Eli’s Plot Twist – Destroyer #4 review

Column, Comic Books, Review | Eli | July 1, 2009 at 6:57 am

horde Destroyer is a strange creature, crouched in Saturday morning cartoon narrative structure, wanton violence, and family dynamics. Robert Kirkman continues to surprise with his easy handle on plot and pace, and an effortless ability to surprise outside of normal superhero story beats. Destroyer #3 would have been the concluding issue for a lesser writer interested in a 1 2 3 setup and conclusion, but Kirkman keeps the story moving forward into interesting, and often hilarious, territory.

Cory Walker keeps up his great artwork too, providing well thought out futurism in a cartoon shell, similar to Goran Parlov. Walker’s colorful layouts take me back to the 30 minute cartoons of my childhood, albeit with a helping of epic kills.

Destroyer spent its initial issues dealing with the main character’s at-death’s-doorstep unfinished business. Destroyer (Keene Marlowe) worked his way up the villain food chain, ultimately killing his greatest enemy in issue #3. Thankfully, the fun isn’t over, as the secret base of terrorist organization Horde is discovered by the military force Destroyer operates under. A passing glance is given to Marlowe’s daughter, hospitalized after her kidnapping, and the strain the events had on the family, but this issue is about raiding enemy headquarters more than sticky family drama. Still, I have to applaud the sheer amount of expressive realism artist Walker captures with so few lines, and in the space of a single page.

The Horde takedown is truly magnificent from start to finish, and it is hard to convey the proceedings without slipping into uncontrolled hyperbole. Simply put, I loved everything about this scene. The faux S.H.I.E.L.D hellicarrier, the weapons technician, and Destroyer’s new armament are all top shelf. A ballistic missile is used as a troop delivery system.
The ridiculous mix of CTU type tactical teams with sci-fi monsters and armament is peachy. There is a lot going on, a lot of area where detail could get patchy, and textures unclear. That might have been a problem had a crappy artist been handling this book, but Walker keeps a firm grip on ridiculous amounts of detailed SWAT uniforms, accurate weapon details, and wild scale variations.

The book doesn’t stop there, exploring the more practical methods of giant monster destruction. Destroyer seems bent on answering questions that lingered in every comic fan’s mind, namely why heroes don’t just brutally murder their opponent. We get an answer to just about every superhero trope there is, this issue concerned with a more in depth monster fight than issue #2. Keene’s son in law Turret provides a much needed assist, helping Destroyer out of a tight jam by making jam out of Krakoom’s (said giant monster) gray matter. On a side note, Destroyer’s energy weapon and its effect on enemy soldiers is great, drawn and colored accurately. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a similar panel before. Additionally, seeing the SWAT teams torn up by berserker monsters is always, ALWAYS a welcome addition to just about any story.

The action wraps up, and it’s a great ride, but it is of course a set up for some unknown conclusion. Keene’s discussion with his wife indicates it has something to do with super son in law Turret, but there is no way to tell what Kirkman is going to spring on us. All I can do is enjoy this issue, which is great by itself or as an arc, and wait for the next one.

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