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Tales of the TMNT #52 [Review]

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: The Crystal at the Heart of the World

Investigating a worrisome shutdown of an important machine, the Turtles and Utroms find themselves on Moo Mesa, where they encounter a plot that might just be bigger than the TMNT and C.O.W. Boys of Moo Mesa combined can handle…

Plot: Murphy, Brown and Laird
Script: Murphy
Thumbnails: Ryan Brown
Art: Dario Brizuela
Letters: Eric Talbot
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Back-Up Story: The Mission by: Dan Berger
Editor in Chief: Peter Laird
Managing Editor: Dan Berger
Design: Eric Talbot
Front Cover: Dario Brizuela and Steve Lavigne
Back Cover: Fernando Leon Gonzalez

The issue opens with the traditional frontispiece with one of the Turtles in cowboy getup, fixin’ to tell us a story…one that begins with the opposite of a certain cliche, as a figure on horseback in the desert rides toward us–OUT OF the sunset rather than off into it. We quickly see that it is an Utrom, who has infiltrated the place known as Moo Mesa. He shuts down a device to spark his own agenda into motion–though the shutting-down of the device draws the attention of Utroms on Earth who soon journey to Moo Mesa (with Turtles and Casey in tow) to investigate the device’s shutdown. (Re)uniting with their now “old allies”, the C.O.W.Boys of Moo Mesa, and a new (deja-vu-inspiring) ally, the immediate threat is faced, while yet a greater threat is revealed.

This is the third issue to unite the Moo Mesa crew with the Mutant Turtles crew, and I’m certainly enjoying the recurring crossover. Writer Ryan Brown has done plenty of work in the TMNT-verse, and created the C.O.W. Boys (you might remember them from a two-season animated series). It seems only natural to bring the two properties together for another go-round, and it’s done so to great effect. While perhaps part of a larger meta-arc, this issue stands alone fairly nicely–we have a good introduction bringing characters to the forefront, rising into the action, a climax, and then things settle out…both closing this story and setting up the next (due next year).

The art works very well here–visually, it has the appearance of an “animated” sort of style, without losing the feel of being its own original comic work. While I don’t know any of the C.O.W. Boys characters well enough to recognize individuals, I do notice how hard it is to tell the Turtles apart–it’s only dialog or visible weapons that allows that discernment. Still, all fits together quite well, and neither set of characters seems out-of-place in the presence of the others.
For me, the highlight of the issue is a guest-appearance by a certain transdimensional Cowlick. This has me totally chomping at the bit for the next part of this series of issues and itching for the long-promised Forever War–I actually got my hopes up that this issue would actually kick that off, but we’re left with a simple “To Be Continued in Tales of the TMNT #58…”

There’s also a two-page micro-story of no small amusement to close out the issue…which is another thing this title has going for it. As a package, we get a nice cover, an extra artist’s work on the frontispiece, a 28-paged story, a 2-page backup story, a pin-up page with another artist’s take on characters found in this issue, and a full-color image on the back-cover worthy of being a poster…with nary an ad to be found. A comic this pure to its title/self–and for the (relatively low) price point–is hard to come by, and such a real treat.

If you’re looking for decompressed, deep character-studies, you’ll probably be disappointed. Looking for a simple, old-fashioned TMNT adventure with the bonus of having the C.O.W. Boys of Moo Mesa along, this issue’s for you. Recommended to any TMNT fan, C.O.W. Boys fan, someone contemplating checking out “a” Turtles book, or anyone just looking for an enjoyable single-issue that packs the value in under a single cover.

Ratings:

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

Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: C.O.W.Boys of Moo Mesa, Crystal at the Heart of the World, Dan Berger, Dario Brizuela, Eric Talbot, Michael Dooney, Mirage, Ninja Turtles, Peter Laird, Ryan Brown, Steve Lavigne, Steve Murphy, Tales of the TMNT, TMNT | Leave a comment »

Tales of the TMNT #53 [Review]

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Alien Invaders, This Mortal Shell, Ghosts of Christmas Past

A boy plots to steal a toy from Casey’s daughter but finds more than he bargained for; Don and April process their present situation; Leonardo remembers one fateful winter’s evening years ago.

