Showing posts with label frank fosco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frank fosco. Show all posts

Friday, June 26, 2015

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (vol. 3) #23 - October 1999


Credits: Gary Carlson (writer), Frank Fosco (pencils and inks),  Pat Brosseau (letters)

Pizza-Free Summary:  Shortly after Donatello rebuilds an exo-skeleton bodysuit for Dr. X, April calls the Turtles into her apartment for a surprise birthday party.  April gives away advance copies of Michelangelo’s novel as presents.  Suddenly, Splinter collapses.  Dr. X revives him.  Splinter explains that he had a strange dream while unconscious involving Raphael and the Foot.  Pimiko makes a dramatic entrance, declaring that she now owes Raphael her life and that she’ll join the Turtles in battle to save him from the Foot.  Meanwhile, Casey discovers at the bank that his reward check has bounced.  He causes a scene and is arrested.  The Turtles reluctantly follow Pimiko to the Foot’s hideout, where Raphael is being held.  During the battle, Raphael’s former ally Cheng reveals that he’s been stealing Splinter’s life force ever since he “cured” him in the Astral Plane.  Cheng uses fireworks as a distraction and flees with Lady Shredder.  With the rest of the Foot defeated, Pimiko agrees to return to April’s home and enjoy the birthday party.



Continuity Notes:
  • One year has passed since the first issue of vol. 3, making this the Turtles’ nineteenth birthday.
  • Donatello can now make robotic duplicates of himself with his cybernetic armor.
  • Lady Shredder’s identity isn’t revealed, but she claims the Turtles should have recognized her.  The only obvious suspect I can think of is Karai.

What the Shell?:  Michelangelo actually unleashes a “Cowabunga!” during the Foot Clan battle.

Not Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  Forget the Comics Code, can you imagine Image publishing this scene today and not generating a dozen indignant editorials on ComicsAlliance?


I Love the 90s:  Leonardo compares Lady Shredder’s steel bra to Madonna’s. Oprahs Book Club is still a thing.


Review in a Half-Shell:  We’ve reached the end, and what a finale this turned out to be.  Clearly, at some point during the issue’s production, Gary Carlson had to know this was the final issue.  The title ends with a callback not only to the first issue of the Image series (another birthday party), but even a reference to the very first TMNT comic (Cheng has a thermite grenade, just like the one Shredder used in the first Mirage issue’s finale).  Some of the subplots have nice resolutions, and Raphael rejoins his brothers at the issue’s end.  There’s also the final issue standard “Never The End!” closing caption on the last page.  And yet…much of this issue reads as if Carlson fully expects to be back next month.  The Casey Jones subplot from the past few issues continues, veering off in an unexpected direction.  The identity of Lady Shredder remains unrevealed.  Donatello’s still developing new uses for his cybernetic armor.  Leonardo continues to resist Donatello’s offer of a cybernetic replacement hand while he tries to adjust to his amputation.  And Splinter’s life is apparently in danger so long as Cheng lives.  For every story thread that’s resolved, another still exists, waiting for some sort of closure.

In retrospect, the third volume of TMNT had a lot going against it.  Launching in 1996, the Turtles are in that awkward stage where kids are getting bored with them, teens are denying they liked them, and no one’s really nostalgic for the concept yet.  The bulk of the audience seems to consist of the diehard fans from the original Mirage days, and I’m not sure if the Image series ever truly pleased them.  Visually, Im convinced the book is too divorced from the Mirage style.  When I think of a black and white TMNT book that’s continuing the original Mirage storylines, I immediately assume the Turtles are going to appear as they did on the cover of the original First graphic novel reprint.  Instead, the unique textures of the original series are gone, and regular artist Frank Fosco rarely stays on-model with the classic look.  Erik Larsen is able to do his own take on the Turtles (a great mix of his ‘90s style and the original designs), but he drops out of inking the book early on.  I don’t want to say Frank Fosco and the subsequent inkers botched the job, but the style isn’t distinctive enough to compete with the trademark look of the Eastman/Laird issues.  Ultimately, the book doesn’t resemble the original Mirage series and doesn’t have a strong enough look to stand on its own.  The art’s not bad, but it doesn’t look quite right in B&W, and it rarely evokes the classic TMNT style of the Mirage days.

