Review – The Terrifics #26: Fast Train to Hell

The Terrifics #26 – Gene Luen Yang, Writer; Sergio Davila, Penciller; Vicente Cifuentes, Inker; Protobunker, Colorist

Ratings:

Ray – 8.5/10

Ray: Now that the Bizarros are gone, Gene Luen Yang can fully embrace this book’s potential in The Terrifics #26 and delve into a weird-science direction that perfectly suits the tone Jeff Lemire set for the book. Following up on last month’s spectacular choose your own adventure anniversary special, the Terrifics are back on the case – but a new threat awaits, starting with Simon Stagg being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The egomaniac CEO refuses to accept his own death, and is instead tempted by an offer from a sinister figure surrounded by demons. This comes back to haunt the entire cast the next day, as the Terrifics host the opening of the new Stagg-Terrifitech public transportation collaboration. What should be a smooth ride through the city in sustainable high-speed tubes instead turns horrifying when a vehicle doesn’t stop and the people who were supposed to be inside – including Stagg – have gone missing.

But Stagg isn’t the only important player missing – Plastic Man’s son (and Phantom Girl’s crush) Offspring has taken an internship with Stagg, and is one of the people Stagg has accompanying him. There’s also a distinctly sinister robot that accompanies Stagg, and it soon turns out to know much more about the disappearances than anyone thought.

Thus begins an exciting jaunt through everything from computer code to underground catacombs, with some hilariously bizarre transformations from the book’s two shapeshifters along the way. This arc has higher stakes than the book has before, with Simon Stagg desperate to escape death and possibly cutting a deal with something far worse. With their first traditional adventure under Yang focusing on the core four, we’re getting to see more of how he writes the team dynamic and I really like what I see. A great tribute to classic DC weird science books.

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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.