The Terminator returns next week in Vietnam era series

Review by C.J. Bunce

We’ve seen about thirty comic book adaptations, tie-ins, crossovers, and reboots of characters from The Terminator over the years, and from several publishers, with only two that lasted beyond a year of stories. Writer Declan Shalvey and artists Luke Sparrow and Colin Craker are bringing the latest monthly comic to you next week from Dynamite Entertainment.

The first issue of The Terminator begins at the end, revealing a dire but presumably successful finish for the humans at least in this round, but this is Skynet, which means no win is ever final. An older couple seems to have settled in at a remote home in the woods, long after this timeline’s Judgment Day. Who are Harper and Penny? How do they relate to the Vietnam era story summarized in advanced marketing for future issues?

This is another tale of the Terminator universe, where Skynet attempts to save its future by hunting more humans like Sarah Connor. The first issue is brief and doesn’t introduce any of the 1970s characters, so you’ll need to ride along for a few months to see where the creators are going to take us. The monthly comic includes a two-page ongoing story called Terminator: Buried Alive from Sal Crivelli and Colin Craker. At two pages you’re not going to get a grasp on that story in just the first issue, either.

Check out these covers for the first, second, and third issues–you get the vibe from Issue #3 covers that the story may be swapping Predator in the jungle for Terminator in the jungle for this tale: