=================================================
[7.0] What Terminator books and comics are there?
=================================================

 

The comic-book licenses to the various Terminator films have been held by different companies at different times, which is why there are so many disparate comics series.

 

If you're looking for any of these books and comics, you should try a local used bookstore or comic shop. Otherwise, you might have some luck at an online auction site like eBay.com, or an online comic shop like Mile High Comics or Things From Another World.

 

**** SPOILER WARNING ****

 


 

[7.1] The Terminator books
--------------------------

 

[7.1.1] The Terminator (US novelization)
----------------------------------------
The Terminator

The Terminator by Randall Frakes & Bill Wisher. Paperback, based on the screenplay by James Cameron with Gale Anne Hurd (North American novelization) published by Bantam Spectra, November, 1985 (ISBN 0553253174) (out of print).

 

 

[7.1.2] The Terminator (UK novelization)
----------------------------------------
The Terminator

The Terminator by Shaun Hutson. Paperback, based on a screenplay by James Cameron with Gale Anne Hurd (United Kingdom novelization) published by Star Books, the paperback division of W.H. Allen & Co., 1984 (ISBN 0352316454) (out of print).

 

Peter Hurren <phurren@mcmail.com> lists the differences between the North American and United Kingdom novelizations:

  • Hutson version is divided into Part One and Part Two
  • the first has chapters 1 to 17, with the second having chapters 18 to 30, plus an epilogue
  • the Frakes/Wisher version isn't divided up into chapters - it has Days 1, 2, 3, and 126, with the novel for the second film picking up with Day 126.
  • The Frakes/Wisher version is very specific about where action is taking place, with section headings like 'Downtown Los Angeles 4:12 AM', whereas the Hutson version is much more general.
  • Frakes/Wisher's novel is highly based around characters and what they are thinking, often giving names to characters who, as far as I know, had no name in the film, such as the truck driver at the very beginning of the film.
  • Hutson is much more descriptive of atmosphere and places and spends less time on the thoughts of the characters. Frakes/Wisher spend longer over scenes and also add in more scenes, such as extra material with Sarah and Ginger. Part of this may be due to the length of the books - Hutson's has 163 pages whereas the Frakes/Wisher version has 240, with both having approximately the same amount of material per page.
  • in both versions, Arnie's character is referred to only as "Terminator" as if that is his name, and as far as I can tell, he is never referred to as "the terminator".
  • there are also three quotes in the book (at the beginning; before Part One; and before Part Two:
    "What is happiness? - The feeling that power increases - that a resistance is overcome..." (Nietzsche)
    "...For he whom they feared, awaited them." (Motley Crue)
    "Only where life is, there is also will: not will to life but - so I teach you - will to power..." (Nietzsche)

 

 

[7.1.3] The Terminator (BFI Modern Classics)
---------------------------------------------

The Terminator

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The Terminator (BFI Modern Classics) by Sean French. Paperback published by the British Film Institute, November, 1996 (ISBN 0851705537). This book is an essay about the movie, not a novelization.

 


 

 

[7.2] Terminator 2: Judgment Day books

--------------------------------------

 

[7.2.1] Terminator 2: Judgment Day (novelization)
--------------------------------------------------

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day by Randall Frakes. Paperback, based on the screenplay by James Cameron & William Wisher published by Bantam Spectra, July, 1991 (ISBN 0553291696) (out of print).

 

 

[7.2.2] Terminator 2: Judgment Day: The Book of the Film: An Illustrated Screenplay
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day: The Book of the Film: An Illustrated Screenplay by James Cameron & William Wisher, annotations by Van Ling. Paperback published by Applause Books 1991, reissued 2000 (ISBN 1557830975).

 

 

[7.2.3] Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Mighty Chronicles)
-------------------------------------------------------

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Mighty Chronicles) by Jeff Campbell, Brandon McKinney (illustrator); James Cameron, William Wisher. Paperback children's book published by Chronicle Books, October, 1998 (ISBN 0811822087).

