Keene Marlow is a pretty typical old man. Sure, he may come across as a little gruff and grumpy at times, but he's a loving husband, a great father, and he's very sweet with his grandkids. Oh, and he can rock a pair of suspenders like nobody's business. Unfortunately, like many men his age, Grandpa Marlow has heart trouble. He has to watch his sodium and cholesterol, and he has to be pretty careful when he's out jumping off exploding buildings and tearing bad guys heads off as the incredibly violent hero The Destroyer!
Destroyer is a limited series from Marvel's MAX imprint, written by Robert "Walking Dead" Kirkman with art from Cory Walker. These guys have collaborated before, to awesome results, and their work here won't disappoint their fans. The Destroyer is a mostly forgotten (Sorry Destroyer fans! I'd never heard of him.) Golden Age character from Stan Lee. Kirkman approached this project as if the character has been active, appearing in his own monthly series, ever since the '40s. By showing us the aged, cantankerous hero he has become, Kirkman and Walker have made Destroyer work for a new audience, without having to "re-imagine" him.
Of course, the MAX imprint allows them to make Destroyer over-the-top in a way that Stan could never have gotten away with durring the Golden Age. When Keene takes on the villainous hired goons of HORDE, he literally punches through a guy's head and leaves the rest of the HORDE minions in similarly mangled, very dead, states. He's also got an awesome repertoire of cranky old man banter, most of which can't be shared here. He's a salty one, that Grandpa Marlow.
When our hero finds out his own heart is going to be the villain that finally takes him down, he decides that he has to put some things in order before he dies. For most grandpas, that might involve making some adjustments to the will or deciding which grandkid gets your watch, for Keen Marlow it means tracking down and killing (with violence!) any bad guys who might cause trouble once he's not around to stop them. And he starts things off with a visit to his imprisoned older brother, Dicky....
If you like your comics with a heaping helping of ridiculous violence (I know I do!), then you will love Destroyer! Kirkman and Walker are on top form here, and they made me love this character I'd never heard of within the first two pages. Luckily, you can try it out with absolutely no risk of serious head trauma, because Destroyer #1 is this week's guaranteed Book of the Week at Four Color Fantasies. And, if you're really good, maybe we'll throw in a half-melted butterscotch candy with some pocket lint on it.
Destroyer is a limited series from Marvel's MAX imprint, written by Robert "Walking Dead" Kirkman with art from Cory Walker. These guys have collaborated before, to awesome results, and their work here won't disappoint their fans. The Destroyer is a mostly forgotten (Sorry Destroyer fans! I'd never heard of him.) Golden Age character from Stan Lee. Kirkman approached this project as if the character has been active, appearing in his own monthly series, ever since the '40s. By showing us the aged, cantankerous hero he has become, Kirkman and Walker have made Destroyer work for a new audience, without having to "re-imagine" him.
Of course, the MAX imprint allows them to make Destroyer over-the-top in a way that Stan could never have gotten away with durring the Golden Age. When Keene takes on the villainous hired goons of HORDE, he literally punches through a guy's head and leaves the rest of the HORDE minions in similarly mangled, very dead, states. He's also got an awesome repertoire of cranky old man banter, most of which can't be shared here. He's a salty one, that Grandpa Marlow.
When our hero finds out his own heart is going to be the villain that finally takes him down, he decides that he has to put some things in order before he dies. For most grandpas, that might involve making some adjustments to the will or deciding which grandkid gets your watch, for Keen Marlow it means tracking down and killing (with violence!) any bad guys who might cause trouble once he's not around to stop them. And he starts things off with a visit to his imprisoned older brother, Dicky....
If you like your comics with a heaping helping of ridiculous violence (I know I do!), then you will love Destroyer! Kirkman and Walker are on top form here, and they made me love this character I'd never heard of within the first two pages. Luckily, you can try it out with absolutely no risk of serious head trauma, because Destroyer #1 is this week's guaranteed Book of the Week at Four Color Fantasies. And, if you're really good, maybe we'll throw in a half-melted butterscotch candy with some pocket lint on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment