COMIC REVIEW: TMNT Universe #8

All is fair in love and video-games! With Metal-Don is on the loose, and the TMNT try tracking him down before someone is hurt… or worse!

TMNT Universe #8: Metalhead 2.0 – Part 2

(W) Ryan Ferrier (A) Adam Gorham (C) Ronda Pattison (Back-up W&A) Brahm Revel

I have to get this out of the way: TMNT Universe #8 is a disappointment. It’s not due to the quality of Ryan Ferrier’s script – the story itself is very well written. It’s not due to the artwork by Adam Gorham and Ronda Pattison – their work remains phenomenal. It isn’t even the back-up work by Brahm Revel, who continues with Part 4 his delightful tale. It’s because the “Metalhead 2.0” story arc reaches its conclusion after only two issues, leaving us wanting more.

Part of the reason I wanted more is that, with the story that Ferrier set up in the previous issue, wrapping up the plot in another 2o-page chunk did not seem possible. And while the script manages to close up the story (for now), it does so in a rushed and anticlimactic fashion. When the final battle concludes, it seems that the creative team has left the door open for a continuation in Issue #9 so when the words “The End” appear on the last page, it’s like receiving a blow to the gut.

This does not mean the issue itself it bad. As stated above, the creative team puts forth their best efforts given the space they’ve been allotted. While readers may have gone into the issue expecting Turtles-on-Metalhead action,  they get a story about the unbreakable bond between family members. This provides the issue with a much needed emotional anchor, particularly as Donatello experiences an identity crisis. Because of “Metal Don’s” unique condition (see the “Vengeance” story arc), there is a bond to him which Donnie feels, even after it nearly kills him. He sees the robot as an extension of himself, and as a result begins to get lost in his own work. True to form, his brothers manage to pull him back from the brink, saving him as he has saved them so many times before.

As was the case last month, the artwork is phenomenal. I hope that Adam Gorham returns in the near future, because his work holds up against (Warning: hot take) the best TMNT artists ever. It helps that Ronda Pattison is around to continue her outstanding color work. What makes their collaboration even more impressive is that, while the art has carried average scripts for most of TMNT Universe, Ferrier’s story has been really good. Despite that, their artwork still manages to outshine the story.

“Metalhead 2.0” is easily the best story to come out of TMNT Universe. The fantastic artwork and well-written script work in harmony to create a memorable 2-issue arc. And while the creative team doesn’t quite stick the landing, it is a flaw that does not tarnish the entire story arc. This is the story from the Turtles’ anthology title that is a must-read.