In this review of DC K.O.: Knightfight #3, the Heart of Apokolips gives gives Batman a challenge he may not be able to overcome — a life where he is happy.
DC K.O.: Knightfight #3 main cover by Dan Mora (DC Comics)
DC K.O.: KNIGHTFIGHT #3
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and Main Cover: DAN MORA
Variant Covers: LUDO LULLABI, JEFF SPOKES, and RILEY ROSSMO
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 1/7/26
This review contains spoilers
The Heart of Apokolips gave Batman the power to be Clayface to take on Jason. Bruce saves Jason and tells him that he has never been a loner and that he will stay with Jason in this world together. As that happens Batman gets sucked away and a voice shouts out that he cheated.
The Heart shows Batman what is happening in the KO Tournament and that the allies are losing and Joker is winning. The Heart makes a new deal with Batman. Batman has to beat the Heart’s challenge and then will be returned to the tournament. This will be a challenge of the mind though.
In this new reality, Batman has solved every crime in Gotham and there are no cold cases open for him to solve. But the Batman of this world is….. Tim Drake.
Tim is back at the Cave and discovers that someone has hacked into the Batcomputer and that someone is Bruce Wayne who has been trapped in the Cave’s computer. Bruce tells Tim that he is proud of him but Tim yells back that he can’t solve his murder. AI Bruce shows Tim the crime scene of his death and Tim knows who did it and he wants to upload Bruce to a robot so they can solve it. Just then the Heart takes Bruce away again.
The Heart is upset that Bruce didn’t fight Tim and shows him other versions of his allies so he can fight. But the Heart chooses something else to hurt Bruce….
In this new world, Bruce is much older. Damian is there and says that he saved Gotham. Bruce tells him that this isn’t real and Damian agrees but first he wants to show him something. Damian’s son, Bruce’s grandson, named Alfred.
Analysis
Oh man what a killer of an ending. This next issue is going to be heartbreak for Bruce. To be in a world where Gotham is saved and he is living with his son and is now a grandfather, it is going to be a gut punch to see Bruce have to give up on this world of happiness. Williamson has been able to turn what was thought to be an action packed miniseries with Batman fighting future versions of his Robins and has flipped into something which will have an emotional ending.
Mora is just the best. The little things he includes are fantastic such as little bat ears on Batman when he’s “Clayface”. The level of detail an artist will include like that is really appreciated. The best artists do things like make their art the next level.
The next issue is going to be a good one. I have a feeling it will be the “Perchance to Dream” episode from the animated series. Where Bruce has the dreamworld but has to go back into his nightmare reality.
