REVIEW: The Terrifics #2

Mystery and discovery animate each of the first two issues of DC“s The Terrifics. In issue #2, “What Dwells within Darkness”“ Jeff Lemire and Ivan Reis continue to ease us into the story world of what is shaping up to be one of the most distinct ”“ and maybe the most interesting ”“ superhero foursome in comics right now. The Terrifics are lead by the eponymous Mr. Terrific and his quirky and at times unwilling collaborators: Plastic Man, Metamorpho and Linnya.

The team seems to be made up of a deliberate constellation of misfits. Mr. Terrific is a multidimensional adventurer with superhuman intellect and an uncanny capacity for invention. Each of his teammates“ super powers work along alternate coordinates in terms of super heroic empowerment. Each of their abilities is a power attributable to the body not so much of the mind.

This tension, between Mr. Terrifics“ cerebral abilities and his team“s penchant for powers relegated to the materiality of the body make for a compelling, understated story within the story. Plastic Man has never looked better, stretching himself into impossible configurations and adding the requisite comic repartee. Metamorpho is also sharply realized in Reis“ pencils; his body is made up of a fluid and changeable mass of chemicals. Linnya, who“s origins are briefly teased in issue #2, can only access her “phantom form,”“ effectively making her a ghost.

Body politics aside, Lemire is doing here what he does best (and elsewhere), probing the jagged grain of human relationships. No love connections just yet. These are the relationships of friends, teammates, strangers, and what will ultimately be or become like family members. The strength of familial bonds ”“ natural or formed — is what helps constitute the drama of enduring and endearing superhero teams. Readers have always loved the “pow”“ of super hero comics but Lemire is more interested in the “wow”“ of how humans get along or not ”“ especially in multidimensional situations.

There are reasons why this team is together but readers won“t know why just yet; they will simply learn that this is a team that is bound together. A clue to this mystery might be connected to a guest “appearance”“ of Tom Strong. Fans of this Alan Moore creation can only hope that the kind of wonder with which Tom Strong“s origins were told will continue to be one of the key influences on this really good book. 4/5!

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(W) Jeff Lemire (A/CA) Ivan Reis, Joe Prado