The Terrifics, Vol. 4: The Tomorrow War

The Terrifics (collected editions) #4

by Gene Luen Yang, Sergio Dávila (Illustrator), Vicente Cifuentes (Illustrator)

Eisner Award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang brings the tales of the Terrifics to a time-twisting climax in this collection! Bizarro, frustrated with technological progress that never seems to end, has decided that he has had enough. And with the help of a time machine gifted to him by Lex Luthor, he decides to make the world a better place, Bizarro style. Will the Terrifics be caught in Bizarro's distorted reality? Or will they be able to navigate the future...and past...to stop him? Includes a special "choose your own destiny" adventure!

Collects The Terrifics #19-30

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2020

About the author

Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the L.A. Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His other works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), Superman from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. His most recent books are Dragon Hoops from First Second Books and Superman Smashes the Klan from DC Comics.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lex Luther hands Bizarro a time machine during the Year of the Villain event and wackiness ensues. If there's one villain I can't stand in comics, it's Bizarro. I find Bizarro-speak completely exhausting. It saps any enjoyment out of a story for me. When the Terribles aren't around the story is quite fun, when everyone has to say the reverse of what they mean, not so much. Once the timey-wimey stuff is over, Dan Mora pencils a fun Choose Your Own Adventure for the 25th issue. They we get a bunch of zany science-y stories until the book is cancelled. All in all, not bad, but I can definitely see why DC killed it.

[Bill Riggs · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a horrible ending to what should have been a great series. So much wasted potential. The Bizarro issues were truly a headache to read. Seriously, how much Bizarro talk can you handle? The final issues were just lackluster and led to an unfulfilling ending. Hopefully these characters are treating more respectfully in the future.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Terrifics’ final adventures take them from the beginning of time to the end of it, as the Year Of The Villain grants Bizarro a time machine! Then, Simon Stagg makes a deal even he can’t swindle his way out of, and he’s going to take the Terrifics down with him. And finally, the Tomorrow War is upon us and it will take all of the Terrifics’ allies to save the world! Plus, a 25th issue choose your own adventure extravaganza!

Like all good things, The Terrifics must come to an end. But it goes out with a bang in this oversized collection of their final twelve issues together. The best thing that can be said about this book is that it’s fun. It’s a whole lot of fun, and writer Gene Luen Yang really leans into that – he takes straight forward adventure concepts and turns them up to eleven as the Terrifics are forced to deal with all sorts of insanity, and I defy you not to smile when you’re reading this book. The Year Of The Villain arc is especially hilarious, not just because of Bizarro, but because of the length and breadth of the scope of the book; just when you think you’ve got it pegged, Yang twists things on their head and you’re totally lost again...in a good way.

The final two arcs are a little more sombre, but the action dial is cranked even further up. I get the sense that Yang was really building up the Terrifics’ support system, especially in the final few issues, so I’m doubly sad to see this series go. But even with the return of all of the Terrifics’ friends and enemies from across time and space, Yang never forgets the core characters that make up the team and what brought them together in the first place. A+ character work.

Also that Choose Your Own Adventure issue is a) a hell of a lot of work and b) excellent, and would get five stars all on its own.

The artwork here is predominantly by Sergio Davila, who has been doing fill-in work across the DCU for a while now and I’m always happy when floating artists get to nail themselves down to a project for a while. There are also contributions from departing artist Stephen Segovia, and two issues from Max Raynor, while the indomitable Dan Mora handles the insanity of the Choose Your Own Adventure issue. A smorgasbord of lovely artwork to enjoy here.

Goodbye for now, Terrifics. You’ve been a blast, and you’ve definitely cemented Gene Luen Yang as a writer I need to keep an eye on in the future.

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

How do you make an already bad book worse? You add Bizarro, another alternate version of our heroes, a long lost family member, and Lobo. Seriously unoriginal. Yang is a good writer. This is not good writing. I despised the entire series. The idea of the T-Council was the only thing I found slightly interesting and it happened out of nowhere. Overall, a completely skippable book.

