Destro #1: Corporate Evil

Destro #1 picks up with the aftermath of the Energon Universe’s Cobra Commander series which ended with its titular character teaming up with Destro with the goal of creating soldiers for the Cobra organization. Shifting away from the Cobra Commander narrative, Destro #1 sees the state of a world in which Laird Destro makes moves to solidify his namesake and influence over the world. One part political thriller, one part 80s action film, and all parts classic G.I. Joe, Destro #1 continues Skybound’s trend of making the Energon Universe one of the hottest series of comic books coming out today.

From the first few pages, Destro #1 immediately sets up the kind of political thriller narrative that this series promises to explore. Throwing readers into the action in such a powerful way is indicative of the Energon Universe’s approach of creating a lived in world. This is also an excellent follow up to Cobra Commander and Duke, both of which heavily featured Destro and set him up for this series. Watters writes a very believable megalomaniacle corporate warlord, highlighting the charming aspects of the character that make him a fun protagonist that the audience doesn’t necessarily need to root for.

A huge aspect of this series is the emergence of Energon on earth, an element that is advertised as something that could change the face of war. The interconnectivity here is off the charts, yet it never requires readers to read other series to know everything about what is going on. These self contained series are working so well and Destro continues that trend of the kind of quality that Skybound is producing.

Destro #1 is also running concurrently with its sister series Scarlett, both of which change up the Energon Universe’s approach to G.I. Joe as Joshua Williamson takes a break from being in the writer’s chair. This is another aspect of Destro that really works, showcasing a new creative team that can take the world into a new direction.

Art wise, artist Andrei Bressan and colorist Adriano Lucas do an excellent job in establishing who Destro is and what he leaves in his wake. Bressan’s pencils do an excellent job in showing the reactions of his victims, whether they are the warlords he is overthrowing or the victims of his collateral damage. The art also bridges the gap between Destro’s iconic, often campy appearance and his status as one of the most powerful men in the world.

The ambiance of the world is made all the better by the supporting cast set up here. Destro sees a variety of characters from original G.I. Joe lore show up, all of which play a fun role in the grand scheme of the narrative. Seeing the conflict arise between Cobra and Destro mixed with the other players in this story as just as engaging as the overall Energon Universe plot that looks to pit the Transformers against G.I. Joe. What’s more fun than heroes fighting heroes and villains fighting villains?