By Ashley Gibbs

Destroyer #2 picks up with Frankenstein's monster still continuing his journey to man’s world after his solitude in the arctic was disturbed. However, most of the issue is spent with two government agents as they try to find an important scientist whom the government needs to stop the monster. This issue has good pacing and artwork though there isn’t much in the way of deep story telling being told as it’s more about moving the pieces into the right places. While less intense than the first issue, if you’re into this series then you’ll enjoy reading this one.

I’ll start with my favorite part of the story and that’s the interactions between the two government agents after Dr. Baker, they seem to have good chemistry and despite being apart of the story itself seem to work as good place holders for readers because like us, they’re not aware of all of the cogs in motion at the moment. Despite being on an important mission they find time to share a humorous moment, which is nice since everything else is so grim. Frankenstein's monster keeps things dour, on a course of destruction, not seeming to care who gets hurt along the way, making it hard to really sympathize with him. Likewise, Dr. Baker seems to have a few screws loose probably no thanks to the death of her son whom she has now reanimated much like Frankenstein before her. While we only see her son briefly at the end, he seems to be trying out his new abilities though is one of the only people who smiles this entire issue. Overall it was a pretty dark issue and I’m not sure who I’m supposed to support at the moment.

The artwork presented here is fitting for the story. There are no bright colors or over exaggerated moments, things are dark and have a more realistic feel to them. While the color palette used isn’t totally muted, I would say it is subdued with browns, blacks, greens and such. Even when a car is red it’s still understated. There is some good attention to detail present as well, the same red vehicle I mentioned has its share of stickers on them, mostly racist ones, and each one is different. Characters are well drawn and I enjoyed their expressive reactions.

I’m not really sure what to expect from this series, I’m not really a fan of dark or violent things and most of the characters so far don’t seem to have the best motives. However, things are leading up to an interesting conflict and I’m curious to see what happens. Destroyer #2 was a good read though a bit slow. One interesting note is an unseen character called “The Bride” is mentioned which also peaked my interesting since Frankenstein's monster has a bride as well, could be the same character. While this issue did not end on too much of a cliffhanger it does end in a spot that leaves readers curious and that’s a good thing.

Score: 4/5

Destroyer #2
Writer: Victor LaValle
Art: Dietrich Smith
Colors: Joana Lafuente
Letters: Jim Campbell
Publisher: BOOM! Studios