Writer: Gene Luen Yang / Artist: Stephen Segovia / DC Comics
I will never not be a sucker for a giant mecha and lemme tell you there’s nothing that got me more excited this weekend that seeing the T-Ship turn into a Voltron inspired giant robot. The Terrifics #21 continues the “If Me Could Turn Back Time” arc with a distinctive hop in its step, spark in its eyes, and just a whole bunch of joy tempered by the dire situation the Terrifics are up against when it comes to Htrae’s Terribles. All that to say, wow this book is full of pulp, and I’m so entirely here for it.
The Terrifics #21 ends up giving the majority of the page real estate to Plastic Man, and Yang does such a brilliant job with the character. The odd ball sense of humor is stretched to the very limit (pun very much intentional) and between the brief examination of 80’s nostalgia and Plastic Man getting to show how dangerous he can be considering he can turn his body into literally anything. It’s vibrant and bright, and Segovia’s artwork just makes all of the quips and comeback that much more memorable.
Beyond that we also get a little more time with Boyzarro and Bizarro, and while I won’t spoil any of their interactions, I simply say that the tonal pivot that Yang and Segovia use is masterfully done and hits all of the right notes.
This arc continues to be completely different than my original thoughts about how the Year of the Villain was going to impact the Terrifics, but honestly this is so much more inventive and incredible than anything my mind could come up with. Yang’s writing perfectly juxtaposes themes of scientific progress and found family with deft hands, and Segovia’s artwork melds these concepts together wonderfully. I won’t lie: this is very much a niche book, but wow, it fills it so perfectly.
9.5 “Genius-Level Dumb Friends” out of 10
Enjoying The Terrifics? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
Show Comments