Micro-Series #7: April discussion

[ToTheNines]

Out tomorrow.

Preview: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/08/24/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-microseries-7-april-preview/

[pannoni1]

April just hates the idea of becoming a mutant Turtle, and the way she looks like she's about to die off a cliff before it reveals that it's just a dream, and we now know that this April also likes pizza (Sorry Nick Toon people, there have been several Aprils that have enjoyed pizza). I like the line about coporate science being solely for profit, since it reduces innovation to the lowest common denominator. And I also love how April is drawn; looking very attractive and hot despite being a scientist, and its cool to see April having some time working at Stockgen (Similar to Stocktronics), and this preview has a great cliffhanger, since you know a mutation is about to happen after this preview ends. Kudos to Marley and Heather for the artworks!

[Toby Barrett]

Coffee plus electronic devices equals mutation?

[Genesis]

I think I'm really gonna like this one. The micros have all been enjoyable, thus far, but I'm really happy to see April taking that motherly role to her boys. I'm also pleased that her development in self-defence is coming along slowly. She isn't kicking the crap out of any skilled fighter overnight, and she knows it.

I wonder if April's Turtle dream was to show how relatable the Turtles have become to her, or if it was little more than fan service.

[Matches Malone]

Coffee plus electronic devices equals mutation?

A jittery mutant caffeine-addled stereo system, man!!!

[Andrew NDB]

I really enjoyed this one. Get ready for a big surprise in it, folks.

[ToTheNines]

Wish I coulda nabbed this today :(

Gonna be a long wait on that mail man.

[Matches Malone]

Decent issue, but still falls short of the best Micros like Raphael and Splinter. I thought the internal monologue was a little dense and clunky, but I really liked the story and vibe. Obviously pretty excited to see Slash's debut. I liked the idea that there are so many variables and factors, so Baxter decides to try to replicate the turtles' results with yet another turtle. Makes sense, and a good reason for his existence. Let's see how this plays out!

[DrSpengler]

Here's my review of TMNT Microseries #7: April at TMNT Entity. (http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/2012/08/tmnt-microseries-7-april.html)

I enjoyed it, though Slash essentially steals April's own microseries from her. It can't really be helped, as April's doomed to be the "straight-woman" character and that sort of persoanlity just can't compete with a hulking, psychotic, palm tree-obsessed Evil Turtle.

Regardless, it definately got to the nuts and bolts of April's character and for the first time I really felt that she was *actually* intelligent. It wasn't a case of the writer *telling* us she was smart or fabricating some stupid "hacker" contrivence to try and make it seem that way, but illustrating her resourcefulness in teh face of danger.


I'm bit confused on the continuity of this one, though. Curnow's note says it goes between #12 and #13, but that's where Casey takes place, and Casey runs right into the beginning of #13.

So Microseries #7 takes place before Microseries #6...?

[Killer Moth]

Here's my review of TMNT Microseries #7: April at TMNT Entity. (http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/2012/08/tmnt-microseries-7-april.html)

I enjoyed it, though Slash essentially steals April's own microseries from her. It can't really be helped, as April's doomed to be the "straight-woman" character and that sort of persoanlity just can't compete with a hulking, psychotic, palm tree-obsessed Evil Turtle.

Excellent review, as always. Mainly, you're right -- Slash's debut overshadows what is a good April story. And for that, I wish Slash debuted a little later or in another issue, and yet, as you said, "Hell, yeah, Slash!"

So, anyone want to take any bets the Stone Warrior is a generic one or was it Traag or Grantior? Either way, poor Chet just can't catch a break.

[Cowabunga Carl]

I really liked this issue. It's a great little read and I agree, this issue really makes April seem useful and gives her a purpose. I've felt that she was only there because Casey was. It is nice to see her shine even for a moment.

For me this issue feels like it might be better after #14 when it comes out. It doesn't feel like it should take place during the same time as the Casey issue. I guess time will really tell where this feels the best at.

As for Slash, hell ya! Always been one of my favorite characters. So glad to see him here. I can't wait for him to start showing up in the monthly.

[Slade]

I enjoyed it, though I felt like I didn't get enough out of it. April was good and I liked seeing Slash appear.

Not one of the best micros though.

[oldmanwinters]

I think this issues establishes lots of potential for April in this series.

