I just read Terminal #2, which came out August 26. After a strong, mysterious first issue from Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, and Andy Kubert, the question for a lot of readers is simple: does issue two keep that momentum?
It picks up right after the unexpected ending of #1 and starts filling in the two sides of this new superhero war.
The Setup
The issue opens with a cutaway to Tyler, the mysterious figure from the end of #1, on some kind of secret mission in Atlantic City. We don’t get many answers about him, but the book makes sure we know he’s still in play.
Then it returns to the main cast. The “good” side is the Activators: Crusher, Blaster, Breaker, Thrasher, and Racer. The other side is The Awoken: Phantasm, Imp, Minotaur, Siren, and Goblin. Maculox — the floating eyeball that came from Theed — sends the Activators on a new mission “in the name of the Righteous Order,” saying “the Obelisk strikes.”
The job is to stop an assassination targeting Benjamin Wright, a tech philanthropist whose work is clearly more complicated than consumer gadgets.
Highlights
This is still a drip-feed book, which is one of the things that made #1 work. We get a better look at a few Activators without getting full origin dumps.
Dominik / Breaker is using some kind of nano-skin to hide what he really looks like. He hints that it isn’t just vanity, but the issue leaves the “why” hanging (is he a cyborg type or something else?). Halle / Thrasher has a much more monstrous design — sabertooth / wolf energy, heavy legs and a tail (almost chimera type animal). Alessandra / Crusher is the emotional center this time. She’s starting to question what the Activators are actually doing, even as she goes on the mission because something about it feels wrong.
The mission itself is a stealth-ish break-in that doesn’t stay stealthy. They enter a room they weren’t supposed to see, get spotted, and the fight spills open. Racer gets more room to show speed. Breaker’s disguise keeps failing. Then The Awoken show up, with Siren appearing to give the orders on that side. It feels like these two groups definitely have history. The confrontation is left unfinished and clearly set up to continue.
One of the stranger images is a glimpse of what may be the Awoken equivalent of Maculox: a giant heart emerging from a shriveled, floating body. Maculox speaks in blue. This presence speaks in red. It’s another piece of world-building that raises more questions than it answers.
There’s also a line early on about the barrier between what is known and what must remain unknown growing thin. Combined with Alessandra’s doubts, that feels like the real engine of the series so far.
Final Verdict
Terminal #2 does enough to deliver on #1. I’m more invested in the story and there’s no question I’m continuing. The mysteries are still the hook. Issue one had more of that first-issue shock; this one answers a few things, introduces new questions, and starts to focus more on the war between the two sides in earnest.
I’m still not fully in love with any of the characters just yet. I’m intrigued. That’s okay for issue two of what they’re clearly building as a long-running series. The world-building is doing its job, the art still looks strong, and the book is willing to keep things unsettled.
If #1 got you curious, #2 is worth sticking with. It doesn’t explode the premise so much as deepen it.
Not to mention we still have David Finch waiting in the wings for interior work (cant wait after seeing his most recent detail work in his and Kirkman’s Skinbreaker)
What did you think of the second issue? Are you staying on Terminal? Do you think it has 90s vibes? Tag me on X @NostalgicNestEg!
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