In terms of story, I have to say that Carlson has maintained my interest for much of this run.  He can occasionally go off on tangents that produce meager results, but broadly speaking, his stories reflect much of what makes TMNT unique.  He gets the family dynamic angle, he understands how to alternate between street-level and sci-fi threats, and always makes efforts to connect the new volume to the existing continuity.  The early issues suffered from some distracting guts and gore, but Carlson wisely downplayed the violence as the issues went on.  I’d like to say that Carlson truly understands the Turtles’ personalities, but occasionally the heroes come across as shockingly crass and heartless.  The final issue has a good example of this -- would Leonardo ever refer to someone as a “retard?”  And are we supposed to be thrilled that Michelangelo has gotten to third base with Horridus, a character who honestly does have the intellect of a small child?  

As much as I wish the book could’ve made it to at least #25, I have to admit that I’m surprised it lasted for as long as it did.  A B&W book published on a fairly erratic schedule (check those cover dates) in a weak market, without “name” creators, starring characters that many dismissed as a dead fad.  Twenty-three issues is actually an achievement, I would say.  While this run has its problems, I’ll admit it’s often entertaining, and I wish I had a few more issues to review.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (vol. 3) #22 - July 1999


Credits: Gary Carlson (writer), Frank Fosco (penciler), Mark Heike (inks), Pat Brosseau (letters)

Pizza-Free Summary:  Leonardo has a nightmare that he’s been infected with Donatello’s cybernetics.  He awakens with a prosthetic hand, which Donatello assures him isn’t cybernetic.  Meanwhile, the city holds a parade for Casey Jones.  Shadow’s grandfather sees her on television and vows to get her back.  At Michelangelo’s apartment, Rock arrives to take Horridus on a S.O.S. mission.  At the Foot Clan’s hideout, Raphael and Pimiko duel for leadership of the New York sect.  Raphael wins, but refuses to kill Pimiko, rejecting the Japanese council’s authority.  On their orders, Raphael’s Foot ninjas turn on him.  He tries to escape but is ambushed by Lady Shredder.  Pimiko emerges behind Raphael, leading him to question the identity of this new Shredder.



Continuity Notes: Pimiko loses her (ridiculously long, very ‘90s) ponytail during her duel with Raphael. Why exactly Pimiko tied up Splinter last issue isn’t clear (I’m assuming that was her), but he seems fine this issue.

Total N00B:  For the first time since the Image series began, I think I understand Michelangelo’s living situation.  He lives in an apartment, one floor below Casey and April’s apartment.  Apparently, Casey owns the entire building.  (Hmm. So why was he working at a grocery store?)  Splinter is staying with Michelangelo while Donatello and Leonardo remain in their old sewer home.

I Love the '90s:  Shadow thinks she sees one of the Teletubbies during Casey Jones’ parade.

Review in a Half-Shell:  I’m not sure if Gary Carlson knew this when he wrote the issue, but TMNT Image-style is on its next-to-last issue.  Some of the threads appear to be drawing to end, while new ones are still being introduced.  (The mobster grandpa?  Again?)  The issue’s opening is a cute example of how Carlson occasionally plays with the reader’s expectations, giving us an abbreviated story arc involving Leonardo also becoming a cyborg, then revealing it’s a dream, then revealing that it might actually be coming true.  Not that I want more cyborgs in this title, but if Carlson actually had a coherent plan to tie together Leo’s story with Don’s, and then return the characters to their proper status quo, then good for him.  Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see it.  

We are seeing a conclusion to the (rather dumb) Raphael/Foot storyline.  The upshot is that Raph learns that the Foot couldn’t be trusted all along, with even his closest confidants turning against him.  While I’m glad this arc is over, and the idea ultimately was to teach Raphael a lesson, it’s hard to pretend that Raph hasn’t been twisted out-of-character to get to this point.  Not only is he unusually tolerant of criminal behavior, but also just remarkably stupid for thinking that he could become best buddies with a clan of criminal ninja assassins.  I will say that this is Frank Fosco’s best issue in a while, and it was a treat to see Raph don his traditional mask during the duel, after spending the entire run in various guises.  Maybe one reason Fosco’s Turtles often seem so “off” to me is because he’s rarely allowed to draw them the way they’re supposed to look.

