Warning! Spoilers for issues #1-3 of Dynamite's Terminator series ahead.

Dynamite Entertainment's new Terminator comic series is finally giving fans the story they've waited decades for, as Skynet's killer robots infiltrate the most heated moments in 20th century history, and perhaps beyond, totally reinventing the scope of the franchise in the process. While there are many exciting Terminator stories, across multiple mediums, this new incarnation is shaping up to be one of the best.

The Terminator #3 – written by Declan Shalvey, with art by David O'Sullivan – concludes the two-part "Apocalypse, Then" storyline, set during the height of America's intervention in the conflict in Vietnam. The next issue will feature another jump in time, taking readers to 1986 for a Cold War thriller.

Overall, the series has proved to be equally ambitious and exciting, and it is only just getting warmed up; given enough time to develop the themes that have already been introduced in these early issues, Shalvey's Terminator could stand among the franchise's most memorable stories.

Dynamite's Vietnam-Era Terminator Tale Is The First True Look At The Comic's Potential

The Terminator #3 – Written By Declan Shalvey; Art By David O'Sullivan; Color By Colin Craker; Lettering By Jeff Eckleberry

The first issue of Dynamite's Terminator set the tone for the book, and established the idea that the series will – at least, to start out – consist of shorter, largely self-contained stories set at various points in the past, as Skynet seeks to undermine the flow of human history itself. Terminator #1 split its story between the late 1970s and late 2010s, but the period piece portions were minimal, and essentially served as set up; the story's ill-fated human protagonists survived a T-800 attack in the '70s, and managed to evade detection by Skynet for nearly 40 years, before ultimately being terminated.

The second and third issues of the series, meanwhile, fully immerse readers in the story's temporal setting; once again the '70s, though several years earlier, in the terminal stages of the Vietnam War. Writer Declan Shalvey skillfully filters the tropes of the Vietnam film genre through the lens of the Terminator franchise, creating a kind of hyperrealism, in which one of the 20th century's most horrifying settings is given a dimension of sci-fi terror. This makes Dynamite Entertainment's Terminator a tense, compulsive read – and signals exactly how Shalvey and his creative team intend to make the most of their premise.

The New Terminator Comic Is A Throwback And The Future Of The Franchise, All At Once

The Terminator #1-3 – Available Now From Dynamite Entertainment; Terminator #4 – Available January 22, 2025

By setting the revived Terminator comic series in the past, Dynamite has created what can nominally be called a prequel to the original film – yet it is also a sequel, a sidequel, and more. In effect, given the time-travel nature of the story, Declan Shalvey's Terminator transcends the linear framework of most franchises, and it does so to its own benefit. In a similar sense, the series can be called a throwback in many ways: Terminator #1 read like a throwback to James Cameron's first film, while issues #2-3 evoked classic war movies.

The [Terminator] franchise needs to expand its scope beyond the story of Sarah and John Connor, emphasizing that the war between Skynet and humanity is about more than just a few select individuals.

From the synopsis, Terminator #4 will be a kind of espionage thriller, with Terminators injected into the mix, continuing this trend. At the same time, it seems clear that the series represents the future of the franchise, particularly in one key way. To avoid some of the pitfalls that have had a negative impact on prior Terminator stories, the franchise needs to expand its scope beyond the story of Sarah and John Connor, emphasizing that the war between Skynet and humanity is about more than just a few select individuals.

With Declan Shalvey's "Terminator," The Franchise Is Finally Embracing The Full Possibilities Of The Comic Medium

Using The Page To Its Maximum Advantage

Since before Terminator 2: Judgment Day even came out, Terminator comics have often fallen prey to the same mistakes that have hindered the films: being too formulaic.

Declan Shalvey's Terminator opens up the franchise to entirely new battlefields, redrawing the lines of the series' existential conflict in a way that creates a completely new paradigm.

Or, if formulaic isn't the right word, perhaps "stuck," or "fixated" will do. Terminator stories are often overly fixated on recreating the beats from Cameron's original films – or otherwise, stick too closely to a narrow view of what it means to wage a war through time. Declan Shalvey's Terminator opens up the franchise to entirely new battlefields, redrawing the lines of the series' existential conflict in a way that creates a completely new paradigm. No place on Earth, nor at any point in time, is safe from Skynet now – and Shalvey's Terminator has only begun to scratch the surface of what that means.

All of that is to say, as much as the premise of The Terminator comic series is exciting on its own merit, and so far, its execution has left readers eager for more, it also signals a larger shift that should make fans more confident about the future of the franchise. The success of the series will emphasize that comics are the most potent medium for Terminator stories; it will also influence the next generation of stories in other mediums. In other words, the success of Dynamite's Terminator could have a legitimate impact on the direction of the franchise over the next several years.

On A Long Enough Timeline, Shalvey's Terminator Could Go To Some Truly Unexpected Places

The Terminator #3 – Main Cover By Declan Shalvey; Variant Covers By David Cousens, Edwin Galmon, Ken Haeser, & More

Fans and critics alike have cited the parallels between Dynamite's Terminator and the Predator prequel Prey, which helped to revitalize that beloved franchise by taking its familiar elements and remixing them in a past setting. This has led to the question of whether Declan Shalvey's Terminator will explore temporal territory beyond the 20th century, something the franchise has rarely, if ever, attempted to do. That would be an even more significant gamechanger for Terminator moving forward, in addition to what would surely be an over-the-top alternate history tale.

The synopsis for Terminator #5 reveals that the action will vault back to 1961, as Skynet meddles in the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Beyond that, it is unknown what direction the series will go in – both in time, and the trajectory of its overall story – and part of the fan excitement for book is the endless speculation that its premise fuels. In the end, as is always the case with Terminator, it will come down to a matter of time.

That is, the longer this Terminator series runs for, the more ambitious and unexpected twists and turns Declan Shalvey can introduce to the franchise's lore. This early on, it remains unclear how these disparate pieces may fit together into a grander, more overarching narrative. There have been some hints so far, but the main focus of the series so far has been acclimating readers to its time-hopping premise, along with its tone and style. Soon enough, though, fans can expect Shalvey's Terminator to another level of action-packed adventure.