The Harlan Ellison concept that James Cameron just might have ripped-offf for The Terminator is a very primal one from a tradition that goes all the way back to you, the dawn of storytelling.. what worked so well in at least a couple of Hollywood action films also works work quite well in a variety of other formats.Dynamite Comics uses the premise of an emotionless hunter automaton in a couple of different stories that rest between a single pair of covers in The Terminator #1. The main feature is written by Declan Shalvey with art by Luke Sparrow and Colin Craker. It tells a remarkably concise story that runs much of the issue. The final couple of pages (written by Sal Crivelli and drawn by Colin Craker) establish what is likely to be a multi park serial. 

A young man encounters a soulless hunter at some point in the late 20th century. His life he knows it’s coming for him. And he knows it’s only a matter of time. But what happens when he finally shows up? A hunter in the exact same mall goes after someone else entirely, in every for a glimpse into something which is likely to be much more complicated than it might look like at first glance.

The basic premise for the story of the original Terminator movie was pretty good. Concepts of time travel and artificial intelligence mixed in kind of interesting ways. In the first feature, Shalvey explores things in considerable depth, with a very concise treatment of a concept of time, mortality and artifice. It’s a remarkably well-crafted. The premise that Crivelli asserts through the second story is merely the first chapter of a serial. It really doesn’t have enough in it to really reveal what might be moving when things move forward.

Though the iconography of the Terminator franchise is brought across quite well for both features, heavy inking and simple shadows lack the kind of depth and nuance that would make for a deeper drama. That being said, Sparrow and Cracker’s work is gorgeous. The landscapes beyond the immediate are deeply symbolic. They’re brought to the page with thoughtful brutality. The overall feel of a idyllic rural spot on a pond is something that cleverly draws in the concept of the natural state of predator and prey.

It’s an interesting opening. The basic premise of the original feature film is so amazingly simple that it could be stretched and prodded in a million different directions. It really wouldn’t be much difficulty and that it really be a matter of making sure that everything comes together in just the right way. So there’s a whole bunch of different ways that standalone stories could work with the premise. It will be interesting to see how this series works as things progress. There are a lot of potential’s in a lot of potential stories that fit into the overall concept. These are interesting and initial sketches in the first issue. It will be interesting to see where Dynamite takes it from here.

Grade: A