DC K.O.: GREEN LANTERN GALACTIC SLAM #1 (DC COMICS)
The battle raging outside the DC K.O. Tourney is ramping up.
Remaining heroes are doing all they can to protect the universe. One leading the charge is a powerful Green Lantern. Kyle Rayner is doing all he can to slow down Darkseid’s Parademon forces. The cost seems too high as Rayner is drained from his White Lantern powers. In this moment, he is swept away to an even wilder fight raging on.
DC K.O.: GREEN LANTERN GALACTIC SLAM #1 by Jeremy Adams, Cian Tormey, Pat Boutin, Romulo Fajardo Jr., & Buddy Beaudoin slams into comic shops with a DC KO tie-in all its own.
Let’s get a ringside seat for al the action.
DC K.O.: GREEN LANTERN GALACTIC SLAM #1 by Jeremy Adams, Cian Tormey, Pat Boutin, Romulo Fajardo Jr., & Buddy Beaudoin (DC COMICS)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
As much fun as the tournament has been, there’s been a level of seriousness to the bouts. Adams lays in heavy to the pro wrestling aspects for a very entertaining special. Removing Rayner of the board and into the madness that is the world of W.A.M. escalates the action. Readers can’t help but be won over by the returning & outrageous “Omega Bam Man”. The character represents everything of the 1980’s that pro wrestling brings. Only the Outrunners currently in AEW come close to the presentation shown here. Once the formalities are out of the way, the story swings into a somewhat more grounded area.
Readers sit ringside as the intergalactic champion breaks down his back story. It is one filled with huge optimism and broken dreams. Adams spins many emotions while guiding through his transformation. It concludes with a truly heroic point that forges his current stat quo. This moment also leads to Rayner’s current issue of joining the wrestling circuit. The writing takes this moment and sinks it into the overall theme of K.O. Once the bell rings here, all bets are off as Rayner and his tag-team partner unravel the chokehold keeping them down. This leads to a solid finish with a few curves thrown into play. Judging by the last page, no one heard a bell and this match appears to head to another fall. A very fun read indeed.
The art team lay out the over-the-top visuals fitting for pro-wrestling in space. With Superboy and Odyssey by his side, Rayner leads the charge against the incoming parademons. When switching to White Lantern mode, a near full page image amplifies the moment. This spin into a quick fallout as Rayner is taken away to the confines of Bam Man’s title defense. A two page splash welcomes all to the fight. You know its’ gonna be something with an RKO/cutter is on front display.
Bam Man’s charisma is oozing out on every scene. Each panel feels like a throwback to Saturday mornings watching WWE. Once they escape conflict, Rayner walks into Bam Man’s hub via full page. It’s a brief break until his back story takes hold. Readers walk through the evolution of mild-mannered child to hardened champion with a mentor to avenge. It gives more depth to the character as the events progress towards its spot on the card. Seeing Rayner dressed up as a wrestler will bring a smile to many faces. The moment leads to a few reveals then frantic action. There is a mid panel image that will invoke thoughts of Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash (iykyk). This brings out the big swings to conclude the match. Once in the final stages, a parting panel stops the count on this pairing. In the meantime, enjoy the time with this one.
FINAL POINT: 8.4
Kyle Rayner’s introduction into intergalactic pro wrestling is packed with big heart and larger action with this DC K.O. tie-in. Adams leans heavily into the extravagance of the sqaured circle with the writing. The art team shines when taking the brawling to the next level. This one packs a solid combo and finisher, so don’t let the ref count 3 until you check this out.
Let me know your thoughts on DC K.O.: GREEN LANTERN GALACTIC SLAM #1 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