 

 

[7.2.4] T2: Infiltrator
-----------------------

T2: Infiltrator

(hardcover)

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T2: Infiltrator

(paperback)
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T2: Infiltrator by S.M. Stirling. Hardcover published by HarperCollins Books, April, 2001 (ISBN 0380977915); paperback published by HarperCollins Books April, 2002 (ISBN 0380808161).

 

From the T2: Infiltrator web page at HarperCollins.com:

 

Sarah Connor and her son, John, know the grim tomorrow that awaits their species if the Cyberdyne Corporation gets their Skynet system on-line. Targeted for annihilation because of their future destinies, the Connors have already survived two separate attempts on their lives by advanced Terminator killing machines. But enough T-800 detritus remains from their last life-and- death struggle to enable Cyberdyne to recover. The nightmare is back on track. And the most fearsome and relentless cyborg weapon of all has been dispatched through time to ensure Skynet's victory: a machine so like its human prey that detection is virtually impossible.

 

Considered a dangerous terrorist by the U.S. government and hiding out in Paraguay, Sarah sees another T-800 similar to the cybernetic killer from whom she once narrowly escaped. But while his form and features will eventually be duplicated on many Terminator units, former counter terrorism operative Dieter von Rossback is very much a man, irresistibly drawn to the puzzling, beautiful, deadly serious Sarah Connor and her brilliant teenage son. And once Sarah reveals her dark history and awakens him to the impending possible extermination of all human life, Dieter is drawn to her revolution as well.

 

But the machine masters of the near future have ensured that they will not be thwarted again. A new breed of enforcer, on designed to effortlessly infiltrate the ranks of the enemy, has been firmly entrenched in the uppermost level of Cyberdyne Corporation. With a vengeance-seeking FBI agent on a tight leash and the inexhaustible resources of Cyberdyne to support the hunt for the Connors and their allies, the 1-950 Infiltrator is relentless, programmed to pursue Skynet's goal until all targets are dead. But unlike its technological predecessors, the Infiltrator understands how humans think and feel...and she truly enjoys the blood and the chase. Exploding out of the long shadows cast by Terminator 2: Judgment Day--the cinematic action masterwork that rocked the world- T2: Infiltrator marks a bold new beginning in the stunning apocalyptic epic that has already become a legend.

 

 

[7.2.5] T2: Rising Storm
------------------------

T2: Rising Storm

(hardcover)
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T2: Rising Storm

(paperback)
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T2: Rising Storm by S.M. Stirling. HarperCollins Books. Hardcover published July, 2002 (ISBN 0380977923), paperback published May, 2003 (ISBN 038080817X).

 

From the T2: Rising Storm web page at HarperCollins.com:

 

Hunted for years, Sarah and John Connor have waged a grave battle to save humanity from destruction. They and they alone can keep the apocalyptic Judgment Day--the day when sentient machines move to destroy their human creators--from occurring. Aided by Dieter von Rossbach, an ex- counterterrorism operative who will eventually be used as the physical model for the T-101 Terminator units, the Connors have sabotaged the Cyberdyne research facility and stopped a deadly I-950 Infiltrator unit from completing her mission.

 

But the war is far from over, and now the heroes have been separated.

 

Severely injured--both mentally and physically--and recuperating under military surveillance, Sarah Connor must face her deepest fears...alone. Meanwhile, von Rossbach, hunted by both the CIA and his former allies, begins a delicate mission to recruit supporters and arms support for the coming battle.

 

Aided by a beautiful and brilliant MIT student, John Connor starts a desperate campaign across the United States and Central America to prepare an unsuspecting human race for the dark times ahead. For the original I-950 Infiltrator unit left a contingency plan--and, unbeknownst to our heroes, more Infiltrators have initiated their own clandestine operations, including the hunt to terminate the Connors. And this time, despite all their efforts, the brave heroes may not be able to stop the future war between human and machine.

 

Cyberdyne Corporation is not the only one with plans for the computer network, and hidden far away in a top secret military base, a fledgling Skynet takes its first steps toward sentience...and toward the rise of the machines and the termination of all human life.

