Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, IDW Publishing, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Comic Reviews, cxPulp, Dan Duncan, Foot, IDW, IDW Publishing, Kevin Eastman, Ninja Turtles, Ronda Pattison, Shawn Lee, shredder, splinter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, TMNT #11, Tom Waltz | 1 Comment »
The Rest of the Stack is my general mini-review coverage of new comics for any given week. It’s in addition to (or in place of) full-size individual reviews. It’s far less formal, and more off-the-top-of-my head thoughts on the given comics than it is detailed reviews.
TMNT MICRO-SERIES #5: SPLINTER
In a way, the numbering on this series is funky. Instead of “just” a bunch of one-shots, this is being treated as a series of its own, just with a different character focus in each issue. It’s a nitpicky detail, but one that I’ve noticed. Still…quite enjoying the extra dose of story and the look at stuff from each character’s perspective. This Splinter issue delves a lot more into the new origin of these characters, shedding light on his past as Hamato Yoshi, and his relationship with Oroku Saki. This issue takes place within the current TMNT arc, where Splinter is being forced to fight for his life–as he contemplates what it all means, his past lends strength to his choice. This may not be the greatest jumping-in point for a new reader, but if you’re already enjoying the TMNT stuff from IDW, this is well worth snagging. I’m a little uneasy with the emphasis on elements of the new origin, but I’m curious to see where it goes, and it works much more for me than what was talked of for a certain live-action film. The art worked for the issue…nothing overly special, but nothing bad, either. (8/10).
WALKING DEAD #99
There’s not much to say about this issue. It’s another chapter. It’s the last chapter before the huge #100 issue. Though I’ve gone back and forth between singles and trades, I remember when the series was barely hitting #50…I’ve actually been reading since just after the 5th collected volume came out, around the time #32 or 33 would’ve been just out. So I’ve been “into” this for almost 70% of its run. The art’s the usual; nothing new there. Story-wise, it’s interesting seeing the various character interactions, and I love the consistency of tone to everything as a whole. In some ways it’s kind of amazing to see where things have come, especially looking at the tv series now. This arc’s covers remind me a bit of the “No One is Safe” arc in the mid-40s, and makes me wonder if this’ll be the next big shakeup. Not really a good jumping-on issue, but definitely a good continuing issue…though as always, stuff like this seems to read best in bigger chunks. (8/10)
AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #6
Finally at the half-way point of this series. Originally I was gonna avoid it, then I was gonna check it out. Then I decided what the hey–I’ll go all-in. Something about it made it seem different to me, from all the other recent events. But with this issue, we’ve hit what I’ve been somewhat afraid of: the world itself has been altered…and yet, it’s only reflected in a handful of titles. Wolverine’s own book doesn’t seem affected, not all the X-books seem to be affected, basically the bulk of the Marvel Universe is continuing as if something of this scale wasn’t going on. The build-up stuff, sure…that works, as characters are always in conflict. But the world’s been radically changed as of this issue…but it’s such a self-contained world that it seems hardly believable, and thus weakens the event and lessens the impact for me as a whole. I’m digging the Phoenix Five’s costumes, and I love the concept coming out of this story…it just doesn’t seem to be set in the main Marvel Universe anymore, somehow. Looking forward to what’s coming up, though, to see what happens, and see what this whole “No More Avengers” really means. Story in itself is good; art’s not bad. (7/10)
UNCANNY X-MEN #14
