Written by Zack Whedon
Illustrated by Andy MacDonaldThe future of humanity seems more uncertain than ever as Kyle and Ben are forced to battle an entirely new Terminator threat alongside a very pregnant Sarah Connor! It’s the blowout conclusion to Zack Whedon and Andy MacDonald’s inspired reimagining of the original Terminator saga!
Whedon and MacDonald have definitively made Terminator 100% cool again. However, this issue comes with a shocking twist as the mini draws to a close. What, pray tell, could this twist could be? And how well does the mini wrap up? Take a look behind the cut for the answers to these questions and more.
I have been a vocal and active fan of this series for quite some time now. I make absolutely no secret about my love of Terminator from when I was a child, with the second film in particular having a strong impact on me and my love of science fiction. It’s to much chagrin that I sat through Terminator 3, Terminator Salvation, and an episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Although some may find the entertainment in them, I never got into any of these stories, and they always just felt like second rate fan fiction.
Well, while Whedon’s story here might also be fan fiction, it’s fiction that’s very truly written by a fan. Since day one he has paid tribute to all of the movies (even Salvation) and woven a story that fits seamlessly into the original tale. The second issue ended on such a positive note that some of us wondered where the story would go from there. However, Whedon delivers an ending that perfectly fits in with the tone of his whole story, and wraps up in a way that is fitting towards the entire Terminator saga. It’s a story that, for once, really feels like it belongs with the original Cameron films, and somewhat justifies McG’s attempt at fitting in as well.
Of course, the book still ends with a rather shocking (to me) twist: this is the end. While I’m normally very good at noticing when books are ending and continuing, somehow I completely missed the fact that this and the previous mini are all there is. There are no continuing adventures in the world of Terminator by Whedon and MacDonald. This, to me, is something so horrible that it almost ruins the book. Not in a “I’m going to give this a bad review” way, but more so in a “Really? You’re going to leave me here by myself now?” way. Dark Horse quite often features minis over on-goings, but I really hoped that Terminator by Whedon and MacDonald would continue on through various related mini-series, and the fact that it is not is rather upsetting.
What else can I say about the book that I haven’t already said multiple times now? The writing equals to fantastic. The art equals to pure great. Everything about the title has been rather fantastic, and I’m sad to see it go with six issues. I hope Whedon and MacDonald collaborate again, particularly in the ‘verse of the Terminator (although I can think of another ‘verse they’d do well in), and I highly recommend grabbing the trade if you have not been getting the single issues. No Terminator fan should be without this comic.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – Buy
