Thursday, October 29, 2015

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Change is Constant

I was thinking about this for awhile so I'm thrilled that my sister and her husband got me the first two volumes. I love TMNT and it has it's share of reboots. This one comes from IDW.

SEMI-SPOILERS AHEAD


This ws so much fun to read and I usually don't like origin stories. The storytelling does change things up by going back and forth from the past to the present. Things change and add interesting twists to the tale and the characters themselves. April appears in their lives much earlier and Casey instantly endears himself to Ralph. Likely the reader too.

There are questions that aren't really addressed like why Splinter could teach them combat. Do the turtles remember anything from their lives before like Splinter does ? It says why Casey doesn't make a big deal out of a giant turtle but not why no one else bats an eyes. But I'm really not in a rush to get answers because this trade was pretty entertaining. After the disappointment and aggravation of the first Titans Hunt issue and Grayson I needed a trade like this.

The only nickpick I could give is Donatello being a little too aggressive when arguing with Leonardo. Their situation was tense for a good reason it just threw me since Donnie is usually more reasonable. Ralphels' story does provide some details for why this version might feel isolated from his brothers and have his temper. That's a guess given the character but with the set up it'd make sense. Besides Ralphel only Splinter really gets a good look at. Even before he's changed you get a sense of his intelligence and emotional connection to others. You get why he's enemies with Old Hob and feel for his sense of helplessness.

This is mainly a family story which pays off at the end of the trade. I don't want to spoil too much of this but if you're a fan of TMNT you'll probably love this.

4 comments:

  1. This series is incredible. Not only managed to blend perfectly elements from every incarnation of the turtles, it also has managed to keep a consistent quality for more than 50 issues. Both DC and Marvel should learn from them.

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  2. That's what I heard. I'm already looking into getting more volumes. This is the kind of of series you want to read in trade because it feels whole. Not like other comics from the big two that have that editorial mandate vibe to it with tie in, etc.

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  3. Issue 50 tho.

    It took everything we knew about the turtles, set in fire and blown into pieces to go into a totally unexpected direction. The best part is how every single crossover and story is part of the canon, it really gives a sense of belonging that is lacking on the big two series.

    I'm actually sad that Tynion's the one writing the crossover with Batman, that was my dream crossover.

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  4. I'm looking forward to the future trades. I have the second one that I think I'll save until after I finish the Grayson trade and 12. I need something good to read after that.

    I feel the same way. All excitement deflated when I heard.

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