Terminator 2029, #1
Writer: Zack Whedon
Artist: Andy MacDonald
Colorist: Dan Jackson
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Dark Horse has finally launched its long-awaited Terminator comic, featuring the work of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog screenwriter Zack Whedon and artist Andy MacDonald. Dark Horse has a long history with Jim Cameron movie franchises, and this book continues that tradition pretty solidly. The setting is Southern California in 2029, 32 years after Skynet triggered Judgment Day, and the plot follows Kyle Reese and his lieutenants as they struggle to preserve their human colony from the Machines.
All things considered, this is a good setup; after Terminator: Salvation, I know I’m pretty sick of John “I’M JOHN CONNOR!” Connor and his apparent lack of anything resembling a redeeming quality. (Yes, I’m back on Christian Bale Ruins Everything again.) On the other hand, Kyle’s a strong character, in both the original film and in Salvation; he’s heroic without being an iron-jawed caricature, and his arc across both films is genuinely tragic. Focusing the story on Kyle avoids having to reconcile the fundamental “is he a tactical genius, or a raving egomaniac” problem with the various cinematic depictions of John over the years, and lets us explore what’s left of the world without having to deal with the legend.