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Comic Review: TMNT Universe #20

by Dan Gehen
written by Dan Gehen

Get ready for a cool but rude (or is it crude?) issue featuring everyone’s hotheaded reptile. The featured story concludes the “Service Animals” story, while the backup sees a Raphael-style insomnia remedy.

Comic Review: TMNT Universe #20

(w) Ian Flynn & Matthew K. Manning (a) Dave Wachter & Adam Gorham (c) Ronda Pattison & Brittany Peer

As a comics fan, I often find myself asking what benefits are there for multiple books that take place in the same universe? While it makes sense when dealing with different characters or concepts, the idea of having multiple Superman or Spider-Man comics seemed confounding to me, especially when they make following the character’s story that much more convoluted. Yet every so often, a story comes around that is really good and reminds us why multiple books can not just be a good idea, but a great one.

To flip the script, let’s discuss the back-up feature first. Penned by Matthew K. Manning (TMNT Adventures) and illustrated by Adam Gorham and Brittany Peer, their story is a simple but entertaining slice-of-life tale. After a hard night out on patrol, all Raphael wants to do is get some shut-eye. Unfortunately, Mikey is hard at work getting the high score in a video game. Loudly. It turns out Mikey is having trouble sleeping, so Raph takes it upon himself to provide his own remedy: a sparing match intended to tire him out. It’s an entertaining, yet touching tale which showcases that even hotheaded Raphael can be nurturing… in his own unique way.

As for the main event, the side-quest of Raphael and Alopex taking on Zodi is a quality action story with a healthy injection of heartfelt moments. While Raph has the unenviable task of trying to subdue Zodi, Alopex is left to take on an anthropomorphic snake named Krisa. Much like the Turtles were able to free her from the Foot’s control, Alopex attempts a similar tactic with her serpentine combatant – and she’s able to get through. While Krisa’s vulnerability to persuasion borders on the absurd, her quick of captured pet turned mutant weapon appears to play a major role in her malleable moral compass.

Zodi is arguably the best new addition to the TMNT canon since Old Hob. It’s not due to her character design, which is surprisingly not gross for a mutated scorpion, but rather her personality. Her fighting style comes straight out of the Peter Parker playbook, that is, hurl a constant barrage of insults at your opponent to knock them off their game. Given that her combatant for the majority of the issue is Raphael, the tactic is more than effective. It certainly makes for one of the most entertaining fight sequences in recent memory.

Dave Wachter, in my opinion, is never bad. Even his subpar work is better than a number of more well regarded artists on their best day. I’ve gushed about his work in all my past reviews, and all of those hold true here. Ditto for Ronda Pattison’s colors.

TMNT Universe #20 finishes the current, two-issue arc on a high note thanks to a solid main feature and an absolutely delightful backup. This series has become a garden for which the seeds of stories featured in the main TMNT series are planted and harvested. If “Service Animals” is anything to go by,  what this story eventually blossoms into should be special.

 

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Comic BooksReviews

COMIC REVIEW: TMNT Universe #8

by Dan Gehen
written by Dan Gehen

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.

 

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Comic BooksReviews

Comic Review: TMNT Universe #7

by Dan Gehen
written by Dan Gehen

Metalhead is back! Donnie rebuilds the robotic turtle, but no one planned for it to have an existential crisis.

Comic Review: TMNT Universe #7

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

Since the conclusion of “Vengeance” the TMNT comics have taken their time in addressing the many issues that have sprouted in that arc’s the fallout. However, one topic that has flown very much under the radar is the future of Metalhead. The robot was destroyed (or at the very least, “aggressively dismantled”) in battle. Keep in mind that in “Vengeance”, Donatello’s consciousness was uploaded into its system why he was in a Rocksteady-induced coma. As this new story by Ryan Ferrier and Adam Gorham explains, merging biology and technology can have some unexpected – and undesired – consequences.

This issue look great. Adam Gorham is probably best known for his work on Valiant’s Dead Drop, and like that series his art is easily the best thing about this book. His designs for the Turtles look awfully similar to those of the original feature film while maintaining certain characteristics unique to the IDW-verse. The Turtles just feel more realistic, as if they’re about to step off of the page. It’s not just the Turtles either. Metalhead feels like a tangible thing rather than a cool comic book conception. And although he is “just a robot,” he has notable swings in emotion which are wonderfully depicted in his physical movements. Furthermore, Gorham’s composition of backgrounds and foreground objects make the world seem more lived in than most TMNT artists.

Of course, the art is only half line-work. Ronda Pattison continues to fill these books her incredible colors. With the regular rotation of artists both TMNT books go through, her ability to adapt to each artist’s style is the unifying factor. With Gorham, her coloring technique is flatter – almost pop-art inpired – yet the palette itself is flat and grimy. The result is an outright beautiful looking book that is worthy of picking up for the art alone.

You may have noticed that I keep using pronouns like “he” rather than “it” when discussing Metalhead, and that is due mostly to the script’s strong writing and characterization. Ryan Ferrier is no stranger to artificial life thanks to his work on the Monkeybrain series D4VE. Bringing his experience with fictional robots to TMNT Universe, he crafts a story that is equal parts hopeful, exploratory, and downright frightening. With Metalhead rebuilt and retaining part of Donatello’s consciousness, the groundwork is laid for exploring what it means to be truly alive as well as the concept of the soul. While those questions are raised, no definite answer is given – no surprise as this is the first in a four-part story.

What is certain is that the rebuilt Metalhead may have retained Donatello’s memories, but not his temperament. He is stubborn, impulsive, and full of rage. Any hope that Metalhead could be a useful member to of the team is quickly brushed aside as he experiences a form of “shell shock” (sorry, I couldn’t resist) while he and Donnie are at the zoo.  It’s a thrilling conclusion (and cliffhanger) to arguably this series’ best issue. This is the one that turns TMNT Universe from fun occasional pick-up to essential reading.

 

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