Destro-y All The Things. But, Don't Be a Dick.
Or, Cobra Commander Made Me Do It & Stop Mumbling!
This one might be a bit jarring for some of you, because it’s not “indie” like, “underground, garage band, comics made in my mom’s basement” focused, but it’s still indie in the truest sense of the term. And, IDGAF. Keep reading or don’t, LOL. I just refuse to be a comics-snob about the terms… 😎
They Called Him Destro, Destroyer of Nations
Okay, I’ve been reading the entire Energon Universe since it’s inception with Void Rivals #1 last year. It’s good. To date, Duke is my favorite title with Cobra Commander riding a very close second.
Bruh. This book might take them both down.
First off, Dan Watters does an incredible job of giving us a Destro that reads in the voice of the cartoon, but feels more ominous and threatening. Elements of the Christopher Eccleston movie version of Destro (from Rise of Cobra [2009]) even make it into the mythos here, but again it’s just so well done.
The book features something of a cold open as we see unrest in the fake country of Darklonia where this dick-tator is doing his movie villain thing.
Enter: The B.A.T.S.1
Now, I won’t spoil much for you, but I will spill a few things. None of these are particularly spoilery, but if you wanna wait and read for yourself, then scroll down to my Dick Tracy #2 review below.
Now, this whole insurgency-in-Darklonia thing pisses off Cobra Commander. So, we get a great bit of dialogue establishing their relationship in one page. It’s damn-perfect character-building.
After Destro “you don’t own me!”s CC, we move to a an arms expo. An ILLEGAL arms expo hosted by M.A.R.S.2 Shit doesn’t go well, and we’re introduced to Tomax and Xamot - the infamous Crimson Twins.
And they’re twice as ruthless as any version you’ve ever seen in media before…
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Which moves us to the finale, a soft cliffhanger that begs for more to come. Watters has crafted such an amazing first issue that I cannot understand anyone not liking it. Nostalgia or not, this is damn-fine comics writing!
The art by Bressan is terrific for most of the book. There are a couple of character moments where the expression or angle threw me off, personally, but it wasn’t anything big at all and I certainly am not complaining. Regardless, their style is perfect for this book and I am all-in on what they bring to it! Let’s gooooooo!!!!
In this first issue alone, without a ton of exposition or wasted dialogue we find out:
why Destro wears a metal mask
how (and to some extent why) he and Cobra Commander butt heads frequently
how the Crimson Guard are built and why
how the B.A.T.S. work
how this all connects with the rest of the Energon Universe
I’m jealous at just how good this book is, really. I’m going to go write now, after this review, but I’m probably going to cry afterwards when I realize I’m not half this good. F*ck…!
I Sweat a Lot Better in the Dark
I’m super-excited about these pulp & classic heroes being revived, like Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, and Space Ghost! So, after enjoying Dick Tracy #1 from Mad Cave Studios of course I dove into issue #2. So, here’s a quick review!
Issue 2 picks right up where #1 left off. We have Mumbles at the police station and Tracy is distracted by a lady. One of the cops pulls a “we gotta move Mumbles for his own protection” and the action begins.
And once the action starts it doesn’t stop. Yet, throughout the intense sequences that follow we aren’t left trying to figure out these characters and their motivations for ourselves, just the mystery of it all. Segura and Moreci do a fine job of keeping us informed without making us feel dumb, and the art by Borges is PERFECT.
After some murdery-murder fun, we move into some character twists and plot turns that I won’t divulge for fear of spoilers, but needless to say we get introduced to Pruneface here and we’re figuring out how he’s mixed in.
War is looming and the intensity of the plot is picking up like flames from kindling. This is one of those books that I think people are sleeping on and they should really give it a try!! Seriously good sh*t here!!
That’s it for tonight! Happy weekend everyone!
Also known as B.A.T. - the acronym stands for Battle Android Trooper, so I have no idea why B.A.T.S. is also an acronym when plural, but it’s right there in the official character file card on the backs of the original figures — Historian Charlie.
M.A.R.S. is an acronym for Military Armaments Research Syndicate, which is Destro’s organization — Nerd Charlie.