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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 21, 2024 15:35:32 GMT -5
Raphael #1By Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird  1985, Mirage Comics Summary: After he loses his cool in a sparring match and almost seriously injuring Michelangelo, Raphael heads to the streets to cool off only to encounter someone who's just as big a hot head as he is...Casey Jones. I said it before when we first saw April debut just two issues ago but if definitely bears repeating: It's nothing short of amazing to see a supporting character first emerge and be so fully formed as a character. Usually these kinds of characters go through a sizable amount of change before they become the staples that they are known as later on down the road but right off the bat Casey Jones is that lovable meathead who just wants to do good that we all know and love forty years later. And until now I've really tried hard not to compare the comics to the 1990 live action film but after reading this issue again today it's just impossible not to stop and talk about just how well that film captured not only the look and feel of these comics but how well it integrated these classic moments. Not only did it give us Splinter giving the origin of the Turtles as a quasi-bedtime story and the climatic battle with the Shredder but it nailed the small moments like this first meeting between Casey Jones as well: That clip above is pretty much this comic practically panel for panel and unlike other slavish comic book recreations such as the Watchmen film this still manages to feel fresh and alive...even all these years later it still stands up incredibly well. And I think a lot of that comes down not just to the excellent film making but the high energy, action and simple human emotions of the story itself. It's a short tale of Raph going out to cool off and confronting someone who is essentially his mirror image and seeing just how tough it is for his brothers to deal with him, which is certainly a complex emotional journey but one that is told with utmost clarity and it's a universal theme of growing up that is just so incredibly relatable. A common criticism of the very name Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is that they didn't really act like teenagers( The latest animated film Mutant Mayhem is really the first iteration to try and capture that teenage feel) and it's a criticism that rings true as Laird and Eastman originally only tacked it onto the title as a sort of parody of the hot books of the time New Teen Titans and The New Mutants. However, although they didn't really go in for capturing the Turtles personalities as true teenagers the themes they tackled in these issues really do capture that feeling of adolescence incredibly well as shown by the way they reacted to the loss of Splinter last issue and then this vignette of learning self awareness here. The book may have started off as a simple parody but it grew into a much more maturely written book incredibly quickly.
Grade:9/10 I can’t explain why, but #1 in a one-issue micro-series is such a fun tagline!  I’m enjoying the reviews. Nice to know a solo Turtle got a one-shot. Yeah, I'm thinking it was a commentary on the "Prestige Mini-Series" that had started to be all the rage in the early 80's but despite that reason it was a great story. And Raph was the only one to get a spotlight the other turtles and even the soon to be introduced Fugitoid all got their own features as well. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 22, 2024 13:52:55 GMT -5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4Story and Art by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird  1985, Mirage Comics Summary: While out stretching their legs the Turtles are ambushed by a group of Foot Ninjas. However, during the battle the Turtles catch site of a building labeled TCRI...the company that produced the mutagen that gave birth to them. Choosing to investigate their origins they bite off more than they bargained for...
Man...just man, this was an awesome read. I've been saying right along just how fast the plot was moving, and that's still true now as the plot moves forward here at record time, but on top of that it's an incredibly dense read. The story is only 37 pages, which is although sadly nearly double the run time of a modern comic, still somehow managed to feel like a whole story arc in and of itself due to just how much action, characterization and plot progression we got. Over the course of a single issue the Turtles fight the foot, have several character focused scenes in April's apartment that really give the brothers distinct voices, Donnie shows his first instance of "Donatello Does Machines", they find master Splinter, fight some butt ugly brain aliens and then get sucked into a transporter. It's a tremendous amount of compression, and not just for modern comics either as at this time in the 80's we were seeing the birth of the prestige mini-series and big events which is the start of decompressed storytelling. Either way you slice it the density of this story is just beautiful; to accomplish so much in such little space while at the same time not feeling rushed or underdeveloped.
