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The Terrifics (collected editions) #1
The Terrifics, Vol. 1: Meet the Terrifics
A billionaire genius. A shape-shifting wise guy. An intangible alien. An elemental powerhouse. At first glance, these four heroes have nothing in common. But when Plastic Man, Phantom Girl, Metamorpho and Mr. Terrific are thrown together by fate, they become something greater than the sum of its parts...something truly terrific!
Unleashed by a tragic accident, supernatural forces have bound this unlikely team together, stranding them deep in the nightmare realm known as the Dark Multiverse. Now they must learn to work together to find a cure for their condition, a pathway home...and a missing hero who just might hold the key to it all.
But something even deeper than their shared plight binds them together. In each of these incredible characters, the spirt of exploration and the hope for a better tomorrow burns so brightly that not even the black magic of the Dark Multiverse can snuff it out!
Join the journey in The Terrifics Vol. 1: Meet the Terrifics. The all-star creative team of Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis, Evan "Doc" Shaner and Joe Bennett usher in a new age of heroes with the most talked-about team book of the year!
Collects The Terrifics #1-6.
Unleashed by a tragic accident, supernatural forces have bound this unlikely team together, stranding them deep in the nightmare realm known as the Dark Multiverse. Now they must learn to work together to find a cure for their condition, a pathway home...and a missing hero who just might hold the key to it all.
But something even deeper than their shared plight binds them together. In each of these incredible characters, the spirt of exploration and the hope for a better tomorrow burns so brightly that not even the black magic of the Dark Multiverse can snuff it out!
Join the journey in The Terrifics Vol. 1: Meet the Terrifics. The all-star creative team of Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis, Evan "Doc" Shaner and Joe Bennett usher in a new age of heroes with the most talked-about team book of the year!
Collects The Terrifics #1-6.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2018
148 people are currently reading
1314 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Lemire
1,398 books3,867 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
October 20, 2018
I’ve figured out what DC’s “New Age of Heroes” line is: a series ripping off Marvel properties! That joke Damage was their shitty Hulk while The Terrifics are their equally shitty take on the Fantastic Four.
They are: Mr Terrific (Mr Fantastic), Phantom Girl (Invisible Girl), Plastic Man (Human Torch), and Metamorpho (Thing). Their white uniforms are even reminiscent of Future Foundation-era FF and there’s a double-page spread of a giant monster emerging from underneath a street like Giganto on the cover of the first Fantastic Four issue!
After a cosmic event, the four characters can’t separate otherwise they’ll die - Jeff Lemire couldn’t think of a better reason to get these four together so he went the super-contrived route! Lemire’s been on a no-hitter since Roughneck but The Terrifics may be among his most dire efforts. Here’s an example of how little attention he’s paying to his script - or he’s somehow gotten immeasurably worse as a writer in the past couple years (highly possible):
Simon Stagg is trying to access the Dark Universe via a portal kept open by Metamorpho. Mr Terrific walks in and Stagg tells him he doesn’t know how to close it. A few pages later Mr Terrific tells Stagg to close the portal - did he already forget that Stagg told him he couldn’t close the portal? Stagg again tells him he doesn’t know how to close the portal. A few pages later Mr Terrific tells him again to close the portal - twice! - and then says that it’s up to him to close the portal.
Mr Terrific is meant to be the third smartest man on Earth but here he’s written as a complete idiot with a goldfish-like memory! This series of exchanges is representative of how carelessly written, inane, repetitive, pointless and totally unexciting the book is.
In Lemire’s hands Mr Terrific is completely unlikeable, Plastic Man is plain annoying and the other two are nonentities. Their personal stories are superficial and dull, the action is forced, and nothing that happens ever rises above boring.
The only quasi-noteworthy thing is that this is where yet another Alan Moore character, Tom Strong, is folded into the DC Universe. So, all five Tom Strong fans out there can get worked up over that one. Who is Tom Strong? He’s (ironically) a less strong Mr Incredible. And here he only appears as a hologram as he’s “dead” but comics characters die like you and I have hot dinners so I’m sure Lemire will find a hacky way of bringing him back somehow.
Dismal, uninteresting and arduous reading: the “Terrifics”? Ha - what a misnomer!
They are: Mr Terrific (Mr Fantastic), Phantom Girl (Invisible Girl), Plastic Man (Human Torch), and Metamorpho (Thing). Their white uniforms are even reminiscent of Future Foundation-era FF and there’s a double-page spread of a giant monster emerging from underneath a street like Giganto on the cover of the first Fantastic Four issue!
After a cosmic event, the four characters can’t separate otherwise they’ll die - Jeff Lemire couldn’t think of a better reason to get these four together so he went the super-contrived route! Lemire’s been on a no-hitter since Roughneck but The Terrifics may be among his most dire efforts. Here’s an example of how little attention he’s paying to his script - or he’s somehow gotten immeasurably worse as a writer in the past couple years (highly possible):
Simon Stagg is trying to access the Dark Universe via a portal kept open by Metamorpho. Mr Terrific walks in and Stagg tells him he doesn’t know how to close it. A few pages later Mr Terrific tells Stagg to close the portal - did he already forget that Stagg told him he couldn’t close the portal? Stagg again tells him he doesn’t know how to close the portal. A few pages later Mr Terrific tells him again to close the portal - twice! - and then says that it’s up to him to close the portal.
Mr Terrific is meant to be the third smartest man on Earth but here he’s written as a complete idiot with a goldfish-like memory! This series of exchanges is representative of how carelessly written, inane, repetitive, pointless and totally unexciting the book is.
In Lemire’s hands Mr Terrific is completely unlikeable, Plastic Man is plain annoying and the other two are nonentities. Their personal stories are superficial and dull, the action is forced, and nothing that happens ever rises above boring.
The only quasi-noteworthy thing is that this is where yet another Alan Moore character, Tom Strong, is folded into the DC Universe. So, all five Tom Strong fans out there can get worked up over that one. Who is Tom Strong? He’s (ironically) a less strong Mr Incredible. And here he only appears as a hologram as he’s “dead” but comics characters die like you and I have hot dinners so I’m sure Lemire will find a hacky way of bringing him back somehow.
Dismal, uninteresting and arduous reading: the “Terrifics”? Ha - what a misnomer!
November 17, 2018
This may have been the most contrived comic book I've ever read. These four characters were only picked due to their similarity to the Fantastic Four. This whole initiative of the New Age of Heroes feels like readers are being punked as it's just DC retelling Marvel's stories. This one is especially bad. When Dr. Dread showed up I just threw up my hands and gave up. If I had been reading a physical comic, I would have thrown it across the room. I just don't really get the point of copying Marvel's characters. DC has plenty of good characters of their own. The introduction of Tom Strong will be sure to make Alan Moore fans angry as well. Mr. Terrific is written as a huge prick with no redeeming qualities. The characters are so one dimensional. The only good thing I can say about this comic is that Doc Shaner's art is terrific! Too bad it's only 2 issues. Ivan Reis and Ivan Reis clone, Joe Bennett, draw the other 4 issues.
November 23, 2018
Bonded together by the strange energies of the Dark Multiverse, Mister Terrific, Metamorpho, Plastic Man, and Phantom Girl fight crime as... The Terrifics!
Unless Michael Allred is involved, I don't normally pick up new super hero comics anymore since the cost vs. content ratio is terrible. However, I've had my eye on The Terrifics for a while since it seemed to be an homage to the Fantastic Four. I finally nabbed this a couple days ago after trading some stuff in.
Much as I thought, The Terrifics are an homage to the classic era of the Fantastic Four, taking on huge menaces, including the biggest menace of all: functioning as a team. Overall, I like what I've read so far. The team gets established and faces a variety of menaces. Seeds are planted for future stories, like Tom Strong! Alan Moore would be furious if he wasn't already furious all the time.
The stories are more self-contained and less decompressed than most modern comics. I think the book suffers a bit from switching artists. Also, Mr. Terrific does a lot of heavy-handed exposition, just like Reed Richards. I like the bickering rivalry between Plastic Man and Metamorpho and Phantom Girl has a lot of potential. I'm really curious as to where the Tom Strong storyline is going.
Meet the Terrifics isn't Fantastic but shows a lot of potential. I'll be grabbing the next volume at some point. Three out of five stars.
Unless Michael Allred is involved, I don't normally pick up new super hero comics anymore since the cost vs. content ratio is terrible. However, I've had my eye on The Terrifics for a while since it seemed to be an homage to the Fantastic Four. I finally nabbed this a couple days ago after trading some stuff in.
