Michael Dooney | Comic Reviews by Walt

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Tales of the TMNT #56 [Review]

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: Hun

As the turtles and April help Casey clean, they come across some old newspapers that reveal another glimpse into Casey’s past–and the man who helped make him who he is today.

Script: Tristan Jones
Art: Paul Harmon
Letters: Eric Talbot
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Editor in Chief: Peter Laird
Managing Editor: Dan Berger
Design: Eric Talbot
Cover: Paul Harmon and Steve Lavigne
Publisher: Mirage

In brief, this issue shows us Casey’s past run-in with Hun, then moves into the “present” (in that time somewhere after TMNT Vol. 2). Having his past brought into discussion with April, Casey takes off to blow off some steam, and finds himself face-to-face with the man who hurt him so many years ago…but with the fight just a little more “fair” this time around.

Normally I’m not a huge fan of bringing a character from “other media” into the “source material,” but the way that Hun (created for the TMNT animated series that debuted back in ’03) has been handled here makes perfect sense, and works REALLY well in tying into Casey Jones’ life–getting to the core of the character.

The writing here works quite well for me. There aren’t a lot of pages–just this issue–for delving into stuff, so it’s not like we have a multi-issue arc to introduce stuff; we just kinda jump into stuff and see both flashback and “current” events. But everyone seems in-character; at the least, I have no problems with how the characters are depicted in this book.

Visually I feel that for the most part, the art orks quite ell with the story; but other times something about it seems almost unfinished and sketchy, like we’re seeing pencilwork minus any inks.

All in all, though, especially for fans of Casey Jones, this is a very worthwhile issue. While this issue does bring Hun into TMNT comic continuity, it’s not forced, and is done in such a way that he can be picked up by others as they choose–or not, and it’s not like he’s gonna be force-fed to readers month after month.

Not sure non-TMNT fans would find this issue all that wonderful; but at least for the story and learning more about Casey, this issue ought to be a good read for TMNT fans new and old.

Recommended.

Ratings:

Story: 3.5/5
Art: 2.5/5
Overall: 3/5

Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Comic Reviews, Dan Berger, Eric Talbot, Michael Dooney, Mirage, Ninja Turtles, Paul Harmon, Peter Laird, Steve Lavigne, Tales of the TMNT, TMNT, Tristan Jones | Leave a comment »

Tales of the TMNT #55 [Review]

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Day in the Life

The Turtles wake to another day of training and family rivalry.

Script: Dan Berger
Art: Jim Lawson
Letters: Eric Talbot
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Cover: Jim Lawson and Steve Lavigne
Publisher: Mirage

This issue begins with a fantastic, poster-worthy cover. It’s a bit “iconic,” but I have no problem with that. The story opens as usual with a bit of dialogue from one of the characters in the issue as a voiceover on a singular image, as the narrator leads into the issue’s story. The Turtles’ day begins–Donatello up late working on a machine, Michelangelo up late working on a comic, Raphael reluctant to get started so early, and Leonardo checking in on the three, while attending to his own training by Splinter. Once the Turtles are all up and in motion, their day’s training begins, with some undertones present from a sibling prank. Eventually the day ends and the Turtles go to bed, not one having any idea what is to come.

The art for this issue is spot-on for me; this is the visual version of the Turtles that I most associate with the characters. No complaints from me.

The story itself may seem rather boring to some, but as a fan of the “quieter” stories with characters often associated with “loud” action-filled stories, this is a story that I particularly enjoyed. This is a tale of the characters found in the classic issues–and yet, it manages to also capture the feel of the 2003 animated series–a great blend of classic with contemporary, somewhat brighter tones. Each turtle’s personality shows through here as we see their interaction on–essentially–any given day, at least as their life was before Shredder, the Foot, and everything else that they’ve faced since being introduced to the world.

As with most issues of this series, you need not have read any of the other issues–you can come to this cold, knowing only the phrase “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” The ending sequence of this issue was a thrill–whether just a random visual or something deeper, I’m not sure–but long time fans will likely be able to draw parallels that’ll give a lot more depth to the scene.

Highly recommended.

Ratings:

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

Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Comic Reviews, Dan Berger, Eric Talbot, Jim Lawson, Michael Dooney, Mirage, Ninja Turtles, Steve Lavigne, Tales of the TMNT, TMNT | Leave a comment »

Tales of the TMNT #54 [Review]

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: Mere Appendix

Raphael accidentally damages the Fugitoid during a bar scuffle, which leads Professor Honeycutt to some questions about his past.

