TMNT #3 Preview and Discussion IDW

[azrael]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=10205

[azrael]

Gotta say I kept clicking hoping there was more...

Casey's back story with his mom and how his dad became an alcoholic was interesting. Also Raph's amnesia is unique can't wait till tomorrow/Thursday.

I gotta say being a mirage-only-fan, I am really loving this issue.

[pannoni1]

They at least could have waited until #4 to but the Christmas reference, given it's Thanksgiving release.

A couple of OT references spotted here even. The multi-colored bandanas on the tiny turtles that April is holding is definitely a unique occurrence, though you can see the "actual" turtles are outside. And another old lady that flinches when she sees a turtle, like the first episode of the OT. Also, now we see the reason behind Casey's hockey mask and his educational background. And I find the Raph/Casey chemistry to work out well.

[Samhain]

They at least could have waited until #4 to but the Christmas reference, given it's Thanksgiving release.

A couple of OT references spotted here even. The multi-colored bandanas on the tiny turtles that April is holding is definitely a unique occurrence, though you can see the "actual" turtles are outside. And another old lady that flinches when she sees a turtle, like the first episode of the OT. Also, now we see the reason behind Casey's hockey mask and his educational background. And I find the Raph/Casey chemistry to work out well.

Your avatar scares me.

[Jester]

Don't we already have a thread for this?

[Powder]

Your avatar scares me.

Agreed so hard. So hard.

[Venom]

Don't we already have a thread for this?

No, but we need one.

Your avatar scares me.

Agreed so hard. So hard.

Thank god, someone finally said it! Third'd!!! :teek:

[Matches Malone]

Caved and read the preview too. Have to admit I am a little disappointed at Casey's reasonableness. I liked the idea that a drunk dad who beats on you would be an understandable and interesting reason to go nuts on criminals, but he doesn't seem to be nuts at all which makes you wonder what other compelling reason is there? "To do the right thing" is not very interesting and too Supermannish. It's not Casey if he's not crazy, I'm sorry to say. That's why he lost my interest by the time City At War came about when they softened him up, though by that point, I could understand they needed to develop his character a bit. I'm hoping Tom understands this and we'll see some crazy further on.

On a separate note, where's his golf bag of weapons?! Okay, enough whining on my part...

[Andrew NDB]

Caved and read the preview too. Have to admit I am a little disappointed at Casey's reasonableness. I liked the idea that a drunk dad who beats on you would be an understandable and interesting reason to go nuts on criminals, but he doesn't seem to be nuts at all which makes you wonder what other compelling reason is there? "To do the right thing" is not very interesting and too Supermannish. It's not Casey if he's not crazy, I'm sorry to say. That's why he lost my interest by the time City At War came about when they softened him up, though by that point, I could understand they needed to develop his character a bit. I'm hoping Tom understands this and we'll see some crazy further on.

As a character arc it's sound, but I hope this isn't all some kind of preface to the TMNT and Casey collectively saying, "Let's go out there and fight crime!"

[Venom]

I am a little disappointed at Casey's reasonableness. I liked the idea that a drunk dad who beats on you would be an understandable and interesting reason to go nuts on criminals, but he doesn't seem to be nuts at all which makes you wonder what other compelling reason is there? "To do the right thing" is not very interesting... I'm hoping Tom understands this and we'll see some crazy further on.

I'm still wondering if his level-headedness is a calm facade to someone who is seriously mentally unhinged and goes psycho on bad guys.

C'mon, we've seen the type in movies: the cool, calm, collected guy who's overcome the odds but thrown into a situation of distress where he's in the role of authority or power, he unleashes holy hell on those unfortunate enough to incur his wrath.

Beating the hell out of thugs is his therapy.

[AquaParade]

As a character arc it's sound, but I hope this isn't all some kind of preface to the TMNT and Casey collectively saying, "Let's go out there and fight crime!"

Agreed. The Turtles aren't crime-fighters! At least, they work best when they aren't....imo.

[Andrew NDB]

It works as long as it's just Casey and Raphael going out there to knock some muggers' heads around once in a while as a means to collectively blow off steam... but the whole house of cards falls apart if the rest of the Turtles make it their business to do it too.

[Andrew NDB]

I'm still wondering if his level-headedness is a calm facade to someone who is seriously mentally unhinged and goes psycho on bad guys.

C'mon, we've seen the type in movies: the cool, calm, collected guy who's overcome the odds but thrown into a situation of distress where he's in the role of authority or power, he unleashes holy hell on those unfortunate enough to incur his wrath.

I'm fairly sure you're dead on. I bet that's coming, some kind of "ZUNGA! ZUNGA!" mode Casey.

It would be weird if it wasn't, actually.

[CyberCubed]

You know I am realizing the problem with this series. Leo/Don/Mike are all one-dimensional so far and we know nothing about them. The focus is all on Raph.

For a new person coming into the comics, it feels like its "Raph and those other 3 Turtles."

If we didn't know the Turtles for 25 years, we'd all be wondering if Raph was the main character and the other 3 are supporting sidekicks or something.

[Jester]

Cubed, you realize we're only 3 issues in and we've only seen a preview of 3, who knows what the rest of 3 will tell us about the rest of the "clan".

[Andrew NDB]

If anything, it's a flaw in the arc and series itself kind of being set up as "written for the trade later." When you sit down later with the trade paperback of the first arc I'm sure we'll all be happy campers. If one or two Turtles are slighted in a given issue or two, I'm pretty sure the master plan is, "but they get some cool moments in such-and-such issue in X issue down the road in the same arc" and less concern placed on, "how do we completely balance the scales on individual Turtle coverage each and every issue we put out?" because... when the trade is out, who cares what happened in #2 or #4 independently?

It's not a jab against Tom or anybody or even something that's necessarily negative, it's something pretty symptomatic everywhere in the comic industry today... it's just different than what we have gotten used to/come to expect as TMNT readers of the Mirage material.

I mean, you can take just about any issue of TMNT Vol. 1 and can expect to get, over the course of a single issue, from cover to cover a fulfilling literary experience without a lot in the way of mid-narrative cliffhangers -- and if you had those, you still had a relatively self-contained story beside that.

But then the page counts were also significantly higher in those too.

[oldmanwinters]

If anything, it's a flaw in the arc and series itself kind of being set up as "written for the trade later." When you sit down later with the trade paperback of the first arc I'm sure we'll all be happy campers. If one or two Turtles are slighted in a given issue or two, I'm pretty sure the master plan is, "but they get some cool moments in such-and-such issue in X issue down the road in the same arc" and less concern placed on, "how do we completely balance the scales on individual Turtle coverage each and every issue we put out?" because... when the trade is out, who cares what happened in #2 or #4 independently?

It's not a jab against Tom or anybody or even something that's necessarily negative, it's something pretty symptomatic everywhere in the comic industry today... it's just different than what we have gotten used to/come to expect as TMNT readers of the Mirage material.

I mean, you can take just about any issue of TMNT Vol. 1 and can expect to get, over the course of a single issue, from cover to cover a fulfilling literary experience without a lot in the way of mid-narrative cliffhangers -- and if you had those, you still had a relatively self-contained story beside that.

But then the page counts were also significantly higher in those too.

I'm with you on this overall sentiment, Andrew. I prefer carefully paced individual issues, even if they aren't intended to be read as stand-alone stories. My favorite form of comic writing are the issues that complete a stand alone story while also leaving a few loose ends to keep the reader hungry for future issues. It is just a preference, of course, but as somebody who buys individual issues to help keep the franchise going, I would like a bit more substance in the monthly narratives.

[ToTheNines]

If anything, it's a flaw in the arc and series itself kind of being set up as "written for the trade later." When you sit down later with the trade paperback of the first arc I'm sure we'll all be happy campers. If one or two Turtles are slighted in a given issue or two, I'm pretty sure the master plan is, "but they get some cool moments in such-and-such issue in X issue down the road in the same arc" and less concern placed on, "how do we completely balance the scales on individual Turtle coverage each and every issue we put out?" because... when the trade is out, who cares what happened in #2 or #4 independently?

This is where comic books lose all casual fans. I'm guilty of it myself, but I only follow a monthly series if it's related to something I really really love (TMNT and Ghostbustes). Otherwise, the month+ I have to wait to see something happen isn't worth it.

[Andrew NDB]

This is where comic books lose all casual fans. I'm guilty of it myself, but I only follow a monthly series if it's related to something I really really love (TMNT and Ghostbustes). Otherwise, the month+ I have to wait to see something happen isn't worth it.

Oh yeah, tell me about it. About the worst abuser of what I'm talking about would be DC golden boy Geoff Johns... I don't think he even remembers how to write a good story anymore, everything is just twist, twist, twist, cliffhanger, cliffhanger, cliffhanger (with a heavy overabundance of double-splash pages and issues that only take 3 minutes to read)... and when you get to the end of the story, there's no ending at all but rather a twist-cliffhanger combo into the next story.

[Jester]

Ok...I've really gotta stop reading the previews...this issue seemed sooo short when the preview was taken into account. Picked up the Duncan and Eastman A and B covers and a second print of 1. I've gotta admit, I'm glad we finally got a little bit more of the other 3 Turtles. I also wonder, after seeing the (possibly) last bit of the origin if Splinter has the walking stick because of the damage his leg took in the fight to save Raph from Hob. I did like the other Turtles questioning wither or not Raph is even still alive. I assume, despite what that may do to me, that in the next issue, since the guys are looking for Hob to "kick some @$$" and heck, if they find Raph happy coincidence, and Hob just confronted Raph and Casey that the Turtles will be, to quote April from the movie, "four once more."
All in all I liked the issue, but the previews are killing me!

[CyberCubed]

It's not a jab against Tom or anybody or even something that's necessarily negative, it's something pretty symptomatic everywhere in the comic industry today... it's just different than what we have gotten used to/come to expect as TMNT readers of the Mirage material.

So then what's to make all these new casual fans stick with the book? Some Batman fan who picked up the first two issues out of curiosity, whats to make him want to stick with it? He probably only knows TMNT from the fad of the original cartoon or the original movies, and that's it.