Now, I learned a lot from this issue. The last I recall seeing of Sinister, we had Ms. Sinister or whatever. Finding a whole society of Sinisters, with their own Victorian cityscape was quite a bit to take…and yet it seems to fit right into the “big concept” tone of the relaunched X-Men stuff (This title and Wolverine and the X-Men). While this is set within the overall AvX stuff, this issue is quite a stand-alone side-story…if you’re a fan of Mr. Sinister, and/or apparent recent stuff with Sinister, this is definitely an issue worth getting. At the same time, if you’re unfamiliar with recent stuff…this may be a good point to jump in and learn of the new status quo. The primary point of view character raises some interesting points, and the end was disturbing yet fitting. The last page in particular leaves me eager to see where this plot is going, whatever AvX has…and while I still detest the renumbering, I begin to much more seriously consider investing in checking out recent X-Stuff, at least back to the start of the relaunch. I enjoyed the art and the story here, and while it hardly seems to justify the AvX banner…I’m mostly glad it had the banner as that’s what I’m looking for in my increasingly foolish quest for the full AvX experience. (9/10)
SECRET AVENGERS #28
This issue seems to be one of the more “important” issues of the tie-ins, at least in that I can see where this is prologue for other stuff…particularly the upcoming Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel Captain Marvel series. In that way this arc has somewhat been like a “backdoor pilot.” I have just enough background knowledge of things that I greatly appreciated the bit with Binary, and the visual was sufficiently reminiscent of something I’ve read with her in the past. I was also not at all shocked at Captain Marvel himself, except the very end which was a little creepy and disturbing while also being slightly hopeful, at least symbolically. Still not a huge fan of the art for this series/arc in general, but I think it worked better for me in this issue than the last several. (8/10)
AVENGERS ACADEMY #32
I didn’t care quite as much for the art in this issue as the last several…but it was still quite good. That, added to a solid story and reasonable cover price, and I have to say this will be a title I stick with beyond AvX if I stick wtih any. I haven’t read all of the Sentinel stuff, but I love the reintroduction to that concept this issue is for me, especially after making the connection last issue or the one before. While some may argue with my analogy, I found myself easily able to identify with Juston by likening the sentinel to a pet, such as a cat–the way I often find that it seems many don’t quite “get” or understand what (a cat) can be to someone though the cat is not human. Before I ramble much longer: very good issue that makes great use of the status quo created by the event without being just “the next chapter” or such. This is the first of a two-issue arc, so if you know the characters or just want to check things out, this is like a mini jumping-on point within the larger context. Highly recommended. (9.5/10)
NEW AVENGERS #27
This issue finally brings the arc full circle, showing what may have happened with the old Iron Fist that last encountered the Phoenix, as well as putting some stuff out to Hope. The involvement of Spider-Man seemed sorta strange, and yet I loved his interaction with Hope. The last several issues definitely gave deeper context, but in some ways it felt like this issue stood alone a bit more and so long as one knows THAT there’s much more detail if desired, you could probably get away with enjoying this issue without anything else. While it may just be the Spider-Man factor, the Spidey/Hope scene toward the end was maybe the most interested in Hope I’ve been in awhile. It’s nice to see an arc that’s not 6 issues long…and yet the danger with concluding a tie-in arc at this point is that it would be relatively easy enough to consider this month the wrap-up point of this exercise in completism and bail on at least some of the tie-ins. (8.5/10)
Filed under: Avengers Academy, Avengers vs. X-Men, Avengers vs. X-Men (event), IDW Publishing, Image, MARVEL, Marvel Universe, New Avengers, Secret Avengers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW), Uncanny X-Men, Walking Dead | Tagged: avengers, Avengers Academy 32, Avengers vs. X-Men, Avengers vs. X-Men 6, Avx, Captain Marvel, Comic Reviews, Hamato Yoshi, IDW, Image Comics, MARVEL, Marvel Comics, Micro Series, Mr. Sinister, New Avengers 27, Ninja Turtles, Secret Avengers 28, Sentinel, splinter, TMNT, Uncanny X-Men 14, Walking Dead 99, x-men | Leave a comment »
The Rest of the Stack is my general mini-review coverage of new comics for any given week. It’s in addition to (or in place of) full-size individual reviews. It’s far less formal, and more off-the-top-of-my head thoughts on the given comics than it is detailed reviews.