Monday, June 22, 2015

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (vol. 3) #21 - May 1999


Credits: Gary Carlson (writer), Frank Fosco (penciler), Mark Heike (inks), Pat Brosseau (letters)

Pizza-Free Summary:  Donatello defeats all but one of the Triceratons at the museum.  The lone Triceraton teleports away with Horridus, leaving Donatello to fly home alone.  He calls April, asking her to check on Splinter.  She discovers Splinter tied up in his room.  Meanwhile, Raphael and the Foot Clan join the fight against the Triceratons in the sewer.  Michelangelo tries to shut down the transmat device but only manages to electrocute himself.  After the aliens are defeated, Horridus and the last Triceraton emerge inside the transmat device.  Leatherhead jumps on the Triceraton and is teleported away with him to an unknown location.  Raphael returns to the Foot’s hideout and is ambushed by members of the Japanese Foot Clan.  They declare that he passed the test and is worthy to join the Foot; however, another is claiming leadership of the New York faction.  Pimiko emerges, with her father’s elite guards.

Continuity Notes:  The Japanese representatives tell Raphael that Karai has been removed as leader of the Japanese Foot Clan because she “made a great mistake and lost much face.”

What the Shell?:  The cover doesn’t represent any of the actual events in this issue; it also ruins the last page reveal of Pimiko.

Review in a Half-Shell:  Somehow, this comic always manages to be plot heavy, even in an all-action issue.  Carlson finds a way to tie the ongoing Foot Clan subplot into the big Triceraton fight, and set up Pimiko’s inevitable confrontation with Raphael before the issue’s end.  I still consider the Raphael/Foot storyline to be an albatross around the book’s neck, even though this issue does use the Foot rather effectively during the big battle scene.  Apparently, their victory over the Triceratons is supposed to be the dramatic moment that proves Raph was right all along about replacing Shredder, which is a crock, because the comic has still done nothing to justify Raphael’s motivation to lead a criminal organization.  If he’s doing this to help the Foot reform, that’s defensible, but the idea that they’re still acting as criminals out of financial necessity is absurd.

On a very basic level, it’s fun to see various characters from the TMNT canon all united against the Triceratons.  Carlson makes it a point to give everyone at least a small character moment, while never letting the action relent.  Thanks to his still-annoying cybernetic upgrade, Donatello is able to blast his way through the Triceratons far too easily, but for the rest of the cast, the aliens are presented as credible threats.  The abundance of characters does work to the issue’s disadvantage in a few places, however.  The earlier issues suffered from a few “What is this?” pages, a problem that’s rarely reappeared until now.  With dozens of figures on each page (the Turtles, Casey Jones, Leatherhead, the Foot Clan, Horridus, and the Triceratons), there’s a tendency for the fight scenes to become too crowded.  As much as Larsen might have hated gray tone, some of the issues seemed to be begging for it.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (vol. 3) #20 - March 1999


Credits: Gary Carlson (writer), Frank Fosco (penciler), Mark Heike (inks), Pat Brosseau (letters)

Pizza-Free Summary:  Donatello manipulates the aircar into ejecting the Triceraton.  It lands inside the Museum of Natural History and is killed.  Horridus is upset, because the Triceraton told her they were both Saurans of “the Master Race.”  Later, more Triceratons teleport inside the museum.  Horridus mistakenly believes that they’ll welcome her as a sister, and is nearly killed by the Triceratons when she emerges.  Meanwhile, Splinter catches Pimiko sneaking into Casey’s home.  Casey returns to find Splinter tying Pimiko up.  Splinter tries to have a civil discussion with her, but Casey’s abrasive behavior causes Pimiko to flee.  Leonardo returns, looking for reinforcements to fight the Triceratons before more can teleport to Earth.  While Casey joins Michelangelo and Leatherhead in the sewers, Leonardo recruits the help of Raphael and the Foot Clan.

Continuity Notes:  
  • According to Savage Dragon continuity, Horridus is believed to be the child of a human mother who was abducted by aliens.  Horridus thinks the Triceratons can give her information on her past.
  • Raphael’s inner monologue makes clear that he wants the Foot Clan to go straight, but doesn’t have the funds to provide for the group.  Therefore, the Foot is taking jobs from their former clients.

Not Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  Casey thinks that Splinter tying up the leather-clad Pimiko is “pretty kinky.”

We Get Letters:  A fan quotes former TMNT writer/artist Michael Dooney’s thoughts on the Image series, “The characters are a cross between the movie and the cartoon Turtles.  But story development now seems to mean that a character gets dismembered every issue.”  (To be fair, the fan doesn’t cite his source, so it’s possible Dooney was misquoted.)

