DF Interview: Dan Watters brings Destro to G.I. Joe fans in his own self-titled miniseries

By Byron Brewer

The next chapter of The Cobra Threat begins here! James McCullen Destro XXIV is the man behind M.A.R.S. Industries, the undisputed leader in providing high-tech weapons to world powers... for the right price. But the emergence of Energon has changed everything. As Destro's ambitions grow, the "Crimson Twins" Tomax and Xamot Paoli emerge to destroy their competition, and Cobra Commander realizes his current ally could be his future greatest enemy.

From writer Dan Watters and artist Andrei Bressan comes the Destro miniseries which might change the balance of power in the Energon Universe forever. Check out what scribe Dan Watters told me in our interview.

Byron Brewer: Dan, a lot has happened for readers following the emergence of the shared Energon Universe. Destro is well known as a G.I. Joe villain, but for continuity’s sake could you please summarize what the man behind M.A.R.S. Industries has been through recently and what brings him to the point where we first join him in the coming limited series?

Dan Watters: Destro is the world’s premiere arms manufacturer and dealer – a position he’s inherited from a long line of Destros arcing back to at least the English Civil War. His family has maintained this position of power by staying abreast and ahead of developments and ingenuity in the field of warfare. But that was easier five hundred years ago, when that meant building a better sword and musket. Now, he’s racing to stay ahead of new technologies cropping up every six months. And the arrival of Cybertronians on Earth is about to change everything.

Byron: Give us your own take on the current iteration of James McCullen Destro. Who is he now? What makes this version of Destro different, for lack of a better term, than some past presentations of the character?

Dan Watters: I very much wanted to make sure this is the Destro everyone already loves to hate. I definitely looked at the comics and the 80s animations as my North Stars for the character. He’s a complex man of contradictions, with his own code of honor and an extremely toxic romantic streak, as well as dollar signs in his eyes. One thing that we might be delving into that’s new territory is how heavy the weight of his heritage feels on his brow, and how it’s a big part of what isolates him as a human being.

Byron: Talk a little bit about the Energon Universe’s Cobra Threat storyline and how Destro as a miniseries picks up those threads. What role does Cobra Commander play in your story?

Dan Watters: Cobra is still a burgeoning force and hasn’t quite developed into what it will become. At this stage in their relationship, Cobra Commander and Destro are still feeling each other out. Both are beginning to realize they might need each other to have a chance at success, and both are very much resenting this fact.

Byron: What role do Tomax and Xamot Paoli play in this mag?

Dan Watters: The Crimson Twins are CEOs of Extensive Enterprises, a primary rival to Destro’s MARS Industries. But their ethos is very different to his. Whereas Destro thinks of warfare as a sacred, universal truth of humanity which shapes the world, they see it as a useful means of conducting and supporting business ventures. If they see an opportunity to take Destro off the map and consolidate their power, they’re definitely going to take it.

Byron: Will there be superstar guests in this five-issue mini? Anyone unexpected from the G.I, Joe or Transformers worlds, perhaps?

Dan Watters: There are definitely some familiar faces who are going to crop up, and hopefully in unfamiliar places. Destro’s reach is wide, and many people have had to make deals with this particular devil. He seems the lesser of two evils at times, but he probably isn’t.

Byron: Discuss the awesome art of Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas.

Dan Watters: The art team on Destro have been knocking it out of the park. I was looking over a particular sequence from issue 2 this morning which is just exceptional. This is a high energy, explosive book, and in execution most of that comes down to having an art team who can make that sing. This sings like a blood-soaked opera.

Byron: Dan, what other projects in which you are involved can you tell readers about?

Dan Watters: My run on the Doctor Who comic begins this month with a story of the Doctor in the last shopping mall on Planet Earth. There’s something amusing about releasing a book of the most quintessentially British sci-fi franchise right alongside a GI Joe title, which is one of the most quintessentially American.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is also currently coming out from Skybound, a sequel to the original film I co-plotted with Ram V. The next issue has a big twist which I think firmly pulls the book into a more modern realm of horror.

The Six Fingers, my serial-killer-of-the-future Image book with Sumit Kumar, is also hurtling towards its conclusion, in conjunction with The One Hand from Ram and Laurence Campbell. Two sister books telling two sides of the same story, with a third revealing itself if you read the two books in conjunction. The kind of experiment I got into this industry to play with.

Beyond that, most of my time is currently taken up on two big unannounced superhero projects that will both be hitting before the end of the year, so keep an eye out for announcements extremely soonish.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Dan Watters for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Destro #1 from Skybound Entertainment & Image Comics is slated to be on sale June 19!

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