DC K.O.: Wonder Woman v.s. Lobo by Joëlle Jones with art from Jason Howard, Cary Nord, and Daniel Bayliss is a one-shot smack dab in the middle of DC’s big event of the year. A tournament in the Heart of Apokolips where heroes and villains fight for the opportunity to be crowned King Omega, a force to rival the newly powered-up Darkseid. It’s an event that calls to 90s-style brawls and excuses for our heroes to be at odds with one another, and will influence powerscaling conversations for years to come.
This issue is the third of eight installments in DC K.O. All Fight Month, a series of tie-in issues that focus on best-of-three 1v1 fights between the remaining 16 contestants. Wonder Woman and Lobo make for a fascinating pairing. Both are to some degree immortal, which is interesting on its own, but what this issue focuses on more is the inherent conflict between one of DC’s biggest creeps and misogynists and one of the biggest icons of feminism in comics.
Feminism vs. The Main Man
Across all three rounds, Lobo throws out sexist comments, demeaning propositions for sex, and the general disrespect he’s known for. When given the opportunity to transform into a different version of himself, he chooses his more clean-cut look from the New 52, explicitly for its stereotypically attractive appeal. While Wonder Woman throws in a decent amount of trash-talk herself, she seems to be focused on winning, exemplified by her use of the Godkiller armor in their second fight. Ultimately, it’s Lobo’s taunting that knocks him out of the tournament, as in the final round, he badmouths the Almighty, the force that grants him eternal life, and in turn loses his immortality, allowing Diana to get the final blow.
DC K.O. lends itself well to a giant ensemble piece, with multiple characters sharing the spotlight equally, but this issue and All Fight Month as a whole illustrate the issue with this event and its tie-ins: DC K.O. is a Superman story. Compared to the main series, or even Superman’s own 1v1 fight with Captain Atom, this issue lacks thematic depth, though it’s not for lack of trying. The inherent battle between DC’s seminal heroine and one of DC’s biggest creeps makes for a satisfying victory for Diana. Having Lobo’s downfall be his own ego only serves to elevate this theme.
Yet, regrettably, it’s a premise that is dragged down by the lack of emphasis on either of these characters outside of this issue. I would’ve also liked to see more exploration of these characters’ history. While Godkiller armor and New 52 Lobo are fun, they feel like they are just scratching the surface of the fun and pulpy references that could’ve been on display. Similarly, though I love Lobo’s ego being his downfall, I would’ve liked to see Wonder Woman have a bit more of an active role in his defeat. For an issue that seems to be about overcoming gross creeps like Lobo, it feels a bit odd that in the end, she has little impact on the outcome of the fight, especially since her other win shared the spotlight with the Wonder Girls.
Navigating the Shift from Howard to Nord
The art on display, while decent from each artist, suffers from the switch-up. Howard’s work on the first two rounds is decently dynamic, even if both Wonder Woman and Lobo look a little too thin and sleek. Cary Nord’s work on round three, while fine in its own right, feels notably different from Howard’s work in a way that messes with the pacing of the issue. Tamara Bonvillain, though, is the real standout for the coloring, which makes both artists ’ styles pop and does the best job of keeping continuity between the different styles. Daniel Bayliss also does fantastic work with art and color on the final two pages, which serve as a bit of continuity between all the tie-ins, with his page layouts particularly on display in these two pages.
Final Verdict: Is Wonder Woman vs. Lobo Worth Reading?
While DC K.O.: Wonder Woman v.s. Lobo may not be the main dish, it makes for a half-decent garnish. The creative team was given one of the most unenviable tasks in comics — an event tie-in. Though they put forward plenty of strong elements for what they were given, this issue is plagued by the lack of relevance in the bigger picture of DC K.O. It’s a decent bout of fun, but I can’t recommend it much past that.
‘DC K.O.: Wonder Woman vs. Lobo’ #1 Review: A Fun but Non-Essential Tie-In
While DC K.O.: Wonder Woman v.s. Lobo may not be the main dish, it makes for a half-decent garnish.