[Jason Rico · Rating 3 out of 5]

If not for the choose-your-own-adventure issue, this collection would probably be 2.5 stars. An overall disappointment for having so many interesting ideas. Unfortunately, they all seem to come out of nowhere and never really connect, giving the book a disjointed feel.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 2 out of 5]

19-24, If Me Could Turn Back Time, ☆☆
25, The Adventure You Choose, ☆☆☆☆
26-27, The Day Simon Stagg Died, ☆☆
28-30, The Tomorrow War, ☆☆

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦

The Terrifics: The Tomorrow War
2019
Graphic Novel
Rating: 4.5/5

The Terrifics: The Tomorrow War is a fantastic conclusion to one of DC’s most rewarding and imaginative series. Written by Gene Luen Yang with dynamic artwork from a rotating team of talented artists, this volume delivers high-stakes action, emotional character moments, and a satisfying payoff to the team’s journey. The New Age of DC Heroes lineup had been a commercial disaster, yet this series proved to be a shining light among them all.

One of the standout aspects of this volume is how it balances grand-scale cosmic threats with personal storytelling. The Terrifics have always been an unconventional team, and their dynamic is pushed to the limit as they face off against the villainous threats throughout and there’s a war that threatens all of time and space. Yang masterfully weaves together themes of destiny, free will, and heroism, making this more than just a typical superhero adventure. My only complaint is this deserved to be split into volumes 4 and 5, as there’s a clear split between the arcs.

The artwork throughout is vibrant and energetic, perfectly complementing the fast-paced narrative. Each character continues to get their moment to shine, with Plastic Man’s humour, Metamorpho’s struggle with his identity and relationship, and Mister Terrific’s inability to let anyone else into his life.

The Tomorrow War is a finale that succeeds The Terrifics 30 issue run and it’s a fitting conclusion. It’s packed with action, heart, and a sense of wonder that stands out among DC’s superhero offerings. I’m amazed it received the run it deserved, definitely a shock considering the other titles surrounding it failed to connect. A great series

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[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially got into The Terrificis because I saw that Tom Strong would crossover into the comic. And while he'd largely be limited to a supporting role for most of the book, it still made for fun reading. And despite how quirky the team line-up was, the characters really pulled together and got involved in some pretty solid adventures.

This fourth volume covers two big story arcs - one involving a time-traveling Bizarro and a Bizarro World equivalent of the Terrifics (the Terribles) and the other involving the future of TerrificTech. The Bizarro was a bit of a headache to read, but that's the nature of any adventure involving the likes of Bizarro. But their commitment to Bizarro backwards speak and concepts were actually very clever and made for an interesting filter with which to explore this time-traveling story.

The second half was a bit of a more straight-up adventure but one that also got to tie into a lot of the comics' internal lore built up across the years of its publication. Not only that, but we introduce T-Council, which provided a more official role for many of the brainy characters who had crossed over into this book. It's kind of exciting where this might go and it reminds me a lot of the likes of the Future Foundation or the more recent Fantastic Four run where science really becomes the methodology for solving more problems.

[Robby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this volume is a chunky time tripping story (oddly enough not the actual "Tomorrow War") featuring the backwards-talking Bizarro and his own team of Terribles. I'm fine with Bizarro in small doses (particularly if the writer is clever in making use of his "opposite world" logic) but this fairly by-the-numbers take on the character is grating, outlasting its welcome by multiple issues.

We then get a choose-your-own adventure story that is fun, but does not really do much beyond the gimmick. The ending tries to sell us on the gimmick's relevancy, but ultimately just confuses.