Alien Invaders
Script/Pencils/Inks: Jim Lawson
Lettering: Eric Talbot
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Cover: Jim Lawson and Steve Lavigne
This Mortal Shell
Authors: Colleen Frakes & Jon-Mikel Gates
Pencils: Adam Staffaroni
Finishes, Greytones & Letters: Andrew Arnold
Ghosts of Christmas Past
Script/Layouts: Dan Berger
Art: Chad Hurd
Toning Assistance: Sam Ellis

Though black-and-white, this issue is one of the better comic values I’ve found recently. More than fifty pages of story, uninterrupted by ads. One main story exceeded an expected 22ish pages, with two well-sized “backups”…all for a nice low price of $3.25.

The first/main story of the issue sees a plumber fixing a problem in Casey’s house. The plumber’s assistant while checking a toilet upstairs spots a rare, collectible “Lil Orphan Aliens” toy that belongs to Shadow (Casey’s daughter), and decides that he has to have it. When he and a friend later scope out the house and make to steal the toy, they find themselves confronted with four rather life-size and active “aliens.”

This story is a typical sorta tale for this title: it’s set during the past, at a time when the turtles were living with Casey and his daughter, Shadow at the farmhouse. This is a sort of slice-of-life kinda piece for the characters–no huge villain, no life-changing (for them) cataclysmic event. Just a story of one instance of the weirdness outsiders would find when they start poking into stuff at the house that they have no business poking into. The turtles are not the main focus of the story (they’re just part of the environment, which we can appreciate as readers for knowing who/what they really are).

The story itself is fairly simplistic and cliched–I’m sure I’ve seen very similar scenes/stories before with the TMNT–but it’s still rather amusing. The story provides a nice bit of commentary on the fanatical urges some people seem to get when it comes to “collecting” rare stuff. The art is typical Lawson, which is to say there are no surprises, and it has a good consistency. Lawson for me is one of a handful of artists I specifically associate with the TMNT, and while it probably isn’t for everyone, I’ve grown to like it in the TMNT stories.

The next story features a conversation with a pint-sized Donatello and regular-sized April, catching up on recent events; their conversation is interspersed for the reader with flashes to the mutated Raphael dealing with an attack by alien-hating people on the street.

This story was created by students of the Center for Cartoon Studies, and is a pretty good outing. I’m not entirely thrilled with the visuals–I much prefer Lawson’s take on the mutated Raphael, for example–but in a title that features so many different visual interpretations of the TMNT characters, I don’t take any huge issue with it. The story itself somewhat recaps some major events in the “core” TMNT book, while in itself being just a conversation between old friends Don and April. As there’s been one issue of that “core” book since 2006 or so, I find it a nice moment to revisit that “present time” while I think it would also serve to allow newer readers/visitors to the TMNT-verse a chance to see the status quo of the “present” status of the characters.

The final story sees Leonardo facing an overwhelming swarm of Foot ninjas, and reminded me immediately of the Leonardo 1-issue Micro-Series from the original Mirage run, and for good reason.

The art seems rather dark, almost like it was printed from color to black-and-white. The style reminds me of the 2003 animated series, and is a style I really like. The story’s ending did not surprise me in the least, even as it hit close to home, and a lot is really said by what happens without being stated explicitly, and for the moment makes this one of my favorite shorts to appear in this title.

All told, you get a lot of story in this issue, with glimpses into several periods of the Turtles’ lives and continuity. There is plenty of bang for your buck, and for the price and size of this issue as well as its content, you can hardly go wrong with this. As with many comics, you’ll find even more to appreciate in this as an older reader, but a new reader just picking this up should have little trouble picking up on stuff if the basic concept of the TMNT is known.