Much as I thought, The Terrifics are an homage to the classic era of the Fantastic Four, taking on huge menaces, including the biggest menace of all: functioning as a team. Overall, I like what I've read so far. The team gets established and faces a variety of menaces. Seeds are planted for future stories, like Tom Strong! Alan Moore would be furious if he wasn't already furious all the time.
The stories are more self-contained and less decompressed than most modern comics. I think the book suffers a bit from switching artists. Also, Mr. Terrific does a lot of heavy-handed exposition, just like Reed Richards. I like the bickering rivalry between Plastic Man and Metamorpho and Phantom Girl has a lot of potential. I'm really curious as to where the Tom Strong storyline is going.
Meet the Terrifics isn't Fantastic but shows a lot of potential. I'll be grabbing the next volume at some point. Three out of five stars.
April 16, 2022
This was really good omg!
It tells the tale of Terrifics who after an accident come together cuz Dark energy shenanigans and yep they are DC's F4 and terrific (pun intended) and I love the way it happens, the way they come together but are bonded and then facing off against the ginat hunger god aka Galactus and then going on weird adventures like facing off against aliens and then coming to the planet of Phantom Girl and the emotional story there or being attacked by Warwheel and then Algon, the ancient elemental man and the mysterious enemy: Dr Dread revealing himself and how its all connected to a man named Tom strong?!
This was so good and omg I love how Jeff brings the excitement as he shows the personality of this dynamic group and their problems and pits the against different foes and sends them on crazy adventures and there is a rip-off of Dr Doom and Galactus too and its awesome and in short just shows how cool it is and then bringing in another Alan moore creation which was inspired and hence good read in that regards plus the art of Reis and Shaner is the cherry on top! <3
It tells the tale of Terrifics who after an accident come together cuz Dark energy shenanigans and yep they are DC's F4 and terrific (pun intended) and I love the way it happens, the way they come together but are bonded and then facing off against the ginat hunger god aka Galactus and then going on weird adventures like facing off against aliens and then coming to the planet of Phantom Girl and the emotional story there or being attacked by Warwheel and then Algon, the ancient elemental man and the mysterious enemy: Dr Dread revealing himself and how its all connected to a man named Tom strong?!
This was so good and omg I love how Jeff brings the excitement as he shows the personality of this dynamic group and their problems and pits the against different foes and sends them on crazy adventures and there is a rip-off of Dr Doom and Galactus too and its awesome and in short just shows how cool it is and then bringing in another Alan moore creation which was inspired and hence good read in that regards plus the art of Reis and Shaner is the cherry on top! <3
February 26, 2024
At the beginning I wasn’t really liking DC’s take on Marvel’s the Fantastic Four but it gradually grew on me over the first 6 issues. I’ll give the next volume a chance and see if it improves. A couple takeaways- 1) Mr, Terrific is supposed to be a genius but why do other people keep showing him how to solve problems? 2) I’ve always liked the character of Plastic Man but this version just seems to make him extra goofy and silly for no reason. 3) Dr. Dread what?!? Ok, I’ll need to read on to see their version of Doom.
March 15, 2020
The Terrifics are the fantastic four of DC now.
But this wasn't half bad.
After the events of Metal we have these 4 all stuck together. If they try to leave or not stay close they die. It's a fun idea, something different, and makes for a new dynamic for a lot of these characters. While I didn't love the main story here, I did enjoy all the character interactions. I'll give volume 2 a chance, and maybe even volume 3 because of the new writer. While it didn't blow me away it was interesting enough to try more.
P.S. Plastic Man was actually pretty funny. A 3 out of 5.
But this wasn't half bad.
After the events of Metal we have these 4 all stuck together. If they try to leave or not stay close they die. It's a fun idea, something different, and makes for a new dynamic for a lot of these characters. While I didn't love the main story here, I did enjoy all the character interactions. I'll give volume 2 a chance, and maybe even volume 3 because of the new writer. While it didn't blow me away it was interesting enough to try more.
P.S. Plastic Man was actually pretty funny. A 3 out of 5.
October 30, 2018
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Following the events of the cosmic DC universe event in Dark Nights: Metal, new and old heroes are making an appearance and looking to put on a show of their own. Eight new line of comic books with various writers and illustrators are launched and they all look to introduce new stories for everyone to devour. Characterized by a rocky start, Damage and Silencer each showed us their strengths and weaknesses in their own way, but also left something to be desired. With an emphasis put on the artists rather than the writers, these new series have a lot to prove since the results so far have been underwhelming. Do The Terrifics have what it takes to turn things around for this New Age of Heroes?
Who are the Terrifics? Bringing together Mr. Terrific (a billionaire genius), Plastic Man (a very stretch shape-shifting wise guy), Metamorpho (a huge and ugly fellow capable of becoming any element) and Phantom Girl (a young lady who is nothing more than a ghost who blows up anything that she touches if she ever decides to become tangible), these heroes are brought together out of pure fate as they are thrown into the Dark Multiverse after a tragic incident initiated by Simon Stagg. Their colourful adventure into this realm brings into play brand new threats and they have no other choice but to stay together and work as a team.
Coming from someone as renown as Jeff Lemire, the writing was mediocre at best. I had a hard time even understanding how the dialogue could be so infantile and void of any authenticity. Mr. Terrific alone made me face-palm a few times with his less-than intelligent ways and his monotone behaviour. For someone that they kept on reminding us as the third smartest man out there, he showed no proof of it at any point in this story arc. And then there’s the banter between these four heroes. You could not imagine the amount of cringe that went with it. I wasn’t sure if the relationship between these characters was forced or was meant to be awful anymore.
If there’s one silver lining to this story, it’s Ivan Reis artwork for the first issues. It’s dynamic, colourful and convincing in its tone. Oddly enough, the later issues features other artists who all have slightly different styles, but still relatively similar to Reis’ art. The most confusing part of this constant change of artists is how the whole New Age of Heroes line-up was meant to showcase artists and put the spotlight on them, but here we are with more than two artists in the same story arc without giving them the chance to shine. So far, the only recurring theme I see is that the first couple of issues of each series features an all-star artist who then later disappears. It’s as if they were just meant to be baits.
I’m trying really hard not to see it, but another thing that has been screaming at me, gnawing at my face and tearing away at my insides is the similarity between these new line-ups and Marvel’s property. At first, when they initially announced these new and old heroes getting new series with new creative teams to work on them, I found myself skeptic at how they’ll successfully catch the attention of new and old readers. There’s no easy way to sell the idea of new heroes to root for, especially when you already have all the other amazing superheroes that have lived longer than most of us already out there and doing strong on their own canonical series. But now that I have read the first story arcs for our first heroes who are part of this New Age of Heroes line-up, I’m kind of disappointed in DC’s marketing strategy.
Why did they have to go for straight-up rip-offs of Marvel’s classic heroes? With Damage being the Hulk of DC Comics, the Silencer being the Punisher and now the Terrifics being the Fantastic Four, I fear that there is no hope for these heroes within the DC universe. Even the supervillain that appears at the end of this volume to give us a James Bond’esque monologue on his great plan was similar to one of the Fantastic Four’s greatest villains—a villain that rhymes with Doctor Gloom. From cute to ridiculous, I’ve tried to think of reasons why they’d go in that direction, but nothing reasonable came to mind. Maybe they were trying to create an illusory bridge between DC Comics and Marvel? Maybe it’s their attempt at creating their own Deadpool (noting that he has similarities with one of DC’s greatest villain, Deathstroke)? Maybe it is an experiment to evaluate the gullibility of readers who are completely oblivious to all the superheroes that exists out there? Maybe it is just a joke within the organization to see if anyone will realize it and laugh along? We’ll never know.
For what it is, The Terrifics: Meet the Terrifics was somehow saved by Ian Reis’ artwork as well as the popcorn flick fun that came with the silly plot and dialogues. Could the similarities with Marvel’s superheroes be any more plain and obvious? I don’t know. But if this series lives any longer, I hope it finds a better identity than the mockery it decided to be.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Following the events of the cosmic DC universe event in Dark Nights: Metal, new and old heroes are making an appearance and looking to put on a show of their own. Eight new line of comic books with various writers and illustrators are launched and they all look to introduce new stories for everyone to devour. Characterized by a rocky start, Damage and Silencer each showed us their strengths and weaknesses in their own way, but also left something to be desired. With an emphasis put on the artists rather than the writers, these new series have a lot to prove since the results so far have been underwhelming. Do The Terrifics have what it takes to turn things around for this New Age of Heroes?
