Fair Play: Mister Terrific Deserves an Ongoing
Yesterday marked the anniversary of the first appearance of Mister Terrific (Michael Holt), and James Gunn took to Threads to celebrate:
“If there’s one thing about Mr. Terrific, he doesn’t need to be the loudest guy in the room – just the smartest, and the most relentless. I’m so grateful to @iamedigathegi for bringing the heat (and the T-Spheres) to this iconic character. He made his first comic appearance in THE SPECTRE #54, written by John Ostrander, with pencils and inks by Tom Mandrake."
That post sparked a great follow-up question from a fan: after such a strong year for the character, why has Mister Terrific only headlined a six-issue miniseries instead of an ongoing?
Writer Al Letson didn’t hesitate to jump in with an answer—and a pitch:
“This may be out of turn, but @#%$ it. Fortune favors the bold. If I was given the opportunity to write a Mr. Terrific ongoing I’d center the story around Mr. Terrific and his son. The two of them having adventures together while Mr. Terrific teaches his son how to be a hero, and his son teaches him how to reconnect with his humanity. I’d build his rogues galley. He deserves iconic bag guys. And switch up the threats from smaller personal stakes, to earth shattering events.”
It’s a little baffling it isn’t already in development. Mr. Terrific: Year One was phenomenal, and over the past year Holt has been everywhere—popping up across Justice League, Superman, The Flash, and beyond whenever DC needed its smartest man in the room.
Given his rising profile—and ongoing conversations around DC’s lack of representation—an ongoing series feels like a no-brainer.
The 29th anniversary of Michael Holt, it’s a good excuse to celebrate the character. Revisit Year One, dig into some reading lists here and on DCUI.
Hopefully Mister Terrific has an ongoing by his 30th Anniversary.