AVX: VERSUS #3
Well, this concept has worn totally thin on me. Yeah, yeah…nothing-but-the-fight, no plot, blah blah blah. I don’t mind just a fight, but darnit, put some intelligence to it! And really…”AR” here? I should NOT have to bust out the smartphone (note to writers, editors, publishers: *I* might have a smartphone to have the app, but not everyone will!) just to be able to read half the dialogue! The Colossus/Thing battle’s nothing but punching, basically…big hairy deal who wins. The Black Widow/Magik fight…basically the same. And why would the Widow–in battle with a Russian girl–keep arbitrarily switch between Russian and English? I don’t care if there’s low to no plot…but geez, have some consistency other than “hey, look what we can do if you use an app!” Ugh…this might make me break from the completist mentality and see if I can drop the rest of this series. Absolutely NOT even BEGINNING to approach anything worth $4…this should be one of those supplemental freebies Marvel sends to the comic shops to GIVE out. “Hey, look at this fight! Look at the sweet art! If you want art AND story, pick up the series this is based on!” (4/10)
AVENGERS #27
I don’t know what it was about this issue, but nothing to it really struck me as all that good. And I feel like I’ve missed something outright…I mean, aren’t these characters also involved with the Captain Marvel “resurrection” stuff, too? I don’t mind the art on this issue…there’s one panel in particular that I really like of Thor. But this stuff with Protector or whatever his name is…I just don’t feel at all invested, and so I don’t care about the character (or maybe it’s the other way around). Given this arc ties in with the main series, it also seems rather odd that a week after #5 of AvX ships, we have an issue concluding a story that takes place before #4. BUT…at least we have some notes now to place stuff in the overall timeline. I guess part of what’s soured my mood is thinking about the price of these issues. Yeah, there’s that download code thing, but I don’t have an iPad or a physically roughly-the-size-of-a-comic screened tablet, and if I’m paying to get the physical comic, I’m probably gonna read that, not a digital copy. Shame it’s not a case of buy a physical $3.99 issue, get a free digital copy of “any” new issue. I’d be all for that. Looks like a new story arc with the next issue…maybe that’ll work better? (6/10)
X-MEN: LEGACY #268
Ok…so this is basically a one-shot spotlighting Frenzy. Who until a few days ago I didn’t give a crap about. But having recognized the name, it seems this character actually dates back to the X-Men “relaunch” of 1991 or so…or at least the Fatal Attractions crossover of 1993…unless it’s coincidence that one of the Acoyltes was named Frenzy? Anyway…not a bad issue here, and it’s kinda nice getting a done-in-one story on a character within the context of the overall AvX thing. Story’s good–we get some insight into Frenzy as a character, what she’s been through and come from as well as seeing her making at least the overall attempt to be a better person and all that. The art’s not bad, either. Definitely the best of this week’s AvX issues! (8/10)
UNCANNY X-FORCE #26
I dropped this title a few weeks back, but had to finish out what the LCS had already ordered for me. And now with AvX and half hoping this title would tie in, I find myself still snagging it off the shelf. On the one hand, I don’t care for this idea of Omega Red’s powers being split amongst a group of assassins, but something about this title makes it work. And while I don’t know how long this title will last, even when I want to ignore it or give it up due to the $4 price and not always following the subtleties…it’s one of the better, creative titles I’ve found, and so help me, it keeps me curious over what happens next. Some of that helps from seeing that “Kid Apocalypse” (Genesis) was a development being used in the greater X-universe and not just this title…which lends more to this title actually mattering. I guess I’m taking it a month at a time until I miss an issue and don’t miss the read and simply don’t bother to pick it up…and leaving it off my pull list will be the extent–for now–of my official protest of the price of this title? (7.5/10)
TMNT COLOR CLASSICS #2
