HERO OF THE WEEK: MISTER TERRIFIC (DC)Real Name: Michael Holt
First Appearance: Spectre #54 (June, 1997)
Fight Club Ranking: #464
Featured Fights:
- vs SOLOMON GRUNDY: JSA #65 (Nov 2004)
It's typical for San Diego Comic-Con International to create a crisis of multiple Hero of the Week contenders, but this year the July stand-outs were few and far between.
Last year Spider-man: Homecoming pipped the competition with a reveal for Michael Keaton's surprising Vulture -- a break-out that lived up to the hype in theatres earlier this month. In 2017: the blockbuster film announcements that typically dominate headlines weren't quite as convincing -- opening the door to another surprising SDCC Hero of the Week: Mister Terrific!
The hi-tech genius is the leader for a newly announced DC Comics team-up called The Terrifics!
Fronting a band that also includes Plastic Man, Metamorpho and Phantom Girl; Mister Terrific is a none-too-subtle surrogate in what is ultimately a nod to another quartet of presently neglected comic book favourites: The Fantastic Four!
It's a pretty cheeky reference, but given Marvel's stubborn neglect toward one of their oldest and most celebrated properties, it may prove to be a rewarding and shrewd choice. Not only does it capitalize on a gaping whole in the market -- it diverts attention from DC's own glaring neglect of their trademarks, throwing shade on Marvel's missteps, whilst subtly addressing their own.
The Terrifics as spin-off from the on-going Dark Metal saga at DC Comics isn't especially thrilling. Their approach to repairing the damage of the New 52 has a clumsiness that feels all too reminiscent of the very events that went horribly wrong. It's getting difficult to remember what was and wasn't explicitly promised for Rebirth, but the implication of iconic reform and unravelling isn't playing out.
Fortunately, The Terrifics appear cut from a cloth more in keeping with Young Animal, where DC have been quietly redeemed under the curation of My Chemical Romance front-man Gerard Way.
There doesn't seem to be any actual connection to Young Animal, where the likes of Doom Patrol and Bug have inspired Heroes of the Week with welcome resurrections. There's just a similar fun, unburdened, comic-pop sensibility. Something that hasn't been seen in the DCU proper for most of the decade!
The character choices alone seem in keeping with Young Animal's liberated choice of third-string icons. Hopefully this team can move forward with a similar sense of whimsical abandon and independence from the grim oppressions of most of the publisher's line-up!
The preview art, with its knowing minimalism, comic book savvy, and pop palette recalls the work of Mike & Laura Allred on Bug, or Nick Derington and colorist Tamra Bonvillain on the new Doom Patrol. It feels as if DC is opening up to the possibility of getting its cool back!
The Terrifics concept seems to lean heavily on the Fantastic Four, with its formally entitled genius, stretchy hero, see-thru girl, and disfigured elemental -- but I'm hoping (and expecting) the series will use this platform to launch into its own brand of fun.
Historically, Doom Patrol were compared to the sci-fi and oddball characters of the Fantastic Four, as well. Yet I'd like to think it proved concept for its own referential touchstone. The Terrifics have a chance to be what the Fantastic Four haven't for quite some time. Let them be Terrific!
Be sure to check out CBR's Terrifics preview for more on the new series. With any luck this signals a trend of fun in superhero comics that sometimes feels missing.
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