Planet Terry: The Complete Collection (Planet Terry

by Lennie Herman (Writer), Stan Kay (Writer), David Manak (Writer)

Collects Planet Terry #1-12. Reach for the stars with the eighties spacefaring sensation! With Robota and the mighty Omnus by his side, nothing can stop young Planet Terry as he journeys the galaxy in search of his long-lost parents - while fending off threats such as the Ruby Monster, the Tarantalugs and Vermin the Vile! Sam Space, intergalactic private eye, lends a hand against the evil Repugna and her mad menagerie of monsters - and the prison planet Alphatraz just might turn our hero into Planet Terry-ble! The secret of Space Station W-22 will change his life - but will he ever find his folks? Don't be so sure you even want to, Terry! It's action, fun and family drama in a cosmic comic saga like no other from Marvel's classic 1980s all-ages imprint!

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprints Planet Terry #1-12 (April 1985-March 1986). Planet Terry is an orphan travelling the stars looking for his long lost parents. When he meets a robot named Robota and a monster named Omnus, Terry finds allies in his search. The universe is vast, and Terry’s odds seem insurmountable. Adventure is around every corner, and Terry is there!

Written by Lennie Herman, Stan Kay, and Dave Manak, Star Comics: Planet Terry—The Complete Collection is a Marvel Comics all-ages comics printed under their Star Comics imprint. The series features art by Warren Kremer, and issues in the comic were also reprinted as part of Star Comics All-Star Collection Volumes 1-3.

I was too old for Star Comics when the imprint was released. Though I liked some of the licensed produces (like He-Man, Thundercats, Silverhawks, Visionaries, Ewoks, Muppet Babies, and Air Raiders), I still was already deeper into classic Marvel Comics like the Fantastic Four and X-Men. Comics like this were for kids…and I wanted to read real comics. Revisiting Planet Terry and Star Comics is a nice refreshing event.

The series is a lot like other all-ages comics, but it does have a bit of a plot. Like a typical cartoon, Terry has a goal…he wants to find his parents. Each issue has him bouncing planet to planet and making new friends. It feels a lot like a syndicated cartoon and I’m sure that was part of the goal since so much of the Star Comics features were cartoon based. While series like He-Man and Ewoks would have no resolution, this comic could…but even that was goofed up.

Through the course of the story, Terry always gets close to finding his parents. The series was scheduled for cancellation Planet Terry #12, and as you read up to it, it appears that Terry will finally find his parents. There’s an odd switcheroo in the second to last issue but this is reversed…but it also leaves Terry flying the stars with no answers on his search for his parents (and even as a kid, I would have found that extremely frustrating).

With solid cartoon art and fun writing, Star Comics: Planet Terry—The Complete Collection is a nice little venture into Marvel’s 1980s attempt to win younger readers. When this comic was released, comic books were still a “kids” thing and it was possible to get younger readers relatively easily…but I don’t know that Terry was the right answer. In a fun, post-modern flex, Planet Terry has returned to Marvel in recent years as an older, grizzled character in space comics like Drax. I would be up for Terry to tell his whole story in a one-shot or even as a team member (and they could do it in clever cartoon style)…Terry deserves the closure.

[Matthew Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun for what it was - young orphan Planet Terry searches the cosmos for his parents in a storyline that's a bit Flash Gordon, a bit Marvel cosmic opera, a lot Harvey comics style silly adventure. I enjoyed it for what it was, but a lot is left unresolved at the ending.

[Billy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

great nostalgia from when I was a kid.