WRITERS: JOHN BARBER, DAVID MARIOTTE, TOM WALTZ | ARTIST: ALEX MILNE | PUBLISHER: IDW | FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Robots in disguise versus robots in disguise. Terminators fight Transformers in IDW’s latest crossover event. When Skynet battles the Decepticons for supremacy in Earth’s future, a single T-800 is sent back in time to avert catastrophe. For Skynet, that is. Whoever wins, the outlook isn’t good for humanity. IDW pitting Hasbro’s toy behemoths against a (once) R-rated franchise of sci-fi thrillers isn’t a move many will have seen coming, but it’s one that makes sense nevertheless. Whereas the Aliens and Predator have thrived on the comic book page (often together, fighting each other), the Terminator franchise has struggled to capture readers’ imagination in the same way. Aside from a few cool one-shots and an awesome Robocop Versus Terminator book by Frank Miller and Walt Simonson, the Terminator hasn’t exactly set the world of comic books on fire.
Writers David Mariotte and John Barber cannily sidestep the meet-cute aspect of their crossover, and delve right into an alternative universe where Skynet and the Decepticons are already in the thick of it, and the Terminators are on the losing side. This makes Skynet the underdog for once, and their T-800 Earth’s best hope. As of Issue #1, the story is a very Terminator-centric one, with relatively little for the Transformers to do. As the T-800 pops back in time to the 1980s, we once again pick up Sarah Connor and repeat the whole “come with me if you want to live” schpiel. Artist Alex Milne’s T-800 isn’t instantly recognisable as Arnold Schwarzenegger, but his outfit and Mariotte’s script suggests that it’s one and the same (model). The tone is a little too light and fluffy for a Terminator story – matched by the colourful, bombastic artwork by Milne and colourist David Garcia Cruz – but their action sequences are slick and exciting.
This first issue delivers far more Terminator than it does Transformers, but sets itself up for an explosive throwdown between the franchises. How well it manages to balance the two remains to be seen, but this book is off to a solid enough start, ensuring that its readers will be back for more.