I absolutely love these color reprints of the classic TMNT material. I’m not sure if the “micro series” one-shots will be tossed into this series’ numbering or be their own things…I sorta hope this keeps in line with the original series’ numbering, though, to keep stuff straight. Whatever the case…this issue reprints the original TMNT #2 which introduced April O’Neil, the mousers, Baxter Stockman, and showed that the turtles weren’t just themselves a one-shot thing. I like the combination of the original art with the new colors…it’s the best of both worlds. The writing/story is a bit rough, but it was what it was, and picks up by the time we get to one of my favorite arcs in the Leonardo one-shot and issues 10-11. Whether new fan interested in older stories without springing for those huge hardcovers or an old fan looking to pick up single issues at a relative bargain, or whatever…you can’t really go wrong with this series, at least this second issue in. (9/10)
EXTERMINATION #1
Boom‘s got one thing right–the price point. Their recent launch of new titles have wound up in my hands due to a standing order with my LCS for $1.00 and under issues. For $1 (or $.50 or $.25) I’m willing to give stuff a look where even $2 or definitely $3 or $4 would be more than I care to gamble. This takes a Batman-esque character and has him teamed up with one of his old villains as the two try to survive in a post-apocalyptic/alien-invasion world. I have a lot of questions, and it took me about half the issue to make the distinction visually between “present day” and “flashbacks,” but overally I found this issue quite worth the $1…even though it took me an extra week to get around to reading it. I’m curious about where it’ll go…but I’m very hesitant to plan to continue due to the $4 cover price. It’s also a bit of a principle thing for me with the price and the “variant covers are standard issue no matter the issue number” thing, and since it’s not TMNT it does not fall into my conscious exceptions category. If my attention’s grabbed by one of the covers for #2 and it’s a small week, I might give it a continuation to really draw me in for the story. The art’s good, so if $2.99 and pinups-instead-of-variants was standard fare, I’d be far more likely to dive in. (8/10)
Filed under: Avengers, Avengers vs. X-Men (event), AvX: Vs., Extermination (Boom! Studios), IDW Publishing, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW), Uncanny X-Force, X-Men: Legacy | Tagged: avengers, avengers versus x-men, Avx, Boom!, Boom! Studios, Comic Reviews, extermination, IDW, MARVEL, Marvel Comics, Ninja Turtles, TMNT, Uncanny X-Force, versus, x-men, X-Men: Legacy | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, IDW Publishing, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, cxPulp, Dan Duncan, IDW, IDW Publishing, Kevin Eastman, Ninja Turtles, Robbie Robbins, Ronda Pattison, Shawn Lee, shredder, splinter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, Tom Waltz | 1 Comment »
The Rest of the Stack is my general mini-review coverage of new comics for any given week. It’s in addition to (or in place of) full-size individual reviews. It’s far less formal, and more off-the-top-of-my head thoughts on the given comics than it is detailed reviews.
BATMAN #8
So, Night of the Owls begins. I’m totally torn on this event: I can’t quite decide if I want to jump in with both feet like I have with AvX, or wait for some inevitable collected edition. I did miss this the week it came out, so picked it up this past week–something I rarely do with comics anymore. The art holds up well–Capullo has a style that I’ve really come to associate with current Batman and for better or worse, owls. This issue’s story kicks things off with talons invading Wayne Manor, forcing Bruce and Alfred into defensive mode; in a way that seems quite appropriate for kicking off this sorta multi-title story. I absolutely do NOT like the $3.99 price, and the backup seems a bit of a waste–something that should’ve simply been published separately and given away to entice folks into things, or been “free” and that thing at the back of all the Bat-books for the week. I’d just dropped this title from my pull list and have none of the others on it…this tempts me toward Night of the Owls, but I may wait for reviews myself and backtrack or pick up the collected edition in a couple years when DC actually puts one out. (7/10)