 

 

[7.2.6] T2: The Future War
--------------------------

T2: The Future War

(hardcover)
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T2: The Future War

(paperback)
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T2: The Future War by S.M. Stirling. HarperCollins Books. Hardcover published June, 2003 (ISBN 0380977931), paperback published May, 2004 (ISBN 0380808188).

 

From the T2: The Future War web page at HarperCollins.com:

 

The future war is now. Hiding out in Alaska, Sarah and John Connor, along with ex-counterterrorist agent, Dieter von Rossbach, are playing a waiting game--trying to live their lives but ever watchful of Cyberdyne Corporation and the possibility of Skynet, the artificial intelligence network destined to destroy the world as we know it. They've fought for years to prevent this, and now, believing that John's love, Wendy, sacrificed herself to successfully prevent Skynet from becoming sentient, they think humanity may finally have a chance to survive.

 

Then the United States government announces that all military and communications systems will be placed under the command of a brand-new, extremely powerful Artificial Intelligence named Skynet, effective immediately.

 

Racing desperately to alert their allies, the Connors discover that Wendy's sacrifice was in vain--far from being harmless, Skynet is active, sentient, and ready to terminate the human nuisance once and for all. Engineered by the relentless AI, the apocalypse of Judgment Day turns cities into deathtraps and releases mass destruction across the globe.

 

In the nuclear winter that follows, our world changes forever: Cities become deathtraps of disease and famine patrolled by implacable machines, the first Hunter-Killer and T-90 Terminator units begin to exterminate their human prey, and all human life faces a desperate battle for survival against a seemingly unstoppable enemy.

 

But there is still one rallying cry of hope, one man who will step to the forefront of the long fight to keep humanity from extinction: John Connor.

 

 

[7.2.7] Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles, Book 1: Dark Futures
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terminator 2: The John Connor Chronicles

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Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles, Book 1: Dark Futures by Russel Blackford. ibooks. Paperback published August, 2002 (ISBN 0743445112).

 

From the cover:

Following the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor and her son, John, had thought they'd been able to alter the future so that neither the artificially intelligent SkyNet nor its Terminator killing machines would ever be created. But if they were so successful, why, then, are they now being hunted by yet another Terminator that's traveled back in time to ensure that John never grows up to be the charismatic leader of the few humans who survived Judgment Day? And when a band of human warriors from an alternate timeline make an unexpected appearance, have they come to help John- -or the killing machine...?

 

 

[7.2.8] Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles, Book 2: An Evil Hour
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terminator 2: The John Connor Chronicles

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Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles, Book 2: An Evil Hour by Russel Blackford. ibooks. Paperback published May, 2003 (ISBN 074345863X).

 

From the cover:

Judgment Day is coming! Following the events of Book 1 (Dark Futures), the future war between the human Resistance and the forces of Skynet takes an unusual twist as Terminators from an alternate timeline invade the world of John Connor and his mother, Sarah, seeking to bring about the inevitable war that the Connors had merely delayed with their actions. But another cyborg has traveled across the dimensions to protect John--and nothing is going to prevent her from carrying out her mission.

 

 

[7.2.9] Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles, Book 3: Times of Trouble
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terminator 2: The John Connor Chronicles

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Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles, Book 3: Times of Trouble by Russel Blackford. ibooks. Paperback published September, 2003 (ISBN 074347483X).

 

From the cover:

Following the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor and her son, John, had thought they'd been able to alter the future so that neither the artificially intelligent SkyNet nor its Terminator killing machines would ever be created. But if they were so successful, why, then, are they now being hunted by yet another Terminator thatıs traveled back in time to ensure that John never grows up to be the charismatic leader of the few humans who survived Judgment Day? And when a band of human warriors from an alternate timeline make an unexpected appearance, have they come to help John--or the killing machine...?

 

 

[7.2.10] Terminator 2: Hour of the Wolf

--------------------------------------

Terminator 2: Hour of the Wolf

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Terminator 2: Hour of the Wolf by Mark W. Tiedemann. ibooks. Paperback published July, 2004 (ISBN 0743493087).

