Cipher
07-26-2012, 10:14 PM
I 'unno if anyone actually cares what my thoughts are, but I figured there couldn't be too many hardcore TMNT fans left who still hadn't touched the series.
I had a number of reasons for waiting this long, and I suppose I'll go over those first, just so people understand how I approached it.
First and foremost, I'm not really a comic-reader. I don't enjoy any major titles enough to have a pull list at a local shop, and the material I do pick up other than Mirage TMNT, I usually do so in collected format.
I'm also not big into serialized genre fiction, so IDW's series ranked somewhere along the lines of, "Great, someone's doing a cohesive Turtles series, but it's not the series I loved. Why bother?" It wasn't a matter of fearing change. It's just that, unlike a TV series I can check out on a whim, I wasn't interested in committing myself to tracking down, paying for, and keeping current with each issue of a series I didn't think I'd bother with if it weren't for my previous TMNT fandom (again, the non-comic-reader thing).
I decided I'd change my mind depending on what I heard, but most of the reactions and summaries I found continued to put me off. I'm also big on the Vonnegut philosophy of "To hell with suspense," so when I read that the book seemed to be stringing out character and background reveals (often ones visible a mile away to longtime fans) and that many fans' anticipation rested on, "Man, when will we find out how bladdy blah happened?" I just wasn't interested.
I promised myself I'd check it out when trades started to come out. That point passed. Then the Volume 1 hardcover was released and I thought, finally, I'd try it; even if it wasn't for me, at least it would be a nice piece of Turtle memorabilia, and it'd look nice sitting by IDW's Mirage hardcovers.
I went to both a book shop and comic shop on a family vacation this week intending to buy it, but neither carried it (the comic shop, which was huge, specified the $50 pricetag; is that a concern for IDW?). By this time I was so set on finally reading it, I went ahead and purchased the paperback "Change is Constant" and the micro-series trade. I know I'm missing some context on the micro-series issues, but I've been more or less keeping current on the series' big events, so I wasn't too lost.
Anyway, what can I say? I like it.
I'm kind of sorry I waited so long. It's not Mirage, but it's a coherent, serialized version of the TMNT that does a great job with the characters. Seriously; I thought the dialogue and interactions in the first four issues were spot-on. My concerns about fabricated suspense were alleviated too; this is clearly a series written for the trades. Read as four separate issues, I may have been discouraged, but as a single story, "Change is Constant" provides a perfectly paced, nicely sized pilot that doesn't tease information too slowly. I even failed to realize I'd finished one of the issues because I missed the chapter mark at the top of the page.
I'm also much more impressed by Dan Duncan's art on paper than I have been by online snippets and teasers. I'd always liked his style, but seeing it in the book is something else; it's overflowing with energy. Shame he's leaving soon.
The micro-series issues were kind of light-and-fluffy, but totally enjoyable. Not much to say, other than I was entertained.
It's not Mirage, but this is a solidly enjoyable Turtles series I plan to continue reading. It feels a lot like an adult version of the 4Kids series, actually. And thankfully I can say "adult" not just in terms of a lack of censorship, but in terms of writing and characterization as well. And if it hasn't yet displayed the kind of reflection or willingness to experiment Mirage often did, I have confidence those moments can crop up in this series as well. Even if they don't, I can't imagine anything shaking this universe from a solid second place.
I'll be following the IDW TMNT. At least in trades. I'll definitely be trying to catch up over the next few weeks.
I had a number of reasons for waiting this long, and I suppose I'll go over those first, just so people understand how I approached it.
First and foremost, I'm not really a comic-reader. I don't enjoy any major titles enough to have a pull list at a local shop, and the material I do pick up other than Mirage TMNT, I usually do so in collected format.
I'm also not big into serialized genre fiction, so IDW's series ranked somewhere along the lines of, "Great, someone's doing a cohesive Turtles series, but it's not the series I loved. Why bother?" It wasn't a matter of fearing change. It's just that, unlike a TV series I can check out on a whim, I wasn't interested in committing myself to tracking down, paying for, and keeping current with each issue of a series I didn't think I'd bother with if it weren't for my previous TMNT fandom (again, the non-comic-reader thing).
I decided I'd change my mind depending on what I heard, but most of the reactions and summaries I found continued to put me off. I'm also big on the Vonnegut philosophy of "To hell with suspense," so when I read that the book seemed to be stringing out character and background reveals (often ones visible a mile away to longtime fans) and that many fans' anticipation rested on, "Man, when will we find out how bladdy blah happened?" I just wasn't interested.
I promised myself I'd check it out when trades started to come out. That point passed. Then the Volume 1 hardcover was released and I thought, finally, I'd try it; even if it wasn't for me, at least it would be a nice piece of Turtle memorabilia, and it'd look nice sitting by IDW's Mirage hardcovers.
I went to both a book shop and comic shop on a family vacation this week intending to buy it, but neither carried it (the comic shop, which was huge, specified the $50 pricetag; is that a concern for IDW?). By this time I was so set on finally reading it, I went ahead and purchased the paperback "Change is Constant" and the micro-series trade. I know I'm missing some context on the micro-series issues, but I've been more or less keeping current on the series' big events, so I wasn't too lost.
Anyway, what can I say? I like it.
I'm kind of sorry I waited so long. It's not Mirage, but it's a coherent, serialized version of the TMNT that does a great job with the characters. Seriously; I thought the dialogue and interactions in the first four issues were spot-on. My concerns about fabricated suspense were alleviated too; this is clearly a series written for the trades. Read as four separate issues, I may have been discouraged, but as a single story, "Change is Constant" provides a perfectly paced, nicely sized pilot that doesn't tease information too slowly. I even failed to realize I'd finished one of the issues because I missed the chapter mark at the top of the page.
I'm also much more impressed by Dan Duncan's art on paper than I have been by online snippets and teasers. I'd always liked his style, but seeing it in the book is something else; it's overflowing with energy. Shame he's leaving soon.
The micro-series issues were kind of light-and-fluffy, but totally enjoyable. Not much to say, other than I was entertained.
It's not Mirage, but this is a solidly enjoyable Turtles series I plan to continue reading. It feels a lot like an adult version of the 4Kids series, actually. And thankfully I can say "adult" not just in terms of a lack of censorship, but in terms of writing and characterization as well. And if it hasn't yet displayed the kind of reflection or willingness to experiment Mirage often did, I have confidence those moments can crop up in this series as well. Even if they don't, I can't imagine anything shaking this universe from a solid second place.
I'll be following the IDW TMNT. At least in trades. I'll definitely be trying to catch up over the next few weeks.