Review in a Half-Shell:  This may be a “middle” chapter, but it’s hardly boring.  Carlson has managed to take the existing Mirage continuity, the established Savage Dragon cast, and his own ideas and merge them into one of the series’ best issues.  Horridus and Leatherhead both make terrible sidekicks for the Turtles (since one is dumb as rocks and the other is insane), which is why it’s so much fun to see how the heroes endure them throughout the story.  Donatello is continually amazed at just how dense Horridus can be, while Michelangelo is nearly killed by his “ally” Leatherhead for saying the wrong thing near him.  Plus, Casey Jones is in on the action, and he’s always reliably nuts.  It’s entertaining just to watch the characters bounce off each other, while Carlson keeps upping the ante in the Triceraton storyline and throwing more threats at the heroes.  Setting half of the story at a museum is also a clever move, providing one of the best bits in the issue -- the Triceratons just assume that humans killed their ancestors, and that the museum is some kind of monument to their hunt.  

All that said, the series still has an issue with Raphael.  I was relieved this issue to have Raphael acknowledge that he’s trying to guide the Foot in a new direction and do the right thing…only to discover on the same page that the Foot is still involved with criminal activity in order to pay their bills.  "Robberies, murders, spying!  They're lining up to hire us!  Dear God, what have I done?"  Yes, Raphael, what have you done?  How does Raph go from the loudmouthed, loose cannon of the group to criminal mastermind?  Carlson’s premise is absurd -- if Raphael had a true objection to using the Foot for evil (and I think any interpretation of the character says that he would), then why is he compromising his ethics for the sake of a paycheck?  These elite ninja warriors can’t get day jobs?  The drama is so artificial, and the characterization so utterly off, it’s impossible for me to take this subplot seriously.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (vol. 3) #19 - January 1999


Credits:  Gary Carlson (writer), Frank Fosco (penciler), Mark Heike (inks), Pat Brosseau (letters)

Pizza-Free Summary:  Government agent Mr. Black calls in the S.O.S. to verify that Donatello is not an alien.  With Dragon presumed dead, only Horridus is left to recognize Donatello.  He’s soon released from custody.  In New York, Casey Jones appears on the news to accept his reward for bringing in the “killer” monitor lizards.  April gets a phone call from Casey’s boss, who fires Casey for skipping work to chase the “sewer monster.”  Meanwhile, Raphael and Splinter debate Raphael’s role as the new Shredder.  Elsewhere, Michelangelo and Leonardo spend time with Leatherhead and his friend, the Utrom Dr. X.  They agree to repair Leatherhead’s transmat device.  Dr. X deviously uses Leonardo as a test subject and teleports him away.  When Leonardo returns, he’s followed by several Triceraton Commandos.  Leonardo damages the transmat device and retreats with Michelangelo and the others.  The Triceratons pick up a homing signal from Zog’s old aircar.  A Tricerarton sneaks up on Donatello as he travels in the aircar with Horridus.

Continuity Notes:  
  • Dragon is believed dead following the events of Savage Dragon #50.  The S.O.S. is the government-sponsored superhero team he leads.
  • Donatello claims that Dragon tried to recruit him for the S.O.S months earlier but he declined.
  • One of the Triceratons is killed during their battle with the Turtles.
  • Horridus is unusually flirty with Don, even though Michelangelo is supposed to be her man.

What the Shell?:  Casey Jones is identified on the news as “Arnold Jones” for some reason.

Total N00B:  Raphael claims Splinter is a better grandparent (to Shadow) than he was a parent.  Does Raphael have daddy issues with Splinter in the original Mirage continuity?

We Get Letters:  Gary Carlson, on the possibility of incorporating the Archie continuity:  “Seriously, we're ignoring the Archie series for a number of reasons, including copyrights.  The continuity simply doesn't apply here.  I've only read a few of the Archie issues, and deliberately don't so as not to be influenced by them.”

Review in a Half-Shell:  The lowercase “men in black” storyline closes, without much of a climax.  I like the way Carlson incorporates the existing Larsenverse logically into the story, with Donatello using his brain and calling his civil servant pal for help, but ultimately I’m not sure what the point of the exercise has been.  Surely there was an easier way for Horridus to make a return appearance.  I suppose the story could have larger ramifications later on, now that it’s been firmly established that the government is aware of the Turtles.

