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The Rest of the Stack: Week of November 16, 2011

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Walt

image

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 #3

batman003I still can’t get over how great it is to see that Bruce Wayne–the man UNDER the Batman cowl–is actually being treated as a useable, viable character again. After so many years of being a virtual non-character, here we see that yeah, Batman is a huge part of him…but there’s still SOMETHING to Bruce Wayne. And his life AS Bruce Wayne, as a Wayne, plays into his life as Batman. This issue sees Bruce/Batman learn more about whatever this stuff going on with the Owl imagery is, including a costume that (well ahead of me reading this issue, I saw over at Bleeding Cool with that site’s comment on the costume being obviously like Owlman from Watchmen) I agree would have at least put me in mind of Watchmen, though having it spoiled I don’t feel like going to actually look up the comparison. I like the dynamic between Bruce and Alfred…Snyder definitely has a good feel for this character, and builds a story that doesn’t feel like I turn two pages and find a to-be-continued. There’s more substance here, it seems, than a lot of other comics…though this still feels rather short. At least the issue is only $2.99, and does NOT include one of those stupid 5-7 page “previews.” The art continues to also be quite good…and I’m coming to very much enjoy Capullo‘s take on these characters. I was curious if this week’s issue would change my mind at all, but this issue keeps me interested enough that Batman will survive a likely culling of my already-limited pull-list in the coming weeks. (8.5/10)

GHOSTBUSTERS #3

ghostbusters003I’m really tired of variant covers in comics today. I can understand, possibly even condone variants in actual special circumstances…but not on every freaking issue. Combine that with a $3.99 price point, and the physical package of this issue has a lot going against it in my mind, with a good dose of grouchiness before I’ve even opened the issue to read it. Shaky ground on principle, that. But actually reading the issue…I’m enjoying the story. I like the story itself, and I like the visual style. This feels like the story is firmly rooted in the movie continuity, and yet is delving deeper and building from there. Yeah, elements come FROM the films…but this is not trying to BE the films, nor is it trying to be a third film. This is something that is working well as a continuation of that universe and its characters…and for now, I’ll stick around. At present, even if I would drop this title…it would be a statement on IDW‘s constant use of variant covers every single issue and the price point, and not at all due to the quality of the content itself. (8/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE #3

justiceleague003I hate Darkseid. Offhand, I cannot think of one single story involving Darkseid that I’ve particularly enjoyed…except perhaps Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey, wherein Darkseid was giving quite a beating by the beast that had killed Superman. For me, the Fourth World stuff is a huge bore–I won’t debate that a lot of people enjoy it, and I’m not speaking on its technical merits. I just don’t enjoy it. So the Fourth World elements to this story do nothing positive for me. Wonder Woman feels like a caricature here with little/no depth. And if this first arc is only 5-6 issues, we’re at least halfway through now, with no room for actual, deep character development…which as such makes it feel so pointless to have just this one story to “introduce” these characters, especially with the title launched as “the” flagship title of the New 52. That there are 22 content pages is diminished by the splash pages. And the back matter neutralizes it as well–put the darned sketches and such online, instead of wasting pages with them in-print…or save them for the collected edition or inevitable “Absolute” edition. The History of Atlantis pages are not at all cute–if they were on top of a 30ish content-pages story, sure, the effect would be kinda entertaining. But wasting time with a “cover,” a library-card page, a dedication, a table of contents (of stuff we won’t even get to see) and so on feels like a complete waste of space, padded out to fill this thing to claim it justifies $3.99. Johns‘ characterization is missed on this book, and Lee‘s art–while not bad to look at–doesn’t seem his best, and doesn’t begin to make up for the steep cover price. (5/10)

WALKING DEAD #91

walkingdead091Something about this issue felt a bit more substantive than usual for a single issue. We check in on several different plot points and character groups, moving stuff forward. And there’s some definite development between Rick and Carl…somehow, feeling like Carl shows more personality here than I can recall for years of reading this title. The art of course is the usual high quality; zero complaints there. And given we’re 91 issues in and Kirkman‘s still at the helm of his creation…zero complaint there as well. I’m pretty sure this is the first issue of a new six issue sequence, so is as good a jump-on point as any. And the entire rest of the series is available in-print through 14 TPBs (15th coming next month, I believe) as well as a couple different hardback formats, and a 48-issue compendium edition. So…I’m probably not going to change your mind yay or nay on this title. But I enjoyed this issue…and continue to enjoy the series even after 90 issues. This isn’t perfect…but I don’t expect it to be. 90+ issues and I still want to keep reading. Not every comic series has that going for it. (7.5/10)

