Image credit: Dark Horse Comics/Matt Wagner
Dark Horse Comics did an incredible job with the Terminator license, especially since they produced the comic before there was an official sequel.
As well as the gruesome, gritty, pseudo-slasher movie style of the first films, early comics also tended to have a darker, spookier atmosphere, perhaps nowhere more so than in the one-shot Terminator. : The one-shot was released a month before Terminator 2: Judgment Day hit screens.
With The Terminator celebrating its 40th anniversary, what better time to revisit one of the raunchiest and most interesting early comic books?
One-shot (this is also a term for comics that are not part of an ongoing series and are completed in one issue. Clever, right?), in which it is revealed that Skynet sent the Terminator back in time just before It will be. The Resistance witnessed the departure of the Schwarzenegger model T-800 (his version of the T-800 was the T-101) and sent Kyle Reese to stop it.
This second, or rather first, Terminator is a female T-800, and she uses slightly more advanced techniques than the T-800’s T-101 model. Instead of accessing the phone book, she accesses the modem. The electronic records contain a recently updated list, so her first target is Sarah Lang, who has just married Michael Connor (interestingly, the panel that first revealed this was Michael -Incorrectly refers to Connor as John Connor, although he is mentioned (and correctly acts as Michael in all other instances in the comic!).
Sarah owns an art gallery in Los Angeles, but is currently honeymooning with Michael in San Francisco, keeping the Terminator away from the rest of Sarah Connor. Among them is Sarah Connor, who is targeted by Skynet, and of course the T-101 eventually goes after her. .
So, who will stop this female T-800? Just as the T-101 wasn’t the only Terminator sent back in time, the Resistance has its own plans, and just in case Sara… It turns out that he sent several other soldiers back to different points in Sarah Connor’s past to protect Connor. Other Terminators appear during her lifetime.
Ruggles, an ex-cop, is aging and living a new life in the 20th century, but he is firmly aware of the fact that the Terminator is on the loose. Using components he had smuggled in the past (according to information, in a very unpleasant way), he killed Sarah Connor, who was on her honeymoon, before this threat spread to others. I intend to prevent this.
For a one-off comic, it has a pretty story-heavy script. Celebrity comic book writer James Robinson adds little wrinkles, such as a plot to kill Michael Connor to inherit his inheritance, making things somewhat unpredictable and denser than expected. .
Matt Wagner’s art, while appearing at least partially drawn, is somewhat abstract in nature and actually has a scratchy feel, more like an indie comic from the late ’80s or early ’90s. It has a surreal aesthetic. This type of manga often has a very dark and depressing atmosphere, and this work has a similar atmosphere, including the doomed couple of the main characters and the sad ending of the elderly Ruggles (and his pet monkey, Peanut). The mission is depicted.
Wagner’s work here is truly phenomenal, and it’s likely that this comic was picked up by many readers drawn to the Terminator license, and their only experience with the comic was primarily a mainstream work. This comic must have been quite an eye-opener considering what it would have been like at the time. I’ve read the Terminator comics I got back then, but I don’t remember watching or reading One Shot at the time. Comics tended to have simple color palettes and solid blocks of color. This kind of work always surprised me because it was often used only for covers. It felt really powerful and incredibly mature when used throughout the story. That’s definitely the case here, where art is used to amazing effect.
The story itself is incredibly bleak, with an inheritance subplot that makes this Sarah Connor particularly unthankful, but it’s still really compelling. This is the kind of story I would have absolutely adored when I was in my early teens. It has actually held up very well after over 30 years. That’s both in terms of the script and Matt Wagner’s impressive artwork. While most of its contemporaries have aged a bit, Terminator: One Shot remains an impressive piece of time-travel based neo-noir.
Like what you read? Would you like to support my blog? No pressure, of course, but I don’t earn any money from writing here, so every penny helps keep this site running (However, I may earn a small commission from affiliate links posted on my pages).
However, I truly appreciate the support you provide. You can easily support us through Ko-Fi.com/geekmid or the PayPal link.
Thank you very much for your donation. I would also like to thank you for taking the time to read my article. thank you very much!
Please support me here!
All donations are gratefully received and will not only help me keep the lights on here, but will also help keep my writing dreams alive. However, please understand that there is no pressure. I hope you enjoy reading my article.
£1.00
