Written by: Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson
Art by: Dustin Nguyen, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Mark Morales
Colors by: John Kalisz
Letters by: Steve Wands
Cover art by: Jorge Corona, Sara Stern (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: December 24, 2025
First Impressions
The opening hits hard with Jason's internal monologue, a raw confession about living in Batman's shadow and finally getting his moment. That emotional core is promising at first, like we're about to see a genuinely personal reckoning. But the execution stumbles immediately once the fists start flying, with fight choreography that's so muddled and unclear you genuinely can't tell who's winning from panel to panel. The repeated fake-outs where Jason appears to kill Joker, followed by Joker brushing it off, happen so many times that the shock value evaporates by the third attempt.
Plot Analysis
Jason stands alone in a bizarre tournament arena, having brought one item into a battle royale to determine the King Omega, a champion powerful enough to fight Darkseid and save reality itself. The Quantum Quorum locked all enemies away in the Phantom Zone, but Jason made a gutsy call by sneaking in the Joker anyway, knowing the clown would never truly stay locked away. For this confrontation, he brings bullets laced with an amplified version of the same chemicals that created the Joker in Ace Chemical, hoping finally to put down the monster that defined him.
The first round unfolds in Ace Chemical, where Jason shoots Joker with his special compound and watches as the Joker shrugs it off completely. They trade blows, and Jason realizes he needs to fight with Joker's own recklessness, abandoning caution to match the clown's chaotic energy. The battle is confusing to follow, with unclear panel-to-panel action that obscures whether Jason is gaining ground or drowning. By the end of Round One, Jason appears to survive, but the Joker turns the tables for a decisive kill.
For Round Two, the arena shifts, and Jason gets to choose their second form. He picks a younger version of himself as Robin, channeling that fury and heartbreak from when the Joker first killed him. This version is angry, reckless, and fully willing to kill without remorse. The two brutalize each other in an explosion-filled skirmish, and Jason finally unleashes his wrath, beating Joker mercilessly during a countdown timer sequence. The Joker tries the same psychological tricks, reminding Jason that he's the one who made him, but Jason doesn't listen this time. After a bomb detonates, the score reaches one to one.
For the final round, Jason must choose his next form. The Heart of Apokolis offers him a choice, and after moments of reflection, Jason understands his true identity. He's not defined by Batman or Joker anymore. He transforms into an older version of himself, a seasoned Red Hood with his own legend, no longer a footnote in anyone else's story. In this form, Jason fights with purpose and precision, hunting Joker like the executioner he's become. The final exchange is mercifully brief, with Jason stabbing the Joker, and as the clown dies, Jason sees his true face and doesn't care. Jason survives, bloodied and lightheaded, but victorious, knowing he's no longer the Joker's creation.
Writing
The setup is genuinely strong. Jason's opening monologue nails the emotional core, articulating years of frustration about being perceived as the Joker's achievement rather than his own person. The dialogue between Jason and Joker is sharp and purposeful, with Joker's psychologically manipulative quips contrasting against Jason's increasingly cold determination.
Where the writing stumbles is in pacing. The story rehashes the same beats from previous storylines and withing the issue itself, repeatedly, like you're watching Jason learn the same lesson multiple times. Each round introduces slight variations on Jason choosing a different mindset, but the emotional journey feels stretched thin across three rounds that don't build meaningfully on each other. The final revelation about the Red Hood identity is solid in concept, but it arrives almost as an afterthought, without enough narrative breathing room to land with impact. The structure also leans heavily on Jason's internal monologue to explain what the art isn't showing clearly, which suggests the visual storytelling didn't fully land the way the writers intended.
This is where the comic genuinely fails the premise. The fight choreography across all three rounds is confusing and difficult to parse, with dynamic action that sometimes feels more chaotic than intentional. Multiple panels show Jason appearing to fatally wound or kill the Joker, only for the Joker to stand back up with minimal explanation. The first time this happens, it works as shock value. By the third or fourth instance, it becomes confusing because the art doesn't clearly establish the rules of the Joker's chemical resilience. Dustin Nguyen's pencil work on the earlier pages (1-13) is detailed and expressive, but the fight choreography lacks clarity in spatial relationships. Giuseppe Camuncoli's section (pages 14-19, 29-30) shifts the style and adds some dynamism, but the same problems persist. The color work by John Kalisz does establish mood effectively, particularly the sickly chemical yellows and greens at Ace Chemical, which sell the location's toxicity. The final round's execution hood design is visually striking and symbolically loaded. However, the inconsistency between having strong mood work and muddy fight choreography creates a jarring disconnect where half the art succeeds and half fails the basic job of showing readers what's happening.
