Terrifics #23: What is Even Going On?!

What a mess the Terrifics have found themselves in. As if altering time wasn’t complicated enough, even for the most brilliant minds of the DC Universe, that crazy amount of power has been entrusted to the hands of freaking Bizarro! The story we find in Terrifics #23 certainly lives up to any of your wildest expectations about what this might bring.

This Bizarro problem for the Terrifics has been persisting and growing larger for quite a few issues now, and while I appreciate him receiving enough time to become a crucial character to the series, there has been a fleeting feeling of asking, where is this all going? As it turns out, it’s going everywhere! From the start of time to the very end of it, plus everything in between.

Terrifics #23 is a Star Trek-style story infused with a strange wackiness found in most Doom Patrol books, resulting in one WEIRD experience. And that’s okay. It’s enjoyable and tells a cohesive story, tying into past developments in the series while ending on a really fun cliffhanger. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but feel that the story is losing focus on its characters as it seeks to be as whimsical as possible. There are notes of excellent character work, especially between Michael and Paula, but there just aren’t enough of them to offset the fact that everyone is a bunch of kids being thrust all through time because of Bizarro.

It’s best not to think too deeply into an arc like this one, aptly titles “The One Where Bizarro Screws Up Time”. It’s a lot of fun and there are some heartfelt moments. More importantly, the artwork is simply fantastic. Sergio Davila and Vicente Cifuentes absolutely nail the characters even in their child states, but it’s Protobunker’s colors that really stand out. The whimsical nature of the issue only works with the crazy panel layout and outstanding visuals presented from this creative team.

With Terrifics carrying the flag for the New Age of Heroes at the moment, it’s great to see that it’s still a very solid series. It’s one that benefits from reading all the way through because each arc isn’t necessarily self contained and Terrifics #23 is an interesting example of this. Bringing in a lot of past moments help to give the story more depth, but it might not be as reader friendly.

Ultimately, Terrifics #23 is an issue that’s simply a lot of fun. While there is some heart, the story focusing on Bizarro has caused some of that heart to turn to whimsy. Hopefully the series can find a more delicate balance in the coming issues.