Most people think of her character as a news reporter from the old cartoon and live-action movies. She would often tag-along with the Turtles on their adventures out of self-interest in doing her job better. Sometimes she'd even initiate plots because of uncovering villainous plots or finding hideouts before everyone else. And, of course, she'd usually get herself into a trap and need the turtles to pull her fanny out of the fryer.

More recent years have seen creative attempts to tie her firmly back with her lab assistant roots. But the problem with the scientist approach is that such a job description quickly fizzles out once she loses that particular job in the lab because Stockman is clearly a bad dude. At that point, April is left to do very little besides driving the van around, doing odd stuff on computers every once and a while, and running an antique store all day. Real exciting stuff, right? And eventually, she gets trained in martial arts and quickly becomes a very effective fighter who can go head-to-head with some of the big-names villains in the TMNT-verse. It's almost like the creative minds are going out of their way to say, "See, April's not a damsel-in-distress in our continuity!" That certainly brings her back into the action plots, but that martial arts prowess doesn't really allow her character to contribute anything worth-while to the group dynamic.

Back when David Wise revealed (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=36610) that he based the FW April design on Fujiko Mine, the thief/spy/love interest from Lupin III, I watched the classic Castle of Cagliostro for the first time. I was struck with the inspiration that if I ever had the responsibility to reboot the TMNT series, I would strongly consider making April into a spy character. That way, you could make her role similar to her portrayal in the FW series in that she could take the initiative in sneaking into places to uncover information before anyone else without having her characterization defined by an obsession with "getting a story!" Her scientific background would give her knowledge of relevant details that other characters might overlook.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-Aprilspy-Crop.jpg

The role of the scientifically-minded spy would allow her to actually be the impetus to plots rather than just the Turtles' "tag-along" or "assist character" as she has often been reduced in the past. When she's on her spy missions, she could wear something comparable to her familiar multi-pocket jumpsuit (it certainly doesn't have to be yellow, of course). She could have some fighting skills, but her role in the story wouldn't require that she be a truly capable physical force; a spy is more sly than spry. Inevitably, she'd get herself in over-her-head and need a bail out, but that's okay because everyone needs a little help from their friends.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-AprilYellowSuit-Crop.jpg


I'll be curious to know if the IDW crew plans to use this issue as a major evolution of April's character. We know she won't be a lab intern at Stockgen forever, so it will be very interesting to see if they decide to let the seeds sown in this issue come to fruition.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-AprilLast-Crop.jpg

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

April just hates the idea of becoming a mutant Turtle, and the way she looks like she's about to die off a cliff before it reveals that it's just a dream, and we now know that this April also likes pizza (Sorry Nick Toon people, there have been several Aprils that have enjoyed pizza).

The Nickelodeon April doesn't like pizza? That's news to me.

Makes sense in the comic book that she'd like pizza. April is a college student, after all. Hopefully running around with the Turtles prevents the freshman 15 that normally comes with a college pizza addiction.:trazz:

Overall I thought this was a good issue. I liked the art. I thought April looked really good here. My only complaint is that it felt really short. I liked seeing things from April's point of view, but the action was so quick at the end that it left me wanting more. I'd like to see IDW do a Tales series, with at least an occasional issue from April's perspective.

Like oldmanwinters said, there's a lot of potential there.

[Ninjinister]

A great character story that sets up an upcoming threat, and some really nice colors and art. Muy bueno!

[Matches Malone]

I think this issues establishes lots of potential for April in this series.

Most people think of her character as a news reporter from the old cartoon and live-action movies. She would often tag-along with the Turtles on their adventures out of self-interest in doing her job better. Sometimes she'd even initiate plots because of uncovering villainous plots or finding hideouts before everyone else. And, of course, she'd usually get herself into a trap and need the turtles to pull her fanny out of the fryer.

More recent years have seen creative attempts to tie her firmly back with her lab assistant roots. But the problem with the scientist approach is that such a job description quickly fizzles out once she loses that particular job in the lab because Stockman is clearly a bad dude. At that point, April is left to do very little besides driving the van around, doing odd stuff on computers every once and a while, and running an antique store all day. Real exciting stuff, right? And eventually, she gets trained in martial arts and quickly becomes a very effective fighter who can go head-to-head with some of the big-names villains in the TMNT-verse. It's almost like the creative minds are going out of their way to say, "See, April's not a damsel-in-distress in our continuity!" That certainly brings her back into the action plots, but that martial arts prowess doesn't really allow her character to contribute anything worth-while to the group dynamic.

