TMNT #150. Preview and discussion

[Wentos]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I guess now we know. Venus through time travel shenanigans absorbed their QNA from their dead human bodies in ancient Japan and kept it with her till she and Don teleported to 2011 and she magically infused them with it in the lab before the Turtles were hatched and when the Splinter rat was just a regular rat. In a way it makes sense, as opposed to Yoshi just wishing upon a star to get reincarnated like Pinnocchio.

Oh my God, that is so dumb. I feel like I'm the only one that remembers this page at the very end of issue #50:

The entire explanation is right there. It even explains why Krang would hold onto the samples as long as he did. Once he brokered a truce with Saki and started working with him again, he remembered his old insurance policy and integrated it into his mutagenic experiments. There's no great mystery, we knew already.

[Fenryr]

Well. That was certainly 80 issues about how the TMNT wouldn't exist without one of a dozen heavy-handed self-insert allegories traveling back in time to imbue them with random ******** that never once made any ****ing sense while continuously making the TMNT themselves more and more superfluous to their own book. Good riddance.

[neatoman]

And once again, let's just point out while this comic tries to convince us that Lita specifically becoming a mutant is what she enjoyed, even though literally anyone with a functioning brain can tell that it's actually no longer being homeless and having people around who care is what matters, which is not dependent on her staying a mutant.

The fact that:

Originally Posted by Bob

"Lita... Her mutation... actually gave her something. Things got better for her, and... She ... Loves being a mutant?"

Is an exact quote from this dumb comic really irritates me. Maybe it's just clumsily written, considering we see her still living with the turtles at the end but considering they still mope about it, I have trouble giving the benefit of doubt here. It's just so obnoxious that the circumstances that led to improvement are conflated with the improved status itself.

[CyberCubed]

I'm honestly surprised how much this wrapped up, they got rid of two female Turtles in one swell swoop (granted we don't know if future Lita is still a Turtle as she didn't appear this issue, but I guess it doesn't really matter?), they wrapped up the whole QNA/reincarnation/magic pencil/mystic training stuff stuff as well. I thought they would forget about the Turtles training with Shredder for all that mystic stuff but it had some form of payoff here. And Armaggon is turned to stone, and looks a lot like Archie Armaggon, so if they ever want to use him again they can as an actual character now in the future.

Future Bob is useless and present-day Bob is just there with Carmen I guess. It seems the Turtles will be taking care of human Lita for now, unless they ship her off somewhere. And judging by the next run, Jennika/Sheena will probably be written off-screen somewhere, or at least away from the main 4 Turtles even if they appear in other mini-series or specials.

Yeah mutant town still exists and all those mutants are still there, but I guess it's just going to remain in the background for awhile.

[Cowabung-Gal]

Originally Posted by shinycloudkid

Now, I don't want to dogpile on her as it seems like the internet has already done that enough. (Just googled her name to make sure I had the spelling right and the top google search is literally "Sophie Campbell ruined TMNT")

A reputation well-earned.

Congrats, Campbell.

[DexVcx]

After 4 long dreadful years of sophie cambell run on the book its finally over. Its like a weight that finally lifted after it being carried for so long.
As for 150 it was eh venus being the whole reason that the tmnt even exist was just eh. I really want to see how this Mutant nation run gets cancelled early or fast lol. But anyhow im happy that june is a bringing a better more greater era.

[BornAgain]

I was interested to see those two Utrom-type figures back in feudal Japan. I remember that seed being planted years and years ago, and thought it might lead to something interesting like the idea that the turtles were never truly resurrected, or something of that nature.

Sort of confused how it ended up working out.

[GameCobra]

I thought it was pretty good. The twists were actually pleasantly surprising and I enjoyed the ending.

Still find it odd they are treating Lita's transformation like it's a horrible thing. Though it doesn't look like it's bothering her much. She just seems more bummed she's not a turtle anymore. However, I'm letting it side on the belief they want this to be a slow process.

[Zog The Magnificent]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

The reincarnation thing never had a real reason to happen under Waltz run. Hamato Yoshi just wished upon it to get another chance for him and his sons and they get killed by Shredder, but it never got explained why they wound up in baby turtles and a rat in Stockman's lab in the year 2011.

I guess now we know. Venus through time travel shenanigans absorbed their QNA from their dead human bodies in ancient Japan and kept it with her till she and Don teleported to 2011 and she magically infused them with it in the lab before the Turtles were hatched and when the Splinter rat was just a regular rat. In a way it makes sense, as opposed to Yoshi just wishing upon a star to get reincarnated like Pinnocchio.

I would say, this didn't NEED an explanation. Reincarnation as a concept is already established and understood. The "reason" they reincarnated is that they reincarnated. Once you establish that reincarnation is a thing in this world, then that's it. That's the explanation. It's magic. Adding a stupid sci-fi explanation is stupid. You may as well use time travel to explain why the sky is blue. If reincarnation is a thing in this universe, then it's just an objective fact in the same way that falling due to gravity is the expectation.

As for "why in 2011 in Stockman's lab?" Because that's where the story happened. If they had reincarnated anywhere else with anyone else, then that's what the story would have been about. But it happened here, and the only reason we know about it is because it happened in the first place. All stories are contrived in this way. The only reason it's a story, that it's an event worth hearing about, is because it happens the way it does. It's the Anthropic Principle.

Anyways, I've been thinking about that Frodo clip for a long time, and I would have posted that in response to this issue, but neatoman already beat me to it. On top of that, I couldn't find a picture or video that was just of Master Chief saying "It's finished", which was my other top choice.

