Mister Terrific 3 (January 2012)

I thought, for a moment, new penciller (or fill-in, whatever) Scott Clark was Randy Green (just a really bad issue for Randy Green). But he’s not. Scott Clark is someone else and he’s not very good. His figures change in muscle density and his faces don’t match between panels. Except Mister Terrific. He looks exactly the same each shot.

Wallace has a moment in this issue harkening back to the seventies with the bad guy revealing his identity and origin to the hero in a quick, one page recap. Of course, it harkens back to Marvel comics more than DC.

There’s very little interesting about this comic book. This issue we learn Mister Terrific is an egomaniac, in both identities. But Wallace doesn’t seem to recognize the narrative problems he creates for himself. Instead, he ignores them.

Between Wallace and Clark, it’s patently impossible to take Mister Terrific seriously.

CREDITS

Haunted; writer, Eric Wallace; penciller, Scott Clark; inker, Dave Beaty; colorist, Mike Atiyeh; letterer, Dave Sharpe; editors, Kate Stewart and Joey Cavalieri; publisher, DC Comics.

Mister Terrific 2 (December 2011)

Making fun of Gugliotta’s art seems like a low blow. There’s so much to mock about Mister Terrific, Gugliotta’s actually not high on the list. Oh, there’s some bad art, but he’s improving in some ways. Instead of drawing Mister Terrific like a white guy, he’s at least going through the motions with keeping the hair accurate. The same—accuracy—can’t be said for Gugliotta’s approach to Karen Starr, but maybe inker Faucher decided to draw her head tilted in physiologically impossible ways.

No, the real fun making is reserved for writer Wallace, who somehow manages to be worse than I remembered him. Wallace loves expository dialogue—I’m not sure there’s a single line without it in here—and his attempt at fusing a feel good superhero (the public adores him!) with science fails.

I miss the first issue’s reverse racism, but Mister Terrific shows some xenophobia, which almost compensates.

CREDITS

Blinded by Science; writer, Eric Wallace; penciller, Gianluca Gugliotta; inker, Wayne Faucher; colorist, Mike Atiyeh; letterer, Dave Sharpe; editors, Kate Stewart and Joey Cavalieri; publisher, DC Comics.

Mister Terrific 1 (November 2011)

I’m confused… when Eric Wallace has a black woman (who, incidentally, penciller Gianluca Gugliotta draws identical to blonde Karen Starr—the colorist adds the… ahem… race) go off on Karen Starr about being black, is it reverse racist?

I might be giving Wallace and his totally not terrific Mister Terrific too much though. Wallace doesn’t talk about race much, which is good. Gugliotta occasionally forgets Mr. Terrific doesn’t have wavy Peter Brady hair. Terrific’s son, from an alternate timeline, shows up at one point and switches race a couple times between panels.

If Mister Terrific is DC’s idea of a strong black character, they’re failing miserably.

It doesn’t help Wallace isn’t smart enough to write the character. When Terrific talks about “differential equations” like they’re impossible for anyone to understand, it’s clear Wallace shouldn’t be doing first person narration. Mr. Terrific sounds dopey.

It’s an icky comic and politically limp.

CREDITS

Software Update; writer, Eric Wallace; penciller, Gianluca Gugliotta; inker, Wayne Faucher; colorist, Mike Atiyeh; letterer, Dave Sharpe; editors, Kate Stewart and Joey Cavalieri; publisher, DC Comics.