[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis
Artist: Ivan Reis, Jose Luis
Reviewed By: Derek McNeil
Summary
“MEET THE TERRIFICS” part two! Tom Strong has disappeared, and the Terrifics have found his emergency beacon! But to save anyone else, Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Phantom Girl and Plastic Man must first save themselves from the Dark Multiverse they’re trapped within—not to mention the gigantic alien monster they’ve been standing on this whole time!
Positives
This issue, we get an origin for Linnya Wazzo, the new Phantom Girl. Although she is not the Phantom Girl we know from the Legion of Super-Heroes, her backstory contains a number of references to the Legion. Both Phantom Girls come from Bgtzl, share the same surname (Wazzo), and look almost identical. Obviously, the Legion’s Tinya Wazzo must be a descendant of Linnya.
I got a chuckle from Metamorpho’s reaction to Tom Strong’s recorded distress call: “Who the hell is Tom Strong?!” This echoed my own reaction somewhat, as I haven’t read any of his comics before, so I also know very little about him. But I look forward to finding out more about him as the story progresses.
I am also really enjoying the antagonistic relationship developing between Plastic Man and Metamorpho, which is based the interaction between Fantastic Four’s Human Torch and The Thing. Plas can’t resist clowning around, and this gets under Metamorpho’s skin. It will be interesting to see if they develop a strong friendship despite their bickering like their Marvelous counterparts.
Also, it is revealed that some mysterious has them stuck together. Apparently, they all have to remain within a limited physical proximity to each other. Mister Terrific tries to leave the other three, and this force causes them to suffer extreme pain and forcibly pulls him back to the others.
This serves as a plot device to explain why they have to stay together as a team. Usually a superhero team is formed when the heroes meet and realize that they work well together, then decide to form a group. But these four are forced to remain together, despite the fact that they barely know each other. It will be interesting to see if they evolve into a team that will stay together without being forced to.
Negatives
I can’t help wondering how this will be handled in the upcoming Plastic Man miniseries. How can Plas appear in a solo book without his teammates if they have to remain in proximity to each other. Of course, that miniseries might be set before the events of this series.
Verdict
We haven’t seen much of this series yet, but so far it’s a very enjoyable read. DC’s Rebirth had the aim of making their comics fun to read, and the New Age Of Heroes is continuing to do so in the pages of The Terrifics.