Jason's journey is conceptually solid and emotionally resonant. His motivation is clear: reclaim his identity from the shadow of two men (Batman and the Joker) who defined his existence. His evolution across the three rounds shows him cycling through different aspects of his past self before ultimately rejecting them all in favor of the man he's become. The character consistency is strong in his internal voice and determination. However, the relatability suffers because Jason's emotional breakthroughs feel like they're happening in isolation, without real opposition or argument from the Joker that challenges his conclusions. The Joker talks at him, but doesn't truly engage with Jason's philosophy. A more dynamic dialogue where the Joker actually contests Jason's self-determination might have made the victory feel earned rather than simply asserted. Joker's characterization as an unkillable force of chaos is thematically appropriate but narratively limited, since his unchanging nature means there's no character arc, only Jason's gradual acceptance that the Joker can't define him. It's a one-sided character study masquerading as a battle.
Here's the critical flaw: this issue doesn't deliver anything fresh. The "Jason trying to kill the Joker" storyline is ancient DC history, recycled through multiple runs since A Death in the Family (1988) and refined through Under the Red Hood (2005). This comic adds nothing meaningfully new to that dynamic beyond the tournament gimmick, which is itself borrowed from the broader DC K.O. series. The premise promised a definitive showdown between these two characters, and the execution delivers more of the same philosophical debate about whether Jason is his own person or the Joker's legacy. That's not a new idea for 2024. The tournament structure should have elevated this beyond a standard Jason-versus-Joker grudge match, but instead, it just provides a fighting arena with no higher thematic stakes. By the final round, Jason's victory feels predetermined and safe, lacking the kind of genuine surprise or narrative risk that would make a thirtieth iteration of this conflict feel worthwhile. The comic asks a question (Is Jason more than the Joker's creation?) that DC has been answering consistently for almost two decades.
The emotional core of Jason's opening monologue genuinely works, articulating his internal struggle in a way that will resonate with readers familiar with his history. Jason's internal voice throughout is sharp and self-aware, balancing his desperation to win with his sarcastic deflection when things go wrong. The decision to have Jason ultimately reject both Batman and Joker as defining forces and instead embrace his identity as the Red Hood shows thematic intention. John Kalisz's color work, particularly the sickly chemical palette at Ace Chemical, creates atmosphere and mood that effectively sells the location's toxic history. The final round's visual concept of Jason becoming an executioner's Red Hood is symbolically rich and designs-wise striking. The acknowledgment that Joker will always find a way to survive, coupled with Jason choosing not to care anymore, provides the closest thing the issue gets to a genuinely earned emotional beat.
The fight choreography across all three rounds is frustratingly unclear, with multiple panels where Jason appears to mortally wound the Joker, only for the clown to brush it off moments later. This happens so repeatedly that the impact flattens by the third occurrence, and readers will struggle to understand what's actually stopping Jason from winning on the spot. The overall story rehashes the same thematic beats that DC has explored exhaustively since at least the mid-2000s, with Jason learning he's not the Joker's creation and owning his identity as the Red Hood. For a thirtieth iteration of this conflict, the comic offers no fresh angle or surprising revelation that justifies revisiting this ground again.
Art
This is where the comic genuinely fails the premise. The fight choreography across all three rounds is confusing and difficult to parse, with dynamic action that sometimes feels more chaotic than intentional. Multiple panels show Jason appearing to fatally wound or kill the Joker, only for the Joker to stand back up with minimal explanation. The first time this happens, it works as shock value. By the third or fourth instance, it becomes confusing because the art doesn't clearly establish the rules of the Joker's chemical resilience. Dustin Nguyen's pencil work on the earlier pages (1-13) is detailed and expressive, but the fight choreography lacks clarity in spatial relationships. Giuseppe Camuncoli's section (pages 14-19, 29-30) shifts the style and adds some dynamism, but the same problems persist. The color work by John Kalisz does establish mood effectively, particularly the sickly chemical yellows and greens at Ace Chemical, which sell the location's toxicity. The final round's execution hood design is visually striking and symbolically loaded. However, the inconsistency between having strong mood work and muddy fight choreography creates a jarring disconnect where half the art succeeds and half fails the basic job of showing readers what's happening.
