DC Comics Relaunch: Eric Wallace Talks Mister Terrific

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Writer Eric Wallace lays down some knowledge about his September shipping DC Comics Relaunch book called Mister Terrific (a title on my Top 19).


I really am saddened that the Justice Society of America (JSA) is not part of the September 2011 DC Comics Relaunch. However, with a second generation hero like Mister Terrific, I’m hoping it will be explained that he was inspired by the original Mister Terrific, perennial JSA’er, Terry Sloane. Even with Carter Hall headlining a Savage Hawkman series, a character whose whole existence is tied to reincarnation and long life, the rumours of the demise of the JSA may be premature.

The modern Mister Terrific, Michael Holt, is a great choice for a new series. He is the third smartest man in the DCU, behind Batman (Bruce Wayne) an Lex Luthor (Superman arch foe), and provides a touch of diversity to DC’s line-up. The solicit from #1 also seems to indicate this will be a very different hero series, so I do hope the book blazes its own path.


Here are some highlights from the Eric Wallace interview.

Hmmm. Down-to-earth stories AND cosmic ones too? Interesting.

Why Mister Terrific and why now:

“So a big part of this book is about getting a look inside the mind of a genius. And unlike, say, Lex Luthor, Michaelʼs not out to conquer the world. Heʼs out to save us from ourselves. Mister Terrific #1 (ships September 2011)

Another reason to launch this book is that itʼs going to more closely reflect the actual world people live in, as opposed to some idealized, imaginary storyscape. I donʼt know about you, but I live in a diverse world. Therefore, I want to see comic books that reflect that world. Mr. Terrific uses this approach. As readers will see in the first storyline, thereʼs an entire rainbow of ethnicities in Michaelʼs world, something I feel is important for diverse readers looking for characters that they can identify with.

And even though the book gets pretty cosmic very fast, there are elements to the world of Mr. Terrific that are specifically designed to ground the book in an identifiable reality. I canʼt reveal most of them yet. But Iʼll give you one simple example: Michael doesnʼt live in a mythical town. He lives in Los Angeles, Calif., a place that people know and can actually visit. How he interacts with the West Coast, as well as Tinseltown, is a deliberate attempt on the creative teamʼs part to ground Mr. Terrific in a world that feels genuine.”

So, we’ll know soon if Holt was inspired by the JSA’s Mister Terrific or if he’s the first one in this new DCU:

“Everything you need to know initially about Mr. Terrific gets laid out in issue #1. This includes his origins, the specifics about his dual identity, and his modus operandi as a crime fighter.”

It appears DC is setting up Mister Terrific to eventually join the expanding cast of the Geoff Johns written and Jim Lee drawn Justice League as he was part of the initial “Justice” launch of titles by DC.

Source: Newsarama

John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!