TMNT

• Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 Annual
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz
• Artist: Kevin Eastman

As he’s done in the past, Kevin Eastman seizes on the opportunity to not only co-author the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual but do double duty and give fans of the original comic a taste of the co-creator’s artwork as well. Given the fact that time travel plays a large role in the annual, it shouldn’t be surprising that some leaves several questions unanswered as the Turtles are recruited by an old friend who they haven’t yet met to fight in gladiatorial combat against warriors from several other realms.

Introducing the well-meaning but scatterbrained Renet into the series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 Annual opens up time travel into the IDW series for the first time. Working together Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael manage to survive the games and help Renet and the young warrior Baltizar lead a revolt to make drastic change to their world.

As annuals go, it’s weird and goofy to be sure and probably worth picking up for Eastman’s art (despite the $8 price tag). Worth a look.

[IDW, $7.99]

• Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #37
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz
• Artist: Cory Smith

One of the staples of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon was the contentious partnership between the Foot Clan and the Utroms. Having kept the two sets of Turtle enemies separate until this point, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #37 brings the groups together as the Shredder makes an offer of an alliance with his old enemy General Krang. Not surprisingly, both characters plans on ruling the world leave little room for partnership as the meeting ends in bloodshed.

The battle with Krang means the return of Koya and the first appearance of Bludgeon as the comic’s mutant character pool continues to build. The comic’s B-story features Alopex still on her own after abandoning both the Foot and the Turtles, but after the fox is approached and bewitched by a vision of Kitsune it appears Alopex’s freedom will be short lived. As someone who would like to see her stay firmly on the side of the Turtles this isn’t a development I particularly like, but it should at least give us more of the character in the coming months. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

• Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #13
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Landry Q Walker
• Artists: Chad Thomas, Marcelo Ferreira

Playing on the Donatello‘s well-established crush on April (both in the comic and current cartoon), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #14 finds the smartest Turtle get into trouble in an attempt to create a pheromone spray to cause April to return his feelings. Things go wrong pretty quickly for Donatello as the spray doesn’t effect April but does cause the various bugs in the sewers and New York streets to seek out the Turtle leaving his brothers to clean up the mess.

The issue’s back-up story centers Michelangelo‘s short attention span which gets him kidnapped by Baxter Stockman and imprisoned in the mad scientist’s latest robot creation sent after Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello. Mikey uses his brains (sort of) to save the day leaving his brothers both impressed and exasperated (as usual).

The pair of goofy stories both center around well-established character traits and fit well into the comic’s existing catalog. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]