As the issue barrels along, Carlson seems to make a point to touch upon every single ongoing plot thread.  Casey has claimed the reward but lost his job, Splinter and Raph bicker over his association with the Foot Clan, and Leo and Mikey are left to deal with Leatherhead.  At least one of my concerns as a reader is addressed, when Splinter points out that Raphael’s decision to replace Shredder is utterly ridiculous.  I’m not sure of the specifics of the Splinter/Raphael relationship in this continuity, so I don’t know if Carlson is overplaying the existing hostility, but it’s about time someone in this series points out that Raph’s actions are kind of insane.

Carlson deserves some credit for picking up on the Leatherhead/ Dr. X thread from the Mirage continuity and trying to go somewhere with it, and I have to admit that any time the Triceratons appear, I’m happy.  I have no real justification for this, but the Triceratons are one of my favorite elements of TMNT canon.  I loved their first appearance in the Mirage series (which I initially read in the color First graphic novel reprint), thought the Triceraton action figure was cool, and…don’t remember them doing much in the cartoon.  Regardless, the Triceratons just seem to sum up the weird world of TMNT.  Just think, within a few issues of fighting street gangs, the Turtles were in outer space confronting alien dinosaurs, and that’s okay.  Many of the later additions to the canon, especially the animorphs created for the toy line, just seemed silly to me…but I never viewed the Triceratons as cutesy playthings for dumb kids.

Finally, I should mention one line of dialogue in the issue that intrigues me.  Donatello casually tosses it out there that Dragon invited him to join the S.O.S. during its early days.  It’s a decent example of Gary Carlson playing shared universe continuity, but it also raises an important question -- why weren’t the Turtles in the S.O.S.?  Since Larsen was overseeing their Image title anyway, I doubt he would’ve ran into any legal issues.  Would it really hurt to have one or more of the Turtles join the team, if only for the sake of one Savage Dragon story arc?  It would’ve been a nice advertisement for their ongoing series, and an excuse for Larsen to draw the Turtles again.  I wouldn’t want to endure the CyberDonnie design in yet another book, but having a character like Leonardo join could’ve been a lot of fun.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (vol. 3) #18 - October 1998


Credits: Gary Carlson (writer), Frank Fosco (penciler), Mark Heike (inks), Pat Brosseau (letters)

Pizza-Free Summary:  Leonardo learns that Leatherhead’s captor is Lord Komodo’s “half-brother,” King Komodo.  He kills Komodo’s monitor lizards, but is too weak to prevent King Komodo from biting off his hand.  Komodo uses his ability to control reptile minds to convince Leatherhead to attack the injured Leonardo.  Meanwhile, Casey Jones feels guilty for not following Leonardo and convinces Michelangelo to join him in the sewers.  They eventually discover Leonardo and knock King Komodo into the water.  The current drags him away, which allows Leatherhead to return to normal.  Casey Jones picks up the bodies of the dead monitor lizards and declares that he’s going to collect the reward for the "sewer monster."  Elsewhere, the original Shredder’s elite guards spy on Raphael, and Donatello is confronted by men in black after he returns to the mausoleum.

Continuity Notes:  King Komodo is a monitor lizard that was mutated by the Dragonlord back in issue #5.  It survived the destruction of Dragonlord’s base and was discovered by Pimiko.  She “tutored” King Komodo and sent him to New York to draw out the Turtles.  King Komodo captured Leatherhead after he discovered Komodo’s plan and attempted to contact the Turtles.

I Love the '90s:  Michelangelo and Raphael have beepers that contact them whenever the alarms at the mausoleum are tripped.  Also, the letter column is filled with fans giving out the addresses of their Geocities pages and ICQ numbers.  And one fan remarks that this series is just “TOOOO SWEEET!!!!!”

Production Note:  Even though the cover date says October, the letter column gives a “Happy Holidays greeting” to the fans.  Using my keen detective skills, I’m assuming the cover dates are now two months behind the actual ship dates.

Review in a Half-Shell:  Okay, did we really need a second gigantic Komodo dragon character?  Or, more importantly, another physical alteration to one of the Turtles?  This is actually a solid action issue, continually raising the stakes and putting Leonardo through increasingly thorny challenges, but why are the lead characters constantly getting mutilated/dismembered/scarred for life?  The shock value wore off after the first issue, and it seems unlikely that removing Leo’s right hand is going to lead to stories that couldn’t be told with the already maimed Raph and Donnie.  It’s a basic conceit of the Image run that the Turtles have to constantly change, granted, but why does this always have to be a physical alteration?  I don’t think the creators understand that the original interpretation of the Turtles is just as iconic in its own way as the classic interpretation of the Fantastic Four.  You might play around with the visual for a few issues, but ultimately, the toys need to be returned in their original condition.  