Who are the Terrifics? Bringing together Mr. Terrific (a billionaire genius), Plastic Man (a very stretch shape-shifting wise guy), Metamorpho (a huge and ugly fellow capable of becoming any element) and Phantom Girl (a young lady who is nothing more than a ghost who blows up anything that she touches if she ever decides to become tangible), these heroes are brought together out of pure fate as they are thrown into the Dark Multiverse after a tragic incident initiated by Simon Stagg. Their colourful adventure into this realm brings into play brand new threats and they have no other choice but to stay together and work as a team.
Coming from someone as renown as Jeff Lemire, the writing was mediocre at best. I had a hard time even understanding how the dialogue could be so infantile and void of any authenticity. Mr. Terrific alone made me face-palm a few times with his less-than intelligent ways and his monotone behaviour. For someone that they kept on reminding us as the third smartest man out there, he showed no proof of it at any point in this story arc. And then there’s the banter between these four heroes. You could not imagine the amount of cringe that went with it. I wasn’t sure if the relationship between these characters was forced or was meant to be awful anymore.
If there’s one silver lining to this story, it’s Ivan Reis artwork for the first issues. It’s dynamic, colourful and convincing in its tone. Oddly enough, the later issues features other artists who all have slightly different styles, but still relatively similar to Reis’ art. The most confusing part of this constant change of artists is how the whole New Age of Heroes line-up was meant to showcase artists and put the spotlight on them, but here we are with more than two artists in the same story arc without giving them the chance to shine. So far, the only recurring theme I see is that the first couple of issues of each series features an all-star artist who then later disappears. It’s as if they were just meant to be baits.
I’m trying really hard not to see it, but another thing that has been screaming at me, gnawing at my face and tearing away at my insides is the similarity between these new line-ups and Marvel’s property. At first, when they initially announced these new and old heroes getting new series with new creative teams to work on them, I found myself skeptic at how they’ll successfully catch the attention of new and old readers. There’s no easy way to sell the idea of new heroes to root for, especially when you already have all the other amazing superheroes that have lived longer than most of us already out there and doing strong on their own canonical series. But now that I have read the first story arcs for our first heroes who are part of this New Age of Heroes line-up, I’m kind of disappointed in DC’s marketing strategy.
Why did they have to go for straight-up rip-offs of Marvel’s classic heroes? With Damage being the Hulk of DC Comics, the Silencer being the Punisher and now the Terrifics being the Fantastic Four, I fear that there is no hope for these heroes within the DC universe. Even the supervillain that appears at the end of this volume to give us a James Bond’esque monologue on his great plan was similar to one of the Fantastic Four’s greatest villains—a villain that rhymes with Doctor Gloom. From cute to ridiculous, I’ve tried to think of reasons why they’d go in that direction, but nothing reasonable came to mind. Maybe they were trying to create an illusory bridge between DC Comics and Marvel? Maybe it’s their attempt at creating their own Deadpool (noting that he has similarities with one of DC’s greatest villain, Deathstroke)? Maybe it is an experiment to evaluate the gullibility of readers who are completely oblivious to all the superheroes that exists out there? Maybe it is just a joke within the organization to see if anyone will realize it and laugh along? We’ll never know.
For what it is, The Terrifics: Meet the Terrifics was somehow saved by Ian Reis’ artwork as well as the popcorn flick fun that came with the silly plot and dialogues. Could the similarities with Marvel’s superheroes be any more plain and obvious? I don’t know. But if this series lives any longer, I hope it finds a better identity than the mockery it decided to be.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
October 24, 2025
I’m probably rating this one higher than I should, but so many comics these days are so ponderous, that it’s fun to find a series that’s part 1970s fever dream, part Saturday morning cartoon. Sometimes I just want wacky superpowers, wackier monsters, and supremely wacky solutions. A dog shows up at one point!
August 5, 2018
2.5. Two really really great issues, 3 really bad issues, and 1 kinda bad issue.
World: The art is a mixed bag, I love Ivan Reis for his work on Green Lantern but maybe he has more say in the story here than he did when we was working on that book (cause the New Age of Superheroes, credits artists and writers are Storytellers instead of individually and I wonder if that mean the artist get's more say in the storytelling) cause this book's first 2 issues is messy and janky and the art is all over the place. I knew a book with both Plastic Man and Metamorpho would be trippy and insane but these was just insane to the point of not understanding what the heck was happening on the page. Then we get to issues 4-5 and Doc Shaner comes in and wow it's beautiful, it's simple, it's character driven and hits the emotions so well, this is the artist I want for this book. The world building here is sloppy and slap dash and illogically messy and feels like (I don't know if it's on purpose or not but it's not a good thing, just because it's retro doesn't make it good) a 80s science gobbledygook with a world that makes no sense and the only solution to wrap my head around a lot of the first three issues "because comics". These character are fun and I'll get to them more below but the world which we find ourselves in with the Dark Nights Metal tie in and the start of the story is nearly incomprehensible and ridiculous and not in a pulpy Doom Patrol fun way, in a really badly written just get them together any means necessary way, and the resulting world is like that. Things I felt did calm down and get better in issues 4-5...and then the wheels fall off again in issue 6.
Story: The first arc is bad, I can't believe that this is Jeff Lemire, cause it's bad. It makes no sense, it's choppy, the dialog is so forced that it's cringe worthy, the character drama is over the top and unearned and the main story is just ridiculous. Getting this team together didn't need to be this nuts, unless that's the point of the series. but there are much better written weird over the top books by DC and they do it way better (Cave Carson and Doom Patrol come to mind). Issues 4-5 on the otherhand are divine, they are well written, the art really compliments the writing, it's character driven, it's full of character building moments and allows for the characters to breath and make sense and interact. This is they type of art and story we need at the beginning, making readers care about them before all the crazy shit happens. Then we get to issue 6 and it's the same crazy as issues 1-3 and I'm shaking my head again.
Characters: I really like this group of characters there are three characters I adore and one I'm not a big fan of but the potential was there. I love Metamorpho from early 2000s Outsiders comic books and seeing him here made me smile, but the characterization we get here is basic, it's barely there and it's sad to see him written like this, issues 4-5 really gave readers a lot more on the character and made us old DC readers happy, but if I was a new reader I would be completely lost as to what the hell this character is and what are his powers and backstory and who the heck is Sapphire and Stagg, should and needs to be better. Phantom Girl also made me squee when they announced this title cause I love me some Legion and to be fair this new Phantom Girl does get the largest dose of character building which is great, I like her, the little personality that we see is fun and I want to see more of her and her interactions with the rest of the team, good job creative team! Plastic Man, what can I say, he's not that hard to write but you need to give him the grounding so that when he's annoying and crazy we see it as a way of him dealing with things and we do get it. I keep referring back to issues 4-5, we really get a sense there we really see the man behind the crazy and I like it, give me more of that, not just the yuck yucks and the banter (oh wow the banter was sooo bad the first 3 issues between Plastic Man and Metamorpho it was painful to read). Then there's the character I really don't care about, I've never like Mr. Terrific and even when he was the best in JSA I never really gravitated to him, I find him arrogant and an ass and we get that here, but we don't get the context, we don't get the background. DC readers will know and fill in the info ourselves but for new readers he's just a broken, half designed character that readers will have no idea what they are suppose to get from this character and the book does him no favors, for the first three issues he's an asshole.
Really uneven first 6 issues, 2 issues of divine awesome that makes me think this series could work and the rest is just sloppy messy incomprehensible action scene after action scene that reminds me of the worst of early Modern Age comics...not the good stuff but the bad stuff.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
World: The art is a mixed bag, I love Ivan Reis for his work on Green Lantern but maybe he has more say in the story here than he did when we was working on that book (cause the New Age of Superheroes, credits artists and writers are Storytellers instead of individually and I wonder if that mean the artist get's more say in the storytelling) cause this book's first 2 issues is messy and janky and the art is all over the place. I knew a book with both Plastic Man and Metamorpho would be trippy and insane but these was just insane to the point of not understanding what the heck was happening on the page. Then we get to issues 4-5 and Doc Shaner comes in and wow it's beautiful, it's simple, it's character driven and hits the emotions so well, this is the artist I want for this book. The world building here is sloppy and slap dash and illogically messy and feels like (I don't know if it's on purpose or not but it's not a good thing, just because it's retro doesn't make it good) a 80s science gobbledygook with a world that makes no sense and the only solution to wrap my head around a lot of the first three issues "because comics". These character are fun and I'll get to them more below but the world which we find ourselves in with the Dark Nights Metal tie in and the start of the story is nearly incomprehensible and ridiculous and not in a pulpy Doom Patrol fun way, in a really badly written just get them together any means necessary way, and the resulting world is like that. Things I felt did calm down and get better in issues 4-5...and then the wheels fall off again in issue 6.
