TMNT #112 Preview and Discussion

[MikeandRaph87]

Yeah, Mondo Gecko and Mutagen Man left town walking away from the Mutanimals disapproving of what Hob did as they were in the dark like Sally and Pete. I admit I am surprised Pete showed up out of nowhere since he was off the grid and not accounted for like Mondo and Seymour when he was in the background of Hob's place.

[AlZarkovski]

Full preview.

[CyberCubed]

Don trying to explain their overcomplicated IDW origin to Mona is pretty funny. Kinda shows how ridiculous it became.

[lonewarrior20]

that look on monas face is just priceless.

[Mutant Ninja Anole]

Gotta ease into that Don, ha!

I mean, the Turtles origin has never NOT been ridiculous and comic book stories tend to be that way when you just say them out loud like that...But yes, he just dumped about 3 or 4 different mind breaking bits on her at once. I’d honestly assume he was joking if I was her.

[lonewarrior20]

also glad we're getting to see bea and other side characters again. who knows, with this session we might hear some more back stories.

[Torterra]

Yeah, Donnie you probably should have just started with telling her your brothers, father and you are animals. Then wait later on with the rest of brothers to explain to her about the reincarnation thing.

[TigerClaw]

For Mona Lisa its so much to unpack. But with how everything has been going around lately. She will get around to it and realize anything is possible.

[lonewarrior20]

Awesome issue. There was alot happening in this one. I wonder if an alternate cover for a later issue is going to be a "change" ad for sally. I also wonder if this is where everything go's wrong and it's why future litas here. Hell I thought she was gonna pull a trunks and pop up with an antidote.

[CyberCubed]

Casey Jones randomly clobbering the ant mutant over the head with his hockey stick made me laugh. It didn't even look like the ant guy was coming at him.

[ChosenOne]

Man... F*** Mona. That is all.

I love Chloe, though.

[Allio]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

Man... F*** Mona.

I really wanna. Wait, that’s not what you meant.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by Allio

I really wanna. Wait, that’s not what you meant.

Look, whatever floats your boat.

Her whole tirade about the Turtles being different than the others was just so incredibly and unforgivably rude... Damn.

[CyberCubed]

One thing I wonder is how were all these humans in contact with all these animals before they got mutated? There was a whale man there, a hippo, the poison dart frog guy...did all these people visit a zoo the day before the mutagen bomb went off?

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

One thing I wonder is how were all these humans in contact with all these animals before they got mutated? There was a whale man there, a hippo, the poison dart frog guy...did all these people visit a zoo the day before the mutagen bomb went off?

Those are Fred Wolf/Archie rules, are they not? We don't really know how the mutagen works in IDW TMNT. Apparently no animal contact is required, even thought Bebop and Rocksteady's initial mutations seemed to suggest otherwise.

[Mutant Ninja Anole]

Alright, new issue, I’m going to revive an ill fated idea I’ve done in the past where I comment on every page of the issue.

Spoiler:

Cover
An interesting cover, conveying the remaining members of the Mutanimals as dark overlords, with random mutants protesting and the Turtles seeming at a loss. I note the frog from the preview I’ve already seen among the protesters, but no other familiar ones, though I like the eagle and the...punk lama girl? I’m big into Hob as the revolutionary leader becoming one of the tyrants he despises. Also, Pidgeon Pete is watching you!

Page 3: I really like Mike taking the role of community voice, and the Turtles getting out and spreading the word to the public. I don’t know, it just always seemed like a logical step to get people on your side and not just wallow in you being a freak to the public. Build up familiarity. But more than that, offer a sense of not being in it alone to the other mutants who are in a tough spot.

Bringing in April is actually pretty big given her standing with the Mayor. I’m guessing if Mike did get that hotlie up she’d have some tough questions to answer about the state of things. Does Stockman know she’s doing this?

Also, I spy a rubik’s cube and Godzilla toy, which I’m guessing is a reference to Campbell’s kaiju enthusiasm.

Page 4:Alopex and Angel reunite! Wow the gang is all getting back together. Will we see Lindsey? The lingering threat of Hob’s Mutanimals is signaled though, so I’m guessing that gun gets fired later. And yes, hilarious as it is, a support group is something you might need for being turned into an animal person.