I suspect that the environment of the times, with the Turtles already being dismissed by many as a fad, lead to the belief that the Turtles were due for a reinvention, with nothing sacred and everything on the table.  This does add some drama to the stories, true, but as the years have shown, there is something special about the original interpretation of the characters.  When three-fourths of the Turtles are now missing body parts, scarred, and/or a cyborg, the book’s moving further and further into What If…? territory.  And as entertaining as What If…? could occasionally be, everyone knew those stories weren’t properly “real” -- when too many of the traditional rules are broken, the stories take on a surreal quality that prevents the readers from making a full investment.  The continued carnage is also a curious choice, given Carlson’s instincts as a writer.  Carlson doesn’t write dark, brooding heroes, so the gruesome changes made to the Turtles during his stories seem that much more capricious.  

Monday, April 20, 2015

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (vol. 3) #17 - September 1998


Credits: Gary Carlson (writer), Frank Fosco (penciler), Mark Heike (inks), Pat Brosseau (letters)

Pizza-Free Summary:  The Turtles investigate a security breach at their mausoleum base, but discover only rabbits.  Unbeknownst to them, someone has spotted the Turtles and called men in black suits.  Leonardo offers to go with Raphael and help train the Foot Clan, but Raphael refuses, declaring that the Foot can only have one leader.  Later, Donatello flies to Pittsburg to get supplies while Leonardo visits Michelangelo at his apartment.  On his way there, Leonardo is grazed by hunters who have heard stories of a giant alligator in the sewers.  Leonardo soon reconnects with April, Casey, Michelangelo, and Splinter, who is recuperating at the apartment.  Irritated that the others have reasons for not investigating the alligator, Leonardo goes off on his own.  He passes the bodies of several dead hunters while searching for Leatherhead.  Inside the Turtles’ old lair, he discovers Leatherhead is being held captive by a giant Komodo dragon.

Continuity Note:  The shadowy figure spying on the Turtles back in issue #12 is revealed as a portly, nerdy man named Porter.  The “men in black” he’s brought to the mausoleum are presumably Men in Black, but without the Marvel copyright, of course.

Total N00B:  I wasn’t aware of Leatherhead’s origin from the original continuity.  A baby alligator transformed by mutagen and raised by the Utroms -- all this time, I thought he was a Cajun magically transformed by a swamp witch!

I Love the '90s:  Leonardo jokes that one of the hunters that shot him was Charlton Heston.

Review in a Half-Shell:  It turns out Bat-Splinter was “illusion of change” after all, which is a welcome relief.  It’s not as if any grand point was made by mutating the character, although the change did add some drama to the series and lead to a nice sequence in the previous issue.  The story seems to have run its natural course, and Frank Fosco usually does a fantastic interpretation of “classic” Splinter, so I’m glad to see him back.  Gary Carlson has fun teasing the reader with Splinter’s fate for the majority of the issue; opening with the Turtles overlooking a graveyard, and later having them discuss what to do with Splinter’s things…it makes the revelation that Splinter’s living with Michelangelo now that much more of a relief.  Playing little games with the reader, and playing them fairly, is something I can appreciate.  Erik Larsen used to do bits like this regularly in Savage Dragon, and if this is one way Larsen can influence the book, that’s great.

While Carlson takes care to touch base with every member of the cast, the issue is truly a Leonardo character piece.  Leo might initially seem to be the least interesting member of the team, as the stoic leader he rarely receives the spotlight, but Carlson has a decent take on his character.  Leo is used to giving orders, and doesn’t really know how to respond when his brothers don’t seem to be listening anymore.  Raphael is (bizarrely) leading the Foot Clan now and doesn’t want his help, Donatello isn’t his old self, and Michelangelo is busy writing his book.  To make things worse, Casey Jones has to work the night shift at the supermarket.  No one’s available to go mutant alligator hunting!  Leonardo’s not necessarily arrogant, he’s just used to getting his way and has a hard time adjusting to change.  Carlson could’ve easily played Leo as petulant or unlikable, but he does a credible job of keeping Leo in-character and not entirely unreasonable throughout the story.  

