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Cowabunga Comic Fans!? Rich from the NI Bullpen here to bring you a truly radical comic book review. This week I’m reviewing another anthology book, but this time it stars Heroes with a Half Shell, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
This book features 4 stories by a great cast of creators. Jock, Dom Reardon, Cameron Chittock, and Alexis Ziritt to name a few. IDW Publishing is bringing the Turtle Power with this one.
Enough of this intro though, let’s grab a pizza and dive into this book!
Check Out My Last Review
***Minor Spoilers Possible***
Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go
This anthology book has 4 stand alone stories, that start and wrap in this issue. Every story is completely different, featuring different story styles and art. Let me break them down one by one.
First up is, “The Beast That Bleeds Green”. This story is written and art by Jock & Dom Reardon. The story has our heroes tracking a mutant that leaks mutagen. Any creature that encounters the mutagen will become a mutant as well. This story has a very adult feel and a twisted ending.
Next is “Sin Sewer”. This story is written by Dave Wielgosz, Riley Rossmo, and Shawn Lee. The name says it all, it’s a TMNT meets Sin City story. The art is a perfect match up to Sin City as well. Raphael takes center stage in this crime drama. He helps a damsel in distress, or is she?
The third story is “Miami Vacation”. The story is written by Carlos Giffoni and Alexis Ziritt. This story has a very newspaper comic strip feel to it. With the art popping out of the panels. Michaelangelo is on a mission to find chicharrons, when he stumbles on a crime committed by a mutant croc. Is this croc bad or just misunderstood?
Finally, “Green Means Go” finishes out the book. The story is written by Cameron Chittock and Michael Shelfer. This is the most TMNT of all the stories. The artwork is very reminiscent of the cartoon series. April O’neil is behind the wheel giving chase to Baxter Stockman and hijinks ensue.
Final Thoughts
It was a ton of fun going back into the world of TMNT. As a child I was a huge fan of the original cartoon series. I also played all the games, had the action figures, and when I was a little older dove into the comic series. So, you could say this was a good way to remind me of my fandom.
The stories were all entertaining, and concise. I didn’t feel like I got too much or too little. Often in anthology books, stories can either give too little or too much. So, it’s rare that a book finds that great middle, and this one does.
Each story brought something different to the table as well. You had a classic story that was fun, a comic strip fun story, a crime tale, and a thriller all in one book! A little something for everyone.
The art was fantastic. The different styles for the different stories made it easy to see when one story ended and the next began. The use of the black, white, & green gimmick was also very cool.
There of course must be some negatives. Chief amongst them is the fact that I found myself not feeling attached to the stories. Sure, they looked great and were fun, but knowing they were short one & done stories made it hard to immerse myself. I also felt that the word bubbles were confusing at times.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book and I will check out future issues.
Final Grade: 7.5/10
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