Page 5:Alopex and Raph have graduated to casual background kisses. I’m actually weird in that I am pro “turtles wearing clothes” when not fighting or doing ninja ‘work’ but I can sympathize with the difficulty telling the brothers apart. Even with different shades of green, I’m just having to assume Alopex is kissing Raph there. I get why it’s a bit funny to have Don always dressing in a little bit of purple or Raph having a red hat or whatever but the nature of the turtles does lend itself to having some color distinction. I can understand why Rise took the step of making them physically distinct.

Page 6: Of course Don would blurt all that out. Given how much of a skeptic Don was about the reincarnation bit I’m curious if he’ll end up in the ironic role of believer next to Mona. But yeah, the Turtles being originally ordinary animals opens up a few issues the comic hinted at before. I’m wondering how it plays out, considering Mona is dealing with working for acceptance from her parents, if she’s able to accept Don wasn’t originally human.

Page 7:Let’s address the elephant in the room. How is he adapting to that trunk? Sorry, that was terrible.

So I’m suspecting this sort of thing seems a bit cringe for some people but I confess, the whole people turning into mutants thing has been one of the larger appealing aspects to it since I was 10 and imagining how cool it would be to turn into a mutant lizard. Hence my username. Deconstructing how people would respond to it is ‘my jam’ TMNT wise.

Mona touching on her not getting her degree is an example of that. People like her had aspirations, career plans, and had sunk years of work and probably massive student loans into something that has just been thrown up in the air. In addition to that, there’s the issue with her parents. I doubt she’d have the reaction she did if she didn’t at least have a solid relationship with them. It’s of course set in this weird animal person story but that’s okay.

I suppose the possible criticism here is that this seems to be a case of “Tell don’t show” as the characters are literally spelling it out to us, but it’s in a setting that makes sense story wise. So, withholding judegment.

Page 8:This is qutie a change for Mona. As she said, she’s been a super positive person up to this point but the reality of it has begun to hit her hard. I do enjoy her geeky side bit of speculating mid vent that she might be a fire salamander. Salamanders are cool, but possibly creepy for some people, plus mucus coating, ew.

Hey wait, another amphibian? Why yes our poison dart frog friend has similar feelings. And I just now realized the hood may be more than a metaphor for mood, it might be protection against other people. Is...that something learned through experience? Also, yes everybody imagines how cool it would be to turn into soaring eagle but nothing is here to stop you from getting turned to a spider if you have arachniphobia.

Mona’s comment about Hob and not having a choice is on point, but it’s worth noting that that was by design. In the issue where he throws the bomb he specifically states he wanted humans to feel what he felt. So...mission accomplished?

Page 9: Mona is dropping some ‘technical’ and therapuetic sounding language here, but given the setting and her character, I don’t find it quite as cringy as I might otherwise. Tusk...eh I can see her perspective and that’s another thing. Put into a ‘sink or swim’ scenario is what some people who are just treading water need. But obviously the ends don’t justify the means. I kindof have a hard time buying that she’d be all in on Hob as a person beyond being thankful for the circumstances that got her out of her rut. Unless she’s more of a believer in Hob’s larger ideals about a mutant future. Is it possible that Tusk is a plant by the Mutanimals?

Page 10:
“My body was violated, my life ruined, thugs are roaming the streets, and people are starving.”

“Rebuttal: Elephants are sick!”

Well now it’s really starting to fall apart.

continued in part 2

[Mutant Ninja Anole]

Part 2:

Spoiler:

Page 11: The heck, we’re 9 pages into this issue and there’s been nothing but people sitting in chairs talking? Start throwing hands people!
“You guys do nothing but karate classes and podcasts” cracked me up. My sense of humor might be broken.

Page 12: This is probably the worst time for Casey and Angel to appear. Yep. Oh gosh, Mona is really pulling the “I was human” card out.

Page 13: I feel like this is one of the very few versions of Casey Jones who’d realistically stop bashing people with his hockey stick when asked.
“Um Leo, it’s not working” I’m an arctic fox trying to restrain an orca and it’s going about as well as you’d expect.

Page 14: Okay I guess I’ll acknowledge how much Jennika has been chumming with Sheena this issue.

That’s some fast acting poison. And the frog (I don’t believe we’ve got a confirmed gender yet) looks like they regret it.

Page 15: No, no you would not have emergency services. One of the big things about having a significant chunk of New York City shut off from the rest of the world.