 

From the cover:

The year is 2007. Judgment Day has never come to pass, thanks to the efforts of Sarah Connor and her son, John. Taking new identities, they have successfully created lives for themselves that don't involve battling computers set on destroying mankind, or running from the inhuman fighting machines called Terminators. But all too soon, a new threat arrives from the future-yet this time it's not after Sarah or John! Still, the fate of humanity rests in their hands, as Skynet makes another play to eliminate its human enemies, before they have the opportunity to form an alliance that could stop the present-day version of the super-computer from being activated. Outnumbered and outgunned, Sarah and John must try to stop a futuristic killing machine from murdering a man who doesn't even realize the important part he may play in the impending Future War!

 


 

 

[7.3] Terminator 3 books

------------------------

 

[7.3.1] Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

------------------------------------------

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

(hardcover)
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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

(paperback)
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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines by David Hagberg. Tor Books. Hardcover published July, 2003 (ISBN 0765308398), paperback published July, 2003 (ISBN 0765347415).

 

 

[7.3.2] Terminator 3: Terminator Dreams
---------------------------------------
Terminator 3: Terminator Dreams

(hardcover)
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Terminator 3: Terminator Dreams

(paperback)
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Terminator 3: Terminator Dreams by Aaron Alston. Tor Books. Hardcover published December, 2003 (ISBN 0765308525), paperback published December, 2004 (ISBN 0765349108).

 

From the cover:

In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, John Connor and Kate Brewster face the harrowing last day before Earth's conquest by Skynet, and survive only because of the heroic sacrifice of a T-850 sent back in time by the Human Resistance to protect them from the newest, most lethal terminator, the T-X Terminatrix. But they can't prevent Judgment Day.

 

Now, in 2029 A.D., they head the Resistance, dedicated to the survival of human life on Earth...and the destruction of the machines whose sole purpose is the exterminator of the human race.

 

The war with the machines has taken a heavy toll on everyone in the Resistance, especially on Danny Avila. He endured terrible stress, even dreamed of the terrible future, just before the start of mankind's war for survival, then was on the run--a hellish ordeal that lasted for years.

 

Finally he joined up with John Connonr and became a vital member of the Resistance, making invaluable contributions to the effort to defeat the machines that stalk mankind. But now Connor is asking Danny to make a sacrifice that only he can make, to help save the world from the robots. By doing something that seems impossible. In a world ravaged by a decades-long struggle, even the impossible is worth trying, if it might end the war. Danny, with memories nobody else can even guess, could help end the war...but doing so may very well kill him...

 

For more information, see Aaron Alston's homepage: www.aaronallston.com.

 

 

[7.3.3] Terminator Hunt
-----------------------

Terminator Hunt

(hardcover)
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Terminator Hunt

(paperback)
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Terminator Hunt by Aaron Alston. Tor Books. Hardcover published December, 2004 (ISBN 0765308533), paperback published November, 2005 (ISBN 0765350939).

 

From the cover:

Skynet, the most advanced artificial intelligence ever developed, has long since outstripped its human creators for deviousness, duplicity, and sheer ruthlessness.

 

In 2029, as the Human Resistance inexorably pushes toward a victory over the machines, Skynet has a card to play that the Resistance can't counter. It can use one of the Resistance to betray all humanity.

 

When it snatches Paul Keeley, it uses his own instincts against him in a virtual reality simulation, in the form of a beautiful woman who wants to rescue him from the living hell of the future.

 

Unfortunately, that woman is a seductive, deadly Terminatrix. In Paul's virtual savation lay the seeds of mankind's destruction, unless the Resistance can find the key to unlock Paul's memory and hunt down the answers tha will defeat the Terminatrix, the T-X, and perhaps Skynet's most powerful weapon of all...

 

For more information, see Aaron Alston's homepage: www.aaronallston.com.


 

 

[7.4] Now Comics

----------------

The first appearance of a Terminator in the comics was in a preview of the first Now Comics series, which appeared in Rust #12, August 1988.

