TMNT #87 Preview and Discussion

[CyberCubed]

I wish they told Bishop's backstory in TMNT Universe, felt really jarring in the middle of this arc to go to a 3 page flashback story. I feel like they could have cut out that silly issue of Universe with the Turtles hiding from Triceratons and maybe condensed the other Triceraton backstory to one issue instead of two, and told Bishop's backstory there. I think that's one of the big losses of Universe, now they have to give pages in the main series to this stuff and it sort of takes us out of the action.

Overall the art in this issue looked better than usual, the artist was definitely giving it 110%. The story definitely looks like it's going to be a bit rushed (there's only 1 more issue in this arc, oddly enough), so I have no idea how they'll stop Bishop and let Ch'rell do what he wants. My guess is the Turtles will just rescue Slash and immediately teleport out, while Bishop tells the EPF to retreat. But Ch'rell is now out loose to take control of the Utroms and Triceratons and do what he wants.

Mutagen Man feels kinda irrelevant. Whatever Sally is doing will probably be shown in the next issue, unless she's just spying on Null or whatever.

Feels like this is a great story but needed another issue or two to breath, and next issue there's still going to be more flashbacks of Bishop's backstory which will take up page time. As I said before I wish Bishop's backstory was told in Universe already instead.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I wish they told Bishop's backstory in TMNT Universe, felt really jarring in the middle of this arc to go to a 3 page flashback story. I feel like they could have cut out that silly issue of Universe with the Turtles hiding from Triceratons and maybe condensed the other Triceraton backstory to one issue instead of two, and told Bishop's backstory there. I think that's one of the big losses of Universe, now they have to give pages in the main series to this stuff and it sort of takes us out of the action.

Overall the art in this issue looked better than usual, the artist was definitely giving it 110%. The story definitely looks like it's going to be a bit rushed (there's only 1 more issue in this arc, oddly enough), so I have no idea how they'll stop Bishop and let Ch'rell do what he wants. My guess is the Turtles will just rescue Slash and immediately teleport out, while Bishop tells the EPF to retreat. But Ch'rell is now out loose to take control of the Utroms and Triceratons and do what he wants.

Mutagen Man feels kinda irrelevant. Whatever Sally is doing will probably be shown in the next issue, unless she's just spying on Null or whatever.

Feels like this is a great story but needed another issue or two to breath, and next issue there's still going to be more flashbacks of Bishop's backstory which will take up page time. As I said before I wish Bishop's backstory was told in Universe already instead.

I just realized what Sally is doing... she's asking Null for backup, and Null will be the key muscle that forces the EPF to retreat from Burnow Island. The Utroms and Triceratons will literally (though perhaps unknowingly) make a deal with the Devil!

And it will probably end with the Turtles forcibly breaking the mind link between Slash and Bishop, which will create some sort of mental feedback that incapacitates Bishop, and his troops drag him away from the battle (and we see the last of the flashback... test tube baby!)

And the biggest problem with TMNT Universe was absolutely the almost-always useless backup stories. And the terrible three issues that tied in to the Triceraton invasion. Although I did really enjoy the Leatherhead versus the mutant squid backup.

[CyberCubed]

I'd love to see that, but with only 20 pages next time (and probably at least 3 spent on Bishop's backstory again), there's probably not enough time.

Funny this whole arc is just the Turtles fighting Bishop, the whole threat of Ch'rell being out doesn't seem apparent yet. Will Ch'rell immediately take command of the Utroms and turn on the Triceratons or force them into slaves? Looks like a while 'nother story arc there waiting to be told until the Utroms realize Ch'rell is just as bad for their future as Krang was.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

Null will be the key muscle that forces the EPF to retreat from Burnow Island.

I keep wondering what this means, though:

Spoiler:

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

I keep wondering what this means, though:

Spoiler:

https://i.imgur.com/agUYuwO.jpg

What do you mean?

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

What do you mean?

Look at the name on the guardhouse.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

Look at the name on the guardhouse.

Oh right... yeah, we are kinda waiting on that to make sense...

Coulda just been a mistake in the art. Kinda the same way Don got smashed in the back but every issue showed him lying on his back convalescing.

Until a story makes issue of it, I'm not paying that any attention.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

Oh right... yeah, we are kinda waiting on that to make sense...

Coulda just been a mistake in the art. Kinda the same way Don got smashed in the back but every issue showed him lying on his back convalescing.

Until a story makes issue of it, I'm not paying that any attention.

True, it could be, but it looks like too big of an oversight to be chalked up to either that or artistic liberty like the Donnie thing. Plus, I remember asking Bobby about that on the very day the issue came out and was cryptically told it would have some sort of bearing on the story. I feel like he would've just come out and said it if that were a genuine goof. But I guess we'll have to wait (that's the hardest part!) and see.

[TomWaltz]

Originally Posted by Utrommaniac

I looked back at the previous issue and yeah, they have indeed been studying for 21 years.



What kind of preservation did they put that Utrom under if they were still able to study it for that long ???

Lots and lots of ice.

As Dr. Yuhasz states in issue #87, it took a while for their technologies to catch up to their ambitions. For the record, Papa Bishop is not an EPF agent during the Roswell incident (just a regular ol' G-Man) -- the EPF title (and organization) comes later (in my mind, the CIA came first, and the EPF was a kind of offshoot of the CIA). Once the EPF was formed, Papa Bishop and his crew moved into Area 51 (which was acquired by the Air Force in 1955, if memory serves) and Ike threatened to invade in '58 if he wasn't allowed inside voluntarily. He was allowed in eventually and... well, he saw some spooky things that led to his "military-industrial complex" warning when he left his Presidential duties.

