ComicsDynamite’s new The Terminator comic takes James Cameron’s killer robot saga back to its terrifying “pulp noir” rootsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ComicsDynamite’s new The Terminator comic takes James Cameron’s killer robot saga back to its terrifying “pulp noir” rootsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Dynamite)
Earlier this year Dynamite announced that it would be launching acomprehensive reprint seriesof classic Terminator comics. It sounded super cool, especially for long term fans, but what was really exciting about the publisher getting their hands on the Terminator license was the prospect ofa new series– one that was later announced to be coming from the creative team of writer Declan Shalvey and artist Luke Sparrow, with Sal Crivelli and Colin Craker handling backup stories.
The first issue of this new series launches next month and it looks terrific – a mean, lean horror thriller that looks back specifically to James Cameron’s classic first movie for its inspiration. Ahead of the first issue’s release, Newsarama sat down with Shalvey to find out more…
Declan Shalvey’s main cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Newsarama: Hi Declan. You’ve been tasked with bringing The Teminator back with a new series for Dynamite. What can you tell us about it?
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(Image credit: Dynamite)
(Image credit: Dynamite)
(Image credit: Dynamite)
(Image credit: Dynamite)
(Image credit: Dynamite)
So it’s new stories, but based on the first movie. Can you tease the sort of tales you will you be telling with this book?
Shalvey:I wanted to lean into the episodic nature of it. When I did Alien at Marvel I was trying to do my own Alien film, but with The Terminator I wanted to lean into the pulpiness of it all, and have a new scenario every issue. My joke is that it’s Quantum Leap from Hell, in that instead of trying to put right what once went wrong, it’s the robots trying to put things wrong. The recurring character here is the T-800 and, you know, it’s not very chatty! I thought it’d be more interesting seeing the robot in different scenarios with different characters. So the challenge for me every issue is to create characters you are going to care about fighting the Terminator.
Are these one-and-done stories, or continuing arcs?
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They’re basically all standalone issues, but I have a couple of two-parters worked in. In issue two and three the Terminator is in Vietnam during the fall of Saigon – because I’ve being drawing the covers I drew this badass cover of the T-800 with napalm going off of the background. But yeah, there is connective tissue within the stories, but that’s more of a secondary element that will unify the book in general.
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Edwin Galmon’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Edwin Galmon’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Edwin Galmon’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Edwin Galmon’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Edwin Galmon’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Time travel is baked into the premise of The Terminator, so are we going to see lots of different time periods in the book?
Shalvey:Yeah, it’s basically one time period per issue. The first issue is a mix of the future and the past and is about an old couple living on this lake, having escaped the nuclear war. Then, out of nowhere, this Terminator walks out of the lake, bloated and decomposed, coming to kill them. For me that’s a terrifying drama and that’s kind of what I want – I want to find the fear in the book, but also play around a little bit with the time periods. The first arc, for sure, is going to hop around different moments in in human history, but I’m more interested in the scenarios than the lore necessarily. I find a lot of IP stuff gets really wrapped up in lore these days and I just don’t think stories about lore are necessarily engaging, you know?
How aware were you of the previous Terminator comics?
Shalvey:Not at all, I am completely ignorant of them. It’s something I did with Thundercats too, I go to the source, but from there I don’t feel like I need to read 30 different stories to find my own take. There’s only so much research I think is necessary, and I think too much research just bogs you down and trips you up. I want to hit it as fresh as I can, really. And that’s not to put anything down, I just think that the less that’s floating around my brain, the more I’ll come to something that’s a bit pure.
When I did Moon Knight with Warren Ellis he told me he that read the first six issues of the first Moon Knight book, and that was it. And I thought, “Wow, that’s so ballsy.” But I do think there’s something to just going to the source, rather than trying to do a version of a version of a version of a version.
Image1of2David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Image1of2David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
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David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
David Cousen’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
Alex Ross’s variant cover for The Terminator #1.(Image credit: Dynamite)
How has it been working with Luke Sparrow on the series?
Shalvey:Luke is great. I saw his work online a couple of years ago and I really liked it. I just did an anthology for my Image series, Old Dog, which has all these different people working on it and he did a great job with his pages. I remember thinking, if I couldn’t draw Old Dog, I’d ask Luke. It’s not that he’s just like me, but there’s definitely an aesthetic and a sensibility that we both have. The Terminator came my way around the time that we were working on that story, so I basically used his Old Dog pages as an audition to get him approved on Terminator. I think he’s a fantastic storyteller. His attention to detail is amazing and his environments and backgrounds are so well fleshed out. That’s especially helpful on something like The Terminator when we’re going to the different time periods.
How far ahead have you planned with this book?
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”