 

[7.4.1] The Terminator

----------------------

Now Comics

Issues issues #1-17 (1988-1990). This series has been criticized for its stylized, "cartoony" art. "It's after the first Terminator film, set in the future with the focus on John Conner's [sic] battle with Skynet. This movie tie-in doesn't follow the film's direction at all, and as a comic has a lame story with so-so art." [from Hero Illustrated #6]

 

This Now comics series is noteworthy because the Terminators were depicted as killing humans so that they could wear their skins (!). There was also a "Terminator Town", whose residents included Terminator endoskeletons wearing a baker's outfit and a policeman's uniform, complete with billy club and traffic whistle (!!). Also appearing was Kyle Reese's little brother.

 

[7.4.2] The Terminator: The Burning Earth
-----------------------------------------<

The Terminator: The Burning Earth

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Issues #1-5 (1990). Written by Ron Fortier, fully painted art by Alex Ross (of Marvels fame). In 2041, John Connor and the human resistance race to stop Skynet from using its nuclear stockpile to finally annihilate the human race. This series is collected in a trade paperback edition, published by ibooks in December, 2003. ISBN 0743479270.

 

[7.4.3] The Terminator: All My Futures Past
--------------------------------------------

The Terminator: All My Futures Past

Issues #1-2 (1990). Written by Chuck Dixon, fully painted art by Diego and Delsol. This story takes place in 2029, and chronicles the departure of the Terminator and Reese to 1984.

 

 

 

[7.5] Dark Horse Comics

-----------------------

Most of the Dark Horse limited series have been collected in trade paperback (TPB) editions, available from Dark Horse Comics.

 

[7.5.1] The Terminator: Tempest
-------------------------------

The Terminator: Tempest

Issues #1-4 (1990). Written by John Arcudi, art by Chris Warner & Paul Guinan. Collected in a TPB; cover painted by John Bolton. A group of humans, led by Colonel Mary Randall, travel back in time to stop Cyberdyne Systems Corporation from developing Skynet technology. The only things standing in their way are four Terminators, including a half-human/half-Terminator cyborg sent back in time by Skynet.

 

[7.5.2] The Terminator: One Shot
--------------------------------

The Terminator: One Shot

One issue (1991). Written by James Robinson, fully painted art by Matt Wagner. Has a pop-up page in the middle. Tells the story of a female Terminator sent to kill the fourth "Sarah Connor" living in Los Angeles, and the person sent back in time to stop the Terminator.

 

[7.5.3] The Terminator: Secondary Objectives
---------------------------------------------

The Terminator: Secondary Objectives

Issues #1-4 (1991). Written by James Robinson, art by Paul Gulacy & Karl Kesel. Collected in a TPB; cover by Paul Gulacy. Terminators from the Tempest series are still around, but they'll have to go through Colonel Randall (the surviving time-displaced human resistance soldier from Tempest), a Cyberdyne technician, and a cyborg from the future to fulfill their secondary objective: kill Sarah Connor.

 

[7.5.4] The Terminator: The Enemy Within
----------------------------------------
The Terminator: The Enemy Within

Issues #1-4 (1991-1992). Written by Ian Edginton, art by Vince Giarrano, painted covers by Simon Bisley. Collected in a TPB; cover by Simon Bisley. The human/Terminator cyborg "Dudley" struggles to reassert his humanity over his machine side, as questions about the Cyberdyne technician's loyalty arise. Meanwhile, four human reinforcements from the future and inquisitive LAPD Detective Sloane join Mary Randall in a showdown with the remaining Terminator.

 

[7.5.5] The Terminator: Hunters & Killers
-----------------------------------------<

The Terminator: Hunters & Killers

Issues #1-3 (1992). Written by Toren Smith, Adam Warren, & Chris Warner, art by Bill Jaaska, Dan Panosian, & Jeff Albrecht, painted covers by John Taylor Dismukes. Collected in a TPB; cover by Walt Simonson. Chronicles the efforts of a team of Russian Special Forces resistance fighters in 2029 as they race a group of Terminators sent by Skynet and its Russian arm, Mir, to obtain a submarine stocked with nuclear missiles.