I am really curious as to how these new readers view this series.

[TomWaltz]

I also wonder, after seeing the (possibly) last bit of the origin if [spoiler]Splinter has the walking stick because of the damage his leg took in the fight to save Raph from Hob.

Nice catch!


Tom W.

[DrSpengler]

Here's my review for TMNt #3 at TMNT Entity. (http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/2011/10/tmnt-idw-3.html)

While the Bendis-style is starting to get to me, I really dig how Waltz is setting up not just the plot but the behavior of the characters and why they act the way they do.

[TomWaltz]

Here's my review for TMNt #3 at TMNT Entity. (http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/2011/10/tmnt-idw-3.html)

While the Bendis-style is starting to get to me, I really dig how Waltz is setting up not just the plot but the behavior of the characters and why they act the way they do.

Ha! LOVED your comment about Casey's hockey mask at the end of your review, Dr. Spengler! Casey's definitely keepin' it old school. :lol:

And, as for the origin story, well... Uncle Tommy here still has a few tricks up his sleeves. More surprising twists to come in near-future issues, I promise (that's all my editor Bobby "I'll Kick Waltz's Ass If He Opens His Big Mouth Anymore" Curnow will let me say, though).

Thanks for checking out issue #3 and taking the time to review it!

Talk soon...

Tom Waltz

[Samhain]

Well then...;)

Just got these issues in hand and wow, let me just say I hate these month waits! Seeing Leo and Don argue was really surprising and to see Don so aggressive about wanting to go fight was new. But still, nice to see. After all, he is a ninja, right?:) Overall a good issue.

[BAXTER STOCKMAN 19]

Ha! LOVED your comment about Casey's hockey mask at the end of your review, Dr. Spengler! Casey's definitely keepin' it old school. :lol:

And, as for the origin story, well... Uncle Tommy here still has a few tricks up his sleeves. More surprising twists to come in near-future issues, I promise (that's all my editor Bobby "I'll Kick Waltz's Ass If He Opens His Big Mouth Anymore" Curnow will let me say, though).

Thanks for checking out issue #3 and taking the time to review it!

Talk soon...

Tom Waltz

i cant wait for Shredder! Can you tell us when Shredder will appear/

[Samhain]

Can you tell us when Shredder will appear/

I would guess, no.:roll:

[TomWaltz]

i cant wait for Shredder! Can you tell us when Shredder will appear/

Who is this person you speak of... Shredder?

:D

[Andrew NDB]

Can you tell us when Shredder will appear/

I'm thinking he already has.

Kind of.

[azrael]

Absolutely love the series. This is blowing the mirage verse out of the water, imo. I have 0 complaints thus far.

Old Hob + Gang vs Casey and Raph, can't wait to see that go down. I feel as if the "finding Raph" is predictable at this point.

Leo, Don, and Mike see hobs fighting and out numbering 2 guys So they even the playing field a bit.

Glad to see the turtles interact more besides a few 1-liners. Its now starting to show them branch out individually with their personalities.

[Raph's Girl]

I thought this was an interesting read. Especially where Casey's backstory is Mirage: His dad is dead, and his mom is alive. IDW: His mom has died of cancer, and his dad is alive.

The whole thing with the turtles being seperated and how they were mutated is a bit odd but I'll keep reading it to see where it goes.

[oldmanwinters]

I'm actually relieved that Casey isn't just another violent, mentally unstable youth who grew up in an abusive home. That's just so cliche... and so 90s for comic book heroes/vigilantes.

I can buy the fact that he's just a good natured kid with a bit a mean streak when his adrenaline is pumping and feels a need to help people out. His relationship with his mother seems to be what kept him grounded, even if his father went down a dark path in the last few years.

[Bauer536]

You know what: I'm proud to say that I haven't gotten a call from my comic book store that the next issues are coming in.

This origin of the turtles stinks. There is no way these guys learned ninjutsu pretty quickly.:tmad:

This Old Hob is such a stupid villain. I really don't find him a strong character for the franchise at all. Tell me when Shredder comes to kill him.:tgrumble:

As for Casey: what's going on? Why isn't he that crazy to beat villains? I get the story, but how did he become friends with Raph that fast?:tconfuse:

Now here's my favorite part: Leo and Don butting heads. That's the least that I want to see. I hate it. When did Donatello become Raphael, especially when he's not listening to Splinter and all that?:tcry:

I don't like the direction this is going. My suggestion is start from scratch or at least, make it seem that this is all a dream that April is having and that none of this actually happened. This has got to be fixed. I don't know.

If not, do what you want. I just won't be reading these anymore.

Mr. Waltz. What's going on? Tell me the truth. Do you guys rush or is this how it's all done? I'd like to help.

[TomWaltz]

You know what: I'm proud to say that I haven't gotten a call from my comic book store that the next issues are coming in. WTH, Mr. Waltz?!:tmad:

This origin of the turtles stinks. There is no way these guys learned ninjutsu pretty quickly.:tsad:

This Old Hob is such a stupid villain. I really don't find him a strong character for the franchise at all. Tell me when Shredder comes to kill him.:tgrumble:

As for Casey: what's going on? Why isn't he that crazy to beat villains? I get the story, but how did he become friends with Raph that fast?:tconfuse:

Now here's my favorite part: Leo and Don butting heads. That's the least that I want to see. I hate it. When did Donatello become Raphael, especially when he's not listening to Splinter and all that?:tcry:

I don't like the direction this is going. My suggestion is start from scratch or at least, make it seem that this is all a dream that April is having and that none of this actually happened. This has got to be fixed. I don't know.

If not, do what you want. I just won't be reading these anymore.

Mr. Waltz. What's going on? Tell me the truth. Do you guys rush or is this how it's all done? I'd like to help.

Well, Bauer536, I'm disappointed to hear our comic series isn't hitting the mark for you, but I do appreciate the fact that you've given it a chance at least. Hopefully the new Nickelodeon cartoon series will be more satisfying for you when it arrives.

Take care...

Tom W.

[Samhain]

You know what: I'm proud to say that I haven't gotten a call from my comic book store that the next issues are coming in.

This origin of the turtles stinks. There is no way these guys learned ninjutsu pretty quickly.:tmad:

This Old Hob is such a stupid villain. I really don't find him a strong character for the franchise at all. Tell me when Shredder comes to kill him.:tgrumble:

As for Casey: what's going on? Why isn't he that crazy to beat villains? I get the story, but how did he become friends with Raph that fast?:tconfuse:

Now here's my favorite part: Leo and Don butting heads. That's the least that I want to see. I hate it. When did Donatello become Raphael, especially when he's not listening to Splinter and all that?:tcry:

I don't like the direction this is going. My suggestion is start from scratch or at least, make it seem that this is all a dream that April is having and that none of this actually happened. This has got to be fixed. I don't know.

If not, do what you want. I just won't be reading these anymore.

Mr. Waltz. What's going on? Tell me the truth. Do you guys rush or is this how it's all done? I'd like to help.

How would you help this series? Yeah, that's right. What do you do for a living...? Um, this is different. Not the same old rehashed story of the turtles. Im not saying don't have an opinion, and Im not saying you have to like it, but you are coming off as a dick. So chill out.

[Redeemer]

Who is this person you speak of... Shredder?

:D
:lol: Nice

I'm thinking he already has.

Kind of.

Thats what I thought to especially sense our favorite rat scarred somebody

You know what: I'm proud to say that I haven't gotten a call from my comic book store that the next issues are coming in.

This origin of the turtles stinks. There is no way these guys learned ninjutsu pretty quickly.:tmad:

This Old Hob is such a stupid villain. I really don't find him a strong character for the franchise at all. Tell me when Shredder comes to kill him.:tgrumble:

As for Casey: what's going on? Why isn't he that crazy to beat villains? I get the story, but how did he become friends with Raph that fast?:tconfuse:

Now here's my favorite part: Leo and Don butting heads. That's the least that I want to see. I hate it. When did Donatello become Raphael, especially when he's not listening to Splinter and all that?:tcry:

I don't like the direction this is going. My suggestion is start from scratch or at least, make it seem that this is all a dream that April is having and that none of this actually happened. This has got to be fixed. I don't know.

If not, do what you want. I just won't be reading these anymore.

Mr. Waltz. What's going on? Tell me the truth. Do you guys rush or is this how it's all done? I'd like to help.

Sorry to hear bro, but hear is the thing, the turtles obviously airnt that great at ninjitsu yet, bc of issue 3 and their practice. But I must say this last issue was so so I give it a 3/5 the first to issue definitely 5/5

But I tip my hat to Mr.waltz and his excellent story telling, but I must ask (coming from a new comic reader) Why is their only 1 comic released per month?????Why not 2 a month. The reason I am asking is bc manga's r released 1 a week, but they r roughly half the size. appreciate an answer

[ToTheNines]

The good: The arts gets better and better every issue.

The coloring was great as usual, pay attention to the sky in some of the panels. Very nice.

Casey's not a loser. I think it's awesome that he actually plays sports in this series. I wonder if he and April go to the same college.

The cussing lol.

The turtles are ALMOST back together and we ALMOST have the whole origin explained.

Donatello calling out Splinter. Splinter's always had his flaws in the comics, but none of the turtles ever made anything of it until City at War.
-----
The bad: Leo's a douche. Leo tends to act like that in most canons though... so this is nothing earth-shattering.

Raph's disguise is isn't really good enough for him to be walking up to old ladies and chilling out next to hotdog vendors. Why doesn't he just hide while Casey does the whole human being thing.

The month long wait until next issue!
-----
My questions: Is Old Hob working for the Foot somehow?

Did the Foot have any interaction with Raphael right after he mutated?

Is it going to be awkward when the guys meet Raph for the first time since being mutated?