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Thor #1 [Review]

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Average, but there’s still potential.
Story Title: Untitled

Thor returns.

thor001Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: Olivier Coipel
Inks: Mark Morales
Colors: Laura Martin
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Asst. Editor: Alejandro Arbona
Editor: Warren Simons
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Cover Art: Olivier Coipel, variants by others.
Publisher: Marvel Comics

This issue–and by extension, the series–holds a lot of potential, and seems to have some good ideas to give us, as readers. The execution seems a bit off, though, and despite some good conceptual ideas, just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.

I’ll be one of the first to stand up and complain about “decompression” and generally dragging stories out unnecessarily across multiple issues…but this issue felt like it actually should be at least 2, if not 3 or 4 issues in length.

The issue’s story–boiled down–is fairly simple: we as readers are introduced to Thor, his alter ego, shown how he returns, and follow his alter ego into a “new neighborhood,” so to speak.

The way the title character is first encountered seems to go against his last appearance, from what I recall (given 2 1/2 years’ separation from my last reading of that story). The way he returns has the potential of some epic, legendary thing that could bring a lot to the character…but is over so quickly that one may wonder why it’s taken so long (both in real time and comic-time) for this to happen. There’s some good setup that leads me to assume we’re meeting some new supporting cast, and we’re introduced to what solicitations lead me to believe will be the new regular locale for the book, which will nicely separate it (I hope) from being “just” another super-powered entity operating in New York City.

The art is good…I have no real complaints with it. I like the look of the characters, and can follow what’s going on visually. I also really, really like Thor’s new get-up. It has a much more realistic look, more practical for a “warrior” and somehow evokes more of a feel that Thor has Norse ties (if only through popular cultural depictions of Norse stuff). To me, it also makes the “classic” costume look fairly hokey.

This issue moves quickly along, going from lack of a title character to his return to setup of a new status quo, all in one issue–something that almost seems a feat in itself, in an age when title characters sometimes don’t show up until the final page (if even at all) of their own debut issues.

This is far from a perfect issue…and taken alone, I’m not entirely enamored with it. However, there’s still a lot of potential that I can see…and so I’ll give a couple more issues for Straczynski to kick his magic into gear and really hook me before I bail on this title.

Ratings:

Story: 2/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3/5

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Tales of the TMNT #69 [Review]

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: Dark Shadows

Shadow seeks out her old sensei as her world falls apart around her.

talesofthetmnt069Script/Art: Dan Berger
Letters: Eric Talbot
Frontiespiece: Michael Dooney
Cover: Dan Berger and Steve Lavigne
Published by: Mirage PUblishing

Continuing the usual format of the book–with stories from all different points in the TMNT timeline–this story picks up sometime in the future. Shadow, now a young adult, fights her way through the Foot to confront her Sensei. Upon reaching him, the two exchange bitter words as hints abound as to some major stuff having gone down, leading this girl and a mutant turtle to the point they find themselves at in this issue.

In many ways, the story is quite cliche. We have an enormous global disaster that leads to the in-story “present” being a sparsely populated wasteland with the Big City nearly deserted, and what remains of destroyed/fallen-apart buildings is covered in plants, with survivors operating on a fairly gang-like means of living…survival of the fit.

We’re given vague glimpses at things–cryptic comments and hints at what’s gone down during the time between this issue and the last chronicled point in the Turtles’ timeline; the family falling apart and what drove them–and kept them–apart.

The art itself seems both familiar and yet slightly “off”–as a story that seems pretty core to the TMNT mythos, I’m used to seeing Jim Lawson‘s depiction of characters here. Berger provides visuals that are not entirely dissimilar to Lawson‘s, and more than holds its own in establishing a tone for the story and getting across what’s going on. He gives us a rather brutal panel toward the end, that seems to indicate that a certain disfigurement is practically a “given” for a particular turtle, as I’m pretty sure this is the third time (across the various comic continuities/universes) this has been a point the character’s wound up.

