Movie audiences can be forgiven for not realizing theTerminatorfranchise’s history is as expansive and stories in comics as much as film. And the franchise fiction is set to be expanded once more whena newTerminatorcomic series by Declan Shalvey and Luke Sparrowarrives from Dynamite Comics in October, just in time for the original film’ss 40th anniversary.
This will be far from the firstTerminatorcomic to hit stands, as the earliestTerminatorcomics date back to 1988, mere years after the first Terminator, and just a few years before the franchise officially exploded its mythology withTerminator 2: Judgment Day. By tracing backthe long history of theTerminatorcomics, one can argue that the comics are just as responsible for the franchise’s surge in popularity as the sequels are.
The Terminator Comics in the 1980s
An Obsession Begins
The first official comic book series following theTerminatorfranchise would arrive in 1988, just four year removed from the first movie.NOW Comics would produce 17 issues ofThe Terminatorby Fred Schiller, Tony Akins, Jim Brozman, and Rich Powers from 1988 to 1990. The series would take a massive time jump into the year 2031, where rebels by the name of “Sarah’s Slammers” would find themselves combatting Skynet and their Terminators. It’s also worth noting that a month before the first issue’s release, the story would begin and is preceded in a five-page story inside ofRust#12.
Although this would be a little bit of a spoiler for the kind of comics the franchise would deliver in the 90s, it must be said that The Terminator would be followed up in the year 1990 byTerminator: The Burning Earthby writer Ron Fortier and artistAlex Ross, in the future portrait specialist’scomic book debut. The sequel series sees the resistance teaming up with the legendary John Connor asSkynet completes their latest Terminator model, T-808, a.k.a. Aurora.
Terminator Comics in the 1990s
The Decade of the Sequel
WithTerminator 2: Judgment Dayon the horizon in 1991, the number of comics for the franchise would suddenly start to ramp up throughout the 1990s. In addition to theBurning Earthmentioned above, 1990 also saw NOW release aTerminatorprequel series from future Nightwing story writer, Chuck Dixon.Terminator: All My Futures Pasts is a two-parter looking at the events that led to Kyle Reese going back in time after John learns that Skynet has learned how to time travel themselves.
Afterward,the comic book rights for theTerminatorfranchise would transfer from NOW to Dark Horse Comics, who would produceTerminatorcomics all the way up until 2019. The ’90s era of Dark Horse’sTerminatorcomics would includeTerminator: Tempest, Terminator: One Shot, The Terminator: Secondary Objectives, The Terminator: The Enemy Within, The Terminator: Hunters and Killers, The Terminator: Endgame, andRoboCop Versus The Terminator, where the crossover establishesRoboCopas aTerminatorprequel. And those last four comics mentioned were all from 1992 alone!
At that pointDark Horse would take a six-year break from producingTerminatorcontent, finally disrupted by,Terminator: Death Valleyin 1998 andThe Terminator: The Dark Yearsin 1999. The ’90s era of Terminator comics would end (although bled into the 2000s) withSuperman versus The Terminator: Death to the Future.
The Terminator franchise has sustained longevity by way of these comics. The comics have successfully helped expand the lore and canon of the overall franchise in varying ways, while also managing to introduce new elements exclusive to the comics.
The Forgotten Marvel Terminator Series
An Adaptation for the First Sequel
Before moving on to the 2000s, this list would be remiss to move on from the 90s and not talk aboutthe 1991 comic book adaptation of the same year’sTerminator 2: Judgment Day. The creative team of Gregory Wright, Klaus Janson, Christie Scheele, and Jim Novak were tasked with taking a movie that was already being hailed as being ahead of its time and trying to re-produce it for an entirely new, different medium. It’s not an easy task by any means, but the creative team were put to the test, and rose to the occasion.
A big reason why this publication is worth mentioning is because of Marvel’s involvement.Marvel’s decision to offer its services and platform for an adaptation of the biggest movie in the world at the time is not something that should or could be taken lightly. In addition, it also can’t go unnoticed for the stylish artistry on display that is perfectly indicative of the era that it was produced in.
Terminator Comics of the 2000s & 2010s
More Crossovers, More Chaos, and a Conclusive Retrospective
Dark Horse Comics would keep its ball rolling with another crossover, this time pittingAliens Versus Predator Versus The Terminatorby Mark Schultz, Mel Rubi, Chris Ivy, Pat Brosseau, and Dave Stewart, which oddly enoughfixes Alien vs. Predator in several controversial ways. After that, Dark Horse would provide a double feature in the form ofThe Terminator: 2029andThe Terminator: 1984,both comic series written by Zack Whedon and illustrated by Andy MacDonald, and both starring Kyle Reese.
The tail end of the 2000s would seeTerminator: Salvationhit theaters, birthing its own tie-ins. First, the year of its release would see IDW Publishing release a movie prequel and adaptation, while 2013 would see Dark Horse release a year-long companion piece toSalvation, calledThe Final Battle. Dark Horse would wrap up their tenure with Terminator at the end of the 2010s through 2014’sEnemy of My Enemy, then Sector War from 2018 to 2019. Dynamite Entertainment would get in on the action as well, withTerminator: Infinity, Terminator Revolution,andTerminator/RoboCop: Kill Human.
The Terminatorfranchise has had its presence recognized in the comics through a bevy of different publishers: Marvel, Dynamite Entertainment, NOW, Dark Horse -The Terminatorfranchise has sustained longevity by way of these comics. The comics have successfully helped expand the lore and canon of the overall franchise in varying ways, while also managing to introduce new elements exclusive to the comics. The comics have impacted theTerminatorfranchise in ways that some moviegoers may not even notice, making it all the more rewarding to readers.