Story: The first arc is bad, I can't believe that this is Jeff Lemire, cause it's bad. It makes no sense, it's choppy, the dialog is so forced that it's cringe worthy, the character drama is over the top and unearned and the main story is just ridiculous. Getting this team together didn't need to be this nuts, unless that's the point of the series. but there are much better written weird over the top books by DC and they do it way better (Cave Carson and Doom Patrol come to mind). Issues 4-5 on the otherhand are divine, they are well written, the art really compliments the writing, it's character driven, it's full of character building moments and allows for the characters to breath and make sense and interact. This is they type of art and story we need at the beginning, making readers care about them before all the crazy shit happens. Then we get to issue 6 and it's the same crazy as issues 1-3 and I'm shaking my head again.
Characters: I really like this group of characters there are three characters I adore and one I'm not a big fan of but the potential was there. I love Metamorpho from early 2000s Outsiders comic books and seeing him here made me smile, but the characterization we get here is basic, it's barely there and it's sad to see him written like this, issues 4-5 really gave readers a lot more on the character and made us old DC readers happy, but if I was a new reader I would be completely lost as to what the hell this character is and what are his powers and backstory and who the heck is Sapphire and Stagg, should and needs to be better. Phantom Girl also made me squee when they announced this title cause I love me some Legion and to be fair this new Phantom Girl does get the largest dose of character building which is great, I like her, the little personality that we see is fun and I want to see more of her and her interactions with the rest of the team, good job creative team! Plastic Man, what can I say, he's not that hard to write but you need to give him the grounding so that when he's annoying and crazy we see it as a way of him dealing with things and we do get it. I keep referring back to issues 4-5, we really get a sense there we really see the man behind the crazy and I like it, give me more of that, not just the yuck yucks and the banter (oh wow the banter was sooo bad the first 3 issues between Plastic Man and Metamorpho it was painful to read). Then there's the character I really don't care about, I've never like Mr. Terrific and even when he was the best in JSA I never really gravitated to him, I find him arrogant and an ass and we get that here, but we don't get the context, we don't get the background. DC readers will know and fill in the info ourselves but for new readers he's just a broken, half designed character that readers will have no idea what they are suppose to get from this character and the book does him no favors, for the first three issues he's an asshole.
Really uneven first 6 issues, 2 issues of divine awesome that makes me think this series could work and the rest is just sloppy messy incomprehensible action scene after action scene that reminds me of the worst of early Modern Age comics...not the good stuff but the bad stuff.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
September 5, 2018
[Read as single issues]
In the wake of Dark Nights: Metal (I feel like I say that a lot recently), the New Age Of Heroes has dawned, and at the head of the charge are the Terrifics! Mister Terrific, Metamorpho, Plastic Man, and Phantom Girl are forced to become a team when a trip to the Dark Multiverse literally ties them together in an unexpected way, and the only chance of breaking their bond is to find the mysterious Tom Strong. But with Simon Stagg constantly hounding them, the Terrifics are going to have their work cut out for them.
Lets get the Fantastic Four parallels out of the way first – yes, The Terrifics are DC’s answer to Marvel’s First Family. They’re interdimensional explorers as much as they are adventurers, and even if they’re kind of forced to operate together, they do have the essence of family about them. Even their abilities are similar, if a bit muddled up. But just because they’re similar doesn’t mean they should be discounted, because The Terrifics is probably the best of the New Age Of Heroes books by a landslide.
The dynamic between the characters is really well written – Mister Terrific is the aloof leader, Phantom Girl is the calming influence, while Plastic Man and Metamorpho are the goofy friends who rag on each other all the time. Jeff Lemire’s track record with team books hasn’t been particularly good, but this one’s shaping up to be his best effort so far, because he just seems to understand how these characters would react to a given situation and make it both realistic and entertaining.
Speaking of situations, across these six issues there’s a hell of a lot going on. Between a trip to the Dark Multiverse, a battle with Simon Stagg’s War Wheel, and a visit to a town full of Metamorphos, there’s probably enough material here for almost twice as many issues. Each story focuses either on the group as a whole or zeroes in on one character, like Phantom Girl in the Dark Multiverse and Metamorpho in the last issue or so, which keeps things fresh and new each time.
There are some great storytelling techniques at play here too, most particularly issue 4 or 5 (one of them, I can’t remember which) in which each page is divided into four panels, one for each character, and as the story progresses the panels meld into one until the team is reunited.
This ambitious idea, and the rest of the book too, would fall apart under lesser art teams, but The Terrifics has the likes of Ivan Reis for the first two issues, and then Joe Bennett and Evan Shaner on the latter four. Bennett is probably the least individual of the three artists, but that’s not to say he’s bad by any means – it’s just that he’s standing next to some of the industry’s top talents, so he kind of pales in comparison whereas on another book he’d probably be the best of the best.
The Terrifics lives up to its name. These opening six issues bring the team together and throw them into a multitude of crazy adventures that feel a lot longer than they should. The art’s fantastic, there’s a lot of great character moments on display and a continuing mystery that really keeps things interesting. If you’re going to check out any of the New Age Of Heroes books, The Terrifics should be first on your list.
In the wake of Dark Nights: Metal (I feel like I say that a lot recently), the New Age Of Heroes has dawned, and at the head of the charge are the Terrifics! Mister Terrific, Metamorpho, Plastic Man, and Phantom Girl are forced to become a team when a trip to the Dark Multiverse literally ties them together in an unexpected way, and the only chance of breaking their bond is to find the mysterious Tom Strong. But with Simon Stagg constantly hounding them, the Terrifics are going to have their work cut out for them.
Lets get the Fantastic Four parallels out of the way first – yes, The Terrifics are DC’s answer to Marvel’s First Family. They’re interdimensional explorers as much as they are adventurers, and even if they’re kind of forced to operate together, they do have the essence of family about them. Even their abilities are similar, if a bit muddled up. But just because they’re similar doesn’t mean they should be discounted, because The Terrifics is probably the best of the New Age Of Heroes books by a landslide.
The dynamic between the characters is really well written – Mister Terrific is the aloof leader, Phantom Girl is the calming influence, while Plastic Man and Metamorpho are the goofy friends who rag on each other all the time. Jeff Lemire’s track record with team books hasn’t been particularly good, but this one’s shaping up to be his best effort so far, because he just seems to understand how these characters would react to a given situation and make it both realistic and entertaining.
Speaking of situations, across these six issues there’s a hell of a lot going on. Between a trip to the Dark Multiverse, a battle with Simon Stagg’s War Wheel, and a visit to a town full of Metamorphos, there’s probably enough material here for almost twice as many issues. Each story focuses either on the group as a whole or zeroes in on one character, like Phantom Girl in the Dark Multiverse and Metamorpho in the last issue or so, which keeps things fresh and new each time.
There are some great storytelling techniques at play here too, most particularly issue 4 or 5 (one of them, I can’t remember which) in which each page is divided into four panels, one for each character, and as the story progresses the panels meld into one until the team is reunited.
This ambitious idea, and the rest of the book too, would fall apart under lesser art teams, but The Terrifics has the likes of Ivan Reis for the first two issues, and then Joe Bennett and Evan Shaner on the latter four. Bennett is probably the least individual of the three artists, but that’s not to say he’s bad by any means – it’s just that he’s standing next to some of the industry’s top talents, so he kind of pales in comparison whereas on another book he’d probably be the best of the best.
The Terrifics lives up to its name. These opening six issues bring the team together and throw them into a multitude of crazy adventures that feel a lot longer than they should. The art’s fantastic, there’s a lot of great character moments on display and a continuing mystery that really keeps things interesting. If you’re going to check out any of the New Age Of Heroes books, The Terrifics should be first on your list.
June 23, 2025
Just finished The Terrifics Meet the Terrifics — I was genuinely excited to check this out, especially since I don’t know much about Mr. Terrific and he’s set to appear in the upcoming DC movie. Unfortunately, it didn’t land for me. The book feels like a thinly veiled Fantastic Four knockoff, with similar team dynamics but without the same spark or emotional weight.
There are a few fun moments of chaos and quirky character interplay, but overall, it left me underwhelmed. Disappointing, especially when I was hoping this would be a standout intro to Mr. Terrific.
