The Terrifics comes across as nothing if not DC’s attempt at building its own Fantastic Four. You have a team of four heroes led by a genius inventor who explore beyond the known reaches of the universe. Hey, if Marvel refuses to publish an FF book, someone might as well do it, right?

The catch being that FF comics usually hinge on the team’s status as a dysfunctional but loving family. The Terrifics lacks that quality, at least for now. Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Ivan Reis pull together four characters who share a number of superficial similarities with the FF but little in the way of shared personal history. And the fundamental mistake with this book is focusing on building a threat for this new team to confront before giving these characters a compelling reason to join forces in the first place. There’s not a strong emotional tether to the book. Instead, there’s a lot of unnecessary focus on using Dark Nights: Metal as a springboard and thrusting this unproven team into their first big mission. Normally I am not big on team books that spend a lot of time on the actual team-building process up-front. But this is one case where that approach probably would have benefited the book.

The good news is that Lemire does seem to have a solid handle on the individual characters, even if they don’t really come together as an effective whole. His Plastic Man in particular stands out in this issue as a character jilted by being used as a tool by Batman. I can see this team growing into a worthwhile band of misfits, but it’s probably going to take some time. The fact that this issue culminates with the introduction of a completely separate batch of characters only adds to the general sense of frustration.

Visually, at least, the series gets off on the right footing thanks to penciler Ivan Reis, inker Joe Prado and colorist Marcelo Maiolo. Reis has a knack for the sort of bold, detailed imagery a series like this demands. This issue doesn’t emphasise his talent for facial work and emotion, but he nonetheless brings plenty of life and vitality to these characters. Mailo’s colors are the true highlight, however. This book is crammed full of explosions, strange realms and various displays of cosmic energy. Mailo deftly handles all of these elements and gives the story an appropriately apocalyptic feel.

It’s unfortunate that this art team will only be on board for a few issues before moving elsewhere. That said, I’m also looking forward to Evan Shaner’s debut on the series. And given Shaner’s classical sensibilities, he may be able to help push The Terrifics in the direction it needs to go if it’s going to find a lasting foothold at DC.