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #9
Hard to believe this title is already at 9 issues. While I continue to quite enjoy it (and the assorted tie-ins/minis), it does seem it’s taken awhile to world-build. This issue sees April introduced to the turtles, who once introductions are finished follow a lead to track down their kidnapped father. Meanwhile, Splinter finds himself at the mercy of Old Hob, and then the force behind the mutated cat, and a new foe significantly dangerous to him and his sons. Visually, this issue continues the stylized take on the Turtles. ANd as usual, I like the style overall…though there are a few panels where it looks like the turtles could be green blobs wearing cardboard turtle-bellies. Story-wise, we get some good forward movement on the title with references to the recent solo-turtle one-shots to tie them firmly into the main story. Assuming the 2nd official arc was 4 issues like the first, this begins the title’s third arc–and given the last page, promises plenty of action and a certain familiarity to old fans despite being a new continuity. (8/10)
AVX: VS #1
This thing is quite upfront at what it is–FIGHTING. This title is not to advance the plot of the crossover, no particular reveals, and all that…this is just simply a couple of expanded fight-scenes detailing more of the fights seen in the main AvX title. This issue sees Iron Man vs. Magneto and The Thing vs. Namor. The Iron Man vs. Magneto fight was sorta interesting in a way–moreso than it probably ought to have been. But there are some REALLY far-fetched details that made me wonder if I’m reading a published-in-2012 comic or a published-in-the-1960s comic. Nothing particularly memorable in the Thing/Namor fight for me. The art for both segments worked well enough for me–and I really liked the full-page of Magneto–but overall, this was total fluff, hardly worth its cover price. Not bad, mind you, but this is entirely geared towards folks who want the fights and no plot. I’m thankful this is only 6 issues and not 12 alternating with the main title. There’s a bit of “fun” to this in a way–to see the characters really lay into each other. But I’m not really a “who would win..?” sorta guy, so this is more incidental than anything else…and simply proves to me that “who would win” is answered by “whoever the writer WANTS to win!” (6/10)
SECRET AVENGERS #26
This issue sees some of the Avengers in space, taking the fight TO the Phoenix. We get some team bonding as they head to the encounter, and some of the action of the fight itself. We also get a side plot involving the commandeering of the Phoenix for it’s “rebirth” faculty, which leads to a final page cliffhanger I actually saw coming thanks to an ad I’d already seen for the next issue. Story-wise, I liked this issue well enough; it has direct ties to the point of the crossover, sees the fight taken to the Phoenix instead of the thing merely looming over everyone. The art, though…absolutely NOT AT ALL to my taste, especially with a beautiful cover for contrast. This is another issue I’m jumping in on solely for the AvX crossover, and other stories be darned. For my intent, this is not a disappointment. (7/10)
UNCANNY X-MEN #11
As with other titles involved with the AvX event…I picked this up solely for the tie-in. The issue is primarily focused on Hope dealing with making her own decisions and not having them made FOR her, while Red Hulk and “Colossunaut” square off. We do get a nice moment at the issue’s end that sets some stuff in motion from Cyclops that is sure to play into the overall story. For having snagged this issue, it’s cool to see such a moment kicked off here…but it’s the sorta thing that can really be just an incidental detail to the core AvX, something that happened, but you don’t need its actual moment on-panel for the main event. Story’s not too impressive, but the art’s not bad at all. I’m increasingly disappointed that these issues are not all coming with the code for the digital version…that would really be a nice offset to the $3.99 cover price I so despise. (7/10)
NEW AVENGERS #25