On the topic of development I really loved seeing the further developments of the Turtles that we got here. We'd seen it a little bit in previous issues, and of course Raph got a whole one shot that really established his hot heat demeanor, but this issue really took it to another issue; we got Mikey cracking jokes while fighting the Foot, Leo being the stoic leader but the biggest development was with Donnie. While the other characters just a few lines showing their personality Donnie got a whole Mission Impossiblesque scene where he uses various home made gizmos to break into the TCRI building. It's a common myth that the toy line and the subsequent Fred Wolf cartoon from 1987 was where the Turtles got their distinct personalities, and while it's true that's where the colored bandannas that we all know and love originated this is the issue that really puts the lie to that myth as far as characterization go as Donnie really is a techno geek here and it's something that will only be built up as this whole Utrom story line continues. While the Turtles were fairly indistinct in the opening issue they developed into their well known archetypes pretty quickly from there. On top of that characterization though what I also love is just how fast Eastman and Laird transition to different genres, we start out with Ninja Action as we have the Turtles face the Foot in a roof top rematch, a quick three panel rehash of their origin, then we get a bit of spy intrigue as the Turtles infiltrate TCRI and finally a sci-fi romp as they fight a bunch of aliens. It's just all so stunning, not only how much they do in a single issue but just how well they do it. These guys are at this point just passionate amateurs but these issues really do go toe to toe with the books being put out then by the big name stars at Marvel and DC and in a lot of ways they stand up better then them. There are definitely bumps along the way and not every issue is this polished but it's amazing none the less.
Grade:9/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 17, 2024 11:38:35 GMT -5
And now for a brief interlude... Fugitoid #1Story and art by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird  1985, Mirage Comics Summary: While begrudgingly working on a terrible weapon for General Blanque, Professor Honeycutt finds his mind accidentally transferred into the body of a robot. With his freedom now in peril he flees!
I've only ever read this second "microseries" twice before with the reason being that this issue just isn't very good. Sure, the Fugitoid becomes an important supporting character later on and is used to incredibly good effect in the IDW series but neither of those things excuses the fact that this is a slog to read on its own. The concept is interesting enough a fugitive scientist on the run from the military having misadventures along the way feels like the trappings to a great 70's thriller TV show in the vein of The Incredible Hulk...but the characterization is flat and with only a tenuous connection to the Turtles it comes across as a detour too far. In truth it only seems worth reading and noting here because of it's "historical" value to the development of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the careers of Eastman and Laird.
The first 30 pages of the Fugitoid microseries were completed in 1983 as one of the first attempts between Eastman and Laird to break into the world of comics. The story was divided into 6 chapters (with a 7th was created heret to connect to the Turtles story) that were intended to be sold as back-ups to comics publishers which is why the comic comes across as clunky as it does. Reading a book made up entirely of collection of previously unused back-up strips that were originally meant to be published months apart from each other naturally leads to some redundant reading as about every ten pages the characters get the audience “caught up to speed” on the current story, thus leading to some boring exposition that which while undoubtedly would have been helpful in its original serialized format is just needlessly repetitive when read in a single sitting.
For the completionists out there it might be worth tracking down but for those just looking to read the main Turtles story I wouldn't break the bank trying to get your hands on this book as what you get in the flashback scene in the next essentially gives you what you would have seen here only more focused and mercifully condensed form.
Grade: 4/10 |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 17, 2024 17:29:22 GMT -5
Fun fact: There is a connection between the Turtles and improv sketch comedy, as well as Viva Variety.....
(Warning: Potty-mouth comedians)
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 27, 2024 9:04:54 GMT -5
Fun fact: There is a connection between the Turtles and improv sketch comedy, as well as Viva Variety..... (Warning: Potty-mouth comedians) Today I learned that I may have met Michael Ian Black. I totally went to a pizza hut to meet the Turtles back in the day and I did go to the Out of their Shells show. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Oct 27, 2024 9:35:19 GMT -5
thwhtguardian, I remember watching an episode of I think it was "I Love The 80's" (which I'm still mad isn't available for streaming on DVD/Blu-Ray) and Michael said one time he travelled to Mexico and was ontop of a building dressed as a turtle throwing out prizes for the poverty stricken children
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 10, 2024 12:43:44 GMT -5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5Story and art by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird  1985, Mirage Comics Summary: After mysteriously being transported across the galaxy the Turtles get stuck in the middle of a war as they try to get home.
