Destro #3 Review

 

Writer: Dan Watters

Artist: Andrea Milana

Colorist: Adriano Lucas

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Andrei Bressan & Adriano Lucas; Karl Kerschl; Nikola Čižešija; Mico Suayan & Rex Lokus; Eric Canete; Tyler Kirkham

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Logo & Publication Design: Andres Juarez

Production: Richard Mercado

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 21, 2024

 

Destro stands on sacred ground. The spirits of former lairds watch him stride through the ancient stronghold. His frequent visits bring Destro peace. After reaffirming his intention to lead the clan forward, he opens the doors to depart. Then Destro spies an assassin in the tundra. Should he close the doors and wait until the blizzard forces the shooter to leave? Or will Destro take the fight to the hired killer? Let’s strap on our metal masks, leap into Destro #3, and see!

 

Story

Destro installed his cousin Artyom Darklon as the ruler of Darklonia. A drone strike disrupted the new government's first arms fair. As Extensive Enterprises didn't attend, Destro blamed them and committed MARS to destroying his rivals. Yet Xamot and Tomax, the leaders of Extensive Enterprises, claim Destro attacked the arms fair and blamed them for the destruction and deaths. Despite his confident façade, the unplanned war rattles Destro, so he returns to the Scottish Highlands. He'll be safe there, as only members of his clan know the castle's location.

 

Destro is used to staring death in the face. By encasing his skull in iron and covering his body in armor, he insulates himself from danger. But in Destro #3, he is not as invulnerable as he believed. This realization prompts Destro to reflect on his mask's significance. Still, that doesn't mean James McCullen Destro spends twenty pages thinking about his clan's history. There's the shooter in the snow to consider. Her name is Chameleon. And then there is the person she chats with on the radio. Someone named Overkill.

 

As Destro combats Chameleon and evades a flock of deadly drones, Dan Watters intersperses the action with Destro’s beloved family history and an unexpected discovery at MARS. The history lesson makes one wonder how much Destro recounts is verifiable and how much was borrowed from Alexandre Dumas to fuel a family legend. The technological discovery makes one question Destro’s conclusions about the attack in Darklonia. Throughout this series, Destro insists that he controls the game. But Xamot and Tomax have steadfastly proclaimed their innocence. Destro #3 asks, What if Destro is a player, and someone else is the dungeon master?

 

Art

As Destro walks through the vast doors of Castle Destro, one recalls the mercenaries leaving the Prime Minister’s residence to quell the Darklonian protest. As Destro climbs the snowy hill to confront Chameleon, one remembers him raging at the attacking drones and running to protect Astoria Carlton-Ritz. The diagram of his wrist-mounted rocket launcher recalls a similar diagram of an attacking combat drone. The way Destro’s rocket launcher crackles and fails to fire when he extends his arm in Destro #3 evokes the rocket that landed near him and Astoria with similar results.

 

Chameleon stares through pink and red goggle lenses and the gray rifle scope. She detects no movement in the circle of pink and red. But when the red, gray, and white figure leaps down to investigate, a red, gray, and blue figure rises. Amid the tussle, she loses her white jacket, exposing her long yellow hair. Adriano Lucas fills panels with red and green as Andrea Milana transports us to MARS, where Mercer and Scrap Iron make an intriguing discovery. While the overhead lighting threatens to turn the blue and gray fabric green, both men predominately wear red, evoking the Crimson Guard of Extensive Enterprises.

 

All too soon, Andrea Milana returns us to the Scottish Highlands, where Destro’s prowess rattles Chameleon’s confidence. As a sudden gust of wind streaks the air with gray and turns the snow a darker blue, she orders an attack of the drones. The fury of yellow, orange, and red Adriano Lucas unleashes evokes another fight in the snow a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away.

 

Rus Wooton marches readers through Destro #3 with large uppercase black lettering in white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Words embolden for emphasis and never shrink. A red Click steps downhill, while a red Crackle stumbles and nearly falls. A bullet hurtles from the rifle through an enormous yellow Bang! Yellow, blue, red, and white sound effects enhance the dance of death in the snow, while giant scarlet letters burst a dialogue balloon to form a legend. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Destro thought he was untouchable. In Destro #3, he’s not so sure. Still, the laird of Clan Destro demonstrates that the best weapon isn't guns, tanks, drones, or smart bombs, but the ability to think on your feet, to adapt to changing circumstances, and to always believe that you are invincible.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.