This issue is almost entirely “flashback,” inserting the Phoenix Force into the past of the Iron Fist and his mythology. I don’t normally care for this sort of thing, but the way it’s done works well enough for me…though that may be because I’m not all that invested in the character, and am primarily familiar with him from a short (2-issue?) mini-series in the late 1990s, and whatever bits ‘n pieces of detail I’ve picked up since. Though the story and art aren’t bad, this issue has a lot of silent, huge panels and full-page/double-page splash images, including one that’s quite reminiscent of AvX #1, which does feel like a shortchanging on story content for the despised $3.99 cover price. I’ll be interested to see how this does affect Iron Fist in the next issue, assuming I don’t get disgusted with virtually every single tie-in being $3.99 and the constant full-page/double-page splashes of the Phoenix Force. I get it: the thing’s huge, and freakin’ powerful. It’s a cosmic entity. But for me, picking up all the tie-ins so far, the size/scope of the thing is cheapened a bit when it’s constantly shown in such huge panels. (7/10)
Filed under: Avengers vs. X-Men (event), AvX: Vs., Batman, New Avengers, Secret Avengers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW), Uncanny X-Men | Tagged: avengers, Avengers vs. X-Men, Avx, AvX Vs, Batman, Comic Reviews, New Avengers, Ninja Turtles, Secret Avengers, TMNT, Uncanny X-Men, x-men | Leave a comment »
Script by: Brian Lynch
Art by: Ross Campbell
Colors by: Jay Fotos
Letters by: Shawn Lee
Editor: Bobby Curnow
Cover by: David Petersen
Published by: IDW
The turtles’ father, Splinter, has just been kidnapped by Hob. As the turtles spread out to cover more ground, Leo heads back to Stockman’s place, determined to rescue his father. As he proceeds, he finds himself thinking back to his past life as revealed recently by Splinter, and we as readers see how that’s a driving force for the character. Before long, Leo finds himself fighting some Foot ninjas…and then some more, and even more, and before long he’s got no clue how many there are, but they’re more than he seems able to handle. Eventually, most leave, and Leo is treated to one on one combat with an elite ninja, and the battle severely wounds his pride, to say the least, leaving him to limp home to his brothers with no new word on Splinter.
The art works pretty well overall here. The only sort of oddity to me is that the visual style makes Leo in particular look too young, almost. But on the whole, good art, and the story’s easy to follow without feeling lost or having any major gripes with the art.
Story-wise, this isn’t the greatest, but it’s still good. While we get some addition to the overall TMNT continuity in general and see the Foot are quite numerous (and I have my suspicion about the identity of the elite one-on-one combatant being far more important than is let on here), a certain element of the story feels rather cliche and thus a bit “forced.” The ORIGINAL Leonardo one-shot saw him out in the city and suddenly in conflict with a great many Foot ninjas, ultimately being bested by the Shredder. So having this put Leo in position of being out in the city, in conflict with a great many Foot ninjas, and facing a superior combatant while not being a re-telling of that original story just doesn’t sit quite right with me.
That said…when I get past the critical/analytical part of my mind…it’s Leonardo. Fighting the Foot, cutting loose with his swords (even though there’s no gore to be found visually). So frankly…I enjoyed the issue. I really did. Just not quite as much as I might have had I not been so looking forward to it…the thing couldn’t live up to my perconcieved expectations.
As with the first 3 of these issues…this tells a nice side-story focusing on a solo turtle, while pushing the overall story forward a bit, introducing elements that are going to surely be quite important to the main series before too much longer.
That this issue is primarily fighting makes it less than ideal as a single jump-on point, though fans specifically of Leo will probably enjoy this well enough. Though this is technically a separate thing from the ongoing series and is not essential, it feels pretty important, and so long as you’re enjoying the entire rebirth of the TMNT-verse, treating this as a continuation of the main series is probably the most enjoyable way to take the issue in.
