to show off, and provides a series of moments that will leave fans of these characters either pumping their fists, laughing, or both.
Writer Jeremy Adams does a deft job weaving this story into the larger DC K.O. fabric (yes, the story’s mechanics are convoluted, but Adams gets them out of the way quickly and gets to the action) and delivering what fans want, which is memorable, fan-servicey fights. The Mortal Kombat scenes include all the Mortal Kombat things you’d want to see. Homelander is exactly as dickish to Superman as you’d expect him to be. Each character from each franchise is exactly on-brand, and behaves as you’d expect them to – producing fun fights in which Adams leans into each character and franchise’s defining traits. (The Joker and Annabelle scenes were, for me, worth the price of admission alone. I haven’t laughed so hard at a comic in quite awhile.)
On the art side of things, well, Boss Battle is a 28-page comic with four artists. In that regard, it is about as corporate comics as corporate comics can be. However, Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomencio, Kieran McKeown, and Pablo M. Collar’s art styles mesh fairly well, and colorist Hi-Fi and letterer Tom Napolitano help keep things looking consistent from page to page. There is no individual artist or page of Boss Battle that is a letdown, and the artists’ pacing and storytelling is strong throughout. Also, the artists know what kind of book they’re meant to be producing here, and they give readers the splash pages, choreographed fight scenes, and double splashes they’re looking for.
So yes, if you want to see Lex Luthor fight Samantha Strong or Superman fight Homelander or the Joker “fight” Annabelle – buy DC K.O. Boss Battle #1. If you’re in the market for dumb, enthusiastic fun, a mash-up of all the toys from various toyboxes, this book will not disappoint. Just don’t expect anything more than that from this one, and be ready to lean in and enjoy the wild ride.
Vertigo Lives!
The Nice House by the Sea #7
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist/Cover Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer/Designer: Andworld Design
And now, for something completely different.
Vertigo, DC’s original adult-oriented imprint, officially returns this month, via the continuation of The Nice House by the Sea and the launch of three new series. For comics fans of a certain age, Vertigo’s return is a momentous occasion. The DC Round-Up crew is of that certain age. So throughout February, we’ll be highlighting each week’s Vertigo release.
This may be an exaggeration (though I don’t think it is). But from outside DC’s walls, it feels like Vertigo would not be returning if the Nice House series did not exist. When DC announced The Nice House by the Lake, it felt like an outlier. A new property being published within the Black Label imprint, which up to that point had primarily featured mature superhero books and extensions of previous Vertigo series. Most likely, DC dropped Nice House (and The Last God before it) within Black Label because there was nowhere else to put it, and they were eager to be the ones to publish a new series from James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno.
I am not surprised that the process of greenlighting and publishing The Nice House by the Lake sparked the idea of a Vertigo revival in Executive Editor Chris Conroy’s mind. “How do we not have a clear place to publish a series like Nice House?” is a probably a difficult question for an editor to have to ask themself.
But what also lit the fire, I imagine, is that Nice House had that old Vertigo magic from the jump. Compelling characters, existential ideas, mind-blowing art, put down on the page by creators given free rein to tell whatever story they want to tell. I reread a good portion of Lake and Sea prior to starting this review. These series have always been Vertigo series. They were just waiting for DC’s labeling and publishing structure to catch up to that fact.
I know I haven’t discussed The Nice House by the Sea #7 specifically yet. Most of what I have to say about it is that the magic is still there. Bueno, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and designer/letterer Andworld Design are still turning in moody, atmospheric pages packed with great character acting and psychedelic effects. And Tynion’s story is as tight, darkly funny, thoughtful, and sinister as it has been up to this point. The Nice House by the Sea earned its place as the tip of the spear for this month’s Vertigo revival. If you’re at all interested in psychological horror and examination of the human condition, go catch up on the Nice House series, including this issue.
I have yet to read the rest of this month’s Vertigo titles. I plan to read them during the weeks they actually release, and I’m excited to see what my fellow DC Round-Up reviewers have to say about them. If those series are anywhere near as good as Nice House has been throughout its runs, we’re all going to remember this second Vertigo era as fondly as we remember the first.
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