Shadow is pretty much the youngest of the extended TMNT cast. She was introduced in the final story of the original TMNT series, and has been a firm fixture ever since–on a level very similar to her father Casey and characters like April or Splinter. Seeing her as an adult lends to the fact of much time having passed, and experiencing the world through her eyes–glancing back to events that have unfolded particularly in the main “Volume 4” TMNT series–makes her “present” that much more real and believable in this story.

This is only the penultimate issue–there’s one more to go–of this series. But the way this issue unfolded, we get a sense of history for the characters; a sense of destination for where they’re going to wind up, and yet there’s also a sense of hope, that the future is ever-changing with every choice we make.

The initial read-through is quick, particularly with the action sequences…but sitting back and thinking about what was going on…this is very much an issue for the long-time fans, and particularly those willing to consider deeper stuff between the lines and not simply taking the story at its surface/face-value.

Not exactly a timeless classic or other “instant classic,” nevertheless, this issue would serve as a fine cap to the entire Mirage continuity even if there were no more issues due out.

Ratings:

Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

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Tales of the TMNT #67 [Review]

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: Schooled

Shadow starts at a new school, and must resist the urge to tell everybody about her mutant “uncles.”

talesofthetmnt067Script: Dan Berger
Pencils and Tones: Dario Brizuela
Inks: Andres Ponce
Letters: Eric Talbot
Cover: Dario Brizuela and Steve Lavigne
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Published by: Mirage Publishing

Unfortunately, this series has what I can only describe as a “lame duck” feeling about it. There are just a couple more issues due out before the series goes away completely. And being the sole presence of the TMNT in comics for the last few years, there are no other books for these characters to show up in, or co-feature in, and so on. With the property having been sold off, and zero word on any new comic series and whether any of the existing/ongoing continuity would be maintained or if the entire property would be restarted if comics are done…it makes the long-term effect of this issue seem pretty low-key and like it has little point to it. Of course, taken by itself, this is quite an enjoyable story.

This issue sees Shadow–the adopted daughter of Casey Jones and April–getting into a new school, and everyone dealing with that. At the same time, Mikey and Don are out and about on the streets, keeping each other focused as to what’s right and wrong. When Shadow’s first day at school arrives, her family is excited and proud, though they warn her of the danger that would come by her talking about her “uncles” and whatnot…which of course leads to trouble. Still, the resolution is mostly satisfying…at least in keeping with the nature of Casey in particular.

I’ve realized throughout this series that despite the differences in the various visual styles of the artists involved, each largely has something to really like. For example, this issue reminds me of the recent TMNT animated series–particularly Casey’s appearance. The turtles themselves look quite different in detail but still seem like they’d fit in rather well with the animated series’ visual style. My only real gripe is that I don’t think I’ve ever pictured Shadow as a blonde–and I don’t know if that’s me simply never noticing, or what the deal is–but other than that, the art’s good stuff.

As with many issues of this series, this is a done-in-one tale, so you don’t really need earlier issues to follow the story (though they’ll add plenty of context). You can pick this up by itself and enjoy it as a one-shot thing, or as another untold tale from this period in the Turtles’ lives.

It’s just unfortunate that this doesn’t seem like just the latest untold tale to add context to a present-day story…nothing’s really going to come of this or refer back to this.

Recommended for TMNT fans in particular…and whether this issue or most of the prior issues, this series in itself is well worth reading, and its lengthy run these past 6 years is second only to the TMNT Adventures series from Archie back in the 1990s.

Ratings:

Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

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Tales of the TMNT #64 [Review]

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: The Burning Man

The turtles race all over the city to deal with a number of threats, and ultimately, a demon-from-a-bottle released in a botched attempt to stop the Foot from stealing its container.

talesofthetmnt064Script: Tristan Jones
Pencils: Jim Lawson
Inks: Steve Lavigne
Letters: Dan Berger
Cover: Jim Lawson & Steve Lavigne
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Editor in Chief: Peter Laird
Managing Editor: Dan Berger
Design: Eric Talbot
Published by: Mirage Publishing

Michelangelo narrates this issue, as we find out that he and his brothers wound up fighting some sort of demon. This demon was released after Leonardo accidentally broke an urn the Foot was trying to steal. We go from the turtles’ lair as Leo chews Mikey out for stuff going wrong; then see Mikey’s side to things. With the urn broken and the demon having disappeared, there wasn’t much for the turtles to do, so they went about usual business; these distractions led to Mikey being the one to come across the demon again first, and thus Mikey confronts it alone. The others are brought into things in their own way, as the motivation of the demon is determined and attended to. While Mikey won’t take the blame for everything that went down, we do find out at the end of the issue the one thing that he WILL take responsibility for.

