Tom King does like the one-punch.

One punch. Maybe the best punch in comics. Has to be up there. Bonk. (Also, vote) https://t.co/pecpeiMJAY — Tom King (@TomKingTK) November 6, 2018

One Punch is a comic book meme that originated from a scene in Justice League International in the mid-eighties by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire, when Batman punched Guy Gardner in the face and knocked him out, With one punch.

Something that Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, immediately began celebrating. And kept referring to. It turned up in the Batman: The Brave And The Bold cartoon, though it would be G'Nort who exclaimed "One punch! One punch!"

It reoccurred in a battle between Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan to be the Earth's Green Lantern, and again, Guy was knocked out, with Blue Beetle on hand to celebrate the moment.

However, during Green Lantern: Rebirth, it would be Hal Jordan who would deliver a one-punch knockout blow to Batman, instantly gaining him far more respect from Gardner. Only for Batman to return the favour later in the story.

In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Batman would do it to John Constantine…



A future Guy Gardner would see him master the one-punch manoeuvre in Green Lantern #50.

In Red Lanterns #10, Batman stand-in Midnighter faced Red Lantern feline, Dex-Starr. With exactly the same result.

Until even the writer of that scene, Keith Giffen would write, back in 2008, "I never thought I'd say this, but enough with the "one punch" already. It was a throwaway bit. Move on. Please."

Yeah, that's not happening. In today's Superman #36 last year…

While Tom King has been getting people to draw quite a few similar scenes in his comics. With a very specific sound effect too…

With great POW, comes great responsibility, Tom. And from this to the preview of Heroes In Crisis #7, out tomorrow, or tonight, if your store has a midnight opening. Which, yes, means copies will be released in the wild from 5pm PT in the UK… stay off social media, maybe.

Sorry, Batgirl, only Batman and Superman get to go POW on Tom King's watch. Still a one-punch though. Here's the full preview.