Story: 7.5/10
Art: 7.5/10
Whole: 8/10
Filed under: IDW Publishing, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Brian Lynch, Comic Reviews, David Petersen, IDW, IDW Publishing, Jay Fotos, Leonardo, Micro Series, Ninja Turtles, Ross Campbell, Shawn Lee, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT | 1 Comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Brian Lynch, Comic Reviews, David Peterson, Donatello, IDW, IDW Publishing, Ilaria Traversi, Ninja Turtles, Robbie Robins, ScarletGothica, TMNT, Tom Waltz, Valerio Schiti | 1 Comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Comic Reviews, Dan Duncan, IDW, IDW Publishing, Kevin Eastman, Ninja Turtles, Ronda Pattison, Shawn Lee, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, Tom Waltz | 1 Comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Brian Lynch, Casey Jones, Chris Mowry, Comic Reviews, cxPulp, cxPulp.com, David Petersen, Fabio Mantovani, Franco Urru, IDW, Micro Series, Ninja Turtles, Raphael, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT | 1 Comment »
Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Layouts: Kevin Eastman
Art: Dan Duncan
Colors: Ronda Pattison
Letters: Shawn Lee
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Associate Editor: Bobby Curnow
Published by:IDW
I’ll talk about the “bad” here, first. This is not the TMNT that I grew up with. The characters themselves–as we’ve learned in these last couple issues–are quite different from previous iterations. For one thing, so far, we don’t even have all four turtles together as one family–three believe their ‘brother’ may not even exist, while this ‘brother’ doesn’t even know about the others or how he came to be what and where he is at present. And after half a decade of the primary TMNT book being Tales of the TMNT, a monthly series with mainly done-in-one stories, I can’t help but feel like this story is decompressed, and I’m anxious to see the turtles as a group–it seems so obvious that they’re not going to be kept apart more than perhaps this arc, so it’s easy to just want to get to that point and get on with things.
But–and this is in the face of any and all complaints listed above or not–I am loving this book on the whole. I’m still getting used to Duncan‘s art, but with the assumption that he’s going to be “the” TMNT artist long-term, it’s easy to see how I’m going to find myself embracing this vision of the turtles. Much as Lawson defined these characters for me for years on the Mirage series, I totally expect Duncan‘s will as well. I certainly hope so, anyway. There’s a sort of sketch-like quality to the art that in many cases would tend to put me off a bit, but here, it manages to–through the colors–evoke a bit of the more familiar black-and-white take on the characters. The colors are a bit muted, which lends another quality to the visuals that I like. There’s plenty of color…but the muted tones fit with the sort of muted story.
These are not super-heroes…these are mutants living in a sewer, trying to avoid detection while seeking out a lost family member. I wish I could say that Eastman‘s breakdowns were obvious to me–but I only know that work based on the issue’s credits. However, it’s cool (at least on a meta level) knowing he’s got that sort of hand in this as a part of the overall visual storytelling on this series, and lends a bit of continuity between the classic and the current.
The story itself is actually quite good–I’m really enjoying it, despite it feeling stretched and such. That, or it’s just got me that hooked and engaged that I’m eagerly awaiting each new issue, and it’s always at the top of my stack when I decide what I’m going to read first. Eastman obviously gets the characters, having co-created them. And while I’m otherwise unfamiliar with Waltz, he’s got a big part in this, too, or wouldn’t be credited as he is.
This issue opens with a several-page fight scene in which Raphael (well, we know it’s him but he doesn’t) and Casey beat on some purse-snatchers, while their banter serves to give us exposition, filling things out about the characters more rapidly than otherwise possible, given the flow of story. In their home, the other turtles finish a training session before touching off an ongoing argument amongst themselves and Splinter. A flashback further fleshes out the characters’ current origin. Finally, it seems the two groups may soon converge, as we’re left on a cliffhanger that may or may not be a bigger deal than it looks.
Oh, and just in case anyone’s wondering: there is as yet no mention of Oroku Saki, no mention of a Shredder…and to me, that’s a fantastic blast of fresh air. I’m thankful for a nemesis that is not just another re-tread of a character who was never supposed to appear beyond the original TMNT #1 27 years ago. If you’re at all interested in the TMNT–this is a great re-imagining of the characters, worthy so far of the classic work and certainly a wonderful entry point for new readers. Whether you’re steeped in TMNT mythology or brand-new, there’s plenty here for all.
Story: 8/10
Art: 8.5/10
Whole: 9/10
Filed under: INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Dan Duncan, IDW, IDW Publishing, Kevin Eastman, Ninja Turtles, Ronda Pattison, Scott Dunbier, Shawn Lee, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, Tom Waltz | 1 Comment »
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