Visually, this is the version of the turtles I tend to enjoy most, and the visual style that I’ve come to primarily associate with them over the past 7-8 years or so. It is a bit stylistic, and detail seems to vary a bit, as dictated by the story and what we’re to focus on as the story progresses.

The story itself is quite good, and I really enjoyed a lot of the verbal and visual cues provided by having the story from Mikey’s point of view. I could almost hear the voice of the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series Mikey recounting these events, and that just made it all the more fun.

Jones has written some of my favorite issues of Tales, and I find it a real shame that this will be his last issue, given the change of ownership of the TMNT property and uncertainty of where things go from here.

This is not a dense book…the story is a nice little done-in-one, mainly focused on Mikey but still involving the other turtles such that it is by no means a solo issue. If you can get the issue, it’s very much worthwhile.

Ratings:

Story: 4/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

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Tales of the TMNT #61 [Review]

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Sometimes They Come Back

While helping to investigate the destruction of several buildings in the city and rising violence of an ongoing gang war, the turtles find more of their past back to haunt them.

talesofthetmnt061Script: Tristan Jones
Art: Andres Ponce
Letters: Eric Talbot
Cover: Andres Ponce & Steve Lavigne
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Editor in Chief: Peter Laird
Managing Editor: Dan Berger
Design: Eric Talbot
Publisher: Mirage Publishing

This issue picks up on a story thread that’s been touched on at a few points in recent years. The introduction on the inside front cover provides a quick recap to give context, and then we launch into the story. One of the turtles makes contact with a police detective investigating a collapsed building. As we continue on, the turtles all find pieces of the “puzzle” that comes together in a fairly fast-paced piece of action before quickly winding down as the turtles find themselves facing the small–but terrifyingly plentiful–mousers they’d faced years ago.

It might just be the immediacy of having just read the issue, with its enjoyment fresh in my mind…but this is one of the most enjoyable TMNT reads I’ve had in awhile. Jones builds a story that is both fresh and yet drawn from existing continuity. The result is that the reader is provided not just a peek into a random moment in the turtles’ lives, but a growing story, and (dare I say it) continuity within the “gap” presented when TMNT vol. 4 launched nearly 8 years ago.

The story moves at a pretty quick pace…in some ways, I’d certainly like to see more build, as we do largely just get snippets of stuff as the scenes move along from one turtle to another with the occasional moment from the police throughout. At the same time, the story in this one issue could probably be stretched to at least 2 and maybe 3 issues without feeling padded…but rather than have to buy 3 issues, we get the entirety of the given story right here. Reading through the issue, I get a distinct feel of the turtles being older and rather independent (no Splinter found nor referenced), and the way they’re shown interacting throughout the issue shows where they’ve grown up from the earliest TMNT issues.

Ponce‘s art gives me the impression much of this book takes place at night–there’s a certain feel to the imagery with shadows and overall tone giving that feeling. Unlike a lot of other black-and-white books, where the art looks like it’s ready for color, here it almost appears to have been done in color and printed in greytones. The overall style puts me in mind of the animated series–this certainly does not duplicate that series’ style, but is somewhat similar, and that works very well for me here, as I can easily see the action of this issue being animated.

Probably because this issue is the latest of a several-part ongoing “arc,” newer readers may not get much from this. I think this issue is more for longer-time readers (whether just of this volume of Tales of the TMNT, or going back to the 1990s or even the mid-80s when the turtles first appeared). As one of those longtime readers, this issue was a blast, and very much worth its price.

Ratings:

Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Tales of the TMNT #60 [Review]

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Not Bad
Story Title: Nobody Does it Better

As Raph and Casey spend some time together, a figure out of their past returns…changed.

talesofthetmnt060Script: Dan Berger
Art: Jim Lawson
Letters: Eric Talbot
Cover: Jim Lawson & Steve Lavigne
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Publisher: Mirage Publishing

This issue gives us a tale of an apparently “new” version of the character known as “Nobody.” This character has a history with the TMNT, going back quite a number of years–more than half their existence, really. Yet, he’s made very few appearances (one should note that there’s a handy recap/intro on the inside front cover: enough to remind you of the past appearances/stories if you’ve read them, or just enough to give you a bit of context like the opening text of A New Hope gave before launching you into the story).

