Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Terror Inc. by David Lapham and Patrick Zircher

Do we ever remember former lovers the way they truly were?

Terror Inc. features a relatively unknown character named Terror created for Marvel’s Epic line in the 80s. Epic Comics produced such works as Jim Starlin’s Dreadstar, and though they were mostly creator owned comics, characters such as Terror, who could steal people’s abilities by absorbing their limbs, would eventually be integrated into the mainstream Marvel universe (and promptly underused).

(Epic Comics also produced such gems as Elektra: Assassin and Meltdown, featuring Havoc and Wolverine. Good stuff.)

This version of Terror Inc. collects the five issue miniseries by the esteemed David Lapham, with art by Patrick Zircher. Lapham is most famous for Stray Bullets, a fantastic series he both writes and draws. He is also currently doing the writer/artist thing on Vertigo’s Young Liars, a promising new book on their line which will hopefully help fill the void being left by the multitude of fantastic Vertigo books which have ended or will end soon. Patrick Zircher is somewhat of a Marvel Comics workhorse. He drew runs on Thunderbolts, Cable & Deadpool, and Iron Man, among others. His work here stands out for its intensity and its stark contrast to his superhero work.

Here’s what you need to know in a nutshell. Terror—Mr. Terror now, actually—has been alive for a long, long time. More than 1500 years, to be precise. Due to a horrible curse, he can’t exactly die, but his body is cursed to decay. Very, very rapidly. The good news is, he can swap his body parts out for other, more fresh ones. This leads to some truly gruesome (and awesome) portions of the book, as Mr. Terror constantly rips off people’s limbs to replace his own.

There’s more to Mr. Terror’s back story, a hideous bit involving love, magic, and even more ripping off of limbs, but those are best experienced first hand. The story takes place in the present, which affords Mr. Terror plenty of opportunities to get shot, blown up, smashed in a car, etc… In fact this is as good a time as any to point out that Terror Inc. is GORY. This is a horror comic, one which does not shy away from the best of the squeamish bits. There’s a bit of blood on every page, and if there isn’t blood, there’s a nipple, (and if there isn’t either, you’re reading the wrong book).

The ideas behind this story could, in lesser hands, be ridiculous and over the top. In fact, this book IS ridiculous and over the top. But that’s part of the charm; it’s controlled over the top, if that even makes sense. These gentlemen know what they’re doing, and they do it well. David Lapham is a master story teller, and Patrick Zircher’s art creates an atmosphere dark and rich with violence. June Chung’s colors on this book are amazing, too, something that it is impossible not to notice. The predominant use of reds allows the gory feel of the book to continue even when it isn’t blood-spattered.

This book works. It’s scary, it’s exciting, it’s bloody, and it’s fun. Highly recommended.

My favorite bit:

The hand wants coffee. It wants a buttered roll, too.

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