[Andrew NDB]

Now here's my favorite part: Leo and Don butting heads. That's the least that I want to see. I hate it. When did Donatello become Raphael, especially when he's not listening to Splinter and all that?:tcry:

It's always pretty weird for me to see people get mad when one of the Turtles displays an emotion or emotional response that doesn't correspond to whatever pigeon-holed crap the cartoon or toy cardboard backing beat into their heads as a kid. "Leo is the leadery one, Raphael is the angry one, Michelangelo is the goofery one, Donatello is the thinkery one" and heaven help us if one day Leonardo gets angry, or Donatello makes a joke, or Michelangelo has a creative solution to get the team out of a bind... it's just absurd -- how one dimensional do you people want your characters?

Well, Bauer536, I'm disappointed to hear our comic series isn't hitting the mark for you, but I do appreciate the fact that you've given it a chance at least. Hopefully the new Nickelodeon cartoon series will be more satisfying for you when it arrives.

Take care...

Tom W.

You're way too kind.

[kool75uk1]

I'd like to help.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I dont want to see the TMNT end up in high school like in your fanfic and your artwork makes me wanna puke.

[Slap-Happy]

Haven't had the chance to pick up the issue yet.

Hasting's hasn't gotten it.

[Andrew NDB]

You're way too kind.

I dont want to see the TMNT end up in high school like in your fanfic and your artwork makes me wanna puke.

Ah, now that's much better.

[ToTheNines]

I almost forgot... the coloring she did with the ooze was also particularly awesome, eh?

[Samhain]

I almost forgot... the coloring she did with the ooze was also particularly awesome, eh?

Yes, yes. Top notch.

[Powder]

Pleased again, as expected. Love the coloring, the muddy inks, the almost exaggerated expressions, the dynamics, the whole artistic tone is as a turtle book should be. Many credits to Duncan.

The writing is great as well, particularly in the case of Splinter. He's at his best when well spoken, and he feels just right. Neat to see my suspicions confirmed regarding Hob's eye and Splinters involvement in its removal, ha. The cane/scratch issue I caught as well. I like all of the subtle explanations for stuff that's in there. I guess being able to tackle it with a fresh start makes that easier to do. You're taking the flubs and fixing 'em. Eastman & Laird put one book out & then did a rushjob on establishing certain quirks and visual things (like scars, the walking stick, etc), most of which without reason. Good job.

Mikey seems to be a bit of a mediator here, which is good, any Mikey that isn't played off as a retard is great but it's nice to see he's got brains from the jump. I really enjoyed Donny taking a tone, a part of me wants to say it was a welcomed step out of character, but really, in Mirage he was often quiet and did weird sh*t in his personal time. I guess he would have some feelings that he'd keep to himself, interesting to see them come out. Leo is Leo. The Leo he always is. That's fine with me, Leo's my favorite turtle so I come to expect that. I just hope he ends up having a spiritual side somewhere down the line. If he doesn't, it's not a dealbreaker, I just enjoy him like that.

The different take on Casey isn't bad, I like it, but with Casey being my favorite character I'm just a tad disappointed that he's not a psychopath. But as long as he still likes to put a hurtin' on scumbags, it's a very small qualm. I was diggin' his backstory too, the emotional turmoil of the last year or so for him certainly justifies his bouts of anger and violence. Very typical of him to be palsy-walsy with Raph, not a problem, I'd like to see him bond with the other turtles more though. Never really got that with Mirage, unfortunately. Maybe that's an avenue you'd consider struttin' down, Tom.

So overall, another great issue. Nabbed the basic Duncan cover, and the Eastman variant, as usual.

I almost forgot... the coloring she did with the ooze was also particularly awesome, eh?

Totally. It's been a standout feature of the last two books.

I dont want to see the TMNT end up in high school like in your fanfic and your artwork makes me wanna puke.

Someone had to say it...

[DrSpengler]

But I tip my hat to Mr.waltz and his excellent story telling, but I must ask (coming from a new comic reader) Why is their only 1 comic released per month?????Why not 2 a month. The reason I am asking is bc manga's r released 1 a week, but they r roughly half the size. appreciate an answer

I won't presume to answer in place of Waltz, but just to give you an idea, the creative process behind Western comics and Japanese manga are radically different.

Manga tends to be a one-man production, from the script to the pencils to the inking to the lettering. There's no middleman and an manga creator can get out roughly 12 pages a week if that's their publication schedule (some manga is weekly while others are bi-weekly, etc).

Western comics, such as IDW's productions, have several more stages to go through. The script has to go through story edits, then it has to be approved by the licensor (which, in some cases, can take a long time and slow the momentum down to a grinding halt). Then changes have to be made at the licensor's request, followed by the edited script being sent in for another approval.

Once that goes by, there's the layout work from Eastman, then the pencils from Duncan, then the inking, then the colors (if you have EVER tried to color anything even in a single layer this can be excruciatingly time consuming). And then finally the lettering.


Producing a Western comic is far more comlicated than most Japanese manga productions, which is often why the narrative and artistic results are so vastly different.

If a Western comic can meet a monthly schedule WITHOUT any delays, it is something to be celebrated.

[TomWaltz]

I won't presume to answer in place of Waltz, but just to give you an idea, the creative process behind Western comics and Japanese manga are radically different.

Manga tends to be a one-man production, from the script to the pencils to the inking to the lettering. There's no middleman and an manga creator can get out roughly 12 pages a week if that's their publication schedule (some manga is weekly while others are bi-weekly, etc).

Western comics, such as IDW's productions, have several more stages to go through. The script has to go through story edits, then it has to be approved by the licensor (which, in some cases, can take a long time and slow the momentum down to a grinding halt). Then changes have to be made at the licensor's request, followed by the edited script being sent in for another approval.

Once that goes by, there's the layout work from Eastman, then the pencils from Duncan, then the inking, then the colors (if you have EVER tried to color anything even in a single layer this can be excruciatingly time consuming). And then finally the lettering.


Producing a Western comic is far more comlicated than most Japanese manga productions, which is often why the narrative and artistic results are so vastly different.

If a Western comic can meet a monthly schedule WITHOUT any delays, it is something to be celebrated.

Well said! Couldn't have explained it better myself.

[Coola Yagami]

Loving it. I love the scene with the 3 turtles. They all spoke their views, they all agreed to a compromise, while staying true to their traits. Leo is following orders, Don fails to see the logic in it, Mikey kept them in line. I'm also glad that while Mikey is the 'modern' Turtle with the 'dudes' and 'just sayin'', he's (so far) not the annoying idiot from the 2K3. He's silly but is serious when he has to be. Can't wait for issue 4.

[Redeemer]

I won't presume to answer in place of Waltz, but just to give you an idea, the creative process behind Western comics and Japanese manga are radically different.

Manga tends to be a one-man production, from the script to the pencils to the inking to the lettering. There's no middleman and an manga creator can get out roughly 12 pages a week if that's their publication schedule (some manga is weekly while others are bi-weekly, etc).

Western comics, such as IDW's productions, have several more stages to go through. The script has to go through story edits, then it has to be approved by the licensor (which, in some cases, can take a long time and slow the momentum down to a grinding halt). Then changes have to be made at the licensor's request, followed by the edited script being sent in for another approval.

Once that goes by, there's the layout work from Eastman, then the pencils from Duncan, then the inking, then the colors (if you have EVER tried to color anything even in a single layer this can be excruciatingly time consuming). And then finally the lettering.


Producing a Western comic is far more comlicated than most Japanese manga productions, which is often why the narrative and artistic results are so vastly different.

If a Western comic can meet a monthly schedule WITHOUT any delays, it is something to be celebrated.

^Ok gotcha I forgot about all that and another thing is that I didnt think about is that it has to meet a certain rating, also I notice that manga's aren'tk as detailed in its drawing

[LeoNerdo]

Read it. Loved it. My favorite part was Don & Leo butting heads, and then Mikey stepping in to be the level headed one. I've always preferred the urban city streets setting brawls over the Sci-Fi stuff for the turtles so I'm anxiously waiting for what looks like definitely more of that in the coming issues.

[azrael]

This origin of the turtles stinks. There is no way these guys learned ninjutsu pretty quickly.:tmad:

Really? ooze and turtles drop in to a sewer Rat saves them? You are absolutely right it stinks :trolleye: Yet Captain America is a 1 man army thanks to his mutagen. again :trolleye:

This Old Hob is such a stupid villain. I really don't find him a strong character for the franchise at all. Tell me when Shredder comes to kill him.:tgrumble:

Hob's is far from stupid... I believe the OT had dumb villians (not all some)

As for Casey: what's going on? Why isn't he that crazy to beat villains? I get the story, but how did he become friends with Raph that fast?:tconfuse:

Why wouldnt they I have hung out with people and imediately were friends. Not far fetched maybe you should try it, you know get friends

Now here's my favorite part: Leo and Don butting heads. That's the least that I want to see. I hate it. When did Donatello become Raphael, especially when he's not listening to Splinter and all that?:tcry:

Brother's never argue... :trolleye:

I don't like the direction this is going. My suggestion is start from scratch or at least, make it seem that this is all a dream that April is having and that none of this actually happened. This has got to be fixed. I don't know.

1 doesnt like it... you are right they should completely stop restart and cancel the 3rd printing of issue 1 and the 2nd printing of issue 2.

If not, do what you want. I just won't be reading these anymore.

Bye bye

Mr. Waltz. What's going on? Tell me the truth. Do you guys rush or is this how it's all done? I'd like to help.

Help!? sounds like you just burnt a bridge with your "You suck, I'm better, let me help." comment

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TOM

I hope you hang around on here and not let 1 person move you from the boards.

[DrSpengler]

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I think there's something to be said for tact and maturity.

Polite and constructive criticism breeds better feedback than insults and attacks.

Something worth taking into consideration.

[CyberCubed]

I really liked this issue, even though it feels too short. Old Hob's origin is what I expected, and nice to see the rivalry between him and Splinter start even before mutation.

So as expected, these Turtles mutated into their "teenage" forms immediately. And they and Splinter have only been mutated for 15 months. And they've never met Raphael.

I don't mind this take on the origin, but it is very familiar to the original 80's cartoon origin where the Turtles never had "kid stages" and mutated into adult forms immediately.

The idea of the Turtles never knowing Raphael is a good one, and explains why Raph is a loner and not as attached to his brothers.

