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 »
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 »
Written by: Erik Burnham
Art by: Dan Schoening
Colors by: Luis Antonio Delgado
PCOC Pages by: Tristan Jones
Letters by: Shawn Lee
Associate Edits by: Bobby Curnow
Edits by: Tom Waltz
I vaguely recall picking up a premiere issue of a Ghostbusters series a few years back…maybe 2004 or so. Unfortunately, I never kept up with it, and pretty much lost track of the property again. Earlier this year, I was ever so slightly reintroduced to the Ghostbusters through the 2-issue micro-series tie-in to the Infestation event. And now, here…a premiere issue, picking up with the characters, sometime after the films.
The lead story of the issue introduces us to the characters where they are in the present…and even though it’s been years since I’ve even seen the films…these felt like those characters. After introductions are out of the way, things get moving, as a series of interactions lead to Winston taking on a pro bono case and dragging Peter into it…where they find themselves faced with a familiar ghost messing up an apartment building.
After this lead story ends on its cliffhanger, we’re given a brief scene as officials discuss the need for someone to oversee the activities of the Ghostbusters and those like them, inducting an old face to head the group: the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission.
I’m not familiar offhand with Erik Burnham, at least not consciously by name. Which I think makes this that much more an enjoyable read: I’m here for the Ghostbusters, period. Not the Ghostbusters as written by _______. And as said above…reading this issue, I really got the feeling these are the characters from the films, with a touch of the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. Burnham seems to have a great grasp on these characters, and does a fantastic job of reintroducing me to them, setting up the current status quo, and introducing the group’s first threat here.
Schoening‘s art reminds me a lot of contemporary cartoons…rather stylized and not terribly realistic…but not devolved into goofy caricature. He makes these characters his own…and yet manages to capture the essense of the actors who’d portrayed them. The coloring seems a bit heavy and computerized, almost too “shiny” overall for my tastes. That makes me wonder what the art would look like in strict black and white…probably have a definite manga feel to it at that point. Despite the extra shininess…really can’t complain, as mixed with the writing, this was an enjoyable story overall with a nice cliffhanger.
Jones‘ scene at the end provides an interesting concept, and I look forward to seeing how this aspect of things will play out in the coming issues. The writing and the art have a much more serious, gritty feel to them than the lead…but that makes this work. It’s a much different style than the lead feature…but then, it feels like it could be setting up its own series set in the Ghostbusters universe; Sort of like a Marvel Knights to the Marvel Universe, for lack of a better analogy offhand. Same universe, fits together, but quite different…yet a good mix.
Even with my “limited engagement” with Infestation: Ghostbusters a few months back…this is the third IDW book in the last couple months to fully engage me, hook me, and leave me very much anticipating the next issue.
If you’re familiar with the Ghostbusters, this ought to be a fun ride, checking back in to the characters with a fresh-ish start. At the same time, if you don’t know the characters…this seems a solid point to jump in.
Recommended!
Story: 8/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 8.5/10
Filed under: Ghostbusters (IDW), INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Comic Reviews, Dan Schoening, Erik Burnham, Ghostbusters, IDW, Luis Antonio Delgado, Shawn Lee, Tom Waltz, Tristan Jones | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 