8 Comics to Celebrate 40 Years of The Terminator

Although the Terminator films released in this century have not left the best impression on either fans or critics, it’s difficult to overstate the cultural impact of the first two films. While the release of 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a huge pop culture moment that introduced the world to groundbreaking visual effects (and featured career best performances from nearly everyone involved), its predecessor from 1984 still holds up as one of the most influential science fiction movies of the decade.

Released 40 years ago this week, The Terminator gave us a dark, grimy Los Angeles in which a murderous, time-traveling robot hunts down the mother of the future leader of the human resistance, culminating in one of cinema’s most intense conclusions. The Terminator solidified Arnold Schwarzenegger as an action star, established James Cameron as a bankable director, and really accelerated the trend of wildly successful hard-R sci-fi action films that would continue with the likes of Aliens, Robocop, Predator, and, of course, Terminator 2.

Not all ‘80s action movies are made equal, and there’s a reason (well, many reasons) why The Terminator has stood the test of time over many of its contemporaries (seriously, go compare this to a typical Stallone movie and see how many cheesy ‘80s tropes The Terminator doesn’t have). And yes, technically the plot of The Terminator is very similar to a 1964 episode of The Outer Limits written by Harlan Ellison, but you know…The Outer Limits didn’t have Arnold saying, “I’ll be back.”

For more great comics, make sure to check out the offerings of your local Library branch as well as the hoopla app.

Robocop Versus The Terminator

Transformers Vs. The Terminator

Terminator: The Enemy Within 

The Terminator 2029-1984

Terminator: Sector War