[Jester]

You know what: I'm proud to say that I haven't gotten a call from my comic book store that the next issues are coming in.

This origin of the turtles stinks. There is no way these guys learned ninjutsu pretty quickly.:tmad:

This Old Hob is such a stupid villain. I really don't find him a strong character for the franchise at all. Tell me when Shredder comes to kill him.:tgrumble:

As for Casey: what's going on? Why isn't he that crazy to beat villains? I get the story, but how did he become friends with Raph that fast?:tconfuse:

Now here's my favorite part: Leo and Don butting heads. That's the least that I want to see. I hate it. When did Donatello become Raphael, especially when he's not listening to Splinter and all that?:tcry:

I don't like the direction this is going. My suggestion is start from scratch or at least, make it seem that this is all a dream that April is having and that none of this actually happened. This has got to be fixed. I don't know.

If not, do what you want. I just won't be reading these anymore.

Mr. Waltz. What's going on? Tell me the truth. Do you guys rush or is this how it's all done? I'd like to help.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/Jesterangelo/BauerKnowsBest-1.jpg
:roll:

[Ninjinister]

Jester: The Lean Green Meme Machine.

[Jester]

I do my best....:D

[Cowabunga Carl]

Another great issue. I'm really enjoying this book and can't wait tell next month for the next issue. Keep up the good work Tom, looking forward to see where you take the series.

Casey is my favorite character. Always has been and always will be. I for one am enjoying the change. I was young when my Mom passed and I had a lot of anger issues. I can relate to him. It makes since that he would take that anger out some how, his choice being thugs. I really look forward to seeing where he goes and what develops later on.

My only hold up with the series is that it does seem more to be written for trade form. It just reads better when read one issue after another.

Regardless though I loved this issue. I liked seeing Casey being Casey. I also enjoyed seeing Don speak up, look at things logically and then stating his views and not backing down. Also the little things in the issue were great.

[Demon-Alukard]

Why is their only 1 comic released per month?????Why not 2 a month. The reason I am asking is bc manga's r released 1 a week, but they r roughly half the size. appreciate an answer
There is will be 2 issues per month from the next one, actually, bacause of Micro-series about each Turtle =)


Very good issue. A bit more of origin-- the most mystery part for me now is a ninja stuff. Splinter was smart before the mutation, but how he came to ninjitsu is still a question.

No April in this issue =( I definitely like how Dan drawing women -- they are not supermodels with a big bust like usually in a comics but very cute and pretty, and I love it. That lady from Hob's gang is hot! ;)

Can't wait #4!

[Barkworm]

I love this Bauer guy, it's been a while since we had someone as ridiculous as him on the forums.

[Andrew NDB]

I'll post my review shortly, but I will say that the Fred Wolf instant mutation thing (even if the "what you touched last" nonsense is removed... or is it?) vexes me a little bit. I really hope that it was one of the things that Nick insisted on (or if it wasn't, that it was something everyone in the room felt strongly about with a master plan in place to have it all make good, rational sense), as I struggle to figure out the pros vs. the cons of it:

Pros:
* In this given universe in which the idea is to interwine April into their most humble beginnings, if they instantly mutate then there's not a 15 (or whatever) year gap between when she first "meets" them and when she sees them next. Keeps things moving, organic.
* With the rule set that mutagen in the IDW TMNT universe is relatively instantaneous, the gates are opened for the IDW TMNT universe to freely, actively have new mutants being created via the same mutagen as opposed to taking years to grow naturally into the fully humanoid mutant state. Though I'm not entirely sure this is really a "pro" at all. While I don't quite share Peter Laird's longstanding embargo on, "Keep them unique, any other mutants make them less unique" I have no interest in things becoming a mutant-of-the-week affair either.
* Fred Wolf cartoon fans can feel a little more at home, I guess?

Drawing a blank on other pros.

Cons:
* We have to swallow that the Turtles' entire state of sentience is strictly 15 months, yet they somehow possess the minds of teenagers (if I throw mutagen on my 10 year old cat and tomorrow he's Cat Man, he wouldn't be telling me about how 4 years ago I forgot to clean out his sh*tter... this is silly). 15 months. If this was the Fred Wolf cartoon, in which all kinds of wackiness and tom-foolery (no pun intended) was going on left and right it was easy to overlook... but it's very difficult to understand how and why this take on the mutation was settled on by IDW if apart from it they seem to be bending over backwards to explain the science of things and grounding things in reality (at least at the base level).
* Everything else aside, we absolutely need to buy that the Turtles are ninja. I'm OK with seeing a little bit of a "they're still learning the ropes" at this starting point, but I don't know how long it's going to make business or creative sense to still see them fumbling around with their weapons. And if the plan is to just kind of bury our heads in the sand and go, "It was a particularly strenuous 15 months of ninja training, they totally kick ass now!" then that's not a plan at all. I'm sure more sooner than later we're going to see the TMNT fighting fully training ninjas in battle and we're going to be seeing the Turtles winning... and at this point the Turtles' mere 15 months of training is going to be firmly in the back of our minds, sucking all the sense of realism the comic has been striving for right out of the room.
* The family bonds between the Turtles themselves (though I like what this means for Raphael, who is now, truly the outsider) and Splinter, while not thrown out the window, are greatly diminished. No matter what word balloons are shown, the bond forged over the course of 15 months is not the same as a bond forged over the course of 15 years of depending on one another.

There's other cons, but those are my three main rants.

[Jester]

Can't says I disagree Andrew. The only bit I can say, about the "mutated to teenagers" angle, is if the "baby" turtles were in fact the equivalent of teenagers, then it makes sense. Kinda a "dog years" explanation. If you mutated my 9 year old dog to a humanoid canine, she'd be OLD! If the Turtles were teenagers in turtle years in their unmutated form, that could account for the instant Teenage Mutant Turtles here. The ninja and family aspect seem to suffer the most from the truncated origin.

[BAXTER STOCKMAN 19]

Who is this person you speak of... Shredder?

:D

Are you kidding? OROKUSAKI THE SHREDDER

[BAXTER STOCKMAN 19]

I thought this was an interesting read. Especially where Casey's backstory is Mirage: His dad is dead, and his mom is alive. IDW: His mom has died of cancer, and his dad is alive.

The whole thing with the turtles being seperated and how they were mutated is a bit odd but I'll keep reading it to see where it goes.

Same in 2003 series too only his mother was alive

[Powder]

Are you kidding? OROKUSAKI THE SHREDDER

It's an obvious joke, hombre.

Same in 2003 series too only his mother was alive

The 2003 series is based on the Mirage books...

[BAXTER STOCKMAN 19]

It's an obvious joke, hombre.



The 2003 series is based on the Mirage books...

some episodes of 2003 series were based on Mirage comics not the entire series. season 5-7 were totaly new and had nothing to do with the Mirage comics. Only some episodes of Season 1-4 were based on comics and it also had some new elemts like Shredder who was an alien.

[Powder]

Tell me something I don't know.

[ToTheNines]

* Everything else aside, we absolutely need to buy that the Turtles are ninja. I'm OK with seeing a little bit of a "they're still learning the ropes" at this starting point, but I don't know how long it's going to make business or creative sense to still see them fumbling around with their weapons. And if the plan is to just kind of bury our heads in the sand and go, "It was a particularly strenuous 15 months of ninja training, they totally kick ass now!" then that's not a plan at all. I'm sure more sooner than later we're going to see the TMNT fighting fully training ninjas in battle and we're going to be seeing the Turtles winning... and at this point the Turtles' mere 15 months of training is going to be firmly in the back of our minds, sucking all the sense of realism the comic has been striving for right out of the room.

Looks to me like the fact that is was "super soldier mutagen" is going to have to be enough.

* The family bonds between the Turtles themselves (though I like what this means for Raphael, who is now, truly the outsider) and Splinter, while not thrown out the window, are greatly diminished. No matter what word balloons are shown, the bond forged over the course of 15 months is not the same as a bond forged over the course of 15 years of depending on one another.

I'm definitely not disagreeing with you on this one, but I think that we're all kind of underestimating how long 15 months is. Sure it seems short compared to the 15 years we're used to, but if they've spent pretty much every waking moment together for the past year and a quarter, that's definitely long enough for them develop a strong bond considering they have no one else in their lives.

Either way, even if you're not crazy about the origin, I think this series has what it takes to tell some really good stories once the ball gets rolling a little bit down the road.

[Bauer536]

Well, Bauer536, I'm disappointed to hear our comic series isn't hitting the mark for you, but I do appreciate the fact that you've given it a chance at least. Hopefully the new Nickelodeon cartoon series will be more satisfying for you when it arrives.

Take care...

Tom W.

I would like to apologize to Mr. Waltz, and to anyone else I offended with my comments. I know we all have the right to our opinion, but I realize I should have been a lot more thoughtful in my response. I'm sorry if I sounded inflamatory or ridiculous. I never intended to hurt anyone's feelings. I hope we can start with a clean slate.

Bauer536.:tsmile:

[TomWaltz]

I'll post my review shortly, but I will say that the Fred Wolf instant mutation thing (even if the "what you touched last" nonsense is removed... or is it?) vexes me a little bit. I really hope that it was one of the things that Nick insisted on (or if it wasn't, that it was something everyone in the room felt strongly about with a master plan in place to have it all make good, rational sense), as I struggle to figure out the pros vs. the cons of it:

Pros:
* In this given universe in which the idea is to interwine April into their most humble beginnings, if they instantly mutate then there's not a 15 (or whatever) year gap between when she first "meets" them and when she sees them next. Keeps things moving, organic.
* With the rule set that mutagen in the IDW TMNT universe is relatively instantaneous, the gates are opened for the IDW TMNT universe to freely, actively have new mutants being created via the same mutagen as opposed to taking years to grow naturally into the fully humanoid mutant state. Though I'm not entirely sure this is really a "pro" at all. While I don't quite share Peter Laird's longstanding embargo on, "Keep them unique, any other mutants make them less unique" I have no interest in things becoming a mutant-of-the-week affair either.
* Fred Wolf cartoon fans can feel a little more at home, I guess?

