The Terrifics
DC’s The Terrifics evokes exactly what you think it’s meant to. Does Volume 1: Meet the Terrifics do enough to suggest that the new series can evolve beyond its avowed inspiration?
In the aftermath of Dark Nights: Metal, the trio of Mr. Terrific, Plastic Man and Metamorpho are plunged into the Dark Multiverse, thanks to the blundering of Simon Stagg. In addition to the dangers of the dimension, they meet Linnya Wazzo, present day ancestor of the LSH’s Phantom Girl, a teenager who’s been stuck in the dimension in her phantom form for years. Before escaping back to their own Earth, they stumble onto a mystery involving the other-dimensional hero Tom Strong. Back home, the Dark Multiverse has left Phantom Girl with a particularly destructive problem, while the four heroes discover they’re forced to remain in close proximity to one another or suffer some painful consequences. A trip to Linnya’s home planet brings an encounter with alien marauders and some shocking info about her time in the other dimension. Back on Earth, they deal with a city whose inhabitants are turning into clones of Metamorpho, before meeting armored villain Dr. Dread, who plots to destroy Tom Strong.
Part of the “New Age of Heroes” group of titles that launched in the wake of Metal, The Terrifics makes no attempt to conceal that it’s a riff on Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Writer Jeff Lemire has assembled a cast that mixes many of the familiar powers, skills, personality traits and intra-group dynamics of Marvel’s First Family and gleefully plays with them. The book is a mix of superhero action, science fiction, epic adventure, fearless exploration and monster-driven b-movies. Lemire has a lot of fun playing with these various elements and the plot moves quickly, never getting bogged down in one area. There are plenty of big moments, lots of humor (the Plastic Man/Metamorpho interplay is a decent approximation of classic Human Torch/Thing banter) and some well-placed moments of genuine emotion. Linnya is an especially effective entry point for readers, as the young woman grapples with some major changes in her life and gets used to a very new setting. Lemire whips up classic comic book soap opera via the fraught relationship between Metamorpho and Sapphire Stagg. And Mr. Terrific is a solid center in the unamused “I’m getting too old for this…” role. Plastic Man, as always, is pretty much weaponized wackiness.
Three different lead artists are featured in Meet the Terrifics, which could be some cause for concern for a monthly book. Part of that was endemic to the “New Age of Heroes” rollout, where DC recruited big names for the launch, most of whom didn’t stick around very long. In this case, Ivan Reis was onboard for the first issue and most of the second, helping to establish the book’s visual identity before departing. And it’s a sturdy set up, with lots of creativity and a loose, fluid feel to the action, which zooms across different colorful backgrounds with giddy abandon. After that, two issues from Joe Bennett bookend two more from Evan “Doc” Shaner. All three are strong craftsmen and their styles are similar enough for the transition to be fairly smooth, suggesting good editorial attention. But with multiple inkers and colorists also in the mix, fans can’t help but have some concern over the stability of the creative team. It’s not a hindrance in this first collection, but when DC can’t manage to produce a single initial arc with one creative team, fans can’t help but wonder if the publisher is spread too thin.
The bigger question is whether or not The Terrifics can develop into more than a well-executed Fantastic Four homage. An especially pressing point since Marvel’s successful, high profile FF re-launch a couple months after this series arrived pretty well stole its thunder. And not only the FF, but The Terrifics also can’t avoid comparisons to DC’s own Challengers of the Unknown, a classic combo that’s gotten its own recent makeover. Lemire is a smart writer and while he’s having fun playing “FF dress up” to some extent, he’s also seeding differences that might pay off down the road. The personalities on the team echo certain qualities of the FF, but are distinctive enough on their own to be worthy of attention and the group dynamic is poised to go in some very different directions than its inspiration. The involvement of Tom Strong (itself a concept that bears many hallmarks of the classic FF) could be an x-factor that helps The Terrifics develop into its own identity. If nothing else, the mix of superheroics and scientific adventure on display in the book fills a niche in DC’s line. If Lemire succeeds in transcending the source inspiration, it could be a long-term success story.
That remains to be seen and the initial arc is, perhaps understandably, still in “wink, wink/did you see that” mode. But it’s a fun ride with a writer to watch, so if you’re at all interested, give The Terrifics a shot and see where it goes.
