Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Dan Mora
Colours: Triona Farrell
Release Date: 4th February 2026

Whilst many a bibliophile may well get the impression from this comic’s rather lengthy foreword that writer Joshua Williamson was somewhat worried long‑term readers of the mini‑series might now be struggling to grasp its overall narrative, the American author doesn’t appear to dwell on the issue once DC K.O. Knightfight Issue Four actually begins. In fact, this particular twenty‑two‑page periodical spends no time at all explaining how Damian Wayne became Gotham City’s future Batman, and instead simply has the most prominent members of the Bat‑Family unconvincingly accept that they live in an alternate reality destined to vanish the moment the all‑powerful Heart of Apokolips decides to end it.

To make matters even more confusing — especially for those fans who have somehow managed to stick with this spin‑off title — the California‑born writer also appears to abruptly shift the goal posts by revealing that the sentient machine now wants Bruce Wayne to return to its “deadly tournament” and become its victorious King Omega. The device still intends to punish the Caped Crusader for supposedly ‘cheating’ in its contest, but its original plan now seems to have been sidelined in favour of giving the Dark Knight a grander purpose.

Additionally, some readers may find it odd that a clearly aged, costumed crime‑fighter is given ample time to train both his mind and body before being forced to fight his son ‘to the death’. Everyone seems strangely casual about the World’s Greatest Detective shockingly returning from the dead and being told that they themselves aren’t real, and this lack of urgency badly undermines Batman’s final bout of fisticuffs with Damian once it finally begins. Worse still, the story doesn’t even conclude: after showing Bruce admitting he can’t defeat a much younger, seasoned ‘keeper of the cowl’, the publication abruptly instructs readers to purchase another instalment of the “Crisis of Absolute Proportions” crossover event to discover what happens next.

Disappointingly, even artist Dan Mora appears utterly befuddled by this script, seemingly desperate to finish the project as quickly as possible by relying heavily on negative space for his backgrounds. In fact, this sense of disinterest arguably extends to the supposedly climactic confrontation, where the Costa Rican illustrator resorts to an excess of motion lines in an attempt to disguise his rather basic‑looking, poorly detailed combatants.

The writer of this piece was: Simon Moore
Simon Tweets from @Blaxkleric ‏
You can read more of his reviews at The Brown Bag