Drawing a blank on other pros.

Cons:
* We have to swallow that the Turtles' entire state of sentience is strictly 15 months, yet they somehow possess the minds of teenagers (if I throw mutagen on my 10 year old cat and tomorrow he's Cat Man, he wouldn't be telling me about how 4 years ago I forgot to clean out his sh*tter... this is silly). 15 months. If this was the Fred Wolf cartoon, in which all kinds of wackiness and tom-foolery (no pun intended) was going on left and right it was easy to overlook... but it's very difficult to understand how and why this take on the mutation was settled on by IDW if apart from it they seem to be bending over backwards to explain the science of things and grounding things in reality (at least at the base level).
* Everything else aside, we absolutely need to buy that the Turtles are ninja. I'm OK with seeing a little bit of a "they're still learning the ropes" at this starting point, but I don't know how long it's going to make business or creative sense to still see them fumbling around with their weapons. And if the plan is to just kind of bury our heads in the sand and go, "It was a particularly strenuous 15 months of ninja training, they totally kick ass now!" then that's not a plan at all. I'm sure more sooner than later we're going to see the TMNT fighting fully training ninjas in battle and we're going to be seeing the Turtles winning... and at this point the Turtles' mere 15 months of training is going to be firmly in the back of our minds, sucking all the sense of realism the comic has been striving for right out of the room.
* The family bonds between the Turtles themselves (though I like what this means for Raphael, who is now, truly the outsider) and Splinter, while not thrown out the window, are greatly diminished. No matter what word balloons are shown, the bond forged over the course of 15 months is not the same as a bond forged over the course of 15 years of depending on one another.

There's other cons, but those are my three main rants.


Ahh, but has all been revealed, my friend? That is the question...

:tcool:

[Andrew NDB]

The 2003 series is based on the Mirage books...

Every time I see something like this I feel compelled to point out and add, "... but very, VERY, VERY loosely."

[Andrew NDB]

Ahh, but has all been revealed, my friend? That is the question...

:tcool:

I was hoping you would say something like that.

[CyberCubed]

The only way I can see the Turtles somehow being "teenagers" if somehow everyone got stuck in some time loop where they lived with Splinter for 15 years while the normal world moved at a slower pace, hence April and the others not aging. But then again Raphael was separate from the others, so I guess that doesn't work.

It is very confusing. I don't mind the "instant mutation," but the fact that they've only been mutated for 15 months instead of 15 years if very bothersome, and makes you wonder why they made the creative decision to do that.

It seems like Tom Waltz has something up his sleeve to explain all this, so I'll be willing to wait it out over the next couple of issues to see if anything becomes more clear.

Also: Was this Splinter the pet of Hamato Yoshi at all?

[Jester]

Maybe the mutagen helps them learn and retain the ninja skills more quickly...I dunna...

[ToTheNines]

The only way I can see the Turtles somehow being "teenagers" if somehow everyone got stuck in some time loop where they lived with Splinter for 15 years while the normal world moved at a slower pace, hence April and the others not aging. But then again Raphael was separate from the others, so I guess that doesn't work.

Genius! Splinter can just take them to see Mr. Popo at Kami's Lookout then they'll use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber!

[CrazySquirrel]

I did notice that the ninjas were right around the turtles before they fell in the drain. I'm wondering if they got some of their skills from being near them. I don't have the book with me as I'm typing this but if the ninjas touched them maybe some skills somehow transferred to the turtles and Splinter? Weird property for the mutagen to have but it's possible... (I might be really reaching here...)

[oldmanwinters]

Genius! Splinter can just take them to see Mr. Popo at Kami's Lookout then they'll use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber!

Gah... I'm embarrassed to say that was the first thing that came to my mind as well. Once you see DBZ, you can never get it out of your head.:dead:

[Andrew NDB]

I did notice that the ninjas were right around the turtles before they fell in the drain. I'm wondering if they got some of their skills from being near them.

That would be pretty much nonsense.

if the ninjas touched them maybe some skills somehow transferred to the turtles and Splinter? Weird property for the mutagen to have but it's possible... (I might be really reaching here...)

I think no explanation at all would be preferable to that.

[AquaParade]

It's always pretty weird for me to see people get mad when one of the Turtles displays an emotion or emotional response that doesn't correspond to whatever pigeon-holed crap the cartoon or toy cardboard backing beat into their heads as a kid. "Leo is the leadery one, Raphael is the angry one, Michelangelo is the goofery one, Donatello is the thinkery one" and heaven help us if one day Leonardo gets angry, or Donatello makes a joke, or Michelangelo has a creative solution to get the team out of a bind... it's just absurd -- how one dimensional do you people want your characters?



Thank you! You often post exactly what I'm thinking, Andrew.


I would like to say, that the first few pages of this issue really turned me off. Casey's " I promised my mom I would just let my dad beat my ass" explanation seemed forced, overly explained, and kinda cheesy, to me. I dig that they are trying to develop Casey, but I thought the execution stunk. Just didn't come off as high quality writing, in my opinion.
I also didn't understand why Raph and Casey would think it's a wise idea for them to just expose themselves to the public like that. Raph? Ok maybe, because he is new to this world and doesn't understand how things work. But, is Casey really that empty-headed? Sure, you can say that's just a part of his character, but it didn't work for me.

I did however, love to see the turtles fleshed out a bit. Digging into Leo, Mike, and Don's personality, made this the most enjoyable issue so far, for me. I thought the dialogue was pretty well done there. I also enjoyed the hint that things with Splinter may not be so "black and white". I really love that take on the character. It has a lot of potential to alter the whole turtle, splinter, and Saki (or Hob) dynamic. Prop's on that, Tom!

Coloring and illustrations are holding up strong. It's cool to see the layouts in the back of the issue. Some stuff Duncan does I dig over Eastman, such as Splinter looking down at his hands wondering what he has mutated into. Other images, like the turtles standing upright and saying "turtles", looked a bit better in Eastman's interpretation. Either way, I think they are both great artists.

The plot seems to have a lot of fuel, and I'm digging the overall story, but the little details, like Casey's dialogue don't come off so great.

[Venom]

I'm going to keep bringing this up until I see it addressed:

One of the best aspects of the early Mirage books was the relationship between Michelangelo and Raph. After Casey entered the picture, that friendship was obliterated.

Since Raph is presumably estranged from the other Turtles and meets Casey first, this would be a wonderful opportunity to see that bond rekindled. Perhaps Mike takes his bro under his wing and helps him adjust to life in the group?

[AquaParade]

I wouldn't mind that at all, Venom.

I loved the fact that Mikey and Raph were sort of best-friends. Always reminded me of myself and a hot-headed buddy of mine.

[Jester]

Since Raph is presumably estranged from the other Turtles and meets Casey first, this would be a wonderful opportunity to see that bond rekindled. Perhaps Mike takes his bro under his wing and helps him adjust to life in the group?
I can see that too, especially after he came in between Leo and Donnie.

I may even see how he could butt heads with Leo. He's been on his own this past year or so, why should he listen to the giant rat? And since Leo typically follows Splinter's orders to the T, if Raph (even more so than Donnie) shirks them because he's been on his own and knows better, it could lead to drama.

[Cowabunga Carl]

I can see that too, especially after he came in between Leo and Donnie.

I may even see how he could butt heads with Leo. He's been on his own this past year or so, why should he listen to the giant rat? And since Leo typically follows Splinter's orders to the T, if Raph (even more so than Donnie) shirks them because he's been on his own and knows better, it could lead to drama.

I didn't think about that when I read the issue but that makes perfect sense. I could see the reason that Raph is a loner and doesn't like following orders is because of his time alone. I guess time will tell though.

[Zog the Equalizer]

Finally got to go pick up my copy of issue 3 because I sprained my foot yesterday. I'm happy with the story so far. This issue felt really short though and it didn't feel like it answered a whole lot.

[Andrew NDB]

I didn't think about that when I read the issue but that makes perfect sense. I could see the reason that Raph is a loner and doesn't like following orders is because of his time alone. I guess time will tell though.

Of course that's what will happen, and I'm all for it. It sheds a little light on something that was never really explained adequately in even the Mirage material -- how such a radically different, often times abrasive personality as Raphael's could have been fostered despite them all basically being brought up the same (save for Leo) under the same conditions in the same environment.

Now there's a reason for it.

I can see situations arising in the future where Leo has a battle plan or something, Raphael interrupts him with stuff like, "Nah, man, you got it all wrong. I was living in these streets the whole time you guys were holed up, jerkin' each other off in the sewers, I know these streets" and then he gives his own perspective/own plan leading to increased tensions between the two brothers.

The bottom line, though... even if Raphael is more street savvy than the other Turtles and even though the other 3 Turtles have only had 15 months of ninjitsu training... and Raphael has had 0. It's difficult to imagine situations where Raphael would be fighting, even sparring toe-to-toe with the other Turtles at this huge disadvantage.

[Toby Barrett]

Doesn't seem like any of the other three turtles are paticularly good at being ninja just yet regardless. Who knows, Raphael may be a quick learner.

[Abnormal Freak]

i cant wait for Shredder! Can you tell us when Shredder will appear/

It's possible IDW Shredder has a scratch on the face just like the first and second movie Shredder. :o

Loved this third issue. I like where things are going and the pacing is A-OK by me. I've warmed up to the art and coloring so much more, and I'm no longer pissed about not being able to score any Eastman variants. :p Whatever. I just hope all those covers are collected in the trades.

[oldmanwinters]

Okay, I've got a wild theory about Raphael's past. Seeing as how the ninjas were trying to scoop up the turtles until Splinter pulled 3 of them down into the drain, could it be possible that the ninjas actually succeeded in grabbing Raph and taking him back to their base? While there, he mutated and later escaped or was set free?

I doubt it has any merit, but that could open up all sorts of future storylines and big reveals.

[Abnormal Freak]

I'm going to keep bringing this up until I see it addressed:

One of the best aspects of the early Mirage books was the relationship between Michelangelo and Raph. After Casey entered the picture, that friendship was obliterated.

