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Raphael finds himself in over his head as Area 51’s local mad scientist throws him in with the rest of his mutant specimens. Meanwhile, Metalhead is fighting for his life (and Pepperoni’s) against a swarm of defense bots. Those two may be in a heap of trouble but Casey Jones finds himself in a fight with a possessed Karai and the odds of survival are slim to none. Mutant Nation gives us more TMNT goodness in issue #3!
Ambush at Area 51!
- Written by Tom Waltz
- Art by Vincenzo Federici & Jose Jaro
- Colors by Ronda Pattison
- Letters by Rus Wooten
Casey Jones Agent of The Foot Clan
- Written by Erik Burnham
- Art by Mateus Santolouco
- Colors by Marco Lesko
- Letters by Rus Wooten
- Editor Maggie Howell
- Design Brian Kolek
- Publisher IDW Publishing
The Mutant Nation on TMNT shines on as we continue to follow the intriguing side stories of Raphael and Casey Jones! The TMNT universe is expanded like never before as Raphael and Metalhead converge on Area 51 to discover something more than UFO’s. They seem to be collecting mutant specimens, but to what ends? Casey Jones is working with The Foot Clan, training under Karai herself, but something is different about her. She’s gone to far in her dabble with Magic and something has a hold of her conciseness!
Mutant Nation #3: Ambush at Area 51
Tom Waltz takes us deeper into Area 51. We’re still not sure why Metalhead has taken Pepperoni, but now he has made his way into the servers of Area 51 and is stealing data. As Raphael searches for Metalhead and his little dinosaur friend, he stumbles upon some familiar faces in cages. Mondo Gecko, Mutagen Man, Pidgeon Pete, and more are locked up under the supervision of Dr. Yuhasz, a huge robot with the head of a mad scientist.
Fast Pace and Art in Action for Ambush at Area 51
Waltz keeps the petal to the metal so to speak with a awesome battle of wits between Raphael and Dr. Yuhasz. Simultaneously, he’s running a high stakes with Metalhead that keeps the tension high! Great pacing and a lot fun is had. I can’t help but mention the wonderful sprinkle of humor at times, especially with Pigeon Pete.
There are so many great panels chock full of action. As Raphael and Yuhasz move their chess pieces the battle intensifies with movement and environmental effects. All of the detail of the server room with Metalhead and some fantastic closeups bring tension to that side of the story. Once the fire starts spraying, you can feel the stakes rise off of the artwork alone.
Mutant Nation #3: Casey Jones Agent of The Foot Clan
Erik Burnham brings us a much more grounded and contained story in Casey Jones Agent of The Foot Clan. Casey Jones and Karai debate the torture of a prisoner which leads to things getting a little heated. It’s clear that Karai has not been quite herself and that escalates over time. There’s some great philosophical dialogue between the two of them throughout. I found myself glued to the word bubbles, just waiting for the next volley of comebacks.
The artwork in this one focuses on body language and stays grounded. Well, at least until a demonic spirit lashes out of Karai and takes things to the next level! Fantastic character work and creature designs make this one hard to look away from, but the colors take it higher. Great lighting work and magic effects take the story from bland hideout to magical, fiery battleground.
Overall Grade: 8/10
The majority of this was filler, but the action kept the interest high! Waltz and Burnham move there stories along at great pace, while letting the characters breath and develop. The artwork in both are worthy of praise. Area 51 is clean and rich with color, whereas Casey Jones is more gritty and fantastical. Mutant Nation is definitely worth the time of TMNT fans that want to see a deeper universe.