Lastly, we get a set of stories seemingly designed to transition the team's mission into more of a techno-utopian vision while expanding the roster and shaking up its antagonists. I like the shift to more of a Future Foundation vibe; after all, this title has been a Fantastic Four homage throughout the run. Sadly, this concept abruptly ends, with the last page rapidly wrapping things up in the face of a clearly unplanned cancellation. Ironically (but perhaps predictably), just as the book was becoming more about the future, the publisher consigned it to the past.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

These last issues of the Terrifics were great fun. Yang seems to have really grabbed on to the potential of these characters as a way to tell just crazy, over-the-top, stories. It's sad that the title was canceled, but it goes out with a bang.
There's a lot of story here. It starts with a completely bonkers Bizarro time-travel story. The story really doesn't make much sense, but if you just go along with it, it's really fun. And there's even a little subtext in there about toxic nostalgia, I think.
Then, there's a single-issue "choose your own adventure" issue. That, too, was a lot of fun. It's a gimmick, sure, but the story and art are both great.
Finally, the last arc deals with some Stagg family stuff, and includes guest appearances from a bunch of other characters. It's a pretty good ending to the series, though I don't think it was really planned as such. The final ending is a bit abrupt.
I wish Yang had been given the chance to play around with these characters for another dozen issues or so. I think he was heading in an interesting direction.

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

And with that, this run with the Terrifics comes to a close.

It’s hard to sum up how I feel about this series, but it definitely tried a lot of fun concepts. I enjoyed a lot of the art featured in it! This volume in particular features somewhere around three different story arcs which made it a fun, team-antic filled adventure.

But at the same time there were a lot of moments where they failed to stick the landing. Even now I wish Plasma Girl’s character and individuality had been developed a bit more. I would love a spinoff focusing on her escapades with Plastic Man’s son (and other teen heroes), which could be very cute. But she just felt very... flat. Which isn’t great when you’re four volumes deep.

I still live for Rex and Eel’s dynamic. Very much “I can pick on him but that doesn’t mean you can” which is just. Very wholesome friendship!!

I don’t regret picking up this series at all and had an overall enjoyable time with it! I’m right in the middle of it’s not my favorite but it’s also not the worst. Just an easily digestible time for me.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Terrifics had so much potential to build on the legacy of series like the Fantastic Four and the Doom Patrol, but it never reached it. I was hopeful when the third volume started to build on the four main characters' development and relationships... but here, in the final volume, all that progress goes out the window -- first, with a nonsensical Bizarro plotline that is more annoying that entertaining, and then with later stories that inexplicably add a laundry list of other characters for no particular reason. (In between there's an interesting "choose your own adventure" style issue, so that's a bonus.)

Honestly, I think this series suffered by never finding its own key villain or rogue's gallery. The heroes stumble from sudden adventure to the next -- here, even fighting an evil/backwards version of their own team for the SECOND time in so many issues. I hope that these characters all go on to better things in future series.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took 4 volumes for this knock off FF4 parody to finally have a bit of fun. I give this a 2.5 star rating, the 1/2 point is for something unique. This is the ONLY time i have ever seen a comic book do a choose your own adventure style of turn to page X if you want this choice. Unfortunately it is mainly via a Bizzaro story. I am not a big Bizzaro world fan. I enjoyed the traveling through the decades. Just like this entire run, i am just disappointed more than anything. Most characters did very little (phantom girl, plastic mans son, the super dog). The ending of the team now living in the city of tomorrow with Not only this D tier team but E tier back up teams left me glad this was the last volume.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda lackluster. First there's Bizarro and the Terribles, and while Bizarro can be funny, READING Bizarro and friends is one of my least favorite thing to do in comics. Sorry, but are you doing opposite of the meaning or opposite of literally exact words?

Then a quick Stagg (surprise!) story that lightly involves demons who are easily defeated once confronted.

Then there's the terribly named Tomorrow War which deals with [SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER] which child will take over Stagg industries. Lobo is pretty out of place in this, in my opinion. And I surely didn't care about anyone but Plas and his son. :(

[Javen Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest volume from this run of Terrifics, but certainly not the best. Not sure why it's titled Tomorrow War since the first story is the only one having to do with time and it's not the named after that. Also not sure why Justice League are on the cover of this collection since they aren't in any of the issues collected in this set. I like the Bizarro story that starts this vol but got tired of reading the backwards talk pretty quickly as well (plus they put white text on a gradient light blue to blue bubble so It was hard to read for that reason as well). The other two stories are fine but nothing to write home about

[Ronan The Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gene Luen Yang did more interesting things than Lemire, and while the wacky adventures were some fun, the series ultimately felt too juvenile to really get a lot out of it. There were moments I enjoyed (like the baby Terrifics) but the dialogue consistently felt stilted or plastic, cheap and disposable. The art was consistently good though, and I did enjoy the choose-your-own-adventure issue drawn by Dan Mora. That was the best issue in this volume, if not for the art alone. I feel like there was more potential for this team, but it was worth some fun while it lasted.

[Aloysius · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Bizarro sends the Terrific Team (and us as the readers!) down a trip on Memory Lane via time travel, and then there's a CYOA in the middle of the volume?! Someone in DC must have been having a blast! The other stories though, are kind of a leveling off of the fun factor, if you get my drift. Although it is nice to see Metamorpho's father-in-law show be less of a rear-end to the team before his death. Sad to hear that the series is being canceled. I really hope that Warner Bros does something right for a change and make an animated series of this group! DC NEEDS ITS OWN "FANTASTIC FOUR"!

[Matt town · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. So this is half a great volume, half literally the hardest thing to read in the multiverse.

The first arc with Bizarro and the Terribles? BIZARRO SPEAK IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO A GOOD STORY! Literally it is so difficult to read that it really ruins the story. 2.5 stars.

Issue 25 is actually a choose your own adventure story which was actually a ton of fun! Easy 5 stars!

And the rest is actually pretty good Terrifics content, reminded me of the first volume tbh. 4.5 stars.

Hope this team shows up again someday! Very underrated overall, just keep BIZARRO out of it please!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I said the last volume wasn't quite as much fun... Well this made up for it! Bizarro + time travel = perfectly zany comic book antics! There were some serious moments (such as when *SPOILER* Stagg died...) but there was also a lot of... well... these characters just being these characters. And I loved every minute of it. This is a larger graphic novel (collecting 12 issues), but if you like these characters, then you'll definitely enjoy putting in the time to read it.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this was one of the many shining points in this series. I liked the character arc for Mr. T, very on theme, in the name of progress. Me hate Bizzaro, very much not like any time he show up. Another one of my faves makes an appearance, which was a fun surprise. I love how bonkers this one gets

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another action-packed volume of a great graphic novel series. I had trouble putting it down! My favorite issue was #25, which was set up as a choose-your-own-adventure story. I highly recommend this volume to fans of the Terrifics and hero graphic novel stories in general.

[Sebastián · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't take Bizarro and his way of speaking for more than 2 issues. This was way too much, and none of the other things that happens is worth that hell of a reading. Pretty sad a title that surprised me as much as this one did ended up in such a bad way

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first 2 volumes showed some potential, but the last two were the last for a reason. This volume was really bad. Bizzaro speak - as stated in several reviews here - is extremely annoying, especially when the dang story just kept going and going. I found zero redeeming qualities in this book.

[John Rudd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Vol 1 and 2. This was rough. It took forever to work through this volume. Character work fell flat all while having to deal with the Terrible, pun fully intended, Bizarro dialog. The last arc is better but over way to fast and still not up to the standards this series started at.

[Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't stand Bizarro talk which this had in spades.
The second arc couldn't get me back on board either. Stagg makes a deal with the devil, but who wouldn't in their circumstance?

Definitely not buying the compendium now.
Had some Dan Mora art and covers.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series! I think it's probably the best DC I've read from the last couple of years.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the Terrifics series as the creative teams shifted. It’s a shame the series couldn’t continue. A little optimistic science adventures always fill an empty spot.

[Christopher Ouellette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was enjoying this, but reading Bizaro dialogue is obnoxious and spending multiple chapters in Bizaro world!

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The time-loop issue issue is 3 stars
The Adventure You Choose issue is 4 stars

[Robert Gilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end

Final stories for the Terrifics. Fun stories with a bit of an FF feeling. Sad that this is the last one.