Since Raph is presumably estranged from the other Turtles and meets Casey first, this would be a wonderful opportunity to see that bond rekindled. Perhaps Mike takes his bro under his wing and helps him adjust to life in the group?

I'd love to see this, too. In some of the first few issues of Vol. 1, yeah, Mikey and Raph are supposed to be good buds, Raph even saying that Mike is his best friend. But it pretty much disappears not long after, and that always bugged me. Seeing that bond between the two regularly in the IDW book would be a huge improvement over past comics.

Mike's my favorite Turtle, so I'm happy to see him not be a 24/7 goof. He is a goof, but he's a thoughtful guy—something he was in the Mirage books. I also loved that part in Vol. 1 #11 where he's shown completely flipping out in the barn out of anger and despair; always bugs me that it isn't Mike in the first movie shouting from atop the barn even though it's obviously Mike's suit.

But yeah. The Turtles are so far exhibiting more fleshed-out personalities than seen in the first two cartoon series. The Turtles in the Mirage (and Image) books and the first movie are so much more real than the flat characters in other incarnations, which Andrew most succinctly brought up. I don't like Leo being the leader, Raph the turbulent (I couldn't think of a noun for an angry person—somebody, HELP! this is bugging me!), Don the genius, and Mike the goof. Those are all important aspects of their personalities, but those aren't the only characteristics they should exhibit. I don't like one-dimensional characters; I like the dialog and personalities in the IDW book so far and hope Tom and co. keep it up.

[Coola Yagami]

Not sure about their ninja skills in terms of stealth... but they did take on Hob's gang without much trouble in the first issue... Sure we see them training and such, so it seems they still have to polish their skills.. but the Turtles have always been seen training and sparring even when later in the story.

[Andrew NDB]

Not sure about their ninja skills in terms of stealth... but they did take on Hob's gang without much trouble in the first issue... Sure we see them training and such, so it seems they still have to polish their skills.. but the Turtles have always been seen training and sparring even when later in the story.

Well, that's one thing. I'm reasonably sure if you stuck four guys in a sewer for 15 months training diligently in ninjitsu, after 15 months they could believably beat up some random street punks.

It's when the Turtles start going up against full-trained ninja enemies and winning -- and they will, and I'd wager soon -- that those paltry 15 months are going to make their prowess seem a little dodgy and hard to swallow.

[ToTheNines]

It's possible IDW Shredder has a scratch on the face just like the first and second movie Shredder. :o

Pay attention to the dialogue of one of the ninjas... "The rat. Kill it."

Where have we heard that before? :shredder:

Okay, I've got a wild theory about Raphael's past. Seeing as how the ninjas were trying to scoop up the turtles until Splinter pulled 3 of them down into the drain, could it be possible that the ninjas actually succeeded in grabbing Raph and taking him back to their base? While there, he mutated and later escaped or was set free?

I like that. Raph's been missing for about a year, but it hasn't been revealed how long he's been wondering the streets. Could be just a few weeks.


It's when the Turtles start going up against full-trained ninja enemies and winning -- and they will, and I'd wager soon -- that those paltry 15 months are going to make their prowess seem a little dodgy and hard to swallow.

I'm tellin you man, they're gonna point at the super soldier mutagen when these questions come up.

[Andrew NDB]

I'm tellin you man, they're gonna point at the super soldier mutagen when these questions come up.

Which would not only be weird in its own right but wouldn't make sense in the course of what we've been presented... I mean, take Raphael. It wasn't like he just owned Casey's drunk dad. He won, sure, but he took a few blows in the process.

[Jester]

Pay attention to the dialogue of one of the ninjas... "The rat. Kill it."

Where have we heard that before? :shredder:
I thought the exact same thing...:P

[Abnormal Freak]

Pay attention to the dialogue of one of the ninjas... "The rat. Kill it."

Where have we heard that before? :shredder:

Ah, didn't pick up on that. ;) Makes the evidence for that possibility even stronger.

[Redeemer]

I am sorry but got another stupid question why r most comics now a days colored compared to the older comics, like Eastman and Laird run vs IDW run jst curious I dont know why but I jst like the look of black and white comics better dont know why but still have appreciation for the coloring these guys do

[Jester]

I think the IDW series is in color because color sells more comics.

[Powder]

I am sorry but got another stupid question why r most comics now a days colored compared to the older comics, like Eastman and Laird run vs IDW run jst curious I dont know why but I jst like the look of black and white comics better dont know why but still have appreciation for the coloring these guys do

People just don't appreciate black & white art as much these days. It's a shame. A lot of artists are better suited without color too.
Just look at Frank Fosco's work on the turtles for example. The lighting and heavy blacks wouldn't pop as much if colored. People like color 'cause they can skim through the books, everything's right there. When it's black and white you have to actually pay attention to detail... what a drag. :trolleye:

I almost always prefer black & white to color, but I do think the colors of this new series are very complimentary to the art.

[Slap-Happy]

I am sorry but got another stupid question why r most comics now a days colored compared to the older comics, like Eastman and Laird run vs IDW run jst curious I dont know why but I jst like the look of black and white comics better dont know why but still have appreciation for the coloring these guys do
Because IDW isn't a small independent company based out of New Hampshire. It's a big comics publisher.

I do like B&W art a lot, but Turtles comics would never be like that with IDW.

Gets me to thinking, I'd love to see a trade of the early mirage issues colored by Rhonda Pattison.

[Jester]

Gets me to thinking, I'd love to see a trade of the early mirage issues colored by Rhonda Pattison.
Would be interesting. That and a collection of Eastman's layouts as the IDW issues.

[Slap-Happy]

Would be interesting. That and a collection of Eastman's layouts as the IDW issues.
That'd be cool too. Like the finished page on the right, layout on the left.

[Matches Malone]

While it's always risky to make such a change, I think it's arguable that abbreviating the timeline to 15 months to keep April (and everyone else introduced in #1 such as Baxter and Krang) closely tied in with the turtles' origins (instead of forgetting about them 15 years later) was a necessary narrative move. Things feel tighter this way and, as another poster noted, 15 months is still a significant amount of time to train, especially when considering the super soldier mutagen which can enhance such training. Some may consider the super soldier mutagen a bit of a cheat, which it may well be, but it also serves as a perfectly reasonable explanation for the existence of the mutagen itself. I am curious as to whether the "teenage" aspect of the ninja turtles will be addressed, but I have a feeling it will at some point, just as I'm sure Splinter's background before being brought to the lab at StockGen will reveal his ninja background among other possible surprises. All in all, everything does seem pretty well thought out and fresh and the pacing is great, even if the writing quality itself isn't always the best. My only real concern is Casey Jones being too clean cut, but I guess we'll see...

[Master Splinter]

Well, that's one thing. I'm reasonably sure if you stuck four guys in a sewer for 15 months training diligently in ninjitsu, after 15 months they could believably beat up some random street punks.

It's when the Turtles start going up against full-trained ninja enemies and winning -- and they will, and I'd wager soon -- that those paltry 15 months are going to make their prowess seem a little dodgy and hard to swallow.

I would like to think that the ooze has increased their ability to learn tremendously. I mean they learned to talk in what seemed like a matter of minutes, so it wouldn't be too far fetched for them to learn ninjutsu in 15 months and progressively getting better with more training. Using that logic the 15 month timeline seems to go down the gullet just fine for me.

-ms

[Andrew NDB]

I would like to think that the ooze has increased their ability to learn tremendously.

Maybe... but giving the Turtles superhero powers seems a little wrong to me.

[CyberCubed]

Look at Splinter, he learned to talk immediately. He said, "I can speak." Its the same for the Turtles.

One thing that would kill this for me is if Splinter has no connection to Hamato Yoshi at all. I am hoping Yoshi works at the lab or something because if not the whole Foot Clan backstory has no reason to exist.

[Matches Malone]

Maybe... but giving the Turtles superhero powers seems a little wrong to me.

It seems wrong to me too, but augmented strength and intelligence is a far cry from flying or sticking to walls. Even the original Mirage turtles I've always considered to have these augmented abilities because even speaking and walking are mutated benefits for a turtles and rat. Who is to say to what extent the mutagen benefited the turtles? In issue #9 of volume 1, the preteen turtles seemed to have little trouble disposing of several trained ninja assassins. I don't think these 15 month fully mutated turtles is any less believable than that.

[Matches Malone]

Look at Splinter, he learned to talk immediately. He said, "I can speak." Its the same for the Turtles.

One thing that would kill this for me is if Splinter has no connection to Hamato Yoshi at all. I am hoping Yoshi works at the lab or something because if not the whole Foot Clan backstory has no reason to exist.

I don't think there's much to worry about. As I have said before, and the cover of issue 5 might be used to support this, my feeling so far is that Splinter had a relationship with Hamato and at some point was captured and taken to StockGen. I would also imagine the Foot ninjas who broke in and attempted to steal the turtles an mutagen have some connection to Splinter's past too. What is clever about the storytelling is that they have left many gaps to fill in with interesting twists should the opportunity arise. Just as I'm sure we'll discover some interesting things in the time period between when Raphael was first mutated and the moment he meets Casey Jones in #1.

[Venom]

Look at Splinter, he learned to talk immediately. He said, "I can speak." Its the same for the Turtles.

One thing that would kill this for me is if Splinter has no connection to Hamato Yoshi at all. I am hoping Yoshi works at the lab or something because if not the whole Foot Clan backstory has no reason to exist.

I know I keep repeating my same speculations, but what if Splinter either was Yoshi's pet or somehow contains Yoshi's spirit (via reincarnation, etc.)?

[Matches Malone]

I also just realized that, assuming Shredder is going to show up eventually, he and Krang are probably not partners and possibly even enemies, since there would be little sense in sending your Foot clan to steal from StockGen which is subsidized by Krang, if they were working together. Very interesting...

[Abnormal Freak]

One thing that would kill this for me is if Splinter has no connection to Hamato Yoshi at all.

