Storytellers: Joe Bennett, Jeff Lemire / Artist: Dexter Vines (Inker), Mike Spicer (Colorist) / DC Comics
The moment you open The Terrifics #13 you know exactly what you’re in for. On the left-side column, you have the classic lineup of the Terrifics: Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Phantom Girl, Plastic Man, and even Element Dog. And on the right-side column, you got Java/Doc Dread (I’m still laughing at this one because of the obvious parallels to a different 4 person team), Metalmorpho, Phantom Boy, and Plasma-Man. You see the Dreadfuls beating up on Mr. Terrifics, and you know any second that the rest of the team is going to come in and save the day, and that it’s going to lead into one final confrontation.
The predictable is not a bad thing, but it still is predictable. Of course, the inclusion of Mrs. Terrific with her T-Cubes is a much appreciated wrinkle in the story and having Mr. Terrific interact with an alternate world version of his wife is one of the saccharine sweet moments. While this still leaves a smile on your face, it is also trope-y. Lemire’s writing, fitting to the rest of this review, meets every expectation. There’s some chewing of the scenery and quick exposition in between touching moments of reunion. It’s campy in the best way possible and as far as a swan song before Lemire hands off the series, it’s a good one.
Bennett’s artwork is wonderful as always. Vines’s ink and Spicers’s colors mesh beautifully and the distinct visual styling pays great homage to old school sci-fi pulp fiction while maintaining a modern feel. Furthermore, Napolitano does some quirky lettering that cement the series’ tone and overall aesthetic with some fun font choices and selectively bold bolding.
The long and short of it is that if you’ve been enjoying the The Terrifics, you’re going to enjoy Lemire’s latest offering. It’s solid storytelling in comic book form that’s looking up to finish its arc in style.
8.0 “T-Cubes and T-Spheres” out of 10
Reading The Terrifics? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.
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