The Terrifics is the only title left standing from DC’s New Age of Heroes initiative, debuting multiple series featuring new heroes that had a very Marvel flavor like Damage (Hulk), The Curse Of Brimstone (Ghost Rider), and Sideways (Spider-Man). Marvel wasn’t putting out a Fantastic Four book for a few years, so DC picked up the slack by creating its own version, bringing together Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Plastic Man, and Phantom Girl to explore the world of super-science together. It’s not surprising that the book featuring established characters is the one to survive, but DC has also put some serious creative muscle behind it, launching the series with Eisner Award-winning writer Jeff Lemire and then handing it off to Eisner Award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang.
Last month’s The Terrifics #25 sent this series to new heights with an oversized Choose Your Own Adventure-style issue featuring the first interior DC work by superstar artist Dan Mora, showcasing the enthusiastic energy and creativity that makes this series so engaging. It’s back to chronological business as normal in next week’s The Terrifics #26, welcoming the new art team of Sergio Davila and inker Vicente Cifuentes. The Terrifics’ frenemy, Simon Stagg, discovers that he has only three months to live after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, and he makes a deal that will have big consequences down the line. Davila brings a lot of expression to these characters, and Protobunker’s colors emphasize tonal shifts as the story goes from Simon’s isolation after his diagnosis to terror when he’s approached by demons to the optimistic launch of a new public transportation system the next morning. This issue sets up very big things for the future of this series, and a peek at the cover for The Terrifics #27 hints at how this arc expands the scope of the team.
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Lemire’s run on the book was okay, although it always felt like a cheap knock-off of the Fantastic Four (complete with cheap knock-off of Doctor Doom). From what I’ve seen of Yang’s run, however, he’s taken it in a much more interesting direction, while still keeping the “explorers and super scientists” part that makes it similar to the FF.I have to admit, also, that Phantom Girl have a crush on Plastic Man’s son is adorable. And also threatening to demote an intern to “assistant internet” is a great joke.
It always struck me more as light, knowing FF satire than cheap knock-off. And Terrifics had a floating Galactus corpse before that new Marvel Zombies run did!
I mean, technically, Marvel’s Ruins had a floating Galactus corpse before anyone else did:
So Ellis ripped off himself in Planetary, then?
“Corps”. OMG, who got fired?
Anything that gives me more Metamorpho I’m down for lol. Such an underrated character. And he’ll be too complex to cgi, so will never see him in the DC tv verse. But we got a small dose of him on Young Justice, so that’s something.
Of all the vehicles to not have a top.
Sigh… has Simon Stagg now been blackfaced too?