All the while, the EPF was reverse-engineering the Utrom tech (simultaneously enhancing their own Earth tech) so they could better study the cryogenically frozen (yeah, that's what I'm going with, sports fans) Utrom from Roswell. We try to stay as close as we can to real history (such as it is when you're talking about Roswell and Area 51, etc.), but some things may not match up exactly for storytelling purposes. But we do our best to be accurate whenever possible.

Thanks for reading. See you next month -- issue #88's a big one.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

[TomWaltz]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

That's kinda how IDW does these things. Great overarching premise, first issues are a little slow... then BAM! Wrap that crap up! BOOM!

I liked it. Though Bishop was kinda... not as badass as I was hoping for. Like you, I really wanted to see the IDW equivalent of Bishop versus Karai, Hun, and all four Turtles. This wasn't it.

Well, then, Bishop will be waiting to show you his stuff in November ( TMNT #88 ), my friend.

Yes. He. Will.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by TomWaltz

Well, then, Bishop will be waiting to show you his stuff in November ( TMNT #88 ), my friend.

Yes. He. Will.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

Regarding that attached file, let me put this as eloquently as I can...

OH F*** YEAH!!!

He's doing it! That crazy son of a bitch, he's doing it! He's "Hun on the Run"-ing every single opponent in that battlefield combined!

I've literally been waiting years for this! Thank you, IDW!

[CyberCubed]

Wow, that last part with Bishop riding on Herman firing the canons, that is fantastic fist-pumping cheering material.

[hypered1]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

I keep wondering what this means, though:

Spoiler:

https://i.imgur.com/agUYuwO.jpg

Which issue is that from? I don't recognise it and it's not the current arc.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by hypered1

Which issue is that from? I don't recognise it and it's not the current arc.

Universe #23, page 15, when Mikey and Mondo break into the EPF looking for some stuff to help keep Seymour alive.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by TomWaltz

Well, then, Bishop will be waiting to show you his stuff in November ( TMNT #88 ), my friend.

Yes. He. Will.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

Aw yeah. There's the good stuff!

[hypered1]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

Universe #23, page 15, when Mikey and Mondo break into the EPF looking for some stuff to help keep Seymour alive.

Thanks, I kinda glazed over during those two issues - not the best we've had thus far.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by hypered1

Thanks, I kinda glazed over during those two issues - not the best we've had thus far.

Definitely not. People rag on the Casey & April mini, but it's actually grown on me over the years and it's much better when read all at once. I'll still have to revisit the issues of Universe that accompanied the Triceraton invasion, but all in all, Universe #23-24 are the worst of the entire IDW run.

[Utrommaniac]

Originally Posted by TomWaltz

Lots and lots of ice.

As Dr. Yuhasz states in issue #87, it took a while for their technologies to catch up to their ambitions. For the record, Papa Bishop is not an EPF agent during the Roswell incident (just a regular ol' G-Man) -- the EPF title (and organization) comes later (in my mind, the CIA came first, and the EPF was a kind of offshoot of the CIA). Once the EPF was formed, Papa Bishop and his crew moved into Area 51 (which was acquired by the Air Force in 1955, if memory serves) and Ike threatened to invade in '58 if he wasn't allowed inside voluntarily. He was allowed in eventually and... well, he saw some spooky things that led to his "military-industrial complex" warning when he left his Presidential duties.

All the while, the EPF was reverse-engineering the Utrom tech (simultaneously enhancing their own Earth tech) so they could better study the cryogenically frozen (yeah, that's what I'm going with, sports fans) Utrom from Roswell.

Hm. I'll take it. So does that mean they had to wait 21 years to even touch that Utrom?

And also, is there a "You'll find out later" aspect to there being an Utrom crashing to Earth in the 40's, when as we knew from Krang and the Utroms on Burnow Island, anyone not going into stasis would have died before the 1800's? But if there are survivors, that probably means they'd be living something comparable to Mad Max. Which sounds hilarious and terrifying on so many levels. Maybe that one was trying to find Krang on Earth and somehow forgot there was too much oxygen?

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

Regarding that attached file, let me put this as eloquently as I can...

OH F*** YEAH!!!

He's doing it! That crazy son of a bitch, he's doing it! He's "Hun on the Run"-ing every single opponent in that battlefield combined!

I've literally been waiting years for this! Thank you, IDW!

Now now, that's no way to speak of Marie Bishop . (Who I'm wouldn't be surprised if she divorces Wayne real hard when all this is over.)

Originally Posted by TomWaltz

Well, then, Bishop will be waiting to show you his stuff in November ( TMNT #88 ), my friend.

Yes. He. Will.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

Oh sweet baby Jesus, did he just...

Did he just use Herman's...

Did he...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

[hypered1]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

Definitely not. People rag on the Casey & April mini, but it's actually grown on me over the years and it's much better when read all at once. I'll still have to revisit the issues of Universe that accompanied the Triceraton invasion, but all in all, Universe #23-24 are the worst of the entire IDW run.

Yeah, the real problem of the Casey & April mini was that they used four issues to tell a two issue story, other than that it wasn't all that bad considering it set up some Pantheon stuff for later.