There probably (likely) is a connection. Splinter's older than the Turtles; it doesn't sound like he's been in the lab longer than they have, probably only about the same time. He could very well have been Yoshi's pet and even learned martial arts like in the Mirage story before he was put in the lab; he was probably a stray just like in all the other stories when his master was killed, and got picked up by the lab folks.

There's room for all sorts of stuff to happen/be revealed.

You know, that brings up another point: Mirage and movie Splinter learned martial arts in his cage when he was a regular rat, not mutated or anything, and it doesn't really say how long he spent learning it; I always thought it wasn't a very long time, maybe a couple of years. If people accepted that a rat (a regular rat, not a mutated one) learned martial arts from a cage in a short time, why would it NEED to take the Turtles 15 years to become adept martial artists? Especially since, I don't know, they're mutated humanoid turtles.

[ToTheNines]

Some may consider the super soldier mutagen a bit of a cheat, which it may well be, but it also serves as a perfectly reasonable explanation for the existence of the mutagen itself.

Right. It pretty much only exists by accident in every other version of TMNT.

Look at Splinter, he learned to talk immediately. He said, "I can speak."

Keep in mind, they were already performing psychotropic tests on him. Adding in human intellect and what not.

You know, that brings up another point: Mirage and movie Splinter learned martial arts in his cage when he was a regular rat, not mutated or anything, and it doesn't really say how long he spent learning it; I always thought it wasn't a very long time, maybe a couple of years. If people accepted that a rat (a regular rat, not a mutated one) learned martial arts from a cage in a short time, why would it NEED to take the Turtles 15 years to become adept martial artists? Especially since, I don't know, they're mutated humanoid turtles.

Lol right. It's actually even more ridiculous when you think about it, he never even had an opponent to fight against.

[ToTheNines]

IGN review.

http://comics.ign.com/articles/121/1210810p1.html

[AquaParade]

I agree with some of the reviewer's points.

That being said, I think of the issue as being better than a "6.5"

I suppose if I were to rate it on the 1-10 scale, I would throw out an 8.5

Re-reading issue #1 now. Let's pay close attention to this line for a second. Pg#6

Splinter describing Old Hob:

"Wretchedly misguided and vengeful. And with the bittersweet experience of
centuries."

We all know that Tom is keeping at least one big secret about the origin from us right now. Could this be the biggest clue we have? Is some sort of time-travel or alternate dimension truly involved? What if this is some alternate tmnt universe that in some way spawns from mirage? I'm just spit-ballin here, guys. But, it does get ya thinkin...

Re-reading #1, I forgot who it was that pointed it out but, I also have to agree that the writing in the first few pages would be beautiful if some of the adjectives were taken out. I believe Tom's explanation was that he believes this is the way Splinter would narrate, and that's fair game, but still, it reads a lot better if you skip over some of the adjectives in the first few pages.

One last thing...Chet is totally an utrom. Maybe.

[CyberCubed]

I
"Wretchedly misguided and vengeful. And with the bittersweet experience of
centuries."

I thought this was referring to the natural rivalry between cats and rats that have been going on for centuries. With cats being natural predators of rats and mice since the beginning of their existence.

I didn't take it as in Splinter and Hob have been fighting for centuries...which makes no sense.

One last thing...Chet is totally an utrom. Maybe.

An Utrom....with Krang around too?

[Donnie]

I finally got my hands on #3 (six pages in already? Guys, wait up!) and my love for this series only grows. Each issue gets better and better.

Not surprisingly, the Donatello spotlight is surely the highlight of this issue for me. It was almost like my fan letter from issue #2 was already being answered (the one concerning Don's personality in this series). It is an interesting point, that:

a part of me wants to say it was a welcomed step out of character, but really, in Mirage he was often quiet and did weird sh*t in his personal time. I guess he would have some feelings that he'd keep to himself, interesting to see them come out.

I would call the "Donatello vs. Leonardo" argument a definite step out of character for Donny - not that it's an inorganic step out of character, because as was so nicely pointed out Donatello has done "dark" things in his spare time, or during the time he keeps to himself - perhaps in IDW's incarnation he will be speaking of these darker feelings more often aloud. It certainly seems organic to me. Make no mistake --- Donatello's words were indeed coldly analytical and deliberate: just as they introduced him in issue #1. They couldn't have been said by Mikey so early in the story. It was a quintessential Donatello thing to say, in my opinion. Also, it has been said that the Turtles are not cookie-cutter personalities, and this is entirely true. I welcome this more openly aggressive Donatello, because it mirrors the inner darkness I love about the character. As I'm an advocate of a pacifistic Donatello, I'm still waiting for those personality developments to be shown - I'm patient!

As usual, very impressed by Michelangelo and his character development. Coming in between Don & Leo was expected, but welcoming and appropriate. Ironically, it seems to me that Leonardo has been fleshed out the least thus far. Even Casey has more substance at this point. What I don't think anybody has pointed out is: there aren't any indications that Leonardo is the most skilled fighter...not yet, anyway. Donatello took him out in training, and from the looks of Leo's face he didn't see it coming. I really hope Leonardo gets more depth. So far, really all we know about him is that he is the teacher's pet.

I like Casey more than I ever did in any previous incarnation. So, that says something about IDW's treatment of the character, at least to me.


* The family bonds between the Turtles themselves (though I like what this means for Raphael, who is now, truly the outsider) and Splinter, while not thrown out the window, are greatly diminished. No matter what word balloons are shown, the bond forged over the course of 15 months is not the same as a bond forged over the course of 15 years of depending on one another.

I do agree with this, and it's my one major gripe with the series thus far. If the story is as it seems, and the TMNT really only have been training and forming their bond for 15 months...well, that's going to take a darn good explanation to win me over as relating to its validity.

[Abnormal Freak]

I thought this was referring to the natural rivalry between cats and rats that have been going on for centuries. With cats being natural predators of rats and mice since the beginning of their existence.

Could be. I saw the line as possibly meaning that the Foot took Old Hob in under their wing at one point to train him in the ways of ninjutsu.


An Utrom....with Krang around too?

Maybe. I could see both Chet and Krang being Utroms. Unless IDW really are going for Krang being some REALLY evil disembodied alien brain (the Archie series showed at times how evil he can be), similar in look to the Utroms but not of their kind. You could throw Dimension X into this series and it wouldn't bother me any, ha ha.

[AquaParade]

Interesting that we all took that line in our own way.:tthumbsu:

[Rooish]

Ahh, but has all been revealed, my friend? That is the question...

:tcool:

It is nice to know that not all has been revealed--but why invent these confusing changes in the canon to begin with? I guess it's fun to reinvent the characters and story in a way that is tighter, and it is indeed tighter--April being involved in the Turtles' origin, the ooze having a purpose, Splinter's genetic modifications actually helping to explain his intelligence (although, like, why are the Turtles intelligent?).

I like Casey's development, but yeah, he does seem a bit calm and placid so far. So does Raph actually. They're both sweeter than they were in other incarnations.

It sort of irks me that Raph is getting such a different development than the other guys. Yes, I know that he's always been the rebel loner type, in the Mirage comics too. But this can easily be explained in the context of him actually growing up with his family, especially if Splinter is a little bit flawed in terms of favouritism. I always assumed that the infant Turtles, like all other infants, started out with slightly different temperaments. Leo was probably most attached to Splinter, Don was the most curious, Raph was the most irritable, Mike was the most distractable. Or something. Splinter tries to raise them equally but starts to expect certain traits from certain Turtles. He gets the most attention and positive reinforcement from Leo, so he gives it back to Leo. He gets the most stubbornness and rebelliousness from Raph, and this gets frustrating so Splinter scolds Raph or lets him run off or whatever, which heightens Raph's dysphoria when he's angry or sad, because he feels rejected, he feels misunderstood, he feels like no one listens to his interpretations, etc. The Turtles take on certain roles in the family, as siblings often do. By the time they are teenagers, Raph is quite destabilized, Leo is always trying to improve because it's expected that he can, and Don and Mike are kind of doing their own things. It doesn't take Raph being separated from the others for their whole lives to explain his personality.

Still, I wonder if Raph is just lying to Casey about how he can't remember his name and where he is from? And maybe when Don said that thing about not even knowing if Raph exists, this was meant to be misleading. As in, they do remember Raph, they just don't know if he exists anymore--as in, he's dead.

I love your interpretation of Michelangelo so far--nice, laid-back, but not lazy or less competent. One request though, Tom--can they call him "Mike" sometimes? In the comics I'm used to him being called Mike. Laird called him Mike. Eastman, in the layouts, even calls him Mike. I think it works better with the personality you are giving him so far, anyway. "Mikey" is so little kid. Anyway, I'm also hoping he sort of helps Raph ease into the family when they do reunite.

As for Don, I'm totally cool with him arguing with Leo, but I was shocked that they almost came to blows, especially since it's so early in the comics and any new readers would probably be trying to learn the characters' typical personality. I don't want the characters to be one-dimensional or archetypical or whatever, but I always thought that Leo and Don were pretty level-headed and not the types to start screaming at each other. I can imagine Don disagreeing with Leo, of course, but always respectfully, and Leo being respectful back. Leo came across as pig-headed, and Don as cold (not to mention way smarter than Leo, which I never thought of him as, except booksmart-wise). I thought it was a little early for a fight of such viciousness between Leo and Don.

I like Splinter's personality. Why is it that it is way more fun when Splinter is slightly deranged and mysterious?

Okay, moving on... the art is really fun to look at, and the people and Splinter look great, although I'm still getting used to the Turtles' very intense facial expressions. Leo and Don are too similarily coloured, methinks, and this can be confusing. Maybe put even a bit more yellow in Don. I'm worried Raph and Mike will be similar when they come into contact, too, and/or Raph and Leo. Maybe just give them different coloured headbands :tlol:

Anyway. I do like the way this story is going, and it does really tie up all the weird coincidences of the Turtles' origin (at least so far), but yeah, I'm finding it hard to swallow the fact that the Turtles have only known each other, and been training, for 15 months. And I kind of don't like Old Hob yet... so his main reason for hating Splinter is because Splinter bit out his eye? Sort of a weak reason for a year long rivalry, as well as a weak thing for Splinter to keep secret from the Turtles. I also am a bit biased and like the Turtles and Splinter to be the only mutants around... but it is good not to rush Shredder's introduction. But seriously. Why the hell are all these thugs following a mutant cat and not freaking out when they see him?