The Terminator: Hunters & Killers DVD

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This comic is available as a unique "Digital Comic DVD" produced by Eagle One Media, along with two other digital comic short stories, "Showdown In Death Valley," and "The Other Sarah Connor". This DVD includes the visual artwork, dialog and storyline from the Dark Horse comic books, blended with music, sound, special effects, and professional voice-over dialog for the characters.

 

[7.5.6] The Terminator: Endgame
-------------------------------

The Terminator: Endgame

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Issues #1-3 (1992). Written by James Robinson, art by Jackson Guice & John Beatty, painted covers by John Higgins. Collected in a TPB; cover by John Bolton. Dudley informs Colonel Randall that yet another new Terminator has been sent to kill Sarah Connor and her baby. Randall again seeks the aid of Detective Sloane, who is tracking the serial killer "Catfish." In the hospital in which Sarah is giving birth, Randall, Sloane, Catfish, and the Terminator all meet in a surprising final confrontation.

 

[7.5.7] RoboCop Versus The Terminator
-------------------------------------

>
RoboCop Versus The Terminator

Issues #1-4 (1992). Written by Frank Miller, art by Walter Simonson. Collected in a TPB; cover by Walt Simonson (includes the three cardstock standees which were published in three issues of this series). In the future, the catalyst for Skynet's sentience is discovered to be the cyborg Alex Murphy: RoboCop. A lone female soldier travels back in time to Detroit--and destroys RoboCop! As changes in the timestream sweep to the future, Skynet sends Terminators to the past, which prevent the soldier from killing RoboCop, who then destroys the Terminators. Knowing his destiny, RoboCop destroys himself. Again, changes sweep forward in time, and Skynet sends back Terminators that once again prevent the destruction of RoboCop, and force him to merge with Skynet.

 

The years pass and Murphy exists only as a virus in Skynet, waiting until he can create himself a new form. This new RoboCop prevents the soldier from traveling to the past. He replicates himself hundreds of times and takes on the Terminators and Skynet, then travels back in time and destroys Skynet before it becomes sentient. And changes sweep along the timestream...

 

[7.5.8] The Terminator: Death Valley
------------------------------------

The  Terminator: Death Valley

Special #1. (1998) Written by Alan Grant, art by Guy Davis, cover by Geof Darrow. Two Terminators (one male, one female) are sent back in time by Skynet to find John and Sarah Connor, but get mixed up with a biker gang in the desert. Guess what happens?

 

Issues #1-4. (1998) Written by Alan Grant, art by Steve Pugh. Picks up where the special leaves off, as the two Terminators start their quest for the Connors. But the Terminators didn't calculate the possibility of someone else finding the boy first--someone with a killer's past and a score to settle.

 

[7.5.9] The Terminator: Suicide Run
-----------------------------------

The Terminator: Suicide Run

Story appeared in Dark Horse Presents #138 (October, 1998). Written by Alan Grant, art by Frank Teran. In the bleak future controlled by Skynet and the Terminators, a group of desperate human warriors fight back with everything they've got.

 

[7.5.10] The Terminator: The Dark Years
---------------------------------------
The Terminator: The Dark Years

Issues #1-4 (1999). Written by Alan Grant, art by Mel Rubi, and Bob Wiacek, covers by Jae Lee. In the first Terminator movie, Lt. Kyle Reese tells Sarah Connor of his life growing up in the post-nuclear ruins of the future. He called it "the Dark Years." The future hasn't changed much for those few humans still fighting with their leader, John Connor, against Skynet's Terminator army. While a new cyborg is sent back to 1999 to eliminate John Connor, the Connor of the future discovers a new Terminator experiment that, if unchecked, may finally tip the scales against humanity.