Back when David Wise revealed (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=36610) that he based the FW April design on Fujiko Mine, the thief/spy/love interest from Lupin III, I watched the classic Castle of Cagliostro for the first time. I was struck with the inspiration that if I ever had the responsibility to reboot the TMNT series, I would strongly consider making April into a spy character. That way, you could make her role similar to her portrayal in the FW series in that she could take the initiative in sneaking into places to uncover information before anyone else without having her characterization defined by an obsession with "getting a story!" Her scientific background would give her knowledge of relevant details that other characters might overlook.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-Aprilspy-Crop.jpg

The role of the scientifically-minded spy would allow her to actually be the impetus to plots rather than just the Turtles' "tag-along" or "assist character" as she has often been reduced in the past. When she's on her spy missions, she could wear something comparable to her familiar multi-pocket jumpsuit (it certainly doesn't have to be yellow, of course). She could have some fighting skills, but her role in the story wouldn't require that she be a truly capable physical force; a spy is more sly than spry. Inevitably, she'd get herself in over-her-head and need a bail out, but that's okay because everyone needs a little help from their friends.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-AprilYellowSuit-Crop.jpg


I'll be curious to know if the IDW crew plans to use this issue as a major evolution of April's character. We know she won't be a lab intern at Stockgen forever, so it will be very interesting to see if they decide to let the seeds sown in this issue come to fruition.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-AprilLast-Crop.jpg

I really like where you're going with this! Evolving her into a full fledged spy I could definitely get behind. As you said, once you get past April's introduction, all interpretations of her have struggled to maintain her as a worthwhile supporting character.

The other idea I thought of as I was reading your post was when you stated that April obviously won't be working for Stockman for too long since he's clearly a bad guy. True enough, but we can definitely milk some good stories out of it before everything comes to light. Additionally, the first thought to myself was that it could be really interesting if instead of her quitting Stockgen, Baxter eventually gets arrested (he is a bad guy, after all) and April somehow lands the job of head honcho for the company! Lots of potential there with her kind of fully committing to the science path and giving her a purpose/passion in life while at the same time, discovering some of Baxter's dirty secrets that were left behind in the labs. She also might inherit some of the company's ties with some shady characters like Krang. Plus It would give her a good HQ and resources for when they need her to analyze this or that. Just some thoughts.

[Powder]

A great character story that sets up an upcoming threat, and some really nice colors and art. Muy bueno!

This sums of my feelings nicely.

On another note, I really really liked this artists work (except I disliked the way they drew our... mystery character). Also, this book reminded me of some Mirage books in a way, as it was pretty text heavy. That's definitely something I miss. The new book farrrrrrrr too often just wastes time on filler fight-scene art and drags things out (had a bit of that in #13 even, between Shredder & Karai). This book took its time and really let us get to know the character. So yeah, big kudos on the art & writing. Very solid issue.

[BAXTER STOCKMAN 19]

I didnt like this issue very much because it didnt have enough action. But i still enjoyed it.

[Powder]

Haha, that says a lot about you.

[Lampy]

the focus on the palm trees were dead giveaways... but it's great to see Slash again. can't wait until he meets the Turtles. also... this book confuses me because Raph is still with his brothers. it was a great issue... but like many have stated... it felt short. also... the art on the background reminded me of duncan's early tmnt art a little. especially on slash and the backgrounds.

[Toby Barrett]

Raph is with his brothers because this issue takes place before the Casey micro and issue 13.

[Lampy]

Raph is with his brothers because this issue takes place before the Casey micro and issue 13.

oh ok... i haven't been keeping track of the timeline. thanks Toby!:tgrin:

[FoxZerro]

A really enjoyable read overall. I like that "Slash" is now confirmed and I like that he is essentially an accident (sure he was mutated, but he was called a failure).

I think my biggest problem with the book though was that it was text heavy. Don't misunderstand I love Mirage Vol. 1 Issue 11 and even thought that Vol. 4 issue 22 told a good story and both of those are also heavy on the reading. Still the fact that it was an April issue as were the two I cited it felt like that is the reason why there was so much emphasis on the written word. I think I would have preferred a better balance between the action and the plot. It felt like anything could have been going on and you would have been able to put the same thought processes on the page. Also the color for the text boxes was such a jarring red that it instantly separated me from the art each time I read one.

