The Terminator film franchise is perhaps the #1 example of how success can simultaneously shape and doom a franchise. You’ll get to make more films, but more often than not studios, viewers, and other outside forces will want to see more of a particular element. In the case of the Terminator movies, every once since Terminator 2: Judgment Day…have tried to recreate Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This changes with The Terminator #1 from Declan Shalvey and Luke Sparrow.
For starters, the book is set after the events of the first Terminator movie and doesn’t follow any of the characters from said movie, which is a relief. There’s only so far you can go with the Connor family. Instead, The Terminator #1 decides to follow an elderly couple, Harper and Penny, and their efforts to outrun a Terminator. Shalvey’s opening monologue even touches on the nature of time. “It can be long or short, depending on your perspective. It can fly past or drag on, depending how you’re feeling,” captions read. “Either way, you must never forget. It’s coming for you.”
This also applies to the Terminator, who under Sparrow’s pencils and Colin Craker’s colors is more frightening than ever. There are moments where it emerges from water or drives a truck straight through a building; very little is shown of the menacing machine, save for its glowing red eyes. The most striking moment comes in the opening page, which features the Terminator kneeling at the bottom of a lake. For four panels, it remains motionless…until its eyes suddenly snap on. It instills a feeling of dread that doesn’t let up until you turn the final page.
Dynamite
Cracker also illustrates a backup story, “Buried Alive”, with Sal Cravelli spinning a tale of two Terminators lost in time; one seeks to eliminate a young man named Imane, while another seeks to protect him. While this might carry shades of Judgment Day, the story raises a few questions: namely, what’s important about Imane? Why are two Terminators being sent back? Good comics have you asking questions and wanting more, and “Buried Alive” is definitely a good comic.
What also makes The Terminator #1 a great comic is how it takes the series back to its roots. The idea of the Terminator, and Skynet in general, is pure nightmare fuel. These are beings who don’t feel pity or know mercy, and won’t stop until they accomplish their goals. The fact that the main story explores what happened after Judgment Day is a welcome surprise, because that’s a period of time that hasn’t really been explored in the franchise.
Whether you’re a die hard Terminator fan or burnt out on the franchise, The Terminator #1 will reignite your fear of the titular machine. The Terminator is back, and if Shalvey and Sparrow have their way, it’s here to stay.
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