[Jester]

An Utrom....with Krang around too?
If Krang is an Utrom in this universe, why not...he could be either:
1. One of Krang's lackey Utroms.
2. An Utrom spy looking into Krang's operation.

As for the cat and mouse...er....rat game between Hob and Splinter, it's metaphorical rather than literal.

[Toby Barrett]

but why invent these confusing changes in the canon to begin with?

Personally, I'm glad there's so many changes and new things going on with the series and origin. I'm tired of reading and watching the same thing over and over again.

[Shreddhead]

So on the bottom of the page where splinter and the turtles fall into the sewer there are a pair of glowing eyes. Anyone else think this might be a hint at Leatherhead?

[ToTheNines]

So on the bottom of the page where splinter and the turtles fall into the sewer there are a pair of glowing eyes. Anyone else think this might be a hint at Leatherhead?

They're Splinter's eyes just as he's passing out.

[Shreddhead]

They're Splinter's eyes just as he's passing out.

thats what i thought at first. but splinter's eyes are almost always pictured as circular. i dunno, its probably nothing but i cant help but feel like theres something behind it.

[Donnie]

Each issue in this series gets better and better. I can't wait for #4.

[ToTheNines]

thats what i thought at first. but splinter's eyes are almost always pictured as circular. i dunno, its probably nothing but i cant help but feel like theres something behind it.

Well... I mean, they can't really be circular if he's closing them.

[RskimB]

Solid issue, they always feel like they go by too fast. im looking forward to when the loose ends are finally tied up. i have a few gripes but overall things are interesting to put it mildly.

Is it just me or does Casey have Raph walking around kind of brazenly? Surprised there havent been any worse reactions than the old lady's "Oh my god" exclamation.

[Shreddhead]

Is it just me or does Casey have Raph walking around kind of brazenly? Surprised there havent been any worse reactions than the old lady's "Oh my god" exclamation.

Ya, that hotdog vender seemed pretty undaunted

[TomWaltz]

I agree with some of the reviewer's points.

That being said, I think of the issue as being better than a "6.5"

I suppose if I were to rate it on the 1-10 scale, I would throw out an 8.5

Re-reading issue #1 now. Let's pay close attention to this line for a second. Pg#6

Splinter describing Old Hob:

"Wretchedly misguided and vengeful. And with the bittersweet experience of
centuries."

We all know that Tom is keeping at least one big secret about the origin from us right now. Could this be the biggest clue we have? Is some sort of time-travel or alternate dimension truly involved? What if this is some alternate tmnt universe that in some way spawns from mirage? I'm just spit-ballin here, guys. But, it does get ya thinkin...

Re-reading #1, I forgot who it was that pointed it out but, I also have to agree that the writing in the first few pages would be beautiful if some of the adjectives were taken out. I believe Tom's explanation was that he believes this is the way Splinter would narrate, and that's fair game, but still, it reads a lot better if you skip over some of the adjectives in the first few pages.

One last thing...Chet is totally an utrom. Maybe.

Secrets, you say...?

[marcelangelo]

you know that was pretty cheap...;)

[Archon_Turtle]

LOL @ Tom trolling.

[Donnie]

LOL @ Tom trolling.

:lol:

Tom, you're a good man!

[FearlessLeader]

:lol:

Tom, you're a good man!

Everything about this comic series is awesome, especially the people creating it!

[AquaParade]

Secrets, you say...?

I don't get it:-?

Probably for the best! I can't wait to **** purple bricks!

[pannoni1]

http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2011/10/26/comic-review-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-3/

If you’re looking for pizza and shouts of “Cowabunga!,” you might want to look elsewhere. OK, there technically IS pizza in this issue, but that’s beside the point. If your looking for a great comic, you’ve found it here with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3. Some great character background stuff is revealed in this issue, so it’s one that you definitely won’t want to miss.


It’s nice to see a comic series that’s only three issues in that so clearly knows where it’s going. Writers Kevin Eastman (also Turtles co-creator) and Tom Waltz have clearly planned out what direction this title is going, how it’s going to get there and how fast. What’s refreshingly different in this incarnation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the pace that the story is moving along at. Most comics take at least 6 issues to “launch.” By the end of the first story arc, you pretty much have your franchise’s origin told and everything in place for the book to proceed onto regular adventures. In this case, you pretty much have all those pieces in place by this issue, which is quite extraordinary, considering the way comics are written today. In this issue, Eastman and Waltz cram plenty of story, action, shocks and all out fun leading up to a pretty awesome last page cliffhanger.

With layouts by Kevin Eastman, artist Dan Duncan delivers a solid gritty, yet clean, style that really works for the book. With a book like this, many artists would be tempted to go either too cartoony or too far over to the other end of the spectrum and deliver pages that were just too realistic, but Duncan finds the perfect balance of both. I really hope that IDW keeps him on this book for awhile.

Whether your a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons, live-action movies, the actual comic series or just looking to have a good time, I really can’t recommend this title enough. Although the issue does feature a recap paragraph on the inside cover, you’ll probably want to pick up the first two issues just to be on the safe side.

[junkboy]

Issue 3 was my fave. so far. But still no info about Splinter why chose to teach ninjitsu to the boys, and why he is in his usual trademark sensei mood...considering the fact that he is not Japan oriented in IDW series and just a brain enhanced lab. test animal.
I was a big fan of Splinter being a Japanese pet but i can live with the new origin and since evrything comes like a surprise it is even good at some points.
But i hope that the reason of Splinter's eastern mood in IDW series will be revealed.
I hope it is not just cause that ninjitsu is cool , effective and no matter what origin you use, in TMNT Splinter HAS TO teach the boys eastern based martial arts.
I hope there will be an explanation for that. More important than ninjitsu, why Splinter acts like a "sensei". ( tea ceremony mood, philosophy and stuff )

[bjaxx87]

Just wanted to throw this in...

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg443/scaled.php?server=443&filename=splintersmallir.png&res=medium

[oldmanwinters]

Just wanted to throw this in...

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg443/scaled.php?server=443&filename=splintersmallir.png&res=medium

Eh, Mirage Splinter is just an old fogey! Keanu Reeves proved that technology and destiny are just as effective teachers as years of trial and error. :twink:

BTW, what issue is that panel from? Tales of the TMNT #9? It is pretty cool and quotable.

[bjaxx87]

Eh, Mirage Splinter is just an old fogey! Keanu Reeves proved that technology and destiny are just as effective teachers as years of trial and error. :twink:

Hehe, I guess so. :twink:

BTW, what issue is that panel from? Tales of the TMNT #9? It is pretty cool and quotable.

It's "Tales of the TMNT V2 #55 - A Day in Life"

[LEOTMNT]

Each issue in this series gets better and better. I can't wait for #4.

So true! I Find this even evident in the art aswell! For me atleast, perhaps it's just due to more exposure to it but I am becoming a large fan for the artwork duncan does here.

[junkboy]

So true! I Find this even evident in the art aswell! For me atleast, perhaps it's just due to more exposure to it but I am becoming a large fan for the artwork duncan does here.


I thought the same way while reading issue 3. Especially at page 7, lowest panel. where all the turtles are drawn together.

[marcelangelo]

one of my personal favourite pannels in this issue is the one with the line..change is the only constant.
I found that lovely....but the upright standing splinter in the sewer is great, too just for an example...there's lotsa nice visuals to fall in love with I think so far...

[Ji-Day]

Come on!

You know, I was so happy when I found it in a French Comicshop! This! Is! One of the Best thing I've ever read! (I'm talking about number 1 to 3). It's so... Fresh. Good art, good lines. I do not regret not having wait for the French publication, but, you can be sure, I'll buy it when it'll come out.

That was an awesome reading!

[rich]

Has anyone else heard of a #3 2nd printing and, if so, when is it due out? Thanks!

[Venom]

Has anyone else heard of a #3 2nd printing and, if so, when is it due out? Thanks!

Bobby said there is one, but isn't sure when it is coming; he thought it was already out.

[Ninjinister]

Three issues getting second printings in a row? Crikey. Not bad at all for something that usually nobody even pays attention to. I guess print run helps determine these things, but even so there are comics that go decades without ever having to run a second print (last years Veronica #202 was the first second print in the company's history, but then again each issue prints like 60 godzillion copies).

[rich]

Bobby said there is one, but isn't sure when it is coming; he thought it was already out.

Venom, if this is already out then I would say that there isn't anyone aware of its existence. I can't find it for sale on ANY site and don't see that it was ever listed for pre-order in any of the Diamond pubs. Definitely possible that it sneaked by but I can't imagine no one having it for sale or even listed.

I have a question in to Bobby Curnow as well as Diamond to see if we can track down some info...more to come soon.

[Venom]

Venom, if this is already out then I would say that there isn't anyone aware of its existence. I can't find it for sale on ANY site and don't see that it was ever listed for pre-order in any of the Diamond pubs. Definitely possible that it sneaked by but I can't imagine no one having it for sale or even listed.

I have a question in to Bobby Curnow as well as Diamond to see if we can track down some info...more to come soon.

I know, that's why I inquired to Bobby over on the IDW board, but he seems just as puzzled as the rest of us.

My personal opinion is that it should appear this month if it's been printed.

My first inclination that it wasn't out was when I picked up my books last week and asked about the #3 second printing and the guy said they'd not seen it pop up for order.

Hopefully Bobby will have some concrete info for us shortly.

[rich]

Bobby said there is one, but isn't sure when it is coming; he thought it was already out.

Bobby responded today on the IDW Forums that #3 2nd printing does not exist (at least as of this posting). He said he likely was thinking of the #2 3rd print. I can totally see how that would happen given the flurry of TMNT comics over the past few months.

...with that out of the way it's time to focus efforts on finding the Global Conquest Editions. :D