In this review of Destination Kill #1, an over-worked police detective has only her ex-partner to help her stop a working uprising that can topple London.
Destination Kill #1
Writer: Joe Palmer
Art and Main Cover: Joe Palmer
Variant Covers: Riley Rossmo, Ronald Wimberly, Tango, Liana Kangas
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: May 13, 2026
This review contains spoilers
In Destination Kill #1, we are introduced to Detective Gina Serene of the Central City Police, Central City being the modernized portion of London in the year 2125. Gina’s only a day away from a vacation in New York City, courtesy of the recently finished Paradise Loop, a transatlantic train connecting London to New York at unbelievable speeds.
However, these idyllic plans are quickly disrupted due to the rising tensions between the working-class human builders and Overcon, the company responsible for the Paradise Loop’s construction as well as many other construction projects in Central City, all powered by robot workers.
Someone is supplying the builders with weapons, and the majority of the police force are inclined to shoot first and ask questions never. Only Gina seems inclined to resolve any standoffs peacefully, or to look any deeper into the pattern of incidents. After her trip to New York is ruined by yet another incident, she teams up with her former partner Lance Wingman, now a P.I. to find the answers and hopefully stop the city from tearing itself apart.
The world Palmer has created in Destination Kill #1 has a wonderful depth to it and is clearly well-planned. The introduction to the setting and the lead characters is fast-paced and packed pretty tight with who, what, and how; it seems to be front-loading some big-picture exposition while providing contextual world-building with things like the training materials the police officers are watching in the background while Gina sits at her desk, the long line for the ATM-style Med Bank near Old City, the constant presence of robot workers somewhere in the background, not just as builders, but baristas, bartenders, and bobbies (constables), too.
I think even those who are not reading closely will easily follow the events of Destination Kill #1 and find themselves eager for the second. Gina, Lance, and the other characters, despite the futuristic setting, are instantly identifiable to the modern day reader as they deal with issues that are all too relevant to the present day. The main conflict set up by this first issue is capitalism-fueled class disparity pushed to emotional and situational extremes; the builders involved in police encounters casually mention wanting food more than anything else, while the corporation in power has their logo in the police station and on medical supplies as well as every major construction in the city.
With the aggressive response of the police to even the least threatening acts of protest, the escalation of the builders’ actions makes sense. They are no longer in a mindset to be considering collateral damage. This places Gina and Lance in opposition to the builders initially, despite both of them being somewhat aware that Overcon has had a negative impact on the current situation. As the series progresses, will the danger presented by the openly hostile builders remain the priority, or will they find the motivations and means to address the ones with power manipulating the system?
Palmer’s style is striking, with simple, chunky shapes, clean lines, and thick, textured shadows.This works well for the futuristic cityscape and fashion and makes the composition of action scenes stand out beautifully. The finer detail used for character expression makes an excellent contrast, especially with quieter or more comedic moments.
He’s drawn clear inspiration from some classic sci-fi dystopias while making them his own. The police uniforms (and attitudes) seem like a combination of Starship Troopers and Judge Dredd, while the cities and interiors seem to draw on properties like Blade Runner, futuristic but not too clean, still fairly industrial. Gina’s street clothes look almost like modern-day athletic wear, but Lance looks like he’s wearing a jumpsuit from Alien unzipped comedically low under a heavy duty utility jacket. The wide variety in character design both fits the characters as well as the time; if there’s anything that might stay consistent in the future, it’s the widening range of aesthetics in fashion.
I especially liked the way that Gina’s anxiety issues were depicted. Aside from the copious amounts of pills, which she takes from a PEZ dispenser a mouthful at a time, when Gina begins to get anxious little pink hearts appear around her with the “G-GONG” sound effect. It looks a lot like the kind of effect an artist might use to indicate a crush, but it’s just as effective in communicating what’s happening-she’s feeling the beginnings of a panic attack. Her heart is beginning to race, the beating getting louder in her ears and preventing her from focusing on other things, until she suppresses it or explodes.
Apart from everything else, Palmer has a sense of humor that shines in all parts of his storytelling: dialogue, visuals, timing, it all works together to weave a narrative that covers fairly heavy topics with a somewhat absurdist approach that makes everything a bit more approachable.
Final Thoughts
Destination Kill #1 is an exciting entry into a new sci-fi dystopia with a comedic flair and stunning visuals. I’m already looking forward to the next issue, ready to find out what Gina Serene discovers next!