Ratings:

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

Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Adam Staffaroni, Alien Invaders, Andrew Arnold, Chad Hurd, Colleen Frakes, Dan Berger, Eric Talbot, Ghosts of Christmas Past, Jim Lawson, Jon-Mikel Gates, Michael Dooney, Mirage, Ninja Turtles, Sam Ellis, Steve Lavigne, This Mortal Shell, TMNT | Leave a comment »

Tales of the TMNT #22 [Review]

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Average
Title: Change of Power

Summary: The Turtles help an old ‘friend’ overthrow his father’s criminal empire…

Plot: Ross May & Peter Laird
Script: Ross May
Pencils: Scott Cohn
Inks (1-26): Sean Parsons
Inks (27-29: Mike Manley
Tones: Bonaia Rosado & Scott Cohn
Cover Pencils & Colors: Scott Cohn
Cover Inks: Sean Parsons
Frontispiece & Letters: Eric Talbot
Publisher: Mirage Publishing

This is another pretty standard issue for this title. The story takes place somewhere between TMNT vol. 2 and the current (vol. 4) series, and follows the Turtles aiding an old friend who wants to take down his father’s criminal empire.

The story itself is not bad at all, and pretty readily accessible. In and of itself, all you need to know gets explained during the story, including exposition on events from TMNT vol. 1 #s 9 and 46-47. Despite this, the story itself is ultimately rather forgettable–good and entertaining as it’s read, but nothing particularly memorable in the long run, except a seed of question regarding Splinter’s master, Hamato Yoshi’s past.

The artwork is a mix of good and not-so-good. The human characters work quite well, but the depiction of the Turtles feels quite a ways “off” from a ‘standard’ imagery; while they are certainly recognizable, the interpretation rubs me a bit the wrong way.

The issue is a single-issue, stand-alone story: one needn’t have read any other TMNT comic at all to be able to follow the basic story; those who have read prior TMNT stories, and especially the 3 issues referenced here, will probably get the most out of this issue.
On the whole, a worthwhile issue if one really digs the TMNT. Otherwise, I’d suggest waiting for the next issue, or checking out other recent issues instead.

Ratings:

Story: 3/5
Art: 2.5/5
Overall: 3/5

Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Bonaia Rosado, Eric Talbot, Mike Manley, Mirage, Ninja Turtles, Peter Laird, Ross May, Scott Cohn, Sean Parsons, Tales of the TMNT, TMNT | Leave a comment »

Tales of the TMNT #32 [Review]

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Very Good–Fun!
Story Title: The Eye of Aga-Moo-Tou

Summary: The TMNT and the C.O.W. Boys of Moo Mesa team up again to tackle the threat posed by Savanti Romero gaining access to the Eye of Aga-Moo-Tou.

Plot: Laird & Brown
Words: Murphy
Layouts: Ryan Brown
Pencils: Dario Brizuela
Inks: Joe Rubinstein
Letters: Eric Talbot
Editor, Creative Consultant: Peter Laird
Managing Editor: Murphy
Production, Design: Eric Talbot
Covers: (main): Dario Brizuela, (variant): Andres Ponce, Ryan Brown, Steve Lavigne
Publisher: Mirage

Despite never having been a fan of the C.O.W. Boys (I was aware of them briefly in the 90s, but never "into" them), this is great fun. We get those characters back, interacting side-by-side with the TMNT in a way that makes perfect sense in the TMNT-verse, and is just…fun.

A nearly-immortal figure locates the mystical Eye of Aga-Moo-Tou, though the Eye is also located by old TMNT villain Savanti Romero. Meanwhile, at Moo Mesa, the C.O.W. Boys are going about their regular business, when things go all wacky thanks to Romero. Back on Earth, Tsou-T’an-Jin makes contact with and transports the turtles to Moo Mesa, where they find their old friends mind-controlled/possessed by Romero, and the battle for the Eye is joined…

At its surface, this is a rather simple, stereotypical story…mega-powerful mystical artifact located by a villain, first protagonists on the scene defeated and turned on second-wave fellow heroes, yadda yadda yadda. Then again, it really isn’t much deeper than that, if you look strictly at story elements. The fun and enjoyment comes from the specific characters–here, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles AND the C.O.W. Boys of Moo Mesa thrust together in a single story.

The story flows, hitting key beats of structure. Not being terribly familiar with all the characters, I can’t say for certain that everyone’s in-character; the turtles seem to be right on track, so I presume the COW Boys are, too..and given that (as far as I can tell) original creators of all characters involved are…well…involved with this issue, I’ve no reason to believe this does anything but fit both sides of the "crossover" of the properties.