 

[7.5.11] Superman vs. The Terminator: Death to the Future
----------------------------------------------------------

Superman vs. The Terminator: Death to the Future

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Issues #1-4 (2000). Written by Alan Grant, art by Steve Pugh and Mike Perkins (inks on issues #1 and #4), painted covers by Steve Pugh. Co-published with DC Comics. Collected in a TPB; painted cover by Steve Pugh. Terminators are hunting for young John Connor in Metropolis. But Skynet didn't plan on the Man of Steel coming to the rescue...or did it? As the battle to save mankind rages in the Metropolis of the present and the future, will the combined might of Superman, Supergirl, Superboy, and Steel be enough to stop the deadly killing machines--and their new ally, the Cyborg- Superman--from terminating John Connor? And will Lex Luthor lend a helping hand...or does he have something more sinister in mind for the Terminators?

 

[7.5.12] Aliens vs. Predator vs. The Terminator
------------------------------------------------

Aliens vs. Predator vs. The Terminator

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Issues #1-4 (2000). Written by Mark Schultz, art by Mel Rubi and Christopher Ivy, covers by Dwayne Turner. Collected in a TPB; painted cover by John Foster. In the year 2032, John Connor and his resistance forces wage war against Skynet, a soulless super-computer bent on exterminating mankind. Sensing ultimate defeat, Skynet goes into hiding. Centuries later, it is awakened by stealth Terminators posing as human scientists. Now an even deadlier Skynet is using the science of the far future to create invincible Terminators by gene-splicing their human tissue with the DNA of the deadliest creatures in the galaxy--Aliens! Earth's only chance lies in the hands of a legendary heroine named Ellen Ripley and an uneasy alliance with another deadly non-terrestrial race, the man-stalking super-hunters known only as Predators! The Predators understand that Skynet threatens all life in the universe, and so they wade in on the side of humanity...but can these feral killers be trusted?

 

 

 

[7.6] Marvel Comics

-------------------

Marvel Comics

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Terminator 2: Judgment Day, issues #1-3. Script adapted by Gregory Wright, art by Klaus Janson. As with any adaptation, lots of things have been cut out. This series is notable for its inclusion of scenes that were removed from the film, like Sarah adjusting the chip in the Terminator's head (see section 1.2.2). Art is mediocre; this series is only for die-hard, completist fans--like me! ;-) Reprinted in a squarebound, b&w magazine.

 

This series is also collected in a trade paperback edition, Terminator 2: Judgment Day: The Graphic Novel, published by ibooks in October, 2003 (ISBN 0743479920). This collection also includes the Malibu Comics miniseries Terminator 2: Cybernetic Dawn.

 

The following was posted to Usenet by comics pro Evan Skolnick:

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc

Subject: Re: Terminator ( was Re: Licensed comics (was Re: Transformers))

From: evanskol@aol.com (EvanSkol)

Date: 30 Apr 1996 23:11:17 -0400

 

Dave Good (dgood@pomona.edu) wrote:

>Marvel also held on to the Terminator license once for a while and did

>absolutely NOTHING with it.

 

Not really true. Speaking as the guy who was hired to write the Marvel TERMINATOR 2 series back when the T2 movie was coming out, I can tell you we were feverishly working to get the licensing moron at Lightstorm Productions to approve our stories. We had a way-cool concept (if I say so myself) for the ongoing series that had everyone at Marvel excited.

 

But this guy thought the series should've been more like the Saturday morning Terminator cartoon show they were developing at the time (I kid you not), which can be summed up by "A boy and his pet Terminator". We refused to do such a juvenile, asinine series, and we found ourselves stalemated. Ultimately, I found myself out of a writing job, and Marvel found that the potentially valuable license they had paid good money for had been squandered.

 

A very frustrating experience, let me tell you...

-- Evan Skolnick

 

 

 

[7.7] Malibu Comics

-------------------

Malibu Comics produced two series that tied together in the flip-book T2: Cybernetic Dawn #0/T2: Nuclear Twilight #0. These series are notable for including several scenes described in the T2 Illustrated Screenplay that were left out of T2. (In some cases, the renderings look suspiciously similar to the storyboards.)

