Destro issue 2

« Destro #2 »
Publisher	Image Comics Skybound Entertainment
First published	July 17, 2024
Cover date	July 2024
Written by	Dan Watters
Art by	Andrei Bressan
Colors by	Adriano Lucas
Letters by	Rus Wooton
Editors	Ben Abernathy
Continuity	Energon Universe

M.A.R.S. and Extensive Enterprises go to war! Whoever wins, the world will lose.

Synopsis

After the devastating attack on Darklonia, Destro addresses his Iron Grenadiers, assuring them that though the damage Extensive Enterprises did was considerable, their retaliation will be far worse, for M.A.R.S. has the greater firepower. Meanwhile, Tomax and Xamot address their Crimson Guard and tell them that Destro's false flag attack on his own fair will not sully their reputation. If Destro wants a war, they will give him one. After all, Extensive has the superior manpower.

The two companies engage in a series of battles: M.A.R.S. attacks a Crimson Guard training ground in Belarus to cripple their army. However, their Despoilers are quickly eliminated by the Guards' Assault System Pods, weapons stolen from M.A.R.S. themselves. In contrast, the Crimson Guard attacks a factory in South Carolina that is secretly manufacturing Battle Android Troopers. However, unbeknownst to them, the facility also contains M.A.R.S.'s primary store of Energon. Not wanting the fuel to fall into enemy hands, Destro orders all B.A.T.s in the facility to be activated. Though damaged by the destruction of the facility, the android troops crawl out of the flaming rubble and eliminate their targets. Witnessing the destruction their war is causing, both parties decide it’s time for parlay.

Destro invites the Paolis to the Scrapheap of Empires, a massive landfill in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where nations across the globe have dumped their old weapons of war and a fitting place to settle their conflict, lest they turn the entire world into a similar wasteland. Tomax balks at Destro calling for a ceasefire when he started this war, prompting the Laird to insist that, unlike the twins, he does not lie. Each side sticks to their story, and when Tomax threatens him again, Destro reveals he has a nuclear warhead aimed at their position. Ultimately, the CEOs agree that they will focus more on corporate warfare than physical combat.

Destro then returns to his ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands to once more seek counsel from his ancestors. As he speaks to them of how only those with Destro blood can know the location of this tomb, a lone assassin waits for him in the mountains outside...

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in photos.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

M.A.R.S.	Extensive Enterprises	Others
Destro (1) Iron Grenadiers (2) Battle Android Troopers (6)	Tomax and Xamot (3 & 4) Crimson Guardsmen (5)	Chameleon (7)

Notes

Continuity notes

• While the narrative certainly implied Tomax and Xamot to be behind the attack on Darklonia last issue, it was never stated outright. This issue confirms they were not behind the attack… so who was?
• Destro’s possession of Energon, first given to him by Cobra Commander in Cobra Commander #5 is still unknown, much like the existence of the B.A.T.s, which were established to be a secret last issue.

G.I. Joe references

• One of the Crimson Guardsmen shown without his helmet has blond hair, making him resemble the "Fred" operatives from the original G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic from Marvel Comics.
• The Crimson Guard is shown using the Assault System Pod (A.S.P.), a classic Cobra vehicle from the 1984 range of toys. Fittingly, they are colored red, similar to how the A.S.P. were decoed in the 2004 "Operation Crimson Sabotage" box set.
  • The A.S.P. is also shown being pulled by a V.A.M.P.-esque jeep.
• Chameleon, introduced in this issue, has an interesting conceptual history. Introduced in 2000 as a trademark replacement for the Baroness, Chameleon was the Baroness’ long-lost, near-identical half-sister who used their resemblance to infiltrate Cobra on behalf of G.I. Joe. She was later used in a similar (though slightly more complicated) manner in IDW Publishing’s Hasbro Universe, which gave her real name as "Erika Le Tene". Recently, Renegade Game Studios included her in their "Cobra/Con Fusion" adventure scenario for the G.I. Joe and Transformers Roleplaying Games, now with the real name of Eléa Cisarovna. What will the Energon Universe version look like? Only time will tell.
• Chameleon reports to Overkill, the cyborg commander of the B.A.T.s from the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra incarnation of the franchise.

Covers

• Cover A: Destro, Tomax and Xamot, and an army of B.A.T.s engulfed in flame, by Andrei Bressan & Adrian Lucas.
• Cover B: Tomax and Xamot reflected in Destro’s face, by Riley Rossmo.
• Cover C (1:10 Copy Incentive): Connecting cover, by Nikola Čižmešija.
• Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive): Tomax on explosion background, by Jeff Spokes.
• Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive): Destro and his accoutrements, by Yasmine Putri.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Advertisements

• Explore the Energon Universe in Void Rivals #11, Scarlett #2, and Transformers #11.
• Codename: G.I. Joe continues in Scarlett!
• The Cobra threat continues in Destro!
• Experience the Energon Universe in the trade paperbacks for Cobra Commander, Void Rivals, Transformers, and Duke
• Impact Winter
• Skybound Insiders

Reprints

• Destro Volume 1: The Enemy (December 4, 2024) ISBN 1534357688 / ISBN 978-1534357686
  • Collects issues #1–5.
  • Trade paperback format.

• 
  Volume 1: The Enemy – cover art by Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas