I picked up on this miniseries after coming into the Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle title. I had been really hyped on that one. And reading the advance preview releases to this one kind…I thought that it might be worth a look. I liked the idea of a story that took place during the original Terminator movie in the 1980s. I liked the idea of a good old T-800 coming into the mix again as I have a nostalgia for the early movies (I and II). So with some tender heartfelt emotion, I thought what the hell, I would check it out and see if it was ok. It turns out that it actually was more than just ok. It actually kind of rocks to tell you the truth. I have had a blast reading it. And more than many of the comic releases that are out right now, we have a protagonist that is female and African-American that is well done, tastefully portrayed and is an absolute and complete ass kicker any way that you look at it. If you don’t believe me, feel free to hunt down My Top Rack feature on Farrow Greene. The lady is an action magnet and she can handle it, including an unfeeling, remorseless cyborg that means to kill her and the lady that she has been enlisted to protect.
The lady in question being hunted/rescued is a mousy little scientist named Elisa Fong. Very little is known about Fong, but the one thing for certain is that the T-800 has been sent to end her. As luck would have it, Farrow Greene has been enlisted to take her alive and deliver her. She had reached her goal until the 800 showed up. Since, the two have battled to a standstill. Well maybe an advantage to Greene as she has roughed up the 800 pretty badly. He’s definitely taken the brunt of the damage.
During one such confrontation, some feds captured Fong and have taken her to their secret base. Recognizing this and the superior numbers difference they would face, Greene and the Terminator have agreed to put away their differences and work together so they can rescue Fong. Once rescued, original orders return.
We have entered into the penultimate issue of this mini and we find that though initially successful, Greene and the T-800 have been captured themselves. What plays out from page one till the end of this issue is a rollercoaster ride of some sweet, sweet action with a side of awesomeness added for spice. It kicks, hard.
Writer Dan Jolley has shown me that he is perfectly suited to action stories. He doesn’t mess around with long lines of dialogue, but hits his marks hard and fast using the dialogue to propel the action. It is rapid-fire and solid. Adding to it has been Jamal Igle’s perfectly suited art. The drawings are bold and strong and our two heroes (Greene and the T) are drawn with a level of confidence that suits them, but also with an undertone of frailty. There is something that happens at the end of this one that sets up for the conclusion that I swear Igle puts some emotion in his art that demonstrates the point. I think surprise would be the reaction demonstrated and Igle nails it. It is perfectly placed and brings us a little bit closer to the conclusion that I must admit I am going to hate to see it go when it is done.
I do know one thing for certain. I have no idea if we will ever see these characters in this particular continuum again. But I would love to see Farrow Greene pop up somewhere in the future of the franchise. The lady is bad and definitely deserves more print time. Hear me Dark Horse Comics. Please hear me? You have a bona fide star here.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Dan Jolley Artists: Jamal Igle Inker: Ray Snyder Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/3/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital