Destroyer #5

I picked up Destroyer #5 yesterday. This was the 5 issue mini series by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker, with colors by Val Staples, and obviously the last issue came out yesterday. It's a Marvel Max product that was in the works I guess prior to the image partnership thing. It had been solicited before and then came out a good bit later (I believe)

The Miniseries picks up with Keene Marlow, the hero from way back, known as the Destroyer. He's like the Punisher and Rocky mixed together. He knows he's at the end of his life cycle, and has set about to clean up certain messes, certain potential threats that he never completely eradicated. He does this in the most direct and badass bloody ways possible.

In addition to this persona, and this mission, he is a husband, a father, a grandfather, a mentor, and he cares deeply about his family. The thing that completely makes this comic awesome, is that it could easily be a one dimensional splatter-fest, and it would still be a pretty good comic, but instead, it has these layers of real humanity to it. Keene and his wife Harriet genuinely love each other. They are an old married couple in a world where super heroes exist. I don't feel that this aspect is heavy handed at all, but it makes everything else matter more. They have a daughter, and a son-in-law, and a grand-daughter, and all of them come across as real, living breathing characters with a real stake in things. This whole series has been very well written, very well drawn, and excellently colored. I recommend it highly.

This issue specifically is great. He literally fights death, and the ultimate resolution of the story is done without a lot of the standard things that usually happen in stories like this. I think this issue makes the series. I won't elaborate too much right now, as it is just out, but it is certainly worth a read.