Page 16: I’m imagining a lion roar there. Sally has always been the person after Hob and debatably Ray in the Mutanimals to take charge.

Page 17: Oh these losers again. Swarm em kids, claw their eyes out!

Page 18: You’re saying you’re sorry now? Oh my gosh if I had any respect for you platypus thug it would be gone.

Page 19: Oh boy, politics!

I’m not exactly joking. Sally and April absolutely should be thinking of how to directly influence their situation as they are in position to do so.

So without antivenom, would Mikey have bit the dust there from one quick touch? Despite being a mutant and in great shape? That’s some potent stuff.

Page 20: Oh he’s a him and his name is Jay? Duly noted. Mike, naturally wants to reconcile with the frog who just poisoned him. He’s too pure. And yes, you’re in too um...*flips a few pages back* Leo. Okay, yeah, I have nothing against the clothes aesthetically, I like them, but need to memorize their scale tones I guess. Jenny’s a bit easier to pick out since she’s blue eyed.

Page 21: Oh? Okay we’re actually doing this? Election story arc? Okay then.

Okay, let’s stop for a moment. Realistically you’d have to storm in and take over and then hold an election otherwise it wouldn’t be accepted as valid and I’m not sure how it would work. This is actually how most military coups operate. Er, in theory. Yes they often stage corrupt elections if they ever get around to it at all but in theory most violent overthrows of current governments stage a temporary intern government before a democratic one can be established. If Hob says, “No we’re not doing this” what then?

Page 22:Whoa, okay...there’s...a lot to unpack here. You don’t have to make Sally mayor per se. The various boroughs of New York have individual presidents and given how shut off from the outside it is, it actually makes sense that Stockman might appoint someone who’s on the inside to organize relief, aid, whatever. You could theoretically see him authorizing a local election if it could be demonstrated that it was done according to regulations, good luck with that. The problem here is the suggestion that Sally is going to running against Hob. Okay, um, let me explain why that’s a tad odd:

Hob is a criminal that has committed one of, if not the worst terrorist attack in American history. He has functionally occupied a section of New York. Sally was one of his highest ranking allies. This is as if Osama Bin Laden had occupied part of Manhattan, and the solution was for the people in the occupied territory was to vote him out in favor of one of his former lieutenants.

Now, I can buy why the US government hasn’t sent in the marines or performed drone strikes on its own soil but be clear, that’s what people would be asking for, especially after months. Mutant Town’s existence would be the number 1 issue in all the country and a national embarrassment for the US government, the President and especially Baxter Stockman. I REALLY hope Stockman is revealed to be playing the long game for something better (the eggs he stole seem to point to that) because otherwise I don’t get his game.

That said, I actually do think Sally is the lioness for the job of ousting Hob and getting Mutant Town on its feet. I just can’t help but nitpick the setting. Realistically she and Turtles would overthrow Hob, set up a list of demands to be broadcast to the outside and pressure Stockman to just declare her or someone who can be the public face of Mutant Town intern director of Mutant Town relief or whatever.

Overall, a lot of talking but we’re moving the plot along. I may complain about the particulars but I like the overall choice to have the turtles take direct action, even if I sort of want it to devolve into a dark street warfare plot with Hob and Sally battling for control.

Mona was clearly affected by her parents’ rejection and felt a lot less overly optimistic here. Which frankly was welcome. I can see people not caring and the dialogue still has that odd feeling that I can’t really explain but overall I’m still in the positive camp for the main comic.

[lonewarrior20]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

One thing I wonder is how were all these humans in contact with all these animals before they got mutated? There was a whale man there, a hippo, the poison dart frog guy...did all these people visit a zoo the day before the mutagen bomb went off?

the whales a girl named jo.

[Mutant Ninja Anole]

My personal theory is that the bomb was loaded with random DNA from various animals. Which I confess brings up many, many technical questions but I’m just going to assume the Mutanimals got them from their various raids of Null.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I really enjoyed this issue. Getting to see how normal people feel about Hob (pros and cons!) and the Turtles and mutation...

This is bringing me back onboard, Sophie. I know I've been pretty critical of Mutant Town so far, but this is working for me again!

(Also, the elephant mutant was pretty great, LOL)

The shipping elements are still super heavy and not at all what I want in a TMNT comic, but stories are starting to feel like they MATTER again.