Destro #2 Review

 

Writer: Dan Watters

Artist: Andrei Bressan

Colorist: Adriano Lucas

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Andrei Bressan & Adriano Lucas; Riley Rossmo; Nikola Čižešija; Jeff Spokes; Yasmin Putri; Tyler Kirkham

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 17, 2024

 

Destro’s concern for Darklonia reawakened when he realized he could profit from controlling the beleaguered country. Now, he can market MARS’ weapons without governmental interference as his cousin rules the coastal European state. But Xamot and Tomax view Destro’s investment as an opportunity. Their company, Extensive Enterprises, can attack the unrecognized state without angering the international community. Will Destro’s investment in Darklonia drive MARS into bankruptcy? Will the stresses of war break Destro’s sanity? Let’s strap on our armor, load our weapons, march into Destro #2, and find out!

 

Story

The attack in Darklonia occurs at a crucial time for MARS. Destro has secured an exclusive supply of Energon from Cobra Commander. Destro tantalized buyers at the arms fair that officially wasn't happening with military inventions that technically didn't exist. But Extensive Enterprises dispelled Destro’s aura of invincibility by deploying drones using cloaking technology that shielded them from MARS satellites.

 

Xamot and Tomax value people over technology. They focus on training their Crimson Guard and hire engineers to steal and recreate others' inventions. They wield an army of ruthless soldiers who prize reliable people as assets and liquidate liabilities. In attacking the Darklonian arms fair, they reduce demand for MARS weaponry and stand ready to deploy their Crimson Guard mercenaries in any conflict.

 

Dan Watters illustrates the similarities and differences between Destro and his adversaries in Destro #2. Destro may have smiled when he realized he was at war, but he’s angry now. Xamot and Tomax surprised and shamed him. The surviving buyers will return home with reports of deaths and a billion dollars worth of destroyed MARS weaponry. Xamot and Tomax claim Destro made a false flag attack on the Darklonian arms fair. Why shouldn't buyers believe Destro attacked the event with combat drones? Extensive Enterprises deploys Human power, while MARS sells the machinery of war.

 

Worse, Destro deployed his experimental Battle Android Troopers in the Darklonian attack using Cobra Commander’s Energon. Destro added insult to injury by insisting that he determines what he does with this limited resource. This unprovoked war risks exposing his secret "game-changing" power source to his competitors and losing his privileged relationship with Cobra Commander.

 

Art

Fires burn outside the crenelated stone walls of the former prime minister’s castle as Destro addresses his troops. Andrei Bressan shows Xamot and Tomax brief their legions inside their sleek modern building. While hundreds gather between fencing and tanks in Darklonia, thousands fill the vast interior of the Extensive Enterprises New York City headquarters. From a rubble-strewn cliff overlooking the ocean to harsh, snowy Scotland, Destro argues, attacks and communes. Yet Xamot and Tomax's expressions reveal a determination to win that rivals the man in the iron mask in Destro #2.

 

Yellow and orange flames choke the Darklonian air with gray smoke while Extensive Enterprises stands undamaged beneath bright blue skies. Adriano Lucas reminds us of the stark differences that divide the US political battleground as the rival leaders address their seas of green or red followers. Yet Lucas hints the two sides are not as different as they seem, as Crimson Guard fight amid the greenery of a training ground, and Destro’s wide red collar surrounds a silver face that reflects his soldiers' green uniforms.

 

Rus Wooton orders readers into Destro #2 with large uppercase black lettering in white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Wooton shows how business leaders conduct war, or warriors conduct business, as words embolden for emphasis but never swell or shrink. Sound effects help readers hear explosions knock Crimson Guard off their feet as Assault System Pods send MARS aircraft crashing. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Destro and his rivals Xamot and Tomax believe war refines the Human species and the most adaptable players survive. But Xamot and Tomax inspire others, while Destro values property over people and communion with the dead over the camaraderie of the living in Destro #2.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To view more cover art see my review of Comic Book Dispatch.

