TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #2 REVIEW

Written by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz

Art by Dan Duncan

The Turtles return (well mostly just Raphael) in an action-packed issue that pits Raphael against a drunken father, young April O’Neil against two ninjas (Foot Clan?), and Michelangelo against boredom.

Most of the issue is dominated by Raphael taking down the drunken father he witnessed hitting his kid at the end of the previous issue. It goes on for just a bit too long in my opinion, and when it’s over, the man just drives away drunken and vaguely agitated. Raphael comes back and talks to the kid and we discover the young man is named, wait for it… Casey Jones. Their story ends with Casey suggesting they go get some food, and when Raphael turns around, Casey is in a hockey mask carrying a large blunt object which may or may not be a cricket bat.

It is flashback time and April is hard at work at the lab with the rat and her turtles.The rat the other technicians call Splinter brings her a top secret disk. While she’s looking at that trying to decide what to do with it, ninjas break in and try to steal the turtles and kill her (she didn’t have enough flair [Office Space anyone?]). On the run, the ninjas lose the turtles into a sewer and they get covered in a green goo along with Master Splinter. The end of the flashback shows one of the turtles being carried off by a cat that looks suspiciously like an eye-patchless, unmutated, version of Old Hob.

And Michelangelo is bored of looking for Raphael. That’s basically the sum of the other three Turtles parts.

The art continues to be a solid part of the experience of this comic. I don’t really have much to say about it that I haven’t already said.

Overall a strong addition, but a little slower going than the last. Raph’s fight and subsequent encounter with Casey just flat out took too long while the rest of the book moved almost even slower.On a high-point,  April DOES punch a ninja in the face.

4.5 out of 5

Michael Knoll is a contributing writer at Champion City Comics. 

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 REVIEW

Written by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz

Art by Dan Duncan

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back! As a child of the 90’s, and a boy to boot, TMNT was a staple of my childhood. Of course being named Michael, Michelangelo and I were basically indistinguishable (it helped that my favorite color was orange). When I learned that TMNT was making a comic resurgence I was obviously ecstatic, and Eastman didn’t let me down.

The story begins with an alley scene where Splinter and three (COUNT THEM, THREE) turtles, all in red masks, are facing off against a group of street thugs led my a one-eyed cat man whom Master Splinter refers to as 'Old Hob'. It’s clear that Hob and the Turtle family have some history that we aren’t privy to. Splinter, in his classic wise learned man style, tries to talk Hob out of a fight, but no dice. The Turtles fight the street thugs while Splinter internally comments on their styles and makes a metaphor to nature. We see some thugs fall to katanas, a bow staff, and to nunchucks. Splinter straight up dominates Old Hob and the Turtles leave the scene.

During the fight, Old Hob makes reference to a FOURTH turtle that no one has heard from. Splinter breaks down in tears after the fight for his lost, fourth son, Raphael. Speaking of Raph, we meet up with him somewhere in the suburbs wandering aimlessly until he stumbles on a house where an old man is in the midst of abusing his son. Being a Turtle, Raph lunges through the window to fight for the kid.

Intermixed in there is a somewhat less interesting flashback sequence of a young woman named April O’Neil getting a job at a research lab that is testing something on four turtles and a rat.

The art and the inking are really cool for this issue. It reminisces of the gritty comics that launched the Turtles into the spotlight that would see them into no less than two long running cartoon series and at least four feature length films. While reminiscent it is definitely a little bit more refined and actually colored. To put it simply, the Turtles grew up with me.

Writing and art are in almost perfect sync on this one to give a very enjoyable comic experience. If you loved the Turtles of old (regardless of what your definition of old is) this is a definite read you would enjoy.

5 out of 5

Michael Knoll is a contributing writer at Champion City Comics.