TMNT

Teenange Mutant Ninja Turtles #6

/ / Comics

teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-6-coverThe rebooted and re-imagined TMNT universe continues. Reunited, the Turtles find themselves battling mysterious ninjas on the rooftops of New York who appear to be after a French-speaking warrior who warns the team that war is coming.

Meanwhile, April O’Neil takes one step closer to the Turtles’ world when she meets Casey Jones for the first time. And Dr. Baxter Stockman introduces Old Hob to his latest invention – the Mousers.

It’s nice to see the Mousers, another piece of Turtles’ lore, finding its way into the new series. Like Donatello, I’m having a little trouble with the the idea that fate has brought Hamato Yoshi and his four sons back together in their current forms in 21st Century New York, but then again this is a comic book about human-sized turtles who know Ninjutsu, so I’m willing to give it a chance.

The issue feels a little like filler as it spends most of its time setting up stories that will be told in the next few issues. Still, it opens with a pretty darn good action sequence and does give us the first appearance of the Mousers. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

Teenange Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 Read More »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5

/ / Comics

teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-5-coverWith the four brothers finally reunited the latest issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles takes a breath to give us a holiday issue which sees Raphael training with Michelangelo, Donatello and Leonardo, and Splinter narrating a flashback of the story of Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki.

I’ve really enjoyed this reboot of the Turtles franchise and the final issue of the year proves to be the best so far. Although bloody, the tragedy of Yoshi and his family is handled with skill as more clues to the Turtles’ past are revealed.

We also get a little foreshadowing on how April O’Neil will be brought into Casey Jones and the Turtles’ world as well as a sequence where each of the four turtles earns their own mask to showcase their individuality. Is the explanation of giving the characters different masks (as they wore in the cartoon) a bit of a stretch? Yes, but it works surprisingly well.

Although I’m still missing the original look of Kevin Eastman’s art this comic is proving to be one of best around. Best of the Week.

[IDW, $3.99]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 Read More »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4

/ / Comics

teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-4-coverMore pieces of the Turtles’ origins are revealed as Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello finally locate their long lost brother Raphael. By the end of the issue, and the first arc of the reboot Turtles comic series, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be united once more.

Issue #4 is heavy on action as most of the events unfold during, and directly following, a battle between Raphael and Casey Jones and Old Hob‘s gang. The two are hopelessly outnumbered, but lucky for them the other turtles show up to lend a hand (and a katana, and numchucks, and kicks to the face).

We’ll have to wait and see how this new version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles weaves April O’Neil and other characters like the Shredder further into the comic, but for a first arc it’s been a fun ride. Now let’s see what kind of trouble the turtles can get into now that they’ve been reunited. And, if you can find it, I’d definitely recommend picking up the variant cover by Turtle co-creator Kevin Eastman. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 Read More »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

/ / Comics

teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1-coverIn 1984 Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird released the first issue of a comic book which centered around four teenagers who just happened to tbe turtles… and ninjas. Over the years the franchise would span several publishers, inspire four television series, a Japanese anime, three live-action theatrical films, an animated feature film (which is pretty damn good, by the way).

Things have come full circle yet again as Eastman teams with IDW to return his creations back to comics. Along with writer Tom Waltz and artist Dan Duncan, Eastman re-imagines the Teenange Mutant Ninja Turtles for a new generation.

As the story opens we learn the Turtles have only been in action for less than 18 months, and have already lost one of their number. The comic opens with a battle between Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Splinter against Old Hob and his gang. Through flashbacks we’re also shown the early days of the turtles and rat as lab animals at Stock Gen Research who are given their names by young lab tech April O’Neil.

…

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1Read More »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 Read More »

TMNT

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: TMNT
  • IMDB: link

tmnt-posterWhat was your introduction to the turtles?  Was it the, best forgetten, live-action films?  Or was it the late 80’s cartoon with their jokes, and commercial and toy tie-ins?  Or the recent Fox cartoon relaunch?  Or was it the slew of arcade and Nintendo games?  Or were you, like me, introduced to the foursome through the original pages of a black and white comic book Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles?

I ask because whatever your vision of the turtles is will color how you view the film.  Fans of the games, the cartooons, and even the other films, may indeed be disappointed as the characters, for the most part, are stipped bare to more closely resemble the original creations.  It may surprise many, who keep refering to the “new look” of the film, which is anything but new.  It’s not a perfect film, but for a comic adaption to a series that had lost all credibility it’s as close to perfect as you can fit into a PG film.  The turtles have finally come home.

…

TMNTRead More »

TMNT Read More »