Destro #1 Review

 

Writer: Dan Watters

Artist: Andrei Bressan

Colorist: Adriano Lucas

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Andrei Bressan & Adriano Lucas; Andrea Milana; Nikola Čižešija; Steve Epting; Jorge Fornés; Jonboy Meyers; David Mack; Jason Howard & Annalisa Leoni; Jason Howard; Freddie Williams; Tyler Kirkham; Camron Johnson; Sajah Shah; Jamie Sullivan

Publisher: Image

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 19, 2024

 

A General announces that protestors have reached the gates. Surveying the tall stone walls that protect him from his subjects, the Prime Minister orders him to send soldiers to quell the insurgency. Can the protestors overthrow the Republic of Darklonia? Let’s strap on our armor, load our weapons, march into Destro #1, and find out!

 

Story

When the soldiers leave the safety of the outer walls, a Battle Android Trooper raises its weapons, and the protestors flee. The BAT shrugs off the soldiers’ bullets and continues firing. When the General tells the Prime Minister that android soldiers have breached their defenses, the PM realizes he should have fled.

 

Destro is the leader of his Scottish clan. His company, MARS (or Military Armament Research Syndicate), provides weapons to the international community. Recently, Cobra Commander gave Destro Energon to build weapons and war machines. Destro also used it to power his BATs. The new power source is a game-changer, and Destro knows he has a valuable ally in Cobra Commander. But Cobra Commander holds a monopoly on Energon and an irritating habit of believing that anything associated with Energon belongs to him. Destro is desperate to keep MARS the world’s premier weapons supplier. So, he attacks beleaguered Darklonia and installs his cousin Artyom Darklon as its ruler. But everyone knows who's in charge.

 

In Destro #1, Dan Watters portrays a leader isolated from Humanity. Everyone he deals with is looking for an edge, and Destro must constantly look over his shoulder to ensure no one attacks his business or undermines his leadership. His metal mask, a symbol of his heritage, further isolates him from Human contact. The only people he can look to for support and inspiration are the former lairds of his clan. So, as Napoleon Hill suggests in his iconic book Think And Grow Rich, Destro interacts with statues of his ancestors. Is he crazy or the sanest man alive? While time answers that question, Destro will find holding a fortress more difficult than taking it and learn that a home can also be a target.

 

 

 

Art

Like Wild West Outlaws, the protestors tie bandanas around their faces as they raise signs and blazing signal flares above their heads. The soldiers who walk through the thick wooden doors in the tall stone wall look like mercenaries, each wearing whatever suits his fancy. Despite its Cylon Centurion helmet and chest-mounted control panel, the Battle Android Trooper wears a uniform as it raises arm-mounted weapons. The wind blows smoke before him, and trees behind him frame the fleeing protestors. Light bursts from the soldiers' rifles and streaks toward the BAT, who fires back with one arm cannon, the other raised toward the sky. When the soldiers glance up, they see more BATs soaring through the clouds beneath helicopters.

 

Andrei Bressan spares a page to reveal the BATs flying the unfriendly skies above Darklonia and most of two more pages to show the crowds and armored vehicles outside the gates of Artyom Darklon's new home. But Bressan usually invokes awe in smaller panels, as Destro #1 transports readers to the Scottish Highlands and the jungle of Sierra Gordo, South America. Bressan introduces readers to the sunbathing beauty who runs Hybrid Technologies and two brutal brothers who are the mirror image of each other. Yet Destro commands the most attention, with the wide collar that evokes a venomous Cobra's hood and the metal mask that covers his head, but unlike that of Cobra Commander and King Louis’ imprisoned brother, reveals his every expression.

 

Adriano Lucas lavishes a loaded palette on Destro #1. Vivid landscapes soften for smoke and haze, and artificial lighting changes the colors of clothing and furnishings. Heightened colors portray the BATs’ perspective. Scenes awaken interest in the infinite diversity of nature and Humanity. Destro treks through snowy, windswept mountains painted in shades of blue, red, and white. When Destro stands on the purple rock dais and speaks with the brown statues in red alcoves, readers sense the abandoned castle’s majesty.

 

Rus Wooton ushers readers into Destro #1 with large uppercase black lettering in white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. White and light-blue letters in dark-blue boxes list the merits of BATs and drones. Sound effects help readers hear volleys of gunfire and explosions devour tanks and ground. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Astoria Carlton-Ritz, the new CEO of Hybrid Technologies, visits Artyom Darklon’s weapons fair, she looks forward to resuming her life in Manhattan. But a freak accident in Darklonia may suggest a new business opportunity or a rare ability in Destro #1.

 

Rating 10/10

 

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