There are a few fun moments of chaos and quirky character interplay, but overall, it left me underwhelmed. Disappointing, especially when I was hoping this would be a standout intro to Mr. Terrific.
December 1, 2018
As a Plastic Man fan, I happy to see him appearing in comics again after the long New 52 era in which Plastic Man was sidelined. In addition, I also like the other members of the team in this book. The story itself is a bit breezy and light, so there isn't anything that is a must-read here. However, if you're a Plastic Man fan, you just might have to read this.
December 8, 2019
One of the rare comic from Lemire that I didn't really enjoy. I think that Lemire is always at his best alone, not attach to a universe, Dc in that case, or with collaborator. This one look like a pastiche of the Fantastic Four and wasn't interesting to me, maybe a bit too young for my taste. I will try volume 2 since I've already bought it but I'm unsure!
March 15, 2020
I don't know how excellent indie author Jeff Lemire could be the same person as mediocre to bad mainstream author Jeff Lemire, but that seems to be going on here, once again.
The weird thing is that The Terrifics has everything going for it.
Connection to the excellent Dark Nights: Metal? Check. Well, sorta-check. Lemire plays it up in the first few issues, but then drops it on the ground.
Great characters? Check. Sorta. We get Mr. Terrific, Plastic Man, Metamorpho (well, Rex has always fallen flat for me), and a modern-day Phantom Girl. Except the characters are flat until the last few issues, when we finally get some characterization.
Intriguing connection to the ABC universe in the form of Tom Strong? Check. Sorta. Because it's just dangled to tease us for six long issues.
Meanwhile, the plot is mainly uninteresting. Something happens in the first few issues regarding Metal, then there's a fight. Phantom Girl returns to her home in the fourth issue, then there's a fight. There's some weird Metamorphic thing in the last few issues, then a fight.
It's all entirely dull. The only saving grace is the last few issues where Lemire tries out some less conventional plotting and improves the characterization. Otherwise, this volume would have been entirely a waste (instead of just mostly.)
2.5 stars but trending up?
The weird thing is that The Terrifics has everything going for it.
Connection to the excellent Dark Nights: Metal? Check. Well, sorta-check. Lemire plays it up in the first few issues, but then drops it on the ground.
Great characters? Check. Sorta. We get Mr. Terrific, Plastic Man, Metamorpho (well, Rex has always fallen flat for me), and a modern-day Phantom Girl. Except the characters are flat until the last few issues, when we finally get some characterization.
Intriguing connection to the ABC universe in the form of Tom Strong? Check. Sorta. Because it's just dangled to tease us for six long issues.
Meanwhile, the plot is mainly uninteresting. Something happens in the first few issues regarding Metal, then there's a fight. Phantom Girl returns to her home in the fourth issue, then there's a fight. There's some weird Metamorphic thing in the last few issues, then a fight.
It's all entirely dull. The only saving grace is the last few issues where Lemire tries out some less conventional plotting and improves the characterization. Otherwise, this volume would have been entirely a waste (instead of just mostly.)
2.5 stars but trending up?
August 18, 2022
I think it's great that Mr. Terrific is a (more or less) popular comic character. This homage to the Fantastic Four does a very neat trick of making this motley crew work: they'll blow up if they get separated over a mile.
I admit I groaned when the bad guy (named Doctor Dread) appeared. What's next? The Silver Smurfer? Vole-Man? Aquaman's fallen in love with Phantom Girl?
I admit, I'm down for the next volume. Jeff Lemire writes well, and Doc Shaner art is always a treat.
I admit I groaned when the bad guy (named Doctor Dread) appeared. What's next? The Silver Smurfer? Vole-Man? Aquaman's fallen in love with Phantom Girl?
I admit, I'm down for the next volume. Jeff Lemire writes well, and Doc Shaner art is always a treat.
December 13, 2018
After the events of Dark Nights: Metal, several new titles debuted for DC, listing as "The New Age of Heroes". The Terrifics is one of these titles, starring Mr. Terrific, Plastic Man, Metamorpho, and Phantom Girl. Stuck together (can't separate more than 1 mile from each other or they die) and trapped in the Dark Multiverse.
This title seems very random and chaotic to me. There's a character they keep searching for named Tom Strong, but they never explain why they are looking for him. They are trying to escape the Dark Multiverse, but I'm not sure if they ever do. Phantom Girl's home planet, a cure for Metamorpho, Algon the ancient Elemental Man, the orb of Ra, and a last page reveal of huge villain Dr. Dread.... What? I'm lost...
Putting a bunch of minor characters together does not make a new title, at least not for me. It wasn't horrible, but not great either.
Recommend, only if you really like any of the main characters. Otherwise, skip this one.
This title seems very random and chaotic to me. There's a character they keep searching for named Tom Strong, but they never explain why they are looking for him. They are trying to escape the Dark Multiverse, but I'm not sure if they ever do. Phantom Girl's home planet, a cure for Metamorpho, Algon the ancient Elemental Man, the orb of Ra, and a last page reveal of huge villain Dr. Dread.... What? I'm lost...
Putting a bunch of minor characters together does not make a new title, at least not for me. It wasn't horrible, but not great either.
Recommend, only if you really like any of the main characters. Otherwise, skip this one.
August 30, 2019
3.7, didn’t really like the way metamorpho looks same with element girl but something that shined was plastic man, who was so funny and awesome,makes me want to buy the upcoming plastic man book
November 20, 2018
Davam 2,5* protoze na cisty 3* to neni.
Iniciativu The New Age of Heroes moc nechapu. Vymyslime hromadu (staro)novejch postav, budeme do popredi tlacit kreslire, ale nechame to cmarat ty stejny rutinery jako je Lee nebo nedejboze JRJR...
A jestli jsou The Terrifics to nejlepsi, co z TNAoH vzeslo, tak se nedivim, ze nekolik jinejch rad uz zrusili.
The Terrifics neprinasej nic novyho, sestava (ne)napadne pripomina FF a nezachranuje to ani Jeff Lemire. Je to genericka tymovka a uz ted sem zapomnel o co tam vlastne slo. Obcas se tam najde dobrej vtipek a je tam i mirnej naznak nejakejch “osobnich tragedii” jednotlivejch hrdinu, takze se to treba v dalsim booku odlisi od milionu jinejch superhrdinskejch sracek, ale to uz se nedozvim.
Ve finale sem rad, ze Lemire obcas napise takovouhle smiru, aby poplatil slozenky a mohl pak v klidu psat svoje veci, ktery mam nejradsi.
Iniciativu The New Age of Heroes moc nechapu. Vymyslime hromadu (staro)novejch postav, budeme do popredi tlacit kreslire, ale nechame to cmarat ty stejny rutinery jako je Lee nebo nedejboze JRJR...
A jestli jsou The Terrifics to nejlepsi, co z TNAoH vzeslo, tak se nedivim, ze nekolik jinejch rad uz zrusili.
The Terrifics neprinasej nic novyho, sestava (ne)napadne pripomina FF a nezachranuje to ani Jeff Lemire. Je to genericka tymovka a uz ted sem zapomnel o co tam vlastne slo. Obcas se tam najde dobrej vtipek a je tam i mirnej naznak nejakejch “osobnich tragedii” jednotlivejch hrdinu, takze se to treba v dalsim booku odlisi od milionu jinejch superhrdinskejch sracek, ale to uz se nedozvim.
Ve finale sem rad, ze Lemire obcas napise takovouhle smiru, aby poplatil slozenky a mohl pak v klidu psat svoje veci, ktery mam nejradsi.
April 17, 2021
A wonderful blend of zany, off-the-wall humor and action with cosmic-level storytelling and a fantastic blend of characters, The Terrifics have quickly taken over as the DC Universe equivalent of the Fantastic Four, bridging science with heroism as four individual heroes are forced to stick with one another to help battle a threat of multiversal proportions. The artwork is reminiscent of a blend of classic and modern looks, and the return of heroes like Plastic Man and Mr. Terrific make this a must-read for the DC Universe.
December 5, 2020
Actually a pretty fun read—and with a lot of the DC books I’ve been reading lately, that was very much appreciated. Starring characters I don’t know quite as well (Metamorpho, Mr. Terrific, and Plastic Man) and a new character (Phantom Girl) that’s pretty interesting, alongside classic comic book action and just enough emotion for investment, this was a quick and enjoyable book. It definitely feels like a first volume (getting to know the characters), but it still manages to be a pretty solid start. I’m looking forward to the next volume.