 

[7.7.1] T2: Cybernetic Dawn (aka "Present War")
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T2: Cybernetic Dawn

Issues #1-4 and #0 (1995/1996). Written by Dan Abnett, art by Rod Whigham & Jack Snider and Gordon Purcell, covers by Rob Prior and Rod Whigham & Chuck Maiden and Joel Naprstek. Picks up where T2 left off. Sarah and John go to Salceda's ranch, but Enrique has been killed by the T-1000. Meanwhile, the T-800's arm is recovered from the steel mill by two FBI agents, Vincent Spasky and Karyn Stern, who are in league with NetWork Developments. Sarah and John help Tarissa Dyson and her children escape from the Feds, who are trying to learn more about Miles' project. In the chase, one LAPD officer is killed by a Terminator!

 

Sarah and LAPD officer Mossberg kill the T-800 at a construction site. To find out their plans, Sarah surrenders to the feds. Stern shows Sarah dozens of (nonfunctional) endoskeletons, and then reveals herself to be a T-1000! Meanwhile, Mossberg, John, and the Dyson kids fight off another Terminator, which Mossberg destroys with a shoulder-launched missile. Sarah destroys the T-1000 by dousing it with a corrosive solvent; the ensuing conflagration levels NetWork Developments. John and Sarah meet up and realize that Judgment Day is inevitable, and they all must prepare for it...

 

This series is also collected in a trade paperback edition, Terminator 2: Judgment Day: The Graphic Novel, published by ibooks in October, 2003 (ISBN 0743479920). This collection also includes the Marvel Comics miniseries Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

 

 

[7.7.2] T2: Nuclear Twilight (aka "Future War")
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T2: Nuclear Twilight

Issues #1-4 and #0 (1995/1996). Written by Mark Paniccia, art by Gary Erskine, covers by Rob Prior and Gary Erskine & Joel Naprstek. Takes place after Judgment Day. An adult John Connor leads the human resistance; Danny Dyson is secretly analyzing Skynet's source code. Skynet suffers a power dip as the first T-800 goes back in time to hunt Sarah Connor. Risking his life, Kyle Reese succeeds in capturing an endoskeleton that is rendered catatonic during the power dip. Griff, a member of Reese's team, is captured by Skynet and duplicated by a T-1000, while another T-1000 prepares for chronoportation to 1994.

 

Dyson uploads a virus to the T-800 which is designed to paralyze Skynet. A team of resistance fighters takes the endoskeleton to infiltrate Skynet's Cheyenne Mountain complex. As Skynet is crippled, John Connor leads a team to the Time Displacement Equipment, and sends Reese back in time. In the complex, John and Danny program a T-800 to be sent back to 1994 to protect John; its mission begins immediately, as it saves the (adult) John Connor by terminating several hostile T-800s. Just when it appears that humanity has triumphed over the machines, the other T-1000 (still mimicking Griff) enters Dyson's quarters and downloads the crucial Skynet source code...

 

 

 

[7.8] Beckett Comics

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Beckett Comics produced the comics adaptation of T3, and also extended the story with prequel and followup stories.

 

[7.8.1] Terminator 3
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Terminator 3

Issues #1-6 (2003-2004). Written by various, art by various, covers by various.

 

"Before the Rise" (issues #1-2) features a prequel that chronicles the story of a band of desperate freedom fighters in the future waging a futile war against Skynet.

 

"Eyes of the Rise" (#3-4) is adapted from the T3 screenplay; presents events from the perspective of the T-X.

 

In "Fragmented" (#5-6), a Terminator comes online to find himself in the aftermath of a gunfight. What is his mission? His CPU holds the answers, but is badly damaged. All he has to go on is one name: John Connor. Is he supposed to protect him or kill him?

 


 

 

[7.9] Dynamite Entertainment

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Dynamite Entertainment is producing a series based on T2 called Terminator 2: Infinity.

 

[7.9.1] Terminator 2: Infinity
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Terminator 2: Infinity

Issues #1- (2007-2008). Written by Simon Furman (#1-5) and Jimmy Palmiotti (#6-7), pencils by Nigel Raynor; covers by various. This series features Sarah, John, the T-800, T-1000, and T-Infinity. One story arc has a crossover with Dynamite's Painkiller Jane character.

 


 

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