Still some beautiful art was presented and I liked IDW April finally having her character fleshed out. While this may not go down as the best Micro-Series Issue, I think it will still have great consequences for the ongoing book and not just because it introduced the fifth turtle.

[HotJuicyBurgers]

How has no one mentioned anything about Slash's binky?!?!? I almost laughed just seeing that.

[Jephael]

I really really liked this artists work (except I disliked the way they drew our... mystery character).

You didn't like the way [He Who Must Not Yet BE Named] was drawn?! I thought he looked friggin' badass!!! I really want to see the artist come back and do the regular series!

[corvus]

I can't wait to see Baxter(or Chet) explain why Slash is a failure. My guess its because of his mental state or cause he can't be controlled.

[Powder]

You didn't like the way [He Who Must Not Yet BE Named] was drawn?! I thought he looked friggin' badass!!! I really want to see the artist come back and do the regular series!

Compared to Ross' version, the in book 'character' looked pitiful.

[Jester]

To me [That One Character That is SOOO Awesome!] looked like a 4Kids character model. Almost like this:
http://sharetv.org/images/guide/365203.jpg

[zkarlette]

Haven't read it yet.. Hoping to find the color cover from David Petersen, it looks pretty Awesome.:D

[Powder]

To me [That One Character That is SOOO Awesome!] looked like a 4Kids character model. Almost like this:
http://sharetv.org/images/guide/365203.jpg

Exactly, and that's why I disliked it. Disproportionate, overly angular, & somewhat dull in design.

[oldmanwinters]

Man, this thread has drawn on far too long without a good picture scan of the "That One Character That is SOOO Awesome".

Time to remedy that:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/spikepuppet.jpg

[Jester]

Man, this thread has drawn on far too long without a good picture scan of the "That One Character That is SOOO Awesome".

Time to remedy that:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/spikepuppet.jpg

So now Rob Paulsen is Raph, Donnie, AND Slash? :P

[Plasticplayhouse]

It was an entering issue. April looked great! I didn't care for the rest of the art though. I like kuhn's art better.

[Mr. Stay Puft]

To me [That One Character That is SOOO Awesome!] looked like a 4Kids character model. Almost like this:
http://sharetv.org/images/guide/365203.jpg

Kind of reminds me of the picture of him I drew that was posted in this thread.

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?p=626237#post626237

[frank_one]

I've highly enjoyed the art and the colors of this issue. Marley's is one of the best art so far, the closer to Duncan's. Actually her style look like Duncan's with a female touch. :tsmile:

[Ninjinister]

I honestly love both renditions of S-Dizzle and I would not be able to choose which I liked better. Both, to me, have their quality points.

[The Big Bad]

Dr. Spengler has commented on his blog how a lot of the different villains in the comic book don't quite manage to come off as threats. The same, I feel, happens here, with Stockgen reaching an almost comical level of incompetence--isn't this like their third incident in a month? One wonders why Krang went to them in the first place, given their record.

I realize the balance they were going for--allowing April to be helpful without turning her into Solid Snake--but I don't feel it works, since the way it turns out feels a few shades too contrived. April happens to overhear just the right conversation. The room she's in just happens to have the elements needed to create a blackout. The experiment happens to escape just when she needs a major distraction. And for some reason, the turtle tracker appears to have been completely forgotten after April hides it--what would have happened if they'd actually missed it? It's not like it was in a hard to find place, or as if Chet wouldn't remember what he was doing when he last saw it.

April notes that her prescence at Stockgen at night should be overlooked, since everyone knows who she is. Am I to then believe that when people start putting the pieces together regarding that night's incident, people won't remember seeing her?

Am I supposed to believe that Stockgen simply has no security cameras?

More broadly, I just don't buy April's reasoning for having to go get the tracker in the first place. I understand, more or less that the idea isn't to just deprive Stockgen of it--they could always build another--but to find a way to make it not work. Given the current state of their resources and how the machine has been shown to work, just how is he supposed to do this? Add to that the potential repercussions should she be found out--from losing her internship (which by the way, feels implausibly long, at eighteen months and counting) to legal action being brought down upon her--and the whole plan seems to fail the risk vs. reward test.

Oh, and Slash appears. Yay?

The book has some good dialogue (love Barbara Kesel, ever since Meridian) and great art. Aside from that, eh.

[Andrew NDB]

I think Slash should've been given more of a beak, multi-colored eyes are kinda kooky, but other than that he seemed fine to me.