April 20, 2025
This was better than I thought it would be. I was only somewhat familiar with Mr. Terrific from another book, all the other characters were new to me. The bickering between the characters was a bit annoying at the beginning, but I didn't mind it by the end. There were a few parts that reminded me of the Black Hammer series. I'm interested enough to keep reading. The artwork was solid.
November 3, 2018
The jury is still out on this one...
April 15, 2025
[Original one-start review, 2018:] I like these four characters -- Mr. Terrific, Plastic Man, Phantom Girl, and Metamorpho -- and that makes this clumsy series all the worse. "The Terrifics" is a ham-handed attempt to shoehorn these four characters into an ersatz "Future Foundation"-era Fantastic Four rip-off. The twist here is that the accident they all experience doesn't give them powers, but instead forces them to remain in close proximity or risk exploding. Yes, that is one of the worst hooks for a super-hero team book, ever. Even when given emotional scenes, the characters are poorly developed, and the plot is nonsensical, apparently revolving around characters imported into the DC Universe that we're expected to care about, for no apparent reason. The art is inconsistent and forgettable. Such a disappointment.
[Update, 2025:] Wow, I was pretty harsh on this series the first time I read it. Re-reading it years later, I find it kind of silly and charming. There's nothing here that's untrue to any of the four main characters, and the leap of logic that brings them together makes comic-book-logic sense, in a way. Now I'm curious to read more of this series.
[Update, 2025:] Wow, I was pretty harsh on this series the first time I read it. Re-reading it years later, I find it kind of silly and charming. There's nothing here that's untrue to any of the four main characters, and the leap of logic that brings them together makes comic-book-logic sense, in a way. Now I'm curious to read more of this series.
June 19, 2019
Jeff Lemire’s The Terrifics riffs on the classic Silver Age Fantastic Four and recaptures much of what made those Lee/Kirby books so exceptional.
While the execs at Marvel twiddled their thumbs and waited for the “right time” to bring back the actual Fantastic Four, Jeff Lemire persuaded DC to let him take a stab at writing his version of comics’ First Family. The result is not only fresh, smart, and loads of fun, but it also outshines the new FF book that Marvel did eventually launch.
This first volume is not a meta-commentary on comics or on the Silver Age (like Watchmen or even Lemire’s own Black Hammer). It’s also not a reinvention of any kind. The Terrifics is pure, honest pulp in the vein of the original run of Fantastic Four. Great stuff.
While the execs at Marvel twiddled their thumbs and waited for the “right time” to bring back the actual Fantastic Four, Jeff Lemire persuaded DC to let him take a stab at writing his version of comics’ First Family. The result is not only fresh, smart, and loads of fun, but it also outshines the new FF book that Marvel did eventually launch.
This first volume is not a meta-commentary on comics or on the Silver Age (like Watchmen or even Lemire’s own Black Hammer). It’s also not a reinvention of any kind. The Terrifics is pure, honest pulp in the vein of the original run of Fantastic Four. Great stuff.
August 28, 2020
As a light and fluffy comic, this kind of did the trick. But it's just an off-brand Fantastic Four. DC didn't even try very hard to conceal the obvious similarities. Which begs the question, why not just read Fantastic Four?
November 25, 2018
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.
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.
May 10, 2023
Michael Holt, codename Mr. Terrific, has been off-planet for some time dealing with extra-dimensional threats. During that time, his company, Terrifitech, was taken over in an underhanded manner by ethically dubious multimillionaire Simon Stagg. Mr. Terrific had written it off until now, when an alarm told him that Stagg had activated some truly dangerous technology. So he arrives at Stagg Industries to discover that things are almost as bad as they could be, as Simon Stagg has opened a portal to the Dark Multiverse.
The resident superhero, Rex Mason, a.k.a. Metamorpho the Elemental Man, is indisposed as he was the key to open the gate and to withstand the horrific energies of the Dark Multiverse, he’s turned into the semi-magical Nth Metal, which is normally impossible for him. To deal with this situation, Michael Holt pulls Plastic Man (civilian identity “Eel” O’Brien) out of stasis. Plastic Man’s been in a coma since his previous exposure to the Dark Multiverse and this wakes him up as the three heroes are sucked through the gate. (Theoretically Plastic Man could have been woken up earlier, but no sensible person would open the Dark Multiverse gate so Mr. Terrific had to wait until it was coincidentally opened by someone else.
While inside the Dark Multiverse, the heroes detect a distress call, and find a young woman stranded near its location. Linnya Wazzo is a native of the planet Bgztl, the natives of which can all go intangible at will. Except that after she was sucked into the Dark Multiverse some years ago, she hasn’t been able to become tangible again. A Phantom Girl, if you will. But she didn’t set up that distress call, a surprise person did, a mystery to be solved later.
The quartet escapes, and Linnya discovers she can become tangible again–as long as she doesn’t mind everything she touches exploding. Even worse, some mix of eldritch energies has linked the four, so that if they go more than a mile from each other, they’ll suffer horrible pain and presumably die. Like it or not, for the moment, they’re a team!
Some quick background on our main characters.
Michael Holt is the second Mr. Terrific, a naturally gifted scientist (“third-smartest man in the world”) and Olympic decathlete, who lost his reason for living due to the death of his wife in an accident. He was inspired by learning the life story of the Golden Age Mr. Terrific to dedicate himself to helping others, including picking up the motto of “Fair Play.”
Rex Mason was a soldier of fortune who fell in love with Simon Stagg’s beautiful and much nicer daughter Sapphire Stagg. The businessman sent him to retrieve the artifact known as the Orb of Ra, but also sent his unfrozen caveman henchman Java to make sure Rex didn’t return from the mission. This didn’t quite work, as exposure to the meteorite the Orb was fashioned from turned Rex into an element-shifting creature that got the codename Metamorpho. He’s had a rocky relationship with Sapphire ever since.
Eel O’Brien was a career criminal who got shot during a robbery and fell into a vat of acidic chemicals. Somehow, they got into his bloodstream and changed him into a rubbery man who has amazing shapeshifting abilities. Nursed back to health by peaceful monks, Eel took the opportunity to turn his life around and become the superhero Plastic Man.
Linnya Wazzo is a new version of Phantom Girl, but is very much in the mold of previous iterations.
This series is deliberately reminiscent of Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four, including the number of heroes, some of the group dynamics, and an emphasis on cosmic adventure. In this first volume, Marvel-style squabbling is front and center. Part of this is facilitated by Mr. Terrific being far grumpier than usual–none of these people are anyone he’s worked with before, let alone been friends with, and their needs are interfering with him being able to make progress on any one project. Oh, and there’s the metal-masked villain Doctor Dread. (hmm)
There’s some impressive art and interesting concepts. It’s always nice to see the War Wheel again, and I don’t care how nonsensical it is as a weapon.
I do think Plastic Man suffers from always being stuck in grittier, serious stories as the frighteningly powerful comic relief, and would be very happy if he got his own cartoony, silly series for a while.
Content note: mutilation, body horror, a hallucinatory flashback to the death of Michael Holt’s wife shows her bloody.
It’s interesting, but I hope the team dynamics improve in later volumes as the squabbling does little for me. Recommended to Fantastic Four fans.
The resident superhero, Rex Mason, a.k.a. Metamorpho the Elemental Man, is indisposed as he was the key to open the gate and to withstand the horrific energies of the Dark Multiverse, he’s turned into the semi-magical Nth Metal, which is normally impossible for him. To deal with this situation, Michael Holt pulls Plastic Man (civilian identity “Eel” O’Brien) out of stasis. Plastic Man’s been in a coma since his previous exposure to the Dark Multiverse and this wakes him up as the three heroes are sucked through the gate. (Theoretically Plastic Man could have been woken up earlier, but no sensible person would open the Dark Multiverse gate so Mr. Terrific had to wait until it was coincidentally opened by someone else.
While inside the Dark Multiverse, the heroes detect a distress call, and find a young woman stranded near its location. Linnya Wazzo is a native of the planet Bgztl, the natives of which can all go intangible at will. Except that after she was sucked into the Dark Multiverse some years ago, she hasn’t been able to become tangible again. A Phantom Girl, if you will. But she didn’t set up that distress call, a surprise person did, a mystery to be solved later.
The quartet escapes, and Linnya discovers she can become tangible again–as long as she doesn’t mind everything she touches exploding. Even worse, some mix of eldritch energies has linked the four, so that if they go more than a mile from each other, they’ll suffer horrible pain and presumably die. Like it or not, for the moment, they’re a team!
