The Terminator: The Dark Years is a four part comic series taking place in Los Angeles in 2030 and New York in 1999 (on New Year's Eve, after the events of The Terminator and The Terminator: Death Valley). The series was published by Dark Horse Comics and created by Alan Grant (writer), Mel Rubi (Penciller) and Bob Wiacek (Inker).
Prelude[]
In the first Terminator movie, Sgt. Kyle Reese tells Sarah Connor about his life growing up in the post-nuclear ruins of the future. He called it "the Dark Years." The future hasn't changed much for those few humans still fighting with John Connor against Skynet's Terminator army. While a new cyborg is sent back to 1999 to eliminate John Connor, the Connor of the future discovers a new Terminator experiment that, if unchecked, may finally tip the scales against humanity.
Characters[]
#1
Issue #1: The Future Ends Here![]
Plot: It's the year 2030, Walker, Powell and Jon Norden belong to a small group of resistance hiding in a basement. Discovered by terminators, Powell is presumes killed and they all have to flee from their hiding place. Down in the sewer, Norden's dog Jez discovers a rat robot which turns out to be a small cyborg made by Skynet to infiltrate and give information about where the Resistance is hiding. Walker and Norden decide to try contact John Connor in Tupanga outside Los Angeles, and inform him about this new type of Infiltrator. On their way to Tupanga they save Selina, the last survivor of a group of humans in the desert, from an HK-Aerial. Finally reaching John Connor and the others from the Resistance in a cave, Norden seems to have something against John and knocks him down. Back in 1999 Sarah Connor and John Connor are celebrating New Year's Eve in New York. Nearby, a terminator arrives, killing a cop to get a weapon and clothes. In the middle of the crowd, Sarah discovers the terminator and starts running away together with John. Sarah is badly wounded while trying to escape from the terminator in a subway.
Issue #2: A New Ally[]
#2
Plot: In 2030, Walker informs about the rat robot they discovered in Los Angeles. The Resistance have lately monitored a new machine facility by Skynet taking in live animals in cages. John Connor, Selina, Norden and Walker decide to check out this facility. Inside the facility John saves Selina from a terminator that tries to attack her. What they discover in the facility is that Skynet is not only studying live animals but also human brains. Before they blow up the whole facility, they manage to get documentation about Skynet's research and find another facility. Sarah Connor has been badly injured and together with John she heads to Danzer Memorial Hospital. The terminator is also headed to the same hospital, but John is able to escape from him. While John ends up in a cab and escaping from the terminator, he tries to figure out how to take it out.
Issue #3: In Pursuit[]
#3
Plot: Together with other Resistance members in Los Angeles, John Connor, Norden, Walker and Selina plan to take out this new facility. While discussing the plan, Walker suggest that there is a traitor among them since the machines always know where they are. He thinks it might be Norden, since he attacked John Connor earlier. They're then attacked by terminators again and they have to blow up the hiding place and run away. They walk through the sewers and finally reach Skynet's facility. Again people suggest Norden is the traitor, but John does not listen to them. Alone and inside the facility John Connor is attacked by a terminator. In 1999, John is pursued inside a mall, he gets the idea of giving the terminator an electroshock and is able to do this with a cord, a bow and an arrow. Running up to the roof John Connor thought he escaped the terminator, but out of luck he is now trapped in a corner as the terminator appears and now has a close aim on him.
Issue #4: Captured![]
#4
Plot: Younger John and future John are both trapped by a terminator. One sent back to 1999 and the other attacking him at a lab facility in year 2030. Suddenly Selina, Norden and Walker show up and destroy the terminator which is about to attack John. Inside the lab facility, they discover several tubes of glass holding real humans, one already empty, increasing suspicion that there is a traitor among them! They are brainwashing humans to use them against the Resistance. Powell is discovered captive in a tube, being brainwashed. They try to rescue Powell, but he fights back against them. John Connor decides to destroy the facility and take the people with them, while they discuss the matter, a confused Selina reveals she is being dominated by Skynet and detains everyone to await the machines. Skynet, monitoring the situation through Selina (who it regards as "human AX-19") discovers the leaders of the resistance have been detained attempting to rescue the captured humans, and decides to bomb the facility itself with fast attack flying HKs. In the bombing Norden accidentally shoots Selina. John, Norden, and the surviving resistance members escape the facility between sorties by Skynet's bombers. Young John Connor at the roof is able to blind the terminator with a fire hose and as it runs towards him, and uses a pipe to vault him over the roof edge and down on the street. Returning to the hospital John discovers that Sarah survived the surgeries. Still functional, the terminator pursues Sarah Connor and John Connor in the hospital. Eventually, the terminator has its arm around John's head, but Sarah is able to use a surgical laser on the terminator, which destroys it.
Chronology[]
- The Terminator: Death Valley
- The Terminator: The Dark Years