The art throughout is just fine, with all the characters being totally recognizable, and panels clear/clean as to what’s going on. This isn’t just some comic adaptation of a cartoon, but it’s also not one of the darker, gritter of the TMNT stories.
For jumping in cold and just wanting "a" TMNT story, this is a great issue to do so with, and it’s even kid-friendly on the whole–probably moreso than a certain teen wizard’s exploits, for point of comparison.

The great thing about this title is that it features a monthly supply of in-continuity TMNT stories by a variety of writers and artists that include stories set in the characters’ past, present, and future, as well as easily contain property crossovers like we have here. While many titles from bigger publishers might suffer from radical shifts in creative teams from issue-to-issue on writing and visuals, it’s become a sort of staple for this book.

If you can find it, I highly recommend this issue…and really, the series in general for any of you longer-time TMNT fans.

Ratings:

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

Filed under: Classic Reviews, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Tales of the TMNT (Mirage) | Tagged: Andres Ponce, C.O.W.Boys, C.O.W.Boys of Moo Mesa, Comic Reviews, Dario Brizuela, Eric Talbot, Eye of Aga-Moo-Tou, Joe Rubinstein, Mirage, Mirage Publishing, Moo Mesa, Murphy, Ninja Turtles, Peter Laird, Ryan Brown, Savanti Romero, Steve Lavigne, Tales of the TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT | Leave a comment »

Tales of the TMNT #70 [Review]

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Walt

Return to New York, book 1.5: Zog

Plot: Eric Talbot and Jim Lawson
Script/Pencils: Jim Lawson
Inks/Tones/Letters: Eric Talbot
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Cover: Jim Lawson, Eric Talbot and Steve Lavigne
Published by: Mirage Publishing

Refusing to wait for his brothers, Raphael returns to the NYC sewers, where he promptly encounters a Triceraton. Upon waking from the beating inflicted, he finds himself prisoner of Zog, along with a Foot ninja. Though technically enemies, the Turtle and Foot realize they’re not gonna get free of this alone, and must work together…though after a bit of cooperation, their relationship tanks pretty quickly. When their captor returns, Raph takes advantage of the alien dinosaur’s deteriorating mental state by donning the skull of the dead Triceraton commander. With this guise, he convinces Zog that he’s needed for a final mission that involves helping the turtles.

I can’t be certain without digging out the original Return to New York arc…but this reads as slightly more refined than that. But then, it’s coming nearly two decades later, and the Mirage talent has had plenty of time to grow and refine their work since the original story. Also, this is written by Lawson & Talbot rather than Eastman & Laird, so has that slightly different feel. Despite that, this does not feel out of place in and of itself, and I greatly enjoyed the return to such a key story. The “voice” of the characters fits, and while the opening pages provide some context and serve to differentiate this from the early TMNT issues, there’s nothing that I can recall that this contradicts.

The Lawson/Talbot art seems pretty much standard-TMNT to me…really, the standard, to where other artists’ work on the characters has been the variance and different interpretations. While the visuals don’t exactly match what I recall of the original story, that’s fine by me. The art fits the story, conveys what’s going on, and it’s the story itself that makes the issue fit, the art just conveys this specific chapter.

This seems a fitting send-off to this long-running title. Though this is the final issue, its predecessor felt like much more of a final issue. This fits between-issues of the 1980s Return to New York arc when the turtles returned from Northampton and confronted the resurrected Shredder after their sound defeat months earlier. One of the best final touches to the issue is that rather than ship with different editions, each with a different cover (as virtually every other comic publisher seems wont to do these days), this issue ships with a “variant version” on the front, and the “standard” cover on the back…and Mirage gets loads of credit from me for that. This “variant” cover takes on the trade dress of the Return to New York arc–this’ll fit nicely in the longbox with that story and not look out of place–while the standard cover on the back carries the contemporary trade dress/logo.

This issue may whet your appetite for the full Return to New York story if you’re just checking this out or otherwise are not familiar with this key story from the original Mirage run of TMNT. If you’re already familiar with that story, this should be that much more of a treat.

I wouldn’t recommend this issue as a single issue to start with…but otherwise, it’s well worth tracking down…particularly if you’re familiar with the early Mirage TMNT stories.

Story: 7.5/10
Art: 7.5/10
Overall: 8/10