By now I’m sure that most of you are aware that DC Comics has decided to reboot the DC universe calling it the New 52. This decision has been met with mixed responses from fans, to those who hate the idea to those who love it. I’m some where in the middle I’m not crazy about the idea but I think it’s a great opportunity to help B and C list heroes get the exposure they deserve, and DC has done just that with their new “Mister Terrific” series.
Part of the reason I picked up “Mister Terrific” was I liked the character from when he appeared on the "Justice League Unlimited" cartoon series how ever I didn’t know a whole lot about him. From the new 52 story we learn that Mister Terrific is a man named Micheal Holt, the 3rd smartest man in the world, an Olympic athlete and having a net worth of over a billion dollars. Holt decides to use his knowledge to become a superhero after promising his dieing wife that “he wont stop educating the world.”
Mister Terrific as a character is quite likeable and even cool. Instead of using brawn or awesome powers he uses his brains and technology to defeat his enemies. The new costume is decent, although it’s pretty much the same design as the original but colored white instead of black. The supporting cast is OK they haven’t offered much to the plot as of yet. We don’t even know who the villain is. All we know about the villain is that he appears to be altering peoples minds causing the to become extraordinarily smart but also cold and calculating. One man goes from causing a waitress to cry to walking out on the street and killing a homeless man because the man is “nothing but a leech draining resources from the rest of the world.” This kind of thing happens a few times through out the issue and Mister Terrific is asked to help find out who’s doing it. The story is solid so far and delivers a great cliff hanger that will have you wanting to get the next issue just to see what happens.
Although some may not care for the New 52, for Mister Terrific it’s a fresh new start. It’s a good read and the best thing is you don’t have to know anything about the character.
I grade “Mister Terrific” #1 a B.
