By Mike The Fanboyable
Hey, folks! Mike here again! This time I will review the hardcover edition of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1" This edition, published by IDW, collects the first seven issues of the first comic series written and drawn by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that began publication in 1984.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a very mainstream property now, but the concept had started as an underground comicbook published by an independent company called Mirage Studios. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created The Turtles as a parodical answer to the popular comicbook titles of the early 1980's such as Marvel's "Daredevil", and "The New Mutants", Dave Sim's "Cerberus", and Frank Miller's "Ronin".
I'm sure you know some of the basics; Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michaelangelo are teen mutant humanoid ninja turtles who reside beneath the streets of New York City under the guidance of their mutant rat mentor Master Splinter. We also get to see The Turtles confront familiar villains like The Shredder, The Foot Clan, The Mousers, The Triceratons, and Baxter Stockman, as well as villains that seemed to have inspired the villains we would come to see in the 1987 animated series. You will see how The Turtles met April O'Neill and see what she actually did before becoming a news reporter, then the sports-crazed vigilante Casey Jones, and the mysterious robot Honeycutt, as he accompanies them to an outer space adventure.
Hey, folks! Mike here again! This time I will review the hardcover edition of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1" This edition, published by IDW, collects the first seven issues of the first comic series written and drawn by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that began publication in 1984.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a very mainstream property now, but the concept had started as an underground comicbook published by an independent company called Mirage Studios. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created The Turtles as a parodical answer to the popular comicbook titles of the early 1980's such as Marvel's "Daredevil", and "The New Mutants", Dave Sim's "Cerberus", and Frank Miller's "Ronin".
I'm sure you know some of the basics; Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michaelangelo are teen mutant humanoid ninja turtles who reside beneath the streets of New York City under the guidance of their mutant rat mentor Master Splinter. We also get to see The Turtles confront familiar villains like The Shredder, The Foot Clan, The Mousers, The Triceratons, and Baxter Stockman, as well as villains that seemed to have inspired the villains we would come to see in the 1987 animated series. You will see how The Turtles met April O'Neill and see what she actually did before becoming a news reporter, then the sports-crazed vigilante Casey Jones, and the mysterious robot Honeycutt, as he accompanies them to an outer space adventure.
The stories are both gritty and humorous. The influences of Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, and Dave Sim are mentioned. There's a good amont of fighting that includes hacking and slashing, and there's plenty of amusing craziness going around.
IDW really did a good job with the quality of the pages. As they are in black and white, they give off an exuberant cinematic-like feel. Also, at the end of each story, there's an overview by Eastman and Laird on what was on their minds when they were doing a particular issue.
So, all in all, this is a very entertaining book. If you love the property or the outrageousness that come with underground comics, this is worth checking out. Turtle Power all the way!!