Hop in and buckle up because Turtles in Space is here! Yeah, after just four issues the turtles have been transported into a fun sci-fi setting that was clearly inspired by Star Wars. While there is certainly a copious amounts of action, blaster fire and a little bit of alien slapstick as the Turtles fall into one battle right after another it wasn't a book without heart as well. It was only a brief moment but hearing Leo tell tells Honeycutt about the irony of having to keep a low profile despite finally being on a wild alien world where they don't have to hide because they look like freaks really hit home. It was over in just a few panels but against the zainy backdrop it came across as even better because of how different it was from everything else going on.
On top of that despite the break neck speed of the plot there is still a solid amount of characterization as the the Turtles really start to take form here. Mikie’s starting to signs of his of his signature goofy side as we see him mock the Federation troops in order to provide Don with an opening. Raphael is action orientated, Leonardo is the voice of reason leads, and not only does Donatello "do machines" as he gives us techno bable filled bits of exposition but he also proves to be the most sensitive as he fears being lost on the alien world. What’s also interesting is despite the sometimes slapstick nature of the alien action it's surprising how brutal the Turtles can be. Raph uses an alien bar patron as a shield when the troops open fire and in the next Don impales two Federation troopers in the chest with hunting knives. It's quick, dirty and remorseless...and as we saw in the intro announcement despite all that it got a colorful kids cartoon and a line of action figures. And while the Fred Wolf Cartoon series and the action figures were my introduction to the Turtles, it's always been crazy to me in retrospect that some advertising guy saw these books and and thought," Yeah, this would make a great kids cartoon!" I mean, he was right it really did work well but it's hard to really see how one comes to that conclusion. Obviously they had to change a lot and despite what some purists might say those changes are ultimately why we still talk about the Turtles today and so much of the lore we now love was inspired by that kids cartoon. But the vision to see that it could be something for kids really was a bit of serious skill.
Getting back to the story itself, I'm amazed once again that Eastman and Laird really continued to go for the moon, really exploring not only a new genre in playing off the sci-fi tropes of Star Wars but also adding in more humor than they previously had. The confidence they display in not sticking to a single lane is really incredible and it makes for some exciting reading as you really feel that anything could happen next. And while I prefer the more grounded stories I'm really glad these crazy stories exist.
Grade :9/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 16, 2024 9:30:37 GMT -5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6Story and art by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird  1986, Mirage Comics Summary: After failing to convince the Fugitoid to build their weapon the Triceratons force the Turtles into gladiatorial combat to force his hand.
The wild sci-fi romp continues here as Eastman and Laird move on from Star Wars last issue and instead give us John Carter of Mars here in #6 as the Turtles are forced to fight for their lives in an alien gladiator arena. And while sure, getting captured by aliens and then having to fight as gladiators is hardly a novel idea Eastman and Laird managed to make it fun none the less with their parody of over the top sports announcers. That little slice of comedy set against what was an otherwise pretty brutal and prolonged fight scenes( it lasted nearly ten pages with almost no real dialog) is really what made the issue work. Don't get me wrong, the action flowed really well and the poses were dramatic but without the humor I think I would have been bored.
On the negative side, while the look to what was going on back on Earth was definitely needed and it perfectly sets up the conflict that will arise when the Turtles return home the characterization of April was a real bummer. I get it, given what was going on realistically April really couldn’t do much of anything from her position, but when we haven't seen her for three issues getting her here as nothing more than a quivering ball of emotion on the floor is far from satisfying. Despite her strong introduction April really wasn't allowed to do anything in the subsequent issues and comes across as feeling pretty useless which is a real drag.
Despite that slight miss though the issue was overall pretty fun and even though the transfer back to Earth comes across as a total Deus Ex Machina it was still thrilling to see and really makes you yearn for the next issue to see just what happens next.
Grade:8/10 |
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