Ahead of his big screen debut in “Superman” this summer, Mister Terrific is getting his origins recharged with a new limited series from Peabody Award-winning journalist Al Letson (DC New Talent Showcase) and award-winning artist Valentine De Landro (Black Manta).
Mr. Terrific: Year One, available for pre-order on Friday, February 21, is a DC All In six-issue series that will focus on Michael Holt, “a genius-level inventor and Olympic champion.” Holt is one of, if not THE, smartest man in the DC universe and the second man to pick up the Mister Terrific mantle.
According to DC’s press release, the series will dive into how Holt’s life “was destined for greatness,” but is derailed by personal tragedy. “…That life came to a screeching halt when his wife, Paula, and unborn son were killed in a car accident. The Holts once shared ambitious dreams of using their technology to help others, but after the tragedy, Michael retreats from society, selling Holt Industries to mysterious and craven tech billionaire Athena Prescott. Surrendering his dream sets off an explosive chain of events, taking the exceptionally intelligent Holt from the depths of despair to the heights of heroism as Mr. Terrific.”
The death of his wife and child are integral parts of what make Holt the hero he is today. The series will be told in the past and present, with artist Edwin Galmon (Superman, Superwoman Special), providing present-day sequences throughout the story.
“Valentine and I are diving deep and telling the origin story of who Mr. Terrific is as a man, and as a superhero,” Letson said in the press release.
This series marks an uptick in comic series featuring or focusing on characters that will appear in James Gunn’s “Superman” this summer. Not only will we see Terrific (played by Edi Gathegi in the film) in this new series, Guy Gardner (played by Nathan Fillion) is one of many Lanterns showcased in the brand-new Green Lantern Corps series from writers Morgan Hampton and Jeremy Adams; Rex Mason (played by Anthony Carrigan) is the focus of his own ongoing series, Metamorpho: The Element Man from creators Al Ewing and Steve Lieber, and that’s not even including the Super-family’s adventures in Action Comics.
Mr. Terrific: Year One is on sale Wednesday, May 28 at local comic book stores and digital retailers. The creative team includes colorist Marissa Louise and letterer Lucas Gattoni. The first issue will include an array of covers, with the main cover by De Landro and Louise, and variant covers by Strange Adventures artist Mitch Gerads, Evan “Doc” Shaner, and Denys Cowan, including inks and colors by Ho Che Anderson.