The Wyrd -- Terror, Inc
The Only Terror Would Be If This Book Got Cancelled!
Terror, Inc #1
November 5th, 2007 - I'm supposed to stick to the indies; after all, how can Marvel, of all publishers, second only to DC in mega-behemoth-corporate-safety-mogul status put out a book that can be considered weird? Or off the beaten path in any way whatsoever?
Well first, you start with a great, offbeat character, and that's exactly what we have with Mr. Terror. Apparently created back in Marvel's Epic days, he's a thousands-of-years-old soul who's cursed to never die, supplementing his constantly-decaying body parts with pieces of all manner of creature, be it elk, human, or frog. He's also got a magical arm, in a way--the arm of his ancient lover, which adds a slice of humanity and love to an otherwise-ruthless old-time maurading/raping/pillaging bastard. I'll let you guys see how this happened--it's a QUITE entertaining opening to "Terror Inc. #1" and I don't want to reveal anymore. So Mr. Terror has kept going through the centuries, working as a gun-for-hire (with a few thousand years unaccounted for, apparently), and now he's got his own clandestine assassin/espionage company, the titular "Terror Inc.".
Come to think of it--I'm a little shocked Hollywood hasn't jumped on this yet. Can you say "High concept horror-action franchise"? It's pitch-perfect for adaptation. But I digress--we're not talking about the potential movie or TV series, we're talking about the comic--the comic that kicks unholy amounts of ass.
Terror is a great character--an anti-hero with an arm of gold who is, essentially, deathless. And what's even better than say, Deadpool or Wolverine, is that when you shoot him, or blow him up, or run him through, he LOOKS dead because he is, essentially, dead. You think you're done. You leave. But Mr. Terror isn't done with you. He just picks up the pieces--literally--and come back for more. And it makes perfect sense that he's an assassin; he's got to keep himself going, and what better job to keep a steady supply of body parts going for yourself than providing a stream of dead bodies and getting paid for it? Genius.
And I love that the enemies in this--at the moment, a shadowy Government organization--are SMART. They know where and how to attack Terror, and do their level best to take him down once and for all. It's a refreshing change from 99% of just about any action or horror story told anywhere, in any medium--usually attack the protagonist in simple, hardly-effective ways, and are then surprised when it doesn't work. These guys know who Terror is, know what to do to kill him once and for all, and do everything in their power to win. The book's got a breathless pace; it moves so quick along its track you never know what's coming up next, or how Terror is going to get out of the mess this time (the beginning of Issue 2 answers some questions about his powers in fascinating form). You also don't know too much about who's after him, or why. No plot-detail-revealing protlesizing from enemies in love with exposition--no, we just get hints and dribs and drabs of information just like Terror would if this situation were real. Comics--hell, movies and TV, too--need more of that kind of storytelling. The kind that leads you along without insulting your intelligence, that presents action scenes that might be over-the-top, but are far from realistic. Good, gritty, smart stuff.
There's horror elements, but peripherally; mostly in the gore Terror's power demands, but there's whispers here and there of the supernatural (that's where Terror's power comes from, after all), and hints of more from Worlds Beyond Our Own in stories to come. Which brings up another point: the potential in this character is essentially limitless; the amount of stories that can be told far outstrips that of, again, Wolverine (since he's been alive a whoooole lot longer), and spills into enough genres to ensure this book (or this character's) viability for a looong, looooong time. And I would LOVE to be along for that ride.
Then there's the art--very detailed, deeply shadowed, and the storytelling flows beautifully. Truly, the perfect fit for this story. Ever read a comic and say to yourself, "Man, this story is great but the art--it RUINS it."? Well, this comic can be considered the antithesis of that conceit--it's exactly the kind of linework, inking, and coloring that a supernatural/action/mythic drama should have. I've never heard of Patrick Zircher before (at least I don't think I have), but I suddenly want to know what else he's worked on, and what he's doing next. This guy knows what he's doing.
Speaking of guys who know what they're doing--DAVID LAPHAM is writing! I had no idea he was working for Marvel, but hey, I'm certainly not complaining. If any of you have never read Stray Bullets (collected in multiple editions) or Amy Racecar, or really anything Lapham's done, do yourselves a favor--stop reading this article, buy and read them all immediately. Some of the best crime stories PERIOD were in the pages of Stray Bullets, and some of the best comics storytelling in terms of character development, emotional impact, and realism are contained therein. I may even have to do a seperate Stray Bullets article one of these days, because they are TRULY deserving of extra attention and accolades. So it's no wonder Terror, Inc. is a competent, well-planned action/crime yarn. It's what Lapham does best (and better than most other writers in the industry).
So, needless to say, I'm shocked. I had no idea what to expect--and when it comes to horror titles, I usually expect very little (because they usually miss the mark by so, so, far, I've learned to lower my expectations to virtually nil), but this isn't just a horror title. It's a hardcore, intense look at the nasty world of assassinations, immortality, and love long lost. An awesome addition to the MAX line, and something new to be excited about. I just really hope Marvel continues this past this 5-issue limited; it's a story, character, and creator deserving of as much attention as possible.
For more information, check out Marvel Comics website.