Unfortunately, there’s another random dialogue exchange in the issue that drives me nuts.  What’s Ralph's exit line before going back to the Foot Clan?  “Enough reminiscing about the old days!  I've got to organize some crime!”  So…Raph is going to allow the Foot Clan to remain a criminal organization?  They’re still arranging assassinations?  And he’s telling this to Leonardo?!  I realize that the original B&W Turtles aren’t as a clean-cut as the other interpretations, but surely they’re not rapists, murderers, and thieves, right?  The mind boggles.  Looking over the scene again, it’s possible that this line of dialogue is a joke, but there’s no real context to identify this.  (Actually seeing the Turtles choose to fight crime during this run instead of getting drawn into fights also would’ve provided some needed context.)  Plus, the question of what exactly Raphael plans to do with the Foot hasn’t been addressed yet, which is a rather glaring omission in retrospect.  Yeah, this could’ve been a joke, but one line of dialogue shouldn’t take the reader out of the story so severely.

Friday, March 20, 2015

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (vol. 3) #16 - July 1998


Credits: Gary Carlson (writer), Frank Fosco (penciler), Mark Heike (inks), Pat Brosseau (letters)

Pizza-Free Summary:  While the Turtles stake out the Foot’s base, Donatello’s armor subconsciously morphs into Shredder’s, causing a brief misunderstanding with Leonardo.  Soon, the Turtles invade the compound and steal the uniforms of Shredder’s elite guard.  They invade the new Shredder’s sanctum, but the brief fight ends when Raphael realizes his brothers have arrived.  Raphael reveals his new identity to his brothers and introduces them to the Foot Clan’s mystic, Cheng.  Cheng performs a ceremony to cure Splinter of his rabies-induced madness, one that requires all four Turtles to enter the Astral Plane.  The Turtles find the mad Splinter a formidable opponent inside the Astral Plane.  Eventually, Raphael is forced to stab Splinter in the back in order to save Donatello.  Splinter’s true personality returns and he reverts to his rodent form, in what appears to be his final breath.

Continuity Notes:  Donatello’s exoskeleton can now morph into any disguise.  It morphs into Shredder because that’s who was on Donatello’s mind at the time.

Not Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  The Foot’s new base is an abandoned movie theater.  Donatello recognizes it because the Turtles used to “sneak in there to watch the porno  flicks.”

I Love the '90s:  While in the Astral Plane, Raphael threatens to “go medieval on (Splinter’s) ass.”

Review in a Half-Shell:  This issue has one of my favorite covers of the Image TMNT run.  I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating -- Erik Larsen really should’ve inked this run.  Mark Heike, to his credit, is turning out to be better match for Frank Fosco than Andrew Pepoy was, but I still believe that no one’s come close to Larsen’s work.  If Larsen is penciling or inking the Turtles, they look perfectly on-model in my eyes.  When Fosco is paired with other inkers, the Turtles always look at least a little off -- more often than not the differences are fairly minor, but on some occasions the Turtles just look wrong.  I’m not sure if the blame lies in Fosco, the inkers, the deadline troubles, or all of the above, but it’s not unusual to find Turtle heads, eyes, and teeth that simply look wrong during this run.

After a few lackluster issues, the story finally seems to be picking up.  There aren’t any major logic gaps this issue, and Carlson is able to tease the Turtles’ discovery of Raph’s new identity for just as long as it needs to be teased.  There are a few pages of suspense building up to the revelation, but they don’t consume the entire issue, and once the Turtles discover the truth there’s no tedious angst.  The brothers simply move on to the next problem, which is curing Splinter.  The Astral Plane scene brings us the welcome return of Raphael and Donatello’s original bodies (since they exist in their soul forms here), and an interesting experiment in clean, open artwork.  This book always relies on heavy blacks in order to make up for the lack of colors, but seeing an extended fight scene presented with no shading or shadows provides a welcome change.  (It’s also a decent showcase of Mark Heike’s skills as an inker.  He can’t just cover the pages in ink; he’s got to present clear, identifiable figures against a vacant background.)  The cliffhanger with Splinter is one of the best in the series so far, and given the track record of this book, it’s entirely possible that the character truly is dead.  I do have to mention, however, that Carlson’s annoying habit of giving the Turtles utterly tasteless dialogue during horribly inappropriate moments has returned.  What’s Raphael dramatic line of dialogue as he stabs his master in the back?  “I warned you about being a pain in the ass, Master Sphincter!”  That’s…geez.  That one just might be the worst yet.
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