We come upon Raph and Casey in the wee hours of the morning–Casey having had a few too many drinks, Raph playing the part of the good friend…as they meet Nobody, who has been ejected from an alien the US government had allied with years ago. While Nobody explains how he came to be present, another alien attacks our group, and ultimately, Nobody has a new status quo while Raph and Casey wind down their night.

This issue’s art is provided by Jim Lawson, the regular artist on the core TMNT book. This story itself is set between-issues of that series, but has a great visual consistency by Lawson‘s work. Berger‘s story actually feels like it goes alongside the Laird-penned pages of TMNT…and given the rarity of new stories from Laird himself, this chapter set within that continuity is extremely welcome.

The visuals, unfortunately, do seem to suffer a little bit from lack of color–there are points that things blend together, and a splash page that I felt like I had to study to make much sense of what was happening (I gave up and trusted to context on that point). Other than that, Lawson‘s version of the characters–especially Raphael’s mutated appearance–is one I associate very much with my enjoyment of a number of TMNT stories.

The recap page did a lot for me in establishing context–I’m almost entirely unfamiliar with Nobody as anything other than some throw-away character that–in retrospect–I actually have read before, though didn’t recall by name.

If you’re a fan of the TMNT–or specifically Casey and Raph–or just this series, this is another par-for-the-course issue. If you’re not familiar with the characters or primarily enjoy the turtles-as-a-team in-action…or are otherwise new to the TMNT-verse, this doesn’t make a good jump-on point.

Ratings:

Story: 3/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

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Value of a comic

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Walt

In this day and age of rebooting, relaunching, renumbering, and $3.99 comics…I find more and more incentive to quit the new stuff and go back-issue/bargain-bins only. Especially with Marvel comics.

After all, these days $3.99 will get me this:

uncannyxforce014

Or ~$3.99ish will get me these:

lessthan399

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Booking Through Thursday: E-volution

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Walt

btt buttonE-readers like the Kindle and iPad are sweeping the nation … do you have one? Do you like it? Do you find it changes your reading/buying habits? If you don’t have one, do you plan to?

No, I do not have either of those. Also do not have a Nook, and Barnes & Noble is getting dangerously close to me unsubscribing from their emails because I’m so danged tired of them pushing it so forcefully.

I’m pretty much “sold” on the iPad, in that “eventually…when I can actually AFFORD one” sorta way. A friend has one, and seeing it in action, I’m pretty sure that really, get myself a wireless keyboard that’ll sync with the iPad and a portable stand to prop the thing up like a laptop monitor, and I could pretty much go “computer-free” (“computer” = “laptop” or “desktop” machines).

I do have an iPhone, and recently I’ve dabbled with digital comics on it. I bought the classic Superman #75 a couple months back, just for the sheer novelty of having the thing right on-hand (next week marks the 19th anniversary of “The Death of Superman”). I’ve also bought two issues of DC Comics’ new initiative “The New 52.” Trouble is, the iPhone even is so relatively tiny that the reading experience feels like I’m trying to read through some sort of blinders.

As far as long-form reading…no-can-do. The iPhone is such a tiny thing that it’s even awkward to try to situate one’s self to even consider “settling in to read for awhile” with it.

An iPad might change that, but until I actually have one, I won’t be able to say for sure. And I certainly won’t be getting the iPad for the sole purpose of “reading”…the digital books/comics will just be a small part of the picture.

Right now, I don’t see any sort of e-reader changing my reading habits or buying habits. I’m buying one single comic series digitally and a month behind, for the discount…but that novelty is wearing off already, 2 issues in. Depending on pricing, I could see having an iPad having an impact on SOME of my comic buying, especially for the stuff that I just want to read once and be done with.

Once I’d get an iPad, I’d have to “take the plunge” with a book sometime to see how that experience would go…but really, I’d much rather have a $20 hardcover with me that gets lost/dropped/rained on/etc than a $500 tablet/computer device.

