Destroyer #2 – Review

By Robert Kirkman (Writer), Cory Walker (Artist), and Val Staples (Colorist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Marvel’s MAX mini-series Destroyer uses a simple, yet effective formula. It takes a cool concept (dying hero wishes to take out as many baddies as he can to protect his loved ones before he goes) and brings it to life with old-school storytelling, attractive visuals, and a dash of the old ultra-violence. While the first issue left a bit to be desired, as Rob points out in his review, I still found myself looking forward to chapter two. Time to find out if Destroyer has what it takes to keep me around for a few more issues.

The Story: The second chapter of Destroyer largely focuses on the details surrounding Keene Marlow’s ultimate goal and what he feels must be done in order to find some peace before dying. The goal’s name is Scar and he’s an enemy that Destroyer believes is the ultimate threat to his loved ones. The problem is that Scar hasn’t been seen for quite some time and Keene knows that it’s going to take some action in order to track his nemesis down. Unless Scar makes the first move…

What’s Good: Robert Kirkman excels at crafting realistic, sympathetic characters and Keene is definitely one of them. You almost have to root for an old guy that has such great character moments. With help from the crisp, clean artwork, the senior citizen superhero manages to come across as both grandfatherly and totally badass all at once. It works to great effect and makes Destroyer feel unique as a series and as a character.

While I wish there was a bit more to the story, it has a certain simple charm that I know will keep me reading until the end. And now with the introduction of Scar, there is a menace in the plot that should ratchet up the tension level. Time will tell.

What’s Not So Good: The supporting cast in Destroyer is pretty weak and it undermines the entire plot in a way. Chapter two only really accentuates that fact. Keene’s wife and his friend seem to be little more than plot devices and it leaves me feeling as though couldn’t care less about what happens to them.

Conclusion: Destroyer, thanks to the character of the same name, continues to entertain despite its fairly simple (sometimes bland) trappings and unremarkable support characters.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny