Brilliant young inventor Michael Holt’s life was destined for greatness…yet everything screeched to a halt when his wife Paula and unborn son were killed in a car accident. The Holts once shared ambitious dreams of using their technology to help others, but after the tragedy, Michael retreats from society and sells Holt Industries to mysterious and craven tech billionaire Athena Prescott. The domino effect of Michael’s actions set off an explosive chain of events that take a not-so-ordinary man from the depths of despair to the heights of heroism! Meanwhile, in the present day, Mr. Terrific continues his research into what became of Darkseid after the events of the DC All-In Special…and comes to realize that his past and the present might be inextricably linked… Mr. Terrific: Year One #1 is a retelling of the character’s past, expanding his origin and focused on the future.
I honestly don’t know much about Mr. Terrific. He has always been a character that’s been in the background of the comics I’ve read and even when he was more of the title character, it felt like it was more in a team sort of way. So, Holt’s history is rather vague for me and going into Mr. Terrific: Year One #1, I wanted to get a better sense of the character and motivations. I know of the tragedy, at least small details of it, but beyond that very little of the character.
Written by Al Letson, the debut issue answers a lot of questions and lets readers know what type of character Holt is. In the present, he’s attempting to figure out more about Darkseid’s attack on the Justice League Watchtower, a plot point that hasn’t really been dealt with a lot since. It’s the past where things get interesting.
Letson introduces a Michael Holt that’s a shut in. Brilliant, he’s still dealing with the tragedy of the loss of his loved ones, rarely going outside and instead locking himself up indoors. He’s sold his company going with the easy sale instead of the “right” sale. Now, he’s working on a new project, which seems like a fancy fitness/motivational app. There’s something kind of amazing and a hell of a statement being made in the comic taking the brilliance of Michael Holt and focusing it in on such a trivial thing. But that’s sort of the point of the debut issue.
Letson has a big point being made in the first issue. Holt is at the point in his life where his brilliance is being wasted. Instead of big picture problems, he’s making a fancy Peloton. He’s not a hero yet, he’s a tech bro that is focused on mundane small picture commercialism when they can be tackling major problems impacting the world. There’s a lot of growth from that we will hopefully see. Letson starts the comic with what Michael Holt becomes and takes us back to where he started.
The art by Valentine De Landro and Edwin Galmon is solid. Galmon handles the opening present sequence while De Landro’s art takes us to the past. Marissa Louise joins De Landro on color by Lucas Gattoni handles the lettering. Everything looks solid with an interesting style difference between the two time periods. Compared to the present’s style, the past feels like a gritty 70s movie in some ways, almost like we’re watching an old movie on VHS tape compared to the modern times’ 4K high def experience. It’s kind of cool like that really giving the two stories a distinctive feel. The modern times is a typical superhero experience while the past is more heist/crime.
Mr. Terrific: Year One #1 is a solid start to the series. For those that are fans of Mr. Terrific, it expands on his origin and for those that are new, it’s easy to dive in. The team has delivered some depth to the character with a good focus on Holt’s emotional state and where he’s at in his life. This isn’t the story of a hero learning the ropes, this is a broken man learning to climb out of depression and becoming a hero.
Story: Al Letson Art: Valentine De Landro, Edwin Galmon
Color: Marissa Louise, Edwin Galmon Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Purchase: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
