The Best Terminator Stories Get Incredible New Release Fans Need To Own

Yes, that’s right; it’s been 40 years since action movie legend Arnold Schwarzenegger first used the iconic “I’ll be back” one-liner, and he didn’t lie. The franchise, which began with the release of The Terminator in 1984, birthed numerous sequels, video games, TV shows, and comic books—which are actually a very important part of the lore. Now, that lore is going to become accessible to the fans once again, thanks to Dynamite Entertainment, who signed a new partnership with StudioCanal to reprint the original Terminator comics and produce new ones.

Unfortunately, the details surrounding those new stories remain unknown, but Dynamite did start a crowdfunding campaign for the 40^th-anniversary reprint, with plans to produce three volumes of The Terminator 40^th Anniversary Graphic Novel Collection. Each of these volumes will be available as a softcover, hardcover, and hardcover with metal jacket editions. The company also announced a set of three key Terminator comics issues with a shiny chrome cover finish.

What makes this collection interesting is the fact that this is the first time various Terminator comics will be presented in their chronological order, taking fans through the war against the machines as it unfolded—along with all the time-travel shenanigans associated with stopping Skynet from taking over the world. These comics were central to the Terminator experience away from the cinematic releases, and they significantly expanded the mythos with never-before-seen stories. In fact, some of the most critical pieces of the lore can be found in the comic books.

Sadly, the Terminator comics have played an underappreciated role in the franchise’s enduring success, as they actually drove the franchise expansion before the release of Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1990. Sure, that movie might’ve made The Terminator more famous among the audiences, but it only accelerated the expansion that was already underway. Dynamite Entertainment now seeks to bring these pop culture artifacts back to the limelight, thus allowing newer generations of readers to dive deeper into their favorite franchise.

With the number of previously released comics being compiled into The Terminator 40^th Anniversary Graphic Novel Collection novels, the newly produced comics Dynamite announced deserve a discussion of their own. It’s entirely possible that Dynamite is gauging public interest in the franchise by releasing the collection of old works first as a way to test the market for newly produced stories.

But, as previously stated, the details surrounding new comics remain a matter of the future, and unlike Skynet, we don’t have access to a time machine.

Truth be told, The Terminator 40^th Anniversary Graphic Novel Collection and Terminator comics are a fantastic medium that offers truly unlimited narrative opportunities. We have already witnessed something similar: when RoboCop clashed with the T-800 or had a run-in against the Yautja and the Xenomorph in Alien versus Predator versus The Terminator.