Trapped in a corner of the Dark Multiverse, Mister Terrific, Plastic Man and Metamorpho have found a strange young woman who was likewise stranded… With their foursome officially fantastic, can our heroes make their way back home before they’re all eaten by giant aliens? Your Major Spoilers review of The Terrifics #2 awaits!
THE TERRIFICS #2
Storytellers: Ivan Reis & Jeff Lemire
Inker: Jordi Tarragona
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Editor: Marie Javins
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in The Terrifics: “Tom Strong has disappeared, and the Terrifics have found his emergency beacon! But to save anyone else, Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Phantom Girl and Plastic Man must first save themselves from the Dark Multiverse they’re trapped within – not to mention the gigantic alien monster they’ve been standing on this whole time!”
“MY NAME IS TOM STRONG…”
We open moments after the end of issue 1, as Mister Terrific and friends hear the distress signal from Tom Strong, indicating that it’s now going to be their job to save the universe from armageddon, as he is probably dead. Before the team can analyze the situation, Linnya explains how she came to be marooned in the strange dimension, including a nice Superman-style last surivior origin, but things get really desperate when Mister Terrific tries to capture the antenna that relayed the message…
…whiiich wakes up the strange giant figure on which they’ve all been stranded. A desperate chase follows (featuring some lovely back-and-forth taunting between Mssrs. O’Brien and Mason) and the Terrifics make it back to reality with moments to spare, only to find that their time in the Dark Multiverse has changed them… forever?
STUCK TOGETHER
The final pages answer the unanswered question of this series (Why would such a strange, diverse cast ever coalesce in the first place?) but this issue also opens a lot of narrative channels, including the nature of the Multiverse, Tom Strong’s fate, Simon Stagg’s research and more. Best of all, the balance of characters is lovely, with a terse Mister Terrific, a gruff Metamorpho, Plastic Man being his jovial self… Only Phantom Girl gets the short end of the stick, which hopefully will change as the team matures. Reis and company deliver on the art front as well, making for some fascinating alien landscapes, a really gross portal-closing scene and a much rockier Metamorpho (which makes sense, given this book’s evocation of classic Fantastic Four.)
BOTTOM LINE: REALLY INTERESTING
The most interesting thing about this issue for me is the timing, seeing as it came out right before Marvel’s announcement that the Fantastic Four will be returning soon, making me wonder if it’s coincidence, or if the success of this book gave editorial pause. Either way, The Terrifics #2 is a solid adventure story with really well-done art and a final-page hook that brings the whole thing together (although it does make me wonder about the upcoming Plastic Man solo book), earning a well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars overall. It’s that rare ensemble cast that I like more than any of the heroes solo adventures to date…
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