Given that I’m “sold” on the iPad, know there are “apps” for the Kindle at least and pretty sure also the Nook and OTHER e-reader formats, I absolutely can NOT see spending $150+ on something that’s arguably “just” going to be used to read e-versions of books. I don’t think I spend that much on new books in an entire YEAR, so it’s a huge up-front cost, BEFORE even getting to buy new books to read.

Even though $10ish is much cheaper than the $20-$30 most new (hardcover) tend to be priced at, it’s still $10 for something pretty much intangible (music I listen to, whatever the source…but if I’ve already paid $150+ for an e-reading device, the device itself isn’t going to get bigger or heavier for addition of a digital file). And I often feel that if I’ve already invested 1/3 to half the cost, why “settle” when I’m already on my way to the full, actual item?

The e-readers are also like computers to me, though: you buy one, and 3 months later, the next/greater version is out, or announced, and then it becomes a case of “well, I’ve waited all these years already…why didn’t I wait X more months?!?”

Of course…this all presupposes that I have to make the purchase myself: given a Kindle or Nook or such as a gift…I’m sure I’d find excuse enough to certainly make use of the device. Without an upfront cost to me investing in the actual device…that would certainly “level the playing field” in terms of books to be bought. And stuff like The Hunger Games or some of these other series–I wouldn’t mind getting those digitally.

Having the potential to have numerous books all contained in one device would certainly feed my “book-A.D.D.” and allow me to start numerous books and gradually work my way through ’em as the mood strikes for a given “book.”

Filed under: Booking Through Thursday, DC, DC Misc., General Mills, Justice League, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Tales of the TMNT #58 [Review]

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: All Tomorrow’s Yesterdays

The TMNT and the C.O.W.Boys of Moo Mesa team up again, this time to face the ultimate threat to the C.O.W.Boys’ Earth.

talesofthetmnt058Plot: Murphy & Ryan Brown
Script: Murphy
Art: Dario Brizuela
Lettering: Eric Talbot
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Editor in Chief: Peter Laird
Managing Editor: Dan Berger
Design: Eric Talbot
Front Cover: Dario Brizuela and Steve Lavigne
Back Cover: Fernando Leon Gonzalez

This issue is the latest installment in a series of teamups between the TMNT and the C.O.W.Boys of Moo Mesa.

Picking up from the most recent installment a few months ago, Utromi Preservi (an elite/secret society of Utroms) has gathered what they need to awaken a cosmic vampire, Galactose (think “Milky Way galaxy” for the joke). While the Turtles and their allies rush to try to save the C.O.W.Boys’ Earth, Donatello may have the secret that will save everyone. We also have a brief appearance by Cudley the Cowlick, who longtime TMNT fans will recognize from the TMNT Adventures series…nothing too significant about the appearance, but a great nod to said fans. There’s also a moment where the Turtles are shown other incarnations of themselves, which was VERY cool to see.

The art by Brizuela is very good. The style is enjoyable, though different from other TMNT artists (while keeping the characters recognizable and other expected things with a comic). The comic’s interior is black-and-white, but as the front cover is done by the same artist as the interior pages, one can see what everyone looks like in color and almost forget the interior is not in color.

One of the thing that’s been great about this title shows through with this issue’s story. For the most part, each issue is its own standalone story. However, creative teams will re-visit and expand upon earlier stories, building larger stories, even if they’re not consecutive issues in this title (which is almost an anthology, except that each story/creative team gets a full issue rather than having multiple stories/creative teams in a single issue).

The story is fun, though one has to really suspend disbelief on a few points. The cosmic vampire as a nod to Galactus is–while derivative–also kinda cool if one recognizes the association–on a metatextual level it adds plenty that there’s not time for otherwise in a single-issue story.

This isn’t the best single issue for one jumping aboard clueless about the characters; but so long as one isn’t looking for lengthy, drawn-out continuity and depth, it’s a fun issue with plenty of action and some jokes thrown in.

Additionally, as I noted when I reviewed the prior chapter of this story, another thing Mirage gets right is not only including a pin up page in the back of the issue with an image related to the story but a color alternate image also related to the story is presented in color on the back cover…no need to seek out extra copies of this comic for these bonus images.

All in all, this continues to be a strong title, telling TMNT stories from throughout their continuity by different creative teams, keeping the book always fresh and with some real heart behind the individual tales.

Ratings:

Story: 3/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 3/5

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