Some quick background on our main characters.
Michael Holt is the second Mr. Terrific, a naturally gifted scientist (“third-smartest man in the world”) and Olympic decathlete, who lost his reason for living due to the death of his wife in an accident. He was inspired by learning the life story of the Golden Age Mr. Terrific to dedicate himself to helping others, including picking up the motto of “Fair Play.”
Rex Mason was a soldier of fortune who fell in love with Simon Stagg’s beautiful and much nicer daughter Sapphire Stagg. The businessman sent him to retrieve the artifact known as the Orb of Ra, but also sent his unfrozen caveman henchman Java to make sure Rex didn’t return from the mission. This didn’t quite work, as exposure to the meteorite the Orb was fashioned from turned Rex into an element-shifting creature that got the codename Metamorpho. He’s had a rocky relationship with Sapphire ever since.
Eel O’Brien was a career criminal who got shot during a robbery and fell into a vat of acidic chemicals. Somehow, they got into his bloodstream and changed him into a rubbery man who has amazing shapeshifting abilities. Nursed back to health by peaceful monks, Eel took the opportunity to turn his life around and become the superhero Plastic Man.
Linnya Wazzo is a new version of Phantom Girl, but is very much in the mold of previous iterations.
This series is deliberately reminiscent of Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four, including the number of heroes, some of the group dynamics, and an emphasis on cosmic adventure. In this first volume, Marvel-style squabbling is front and center. Part of this is facilitated by Mr. Terrific being far grumpier than usual–none of these people are anyone he’s worked with before, let alone been friends with, and their needs are interfering with him being able to make progress on any one project. Oh, and there’s the metal-masked villain Doctor Dread. (hmm)
There’s some impressive art and interesting concepts. It’s always nice to see the War Wheel again, and I don’t care how nonsensical it is as a weapon.
I do think Plastic Man suffers from always being stuck in grittier, serious stories as the frighteningly powerful comic relief, and would be very happy if he got his own cartoony, silly series for a while.
Content note: mutilation, body horror, a hallucinatory flashback to the death of Michael Holt’s wife shows her bloody.
It’s interesting, but I hope the team dynamics improve in later volumes as the squabbling does little for me. Recommended to Fantastic Four fans.
April 30, 2021
James Lemire is a genius. He writes comics that don't read like your ordinary comics. Let me explain. Too many comic books today read like Marvel writers are reading DC writers and vice versa, only it applies to comics from all the companies. They simply seem to be regurgitating the same stories over and over and over and sadly, all they want to do is one up each other on who can tell the same story better.
Mr. Lemire is one of those unique individuals who manages to escape that group of writers. It isn't that people can't competently out write one another when it comes to writing the same superhero stories, but Jeff Lemire does it one better. He adds a flair for the comic, the human, the very thing that makes these stories interesting. The soap opera nature of the comic books. Something that a lot of modern writers have moved away from thinking it is too immature or perhaps mundane or maybe they just don't understand how periodicals work. Because this is what has kept soap operas from dying, moving from radio to television for a century now. It's also what made The Walking Dead the most popular comic book of the modern time, what's kept wrestling popular and what's fueled so many long form narratives.
The way to engage readers, everyone but comic book writers & editors, seem to understand is by making characters they can enjoy, relate to, even root for. Not necessarily love, but love for being wicked or for making us understand that, "There but for the grace of God . . ."
So The Terrifics is a shinning example of good comic book storytelling. Which brings us back to the whole one company copying another. It isn't difficult to make the intuitive leap that The Terrifics are DC comics version of their rival's first most famous book, which at the time was not being published for petty reasons by Marvel. It's hard not to see this as a slap in the face to their competitor that perhaps they could write and make a better version of the book. And you'd be wrong to assume any such thing. Because while at the outset this seems like nothing more than a parody of The Fantastic Four it is in fact it's own unique book that does take the occasional wink and nod to the reader at the similarities between books.
Like all team books, the characters form a bond and a love for one another, forming a family unlike the FF who are truly bound by familial as well as marital bonds. And yes, there is the evil villain Dr. Dread who bears no small resemblance to Dr. Doom but the similarities stop there. Storywise, The Terrifics is it's own tale. Phantom Girl is a teenage girl, the littlest sister of the team, Plas is the joker, Rex a.k.a. Metamorpho is the self-loathing monster, and Mr. Terrific the intelligent leader of the team. But unlike the FF before them, these four are bound together not out of friendship or loyalty at first but a side effect of their entering the Dark Multiverse which caused them to likely explode if they go more than a mile from one another. Good way to keep 'em together while they figure out how to become a family and a team, all the while living in the HQ of Mr. Terrific's business arch nemesis because the rich bastard happened to buy all of Mr. T's equipment while he was away on Earth 2.
As to the art. A good bit of it is done by Ivan Reis. Need I say more? The man is a genius with a pencil. He is one of the best realist artists out there in the comic book scene. Truly a master of the craft. On the opposite end is Evan "Doc" Shaner who has a simple Ligne claire style that borrows from Herge and Tintin but manages to be very modern. I would kill to see Doc Shaner on a proper Johnny Quest book. The man has style. And Jose Luis and Joe Bennet are no slouches either in the art department though their styles are a little less self-assured and realist as Reis or stylistic and beautifully rendered as Shaner.
So yes, go read this book, don't expect FF because these heroes are not them. This is truly its own book and it's own adventure worthy of a chance to stand by itself without too much comparison to it's obvious parody. Definitely a to-buy book for your personal library as most Lemire work is.
Mr. Lemire is one of those unique individuals who manages to escape that group of writers. It isn't that people can't competently out write one another when it comes to writing the same superhero stories, but Jeff Lemire does it one better. He adds a flair for the comic, the human, the very thing that makes these stories interesting. The soap opera nature of the comic books. Something that a lot of modern writers have moved away from thinking it is too immature or perhaps mundane or maybe they just don't understand how periodicals work. Because this is what has kept soap operas from dying, moving from radio to television for a century now. It's also what made The Walking Dead the most popular comic book of the modern time, what's kept wrestling popular and what's fueled so many long form narratives.
The way to engage readers, everyone but comic book writers & editors, seem to understand is by making characters they can enjoy, relate to, even root for. Not necessarily love, but love for being wicked or for making us understand that, "There but for the grace of God . . ."
So The Terrifics is a shinning example of good comic book storytelling. Which brings us back to the whole one company copying another. It isn't difficult to make the intuitive leap that The Terrifics are DC comics version of their rival's first most famous book, which at the time was not being published for petty reasons by Marvel. It's hard not to see this as a slap in the face to their competitor that perhaps they could write and make a better version of the book. And you'd be wrong to assume any such thing. Because while at the outset this seems like nothing more than a parody of The Fantastic Four it is in fact it's own unique book that does take the occasional wink and nod to the reader at the similarities between books.
Like all team books, the characters form a bond and a love for one another, forming a family unlike the FF who are truly bound by familial as well as marital bonds. And yes, there is the evil villain Dr. Dread who bears no small resemblance to Dr. Doom but the similarities stop there. Storywise, The Terrifics is it's own tale. Phantom Girl is a teenage girl, the littlest sister of the team, Plas is the joker, Rex a.k.a. Metamorpho is the self-loathing monster, and Mr. Terrific the intelligent leader of the team. But unlike the FF before them, these four are bound together not out of friendship or loyalty at first but a side effect of their entering the Dark Multiverse which caused them to likely explode if they go more than a mile from one another. Good way to keep 'em together while they figure out how to become a family and a team, all the while living in the HQ of Mr. Terrific's business arch nemesis because the rich bastard happened to buy all of Mr. T's equipment while he was away on Earth 2.
As to the art. A good bit of it is done by Ivan Reis. Need I say more? The man is a genius with a pencil. He is one of the best realist artists out there in the comic book scene. Truly a master of the craft. On the opposite end is Evan "Doc" Shaner who has a simple Ligne claire style that borrows from Herge and Tintin but manages to be very modern. I would kill to see Doc Shaner on a proper Johnny Quest book. The man has style. And Jose Luis and Joe Bennet are no slouches either in the art department though their styles are a little less self-assured and realist as Reis or stylistic and beautifully rendered as Shaner.