Character Development
Jason's journey is conceptually solid and emotionally resonant. His motivation is clear: reclaim his identity from the shadow of two men (Batman and the Joker) who defined his existence. His evolution across the three rounds shows him cycling through different aspects of his past self before ultimately rejecting them all in favor of the man he's become. The character consistency is strong in his internal voice and determination. However, the relatability suffers because Jason's emotional breakthroughs feel like they're happening in isolation, without real opposition or argument from the Joker that challenges his conclusions. The Joker talks at him, but doesn't truly engage with Jason's philosophy. A more dynamic dialogue where the Joker actually contests Jason's self-determination might have made the victory feel earned rather than simply asserted. Joker's characterization as an unkillable force of chaos is thematically appropriate but narratively limited, since his unchanging nature means there's no character arc, only Jason's gradual acceptance that the Joker can't define him. It's a one-sided character study masquerading as a battle.
Originality & Concept Execution
Here's the critical flaw: this issue doesn't deliver anything fresh. The "Jason trying to kill the Joker" storyline is ancient DC history, recycled through multiple runs since A Death in the Family (1988) and refined through Under the Red Hood (2005). This comic adds nothing meaningfully new to that dynamic beyond the tournament gimmick, which is itself borrowed from the broader DC K.O. series. The premise promised a definitive showdown between these two characters, and the execution delivers more of the same philosophical debate about whether Jason is his own person or the Joker's legacy. That's not a new idea for 2024. The tournament structure should have elevated this beyond a standard Jason-versus-Joker grudge match, but instead, it just provides a fighting arena with no higher thematic stakes. By the final round, Jason's victory feels predetermined and safe, lacking the kind of genuine surprise or narrative risk that would make a thirtieth iteration of this conflict feel worthwhile. The comic asks a question (Is Jason more than the Joker's creation?) that DC has been answering consistently for almost two decades.
Positives
The emotional core of Jason's opening monologue genuinely works, articulating his internal struggle in a way that will resonate with readers familiar with his history. Jason's internal voice throughout is sharp and self-aware, balancing his desperation to win with his sarcastic deflection when things go wrong. The decision to have Jason ultimately reject both Batman and Joker as defining forces and instead embrace his identity as the Red Hood shows thematic intention. John Kalisz's color work, particularly the sickly chemical palette at Ace Chemical, creates atmosphere and mood that effectively sells the location's toxic history. The final round's visual concept of Jason becoming an executioner's Red Hood is symbolically rich and designs-wise striking. The acknowledgment that Joker will always find a way to survive, coupled with Jason choosing not to care anymore, provides the closest thing the issue gets to a genuinely earned emotional beat.
Negatives
The fight choreography across all three rounds is frustratingly unclear, with multiple panels where Jason appears to mortally wound the Joker, only for the clown to brush it off moments later. This happens so repeatedly that the impact flattens by the third occurrence, and readers will struggle to understand what's actually stopping Jason from winning on the spot. The overall story rehashes the same thematic beats that DC has explored exhaustively since at least the mid-2000s, with Jason learning he's not the Joker's creation and owning his identity as the Red Hood. For a thirtieth iteration of this conflict, the comic offers no fresh angle or surprising revelation that justifies revisiting this ground again.
The pacing stretches thin across three rounds that all hit similar emotional notes without building meaningfully on each other, making the issue feel longer and more repetitive than its page count should allow. Jason's emotional victories feel more asserted than earned, since the Joker never truly engages with his philosophical challenges, instead just talking at him while getting stabbed. The dialogue from Jason's writers does heavy lifting to explain emotional stakes that the art should have conveyed, suggesting the visual storytelling faltered. The entire tournament premise, while visually interesting, doesn't elevate the core conflict beyond another "Jason vs. the Joker" story, wasting the larger narrative potential of the DC K.O. crossover.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TwitterThe Scorecard
Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [1/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1/2]
Final Verdict
DC K.O.: Red Hood vs. The Joker #1 wants to be the definitive showdown between a son and the monster who claimed to birth him. Instead, it's a frustratingly muddled retread of emotional ground DC has mined a dozen times already, buried under fight choreography so unclear you'll find yourself rereading panels to figure out who's winning. The philosophical victory Jason achieves is solid in concept but feels hollow in execution, since the Joker never meaningfully challenges him, just talks while getting stabbed repeatedly.
4/10
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