Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle #12 Review

It’s here. But should you even care if the final outing is a success? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

STRACZYNSKI ENDS IT ALL!

This is it! With John Connor’s fate now sealed and Skynet taken over by the psychotic intelligence of Thomas Parnell, has humanity reached its final hour?

* Celebrate 30 years of The Terminator!

I think after concluding this I understand why all the extensions to this lasting property have ultimately been lackluster affairs that failed to impress. Each movie, comic, video game or (fondly remembered) television series has attempted to approach the property with the goal of extension instead of completion, which in a strange way is exactly why this iteration worked as well as it did. The creative team charted a plot, with the films in mind, while crafting an endgame that made sense.

If someone would have told me that J. Michael Straczynski would one day pen a journey that took Rise of the Machines and Salvation into account while creating a literary bow for the Terminator saga I would have laughed them off. Even so that’s what we get with this issue, as John Connor stands at an interesting crossroads. Don’t worry I don’t intend to spoil any of the events as the familiar tolls of fate beat away with the machines and humans caught directly in the fray. The scribe offered up a nuanced piece that actually fit what I think many fans have been looking for.

For one final time Pete Woods dazzled with creative illustrations that matched the tempo of the written word without ever undercutting its intent. Each page is minimal in detail, as perfectly constructed machines walk the Earth for a precise round. I’m still not a huge fan of some of the talent’s renditions, but I found myself more then pleased with his efforts as each pencil stroke brought the Future War to its knees. And the colors by Matt Wilson cemented a mature and consistent display that deserved recognition.

Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle #12 is what it needed to be. As the last bits fall into place the tale becomes readily clear as the creative delivers what they must in order to bring closure to this journey that just wants to stop. It’s imperfect in some aspects, but deliciously deserving in others as this one earns the right to come highly recommended.