Script: Andrew Bonia
Pencils: Bob LeFevre
Inks: Mostafa Moussa
Tones: L. Jamal Walton
Letters: Eric Talbot
Cover: Bob LeFevre, Mostafa Moussa, Steve Lavigne
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Publisher: Mirage

Beginning the issue, we find ourselves with the Ninja Turtles in a brawl at a local pub on the planet Queexox V. (This is apparently the homeworld of Professor Honeycutt, known to most as “the Fugitoid.”) During the brawl, Raphael accidentally puts a sai through Honeycutt’s eye, badly damaging him. With damaged Fugitoid in tow, the Turtles escape to the Utroms. After determining that the utroms don’t know enough to truly fix the robot body, the Turtles take him to his old lab for him to attempt self-repair. make a break for it, seeking Honeycutt’s old lab so he can attempt to fix himself.

The art for this issue is very blocky, with thick lines and rather cartooney proportions, even for something like the TMNT. The art in itself isn’t bad, but the style isn’t to my own liking–it puts me in mind of manga-style art, while coming across a bit generically and without striking me as being manga-styled. If manga-ish art is your thing, you should have no problem with this.

The story itself is pretty good, drawing very nicely on TMNT backstory, with flashbacks to Professor Honeycutt/Fugitoid’s first appearance (the one-shot Fugitoid). This story is set at some point in the TMNT story, though no definitive time is referenced. The Turtles themselves are virtually background players in this issue–something to initiate the conflict of the story and then follow events along. The heart of the story is about Fugitoid exploring his past and determining the nature of the accident that long ago transferred his mind into a robot body, and raising the all-too-human question about “who am I?”

As a whole, this is a solid issue focusing on the Fugitoid and injecting some humanity–and question–into it. Longtime fans ought to find their knowledge of the character refreshed and fleshed out a bit (at least in terms of the character’s motivation), while newer fans will discover more about a character that hasn’t had much of a spotlight in a lotta years.

Recommended.

Ratings:

Story: 4/5
Art: 2.5/5
Overall: 3/5

Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Andrew Bonia, Bob LeFevre, Eric Talbot, Fugitoid, L. Jamal Walton, Mere Appendix, Michael Dooney, Mirage, Mostafa Moussa, Ninja Turtles, Raphael, Steve Lavigne, Tales of the TMNT, TMNT | Leave a comment »

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 #51 [Review]

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: Night of the Living Gingerbread

Transported to a different time & land, the TMNT face zombies, werewolves, and a dragon with a new friend as they seek a way to return home.

Script/Art: Dan Berger
Tones: L. Jamal Walton
Letters: Eric Talbot
Cover: Dan Berger and Steve Lavigne
Frontispiece: Michael Dooney
Editor in Chief: Peter Laird
Managing Editor: Dan Berger
Design: Eric Talbot
Publisher: Mirage Publishing

Shadow–Casey Jones’ adopted daughter–has put two of the turtles to sleep insisting each of them, in turn, read to her a bedtime story. Tired after three times through the story, Mikey decides to regale her with a tale of an experience he and his brothers once had.

Ever-annoying timestress Renet shows up, wanting to show off her new clothes to the turtles–clothes that go with the new time scepter she’s got. Inexperienced as she is and against the turtles’ warning, Renet time/space-teleports them to some far-off land…the turtles find themselves alone, and definitely NOT home.

They rescue a squishy fellow named Gutwallow from some zombies attacking him, and then strike out (alone, having been left behind by Gutwallow) to see if a Chronomancer might be able to return them to their own homes. The turtles encounter other monsters on their journey, and eventually learn that it’s up to them to rescue Renet, in order that the timestress can return all of them to their proper time/place.

The story presented here seems fairly simplistic–nothing particularly deep. Of course, this is a single-issue story, not something dragged across 6+ issues, and so takes us as readers across the main steps of the story without delving into half-issue side-stories and drawn-out conversations between characters. We simply have a story of the turtles in an unfamiliar landscape, battling zombies, werewolves, dragons, and magic, with a bit of time-travel thrown in for good measure.

The art is some of my favorite–I really like this depiction of the turtles. They have a distinct appearance that isn’t quite any of the animated versions, nor the oldest, classic iterations. I’m reminded very much of the TMNT Adventures series, which made this all the more enjoyable, even if that resemblance is just in my head.

This tale is just in time for Halloween, too, and avoids undue seriousness. I’m not sure if this is quite something to hand to the youngest of kids, but it’s certainly no “adult” comic.

As with most other issues of the title, it’s a stand-alone: you really don’t need to have read the previous issues, nor are you committed into buying future issues. There’s no “To Be Continued” here. Sometimes I’d enjoy a more serialized ongoing story for the turtles–but the way this book is handled, I’ve gotten used to and do enjoy the one-issue tales from all throughout core turtles history, as well as all the different visual takes on the characters.

Very much recommended for any TMNT fan, but especially for anyone who doesn’t mind that an issue is not part of some larger event or saga, but is just an episode from within the overall TMNT timeline.

Ratings:

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

Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Dan Berger, L. Jamal Walton, Michael Dooney, Mirage, Night of the Living Gingerbread, Ninja Turtles, Peter Laird, Steve Lavigne, Tales of the TMNT, 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