Mr. Terrific- JSA Legacies Project Day 11 #JSApril
In celebration of JSApril, I am creating art of JSA members and their legacies characters whether it’s their successor, former sidekick, or even their kids. Today, I am taking a look at a one of the lesser known JSA members and his much more famous successor- Mr. Terrific.
Mr. Terrific (Terry Sloane and Michael Holt)
I think it is fair to say Terry Sloane is the lesser known Mr. Terrific and JSA member compared to Michael Holt. Not to say he’s lesser of a character. Holt just had more appearances and multiple mainstream adaptations (coming this summer to a theater near you with Superman).
Mr. Terrific (Terry Sloane)
Debuting in Sensation Comics #1 (alongside Wildcat), Sloane is just really good at a lot of things. Like, everything be it art, science, or athletics. A more well known character to compare him to would be Ozymandias from the Watchmen. However, unlike Veidt, Sloane would use his gifts to help disenfranchised youth with “fair play society”. Researching him I discovered Sloane struggle with suicidal tendencies before turning his efforts to helping people. This is a very bold concept for the 1940’s, but this is pre-comics code so they would include topics like suicide and murder in comics more.
The Process
I was really inspired by a random panel of Sloane from an issue of Starman while looking for references for Jack Knight. He looked so broad and iconic even in a sillier looking costume. There wasn’t a lot of changes to this piece. An accidental bleed over from the mask, actually helped me get a better shadow. I’ve been trying to play around with shadows on skin color, with mixed results. I liked how this one came out. The saturation and hue in this piece overall came out wonderful.
Mr. Terrific (Michael Holt)
One of the smartest people in the DC universe, Michael Holt is one of the most popular B-tier characters and due to breakout any moment. DC has even given him a brief solo series and longer running team book called the Terrifics. I love Holt’s design and the Fair Play on the sleeves is a nice adaptation of Terry Sloane’s iconic look.
The Process
As I said before, I will eventually learn how to render leather. This was a better attempt but still just could not get it to come together. Progress is important though!
Final Thoughts
This looks a lot better than I expected going into it. I opted to eschew the circle backdrop that’s been a theme to the project for Michael Holt due to the T-spheres. Still glad I decided to paint a blue backdrop to both. It made the composition pop. Holt looks far better than I was expecting during the early stages of the painting project.
That’s all for today. Be sure to check back next time to see the best fighter in the JSA, the former boxing champ and his protege: Wildcat!
What is JSApril?
The Justice Society of America made their debut in All-Star Comics #3 in 85 years ago. In celebration, the folks over at Fire and Water Podcasting Network have assembled bloggers, podcasters, and many more creators to honor the world’s first superhero team. Find the full list of participants and more over at Fire and Water Network’s webpage and I truly encourage you all to check out some of the amazing things people have been creating.
Social Media
You can follow along with JSApril all of the other creators on social media with #JSApril. You can always find me here or over on Bluesky and I contribute weekly to The Beat. If you are new here be sure to check out out the archives. Personally, I’m quiet proud of my History of Heroes Reborn posts. You can see my other JSApril posts here.
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