[TheLabRat]

I really didn't like what Campbell did with other characters. I expect there will be some touching moments like: Leo decided to use his astral power to keep that portal open and support April. Mikey and the others become the gatekeepers. This process may have taken a very long time, but they all did this to wait for Donnie to come back. But now it seems that I am still too optimistic.

[MikeandRaph87]

Please tell me Mutant Town and it's population is gone? Jennika is shelved? Not more trans allegory that does not fit TMNT. I'm tempted to look through it when I pick up Saturday Morning Adventures#12, Detective Comics and Flash tomorrow.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Zog The Magnificent

I would say, this didn't NEED an explanation. Reincarnation as a concept is already established and understood. The "reason" they reincarnated is that they reincarnated. Once you establish that reincarnation is a thing in this world, then that's it. That's the explanation. It's magic. Adding a stupid sci-fi explanation is stupid. You may as well use time travel to explain why the sky is blue. If reincarnation is a thing in this universe, then it's just an objective fact in the same way that falling due to gravity is the expectation.

Exactly that. And now there is apparently TWO different (and conflicting) retcons to give origin stories to the reincarnations?

[TheLabRat]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Please tell me Mutant Town and it's population is gone? Jennika is shelved? Not more trans allegory that does not fit TMNT. I'm tempted to look through it when I pick up Saturday Morning Adventures#12, Detective Comics and Flash tomorrow.

No, Jennika or Mutant Town are gently pushed to the side, but not removed. We will see them in any side-comics.

[BornAgain]

I agree that the reincarnation didn’t need a heavy explanation. That said, I think they gave up the mystery way too early in the run anyway. Idk if we ever needed it explicitly confirmed that they were reincarnated. There was a lot of room to play with the differing opinions and perspectives on the matter. One brother believing they are reincarnated and one being more skeptical is interesting to me.

Or the brothers believing it but Shredder refusing it. Idk I just like the potential of the mystery, but either way it’s a cool concept.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by neatoman

The fact that: Is an exact quote from this dumb comic really irritates me.

I can kinda forgive it from the stance of the fact that she's a young child so her sense if identity, understanding of life, etc would still be rather simple. Becoming someone different was a part of erasing the "bad" life and who she was and the unfortunate self blame a kid is likely to have for all the reasons she thinks her prior situation might have been her fault, not the fault of the adults who failed her. Even if turning human again can help her learn that being who she was, was never the problem, at her present age it probably isn't going to click yet. At least not until it really sets in that these people around her still love her no matter what she looks like.

Of course now there is the plot hole of older Lita existing and being re-mutated at some point...?

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

I can kinda forgive it from the stance of the fact that she's a young child so her sense if identity, understanding of life, etc would still be rather simple. Becoming someone different was a part of erasing the "bad" life and who she was and the unfortunate self blame a kid is likely to have for all the reasons she thinks her prior situation might have been her fault, not the fault of the adults who failed her. Even if turning human again can help her learn that being who she was, was never the problem, at her present age it probably isn't going to click yet. At least not until it really sets in that these people around her still love her no matter what she looks like.

Of course now there is the plot hole of older Lita existing and being re-mutated at some point...?

I'm just going to assume it's a split timeline and hope nobody writing going forward even remembers it...

[TheLabRat]

Originally Posted by BornAgain

I agree that the reincarnation didn’t need a heavy explanation. That said, I think they gave up the mystery way too early in the run anyway. Idk if we ever needed it explicitly confirmed that they were reincarnated. There was a lot of room to play with the differing opinions and perspectives on the matter. One brother believing they are reincarnated and one being more skeptical is interesting to me.

Or the brothers believing it but Shredder refusing it. Idk I just like the potential of the mystery, but either way it’s a cool concept.

Agreed, this also makes the causal relationship between Yoshi and Saki weaker or even meaningless. I wonder how do they use it to explain gods, spirit world, demons, hell and others?

[CyberCubed]

There are way too many split timelines. So there's an evil/disgruntled Donatello, a Michelangelo that became a famous social media influencer, a Raphael living in the woods (from the last annual), and Jennika was a cyborg living in mutant town. And then there's the other really far off future where all the Turtles, Jennika, Venus, etc. were all living in a Mad Maxx wasteland looking area, this is where they brought Rahzar/Tokka too...I don't know what the hell that was.

I guess we can all agree these are just random future timelines and none are canon.

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Please tell me Mutant Town and it's population is gone? Jennika is shelved? Not more trans allegory that does not fit TMNT. I'm tempted to look through it when I pick up Saturday Morning Adventures#12, Detective Comics and Flash tomorrow.

Nothing happened with mutant town, so I don't know why you would think it would be gone. Jennika is probably going to be in the mini-series/specials going forward but the new #1 just has the 4 brother so that's why I imagine she and Sheena are going to go traveling somewhere like Alopex did away from the main group.

Venus was more of a trans allegory than anyone else in this series, not sure why you would think that of the other character.s

[Fenryr]

You could make an argument that Lita being forcibly unmutated after she's come to terms with being a turtle and found a family is a rejection of her chosen identity, if you squint, but it's messy at best. Same with Mona (remember her?) lamenting to Donatello about talking to her parents. There's something there that, unfortunately, doesn't ever really get explored in a satisfying way, which is... all of Mutant Town in a prosthetic turtle shell.

[neatoman]

Right, forgotten plots and too much ambiguity... Not exactly signs of good storytelling, are they?

Anyway, how much can actually be ignored in the future without the need of explicit retcons? I suppose Jennika, Lita, Sheena and most of the other mutant bloat can just sort of vanish to another dimension or something and be ignored. That nonsense about "temporal gravity" and "soul DNA" can most likely just go unmentioned.