Joe Palmer is going all in with Destination Kill #1 — a no-holds-barred, creator-owned sci‑fi thriller from Oni Press where he writes, draws, and hand-letters every page. Set in a near-future London ruled by corporate power and automation, the series throws readers straight into a city on the edge of revolt, complete with killer tech, worker uprisings, and a transatlantic train that screams excess.
What began as a striking image of a masked builder standing on the roof of St. Paul’s Cathedral has escalated into a full-blown dystopian riot. “Destination Kill” is not only Palmer’s most ambitious project to date; it also serves as a powerful statement about control, chaos, and the importance of creative ownership.
In advance of its March 18th release, we caught up with Joe to discuss his artistic beginnings, the origins of Destination Kill, and the thought process behind the story. So, let’s welcome Joe Palmer to GVN Talking Comics.
Creative Origins
GVN: Thank you, Joe, for sharing a bit of your day with us. Since this is our first opportunity to visit, let’s start with your creative beginnings. When did you first take an interest in art and storytelling, and whose work inspired that possibility in you?
JP: Thanks for having me! I’ve always been attracted to the arts, and was encouraged to draw by my parents from a really early age. Consequently, in school I was always that kid who was doodling in his books instead of paying attention in classes.
The Spark that Ignited ‘Destination Kill’
GVN: When it came to Destination Kill, what was the spark that ignited this idea — was it a character, a visual, a theme, or something else entirely? Also, how long did this idea live in your head before you knew it needed to become a comic?
JP: Destination Kill was the culmination of a lot of threads coming together. For years I’d thought it’d be interesting to set a sci-fi story in London (where I live), but in a way that I hadn’t really seen before.
The gangs of builders, the transatlantic train connecting London to New York, a sleazy private detective, and a police officer struggling with her mental health — All of these were completely independent ideas I’d had over about an 8 year period that came together when I actually sat down and started to write.
I’d known that I wanted to write and draw my own books for a long time, I just had to be ready to put in the amount of work it takes to do that, and it took a while for me to get there.
Shaping the World of ‘Destination Kill’
GVN: When looking through the first issue, the world of Destination Kill feels stylish, dangerous, satirical, and more than slightly unhinged. What were your guiding principles when shaping its tone and atmosphere?
JP: The aim was definitely to have the city feel dangerous, and to quickly establish that from a certain point of view, the builders are causing chaos on the streets. Beyond that, I tried my best to use the artwork to establish the atmosphere.
Also, from a structural point of view, I really wanted to keep a certain momentum going throughout the story. It’s not for me to necessarily say if I was successful in that regard, but that was the idea. I wanted a lot of moving parts to try and keep it interesting!
Inspirations of the Story
GVN: You built off a premise that many people can relate to, the hopelessness of losing your job to automation. Were there real-world inspirations or personal obsessions that fed into the setting?
JP: The loss of jobs to automation is a well-worn topic in science fiction, but I was really just looking around at what was happening at the time and extrapolating. I think I started writing this in 2020, and things have really accelerated in that area since then. I had the gangs of builders already in mind way before this, so I’m fairly sure that it was reverse engineered. I needed to have them have a purpose and source for their anger, and the loss of employment seemed like the logical motivation for them.
Personality or Visual Designs
GVN: As I read through issue #1 right from the start, your characters have a strong sense of attitude and identity. What came first for you — their personalities or their visual designs?
JP: Thanks! It can be either. Sometimes I know who the characters are and then design them. But it can totally work the other way around too. I’ve definitely drawn people and then figured out who they are based on their look.
Working with Oni Press
GVN: You are working with the great folks at Oni Press for this project. What made Oni Press the right home for this story?
JP: I pitched an entirely different iteration of the story to Oni back in 2022 or 2023. They were really enthusiastic from the start, but I didn’t want to commit at that time so I went away and quietly worked on the book by myself. Once I’d finished, I approached my editor, Bess Pallares, to see if they’d still be interested in publishing it, and they were! Oni has been very supportive, and I’m really grateful for them believing in this project.
What Readers Will Take Away
GVN: Thanks again for your time, Joe. In closing, what do you hope readers feel when they finish issue #1, and without spoiling anything, what can readers expect as the series unfolds?
JP: No problem! That’s a difficult question, but I guess I just hope that people have a good time with the book. As far as what’s coming next in the series—the situation with the builders is about to dramatically escalate, and we’re going to join Gina and Lance on the bumpy ride as they try to figure out what’s going on!
Oni Press Destination Kill #1 by Joe Palmer comes to your favorite comic sources on March 18th.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