So yes, go read this book, don't expect FF because these heroes are not them. This is truly its own book and it's own adventure worthy of a chance to stand by itself without too much comparison to it's obvious parody. Definitely a to-buy book for your personal library as most Lemire work is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 25, 2021Oh dear. I'm not sure quite why I overcame my general distaste for what's become of DC to attempt this. Yes, there are characters I like - Metamorpho and Plastic Man, even the new Mr Terrific to an extent. Talent I enjoy, too – Joe Bennett, who's been doing such excellent work on Immortal Hulk, draws some of it; not only do I enjoy plenty of other stuff Jeff Lemire has written, but I even enjoy some he's written for post-Flashpoint DC, and there's precious few writers of whom that's true (seriously, his Animal Man was the only really solid attempt since Morrison's). Regardless of all of which, this is an absolute stinker. Mr Terrific talks in grumpy exposition, with all the clunkiness of eighties superhero comics, and absolutely none of the charm. Metamorpho and Plastic Man bicker in a fashion which is blatantly meant to feel like the Thing and the Human Torch, but mostly just serves to make me hate them both. The team is completed by Phantom Girl, who from the name to the background feels a lot like a Legion of Super-Heroes character, but if you're expecting me to know whether she's the same as any version previously seen, then I fear you're gravely overestimating my connection with the Legion, characters who seemed to have got themselves stuck in an alienating morass of baffling semi-reboots even before the rest of DC decided to follow them into that cul-de-sac. The plot spins out of the events of Dark Nights: Metal, which is a bad start, but still doesn't excuse the way that the heroes going through a portal into another plane of existence and fighting monsters on the floating corpse of a space god somehow manages to be boring. Oh, and then Tom Strong pops up too, seemingly for no reason except to confirm to Alan Moore that yes, DC really are going through his bins like atypically unappealing raccoons, or a nightmare ex still insisting they could be so good together.
But then after the getting-the-team-together story, somehow it does stop sucking for an issue. Yeah, Evan 'Doc' Shaner is good at this sort of lighthearted, loopy superhero stuff, but it's not just that. Suddenly Plas and Metamorpho's bickering starts raising smiles, Holt is irascible but kind instead of just a prick, and the contemporary resonance of Phantom Girl's predicament (trapped, unable even to be hugged) shine through. Did DC editorial for once in their lives get out of the way – perhaps distracted by the Batcunnilingussignal elsewhere? – and let Lemire get on with it, after micromanaging the first three issues to death? I have no direct evidence to suggest that, but nor can I account in any other way for how suddenly the series becomes the wacky, winning fringe superhero book it had so desperately been trying for. Yes, the degree to which it's an attempt at a DC Fantastic Four is still ridiculous, but that's all in the game - especially considered now, while Marvel are hinging their latest big event around Justice League knock-offs the Squadron Supreme. The final two issues aren't as good as that, but nor are they as bad as the opening. Digging into Metamorpho's rogues' gallery, the series pulls out literally the only Metamorpho villain I could name (assuming we discount the frienemies from his regular supporting cast), which I'm sure will delight both hardcore Metamorpho fans. But more importantly, Lemire pulls the same trick he did on another pig of a project, Valiant's painfully derivative Bloodshot, and gives the team a canine sidekick. If DC ever get their act together, and I'm not holding my breath, I hope Element Dog gets a solo book.
But then after the getting-the-team-together story, somehow it does stop sucking for an issue. Yeah, Evan 'Doc' Shaner is good at this sort of lighthearted, loopy superhero stuff, but it's not just that. Suddenly Plas and Metamorpho's bickering starts raising smiles, Holt is irascible but kind instead of just a prick, and the contemporary resonance of Phantom Girl's predicament (trapped, unable even to be hugged) shine through. Did DC editorial for once in their lives get out of the way – perhaps distracted by the Batcunnilingussignal elsewhere? – and let Lemire get on with it, after micromanaging the first three issues to death? I have no direct evidence to suggest that, but nor can I account in any other way for how suddenly the series becomes the wacky, winning fringe superhero book it had so desperately been trying for. Yes, the degree to which it's an attempt at a DC Fantastic Four is still ridiculous, but that's all in the game - especially considered now, while Marvel are hinging their latest big event around Justice League knock-offs the Squadron Supreme. The final two issues aren't as good as that, but nor are they as bad as the opening. Digging into Metamorpho's rogues' gallery, the series pulls out literally the only Metamorpho villain I could name (assuming we discount the frienemies from his regular supporting cast), which I'm sure will delight both hardcore Metamorpho fans. But more importantly, Lemire pulls the same trick he did on another pig of a project, Valiant's painfully derivative Bloodshot, and gives the team a canine sidekick. If DC ever get their act together, and I'm not holding my breath, I hope Element Dog gets a solo book.
September 24, 2018
They're Not Fantastic, But They Are Terrific, (And Change IS Good).
I was a kid in the 60's when The Fantastic Four were in their prime, and they were among my favorite superheroes. But, at least for me, time has not been kind to the Four, especially in light of how they've been handled for the big screen. So, maybe I was primed to switch over to a new, different Four.
For this version, we've changed things around a little. Mister Fantastic, (the stretchy genius), has been split into two characters - genius group leader Mister Terrific and goofy Plastic Man. Human Torch has been dropped. Invisible Woman is now the much more interesting Phantom Girl. Thing has become the variously talented Metamorpho. But it's basically the same vibe and the same setup, just a little lighter and a little looser. The Fantastic Four were an actual family of sorts. This time out the four Terrifics all meet up in the Dark Multiverse and when they return to Earth they realize that they are literally bound by some dark energy and can't be separated for any distance more than a mile. So they're a cosmic joke family. That's pretty clever.
Mister Terrific and Metamorpho have back stories that were revealed in earlier DC comics, but this volume is the one that brings everybody together and sets the whole Terrifics team into motion. Not knowing those backstories can be a little confusing, but there's enough monologuing that a reader gets what she needs, and anyway the series is really set up to move forward from this point on.
Because this is an opener it's a little schizoid. It has to introduce and team up four different characters and it has to have enough action to give them something to do besides meet and greet each other. So, we get some fairly random action bits, (really, the War Wheel?), and the superhero version of team building exercises. We do get a sense of the kind of Plastic Man/Metamorpho banter we can expect and we get to know the characters a bit. Phantom Girl feels like she may be the human heart of the team. Mr. Terrific is stern and impassive and often distracted, (and sometimes sort of a jerk), which will get old unless he lightens up a bit.
So, all in all I liked the idea of a new, reworked Fantastic Four. I enjoyed the jokey and unapologetically upfront aspect of the knock off. All of the characters have potential. This could be a sneaky, guilty pleasure. That said, I vote that we hand over all of the drawing to Doc Shane. I'm would also be O.K. with half the sub-plots and action, if it were coupled with twice the thoughtful development of same.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
I was a kid in the 60's when The Fantastic Four were in their prime, and they were among my favorite superheroes. But, at least for me, time has not been kind to the Four, especially in light of how they've been handled for the big screen. So, maybe I was primed to switch over to a new, different Four.
For this version, we've changed things around a little. Mister Fantastic, (the stretchy genius), has been split into two characters - genius group leader Mister Terrific and goofy Plastic Man. Human Torch has been dropped. Invisible Woman is now the much more interesting Phantom Girl. Thing has become the variously talented Metamorpho. But it's basically the same vibe and the same setup, just a little lighter and a little looser. The Fantastic Four were an actual family of sorts. This time out the four Terrifics all meet up in the Dark Multiverse and when they return to Earth they realize that they are literally bound by some dark energy and can't be separated for any distance more than a mile. So they're a cosmic joke family. That's pretty clever.
Mister Terrific and Metamorpho have back stories that were revealed in earlier DC comics, but this volume is the one that brings everybody together and sets the whole Terrifics team into motion. Not knowing those backstories can be a little confusing, but there's enough monologuing that a reader gets what she needs, and anyway the series is really set up to move forward from this point on.
Because this is an opener it's a little schizoid. It has to introduce and team up four different characters and it has to have enough action to give them something to do besides meet and greet each other. So, we get some fairly random action bits, (really, the War Wheel?), and the superhero version of team building exercises. We do get a sense of the kind of Plastic Man/Metamorpho banter we can expect and we get to know the characters a bit. Phantom Girl feels like she may be the human heart of the team. Mr. Terrific is stern and impassive and often distracted, (and sometimes sort of a jerk), which will get old unless he lightens up a bit.
So, all in all I liked the idea of a new, reworked Fantastic Four. I enjoyed the jokey and unapologetically upfront aspect of the knock off. All of the characters have potential. This could be a sneaky, guilty pleasure. That said, I vote that we hand over all of the drawing to Doc Shane. I'm would also be O.K. with half the sub-plots and action, if it were coupled with twice the thoughtful development of same.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
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