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Terra (Trade Paperback)
collects Supergirl #12 and Terra #1-4
DC Comics (2009)
WRITERS: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
ARTISTS: Jimmy Palmiotti & Amanda Conner
COLORISTS: Rod Reis & Paul Mounts
LETTERERS: Rob Leigh, Travis Lanham, Sal Cipriano, and Swands
TERRA CREATORS: Marv Wolfman & George Pérez–yeah, right, maybe the original. But I’ll get into that in a moment.
(continuing to do trades in “regular review” format, something closer to Scanning My Collection)
Terra is a comic I have mixed feelings on. Really, it’s not gory or dark like a lot of the current DC titles, and this makes me happy. However, there’s something about this story, like their Power Girl, run that bothers me. Thankfully no “bloody monkey sex” (dear Lord, let me NEVER see those three words together in my search results stats) or anything like that, but there is a whole lot of Austin Powers type nudity considering the comic stars a TEENAGER!
The comic, and the dear-god-why-is-your-skirt-so-darn-short Supergirl story that precedes it, introduces us to Atlee, the new Terra, and it does have that fun factor missing in far too many comics nowadays, so I give Justin and Jimmy credit for that. We learn her origins, her connection to Terras past, and they generally seem to be enjoying themselves telling the story. Their characters are relatable, lovable, and interesting. It makes a very enjoyable read.
Amanda Conner’s art is amazing, per usual of what I’ve seen of her work. I actually feel like I’m reading a comic book rather than an art book, although Power Girl gets some facial expressions that I don’t think a real face can have, or at least not typical of what I’ve seen of Kara-L.
The story itself is interesting, introducing the underground world Atlee comes from and what could be an interesting nemesis if she ever gets her own title. I can’t really feel for the guy since he was a jerk before he got all superpowerful, and his girlfriend isn’t exactly the poster child for sweetness and light (she only deserves her fate for being an idiot), but there is some potential there. Also, Atlee’s family are interesting characters–which is lately the kiss of death in the DC Universe. (No, I’m not letting Lian Harper or Pa Kent go any more than I do the Spider-Marriage, so deal with it!)
Where the comic falls is the nudity. Atlee herself mentions being a minor, so she’s probably 16 at the most. And yet we have at least two moments where she’s either topless or nude. Are they fun scenes? Sure. So was the bit in the first Austin Powers movie, but since Atlee is a bit younger than Austin and Vanessa it feels more creepy than cute. We also get villain’s girlfriend taking a shower while having a conversation with her boyfriend. That was kind of unnecessary. The writers brought this stuff over to Power Girl as well (note the scene in issue #1 with the snow globes), and makes them seem a bit immature, which, when combined with the Ultra-Humanite origin that both creeped me out and totally slowed the story down for no good reason, is what chased me off of the title.
There’s also the dude who gets to “grind on Supergirl” at the dance in her comic. Yeah, as a teen I might have gone for it seeing as I would have chosen her over Wonder Woman at that age, but she’s also a minor fighting a dinosaur in an outfit that she should pop out of at any minute when fighting a dinosaur. Seriously, guys, the treatment of women in comics is problematic enough as it is.
All-in-all, Terra is a fun, cute, lovable comic, and despite it’s flaws I rather enjoyed it. If your not hung up on naked or scantly clad teens (with the bits covered up–insert reference to a certain naked nine-year-old anime character that’s current news), give the comic a lookover. It’s pretty good.
Coming up: Best Scene of the Week in the Weekly Wrap-Up site maintenance report for Saturday.
Monday’s Comic: Batman: The Brave & The Bold #15
BW Media Spotlight 