[corvus]

Dr. Spengler has commented on his blog how a lot of the different villains in the comic book don't quite manage to come off as threats. The same, I feel, happens here, with Stockgen reaching an almost comical level of incompetence--isn't this like their third incident in a month? One wonders why Krang went to them in the first place, given their record.

I realize the balance they were going for--allowing April to be helpful without turning her into Solid Snake--but I don't feel it works, since the way it turns out feels a few shades too contrived. April happens to overhear just the right conversation. The room she's in just happens to have the elements needed to create a blackout. The experiment happens to escape just when she needs a major distraction. And for some reason, the turtle tracker appears to have been completely forgotten after April hides it--what would have happened if they'd actually missed it? It's not like it was in a hard to find place, or as if Chet wouldn't remember what he was doing when he last saw it.

April notes that her prescence at Stockgen at night should be overlooked, since everyone knows who she is. Am I to then believe that when people start putting the pieces together regarding that night's incident, people won't remember seeing her?

Am I supposed to believe that Stockgen simply has no security cameras?

More broadly, I just don't buy April's reasoning for having to go get the tracker in the first place. I understand, more or less that the idea isn't to just deprive Stockgen of it--they could always build another--but to find a way to make it not work. Given the current state of their resources and how the machine has been shown to work, just how is he supposed to do this? Add to that the potential repercussions should she be found out--from losing her internship (which by the way, feels implausibly long, at eighteen months and counting) to legal action being brought down upon her--and the whole plan seems to fail the risk vs. reward test.

Oh, and Slash appears. Yay?

The book has some good dialogue (love Barbara Kesel, ever since Meridian) and great art. Aside from that, eh.


Did you read it? He didn't just happen to escape. April yanked a tube off his tank. Stockgen did have security cameras, The turtles reprogrammed a mouser to destroy them, remember this is only like two days prior, they may not have replaced all of them yet and even if they did she had a disguise on. There's been three incidents, they all happened after Krang hired them. She came in with another persons key card while disguised as them.

[Cowabunga Carl]

Raph is with his brothers because this issue takes place before the Casey micro and issue 13.

I don't think it feels right there. I'm going to hold off until I read 14 to say where it goes, but I have a feeling it will fit better after that issue.

[DrSpengler]

I don't think it feels right there. I'm going to hold off until I read 14 to say where it goes, but I have a feeling it will fit better after that issue.

For what it's worth, Curnow agreed that having #7 occur before #6 was counterintuitive in retrospect, but that is in fact where it goes. (http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=12509)

[Cowabunga Carl]

Well damn. I guess it isn't to bad. Just feels like a big loos end dangling for a few issues before it comes up again. I just got done rereading all the books. I guess honestly it can fit there, it was just the Slash thing that bothered me about it being there.

[DrSpengler]

When read together (April, Casey, #13) it does seem like April retrieving the turtle tracker and the mutagen goes on hiatus, but the actual Turtles sort of go out of focus in those issues.

They're hardly in the Casey issue and in #13 they're all too preoccupied worrying about Casey's health to address the stuff April retrieved.

But yeah, if we go another issue or two with no one seeming to care about the mutagen and tracker and then suddenly it's a plot device, then it'll definitely feel a little weird.

[Andrew NDB]

Dr. Spengler has commented on his blog how a lot of the different villains in the comic book don't quite manage to come off as threats..

That's true. It's over a year into things now and the only villain who's managed to do anything to actually hurt the Turtles or their loved ones is Shredder... and that was 600 years ago in another life.

Oh, and Casey's dad.

[Cowabunga Carl]

My big problem with the issue is the fact that no one seems to say anything to April about being where se isn't supposed to be. It isn't like these are people who don't know her. If she goes back to Stockgen then it is really going to throw things off for me.

[The Big Bad]

Did you read it? He didn't just happen to escape. April yanked a tube off his tank. Stockgen did have security cameras, The turtles reprogrammed a mouser to destroy them, remember this is only like two days prior, they may not have replaced all of them yet and even if they did she had a disguise on. There's been three incidents, they all happened after Krang hired them. She came in with another persons key card while disguised as them.

I did not know about the cameras--I didn't read that issue--so thank you for pointing that out. Even so, that arguably raises even more questions--shouldn't non-camera-reliant aspects of security be even more beefed up, if that's the case? Again, they're awfully relaxed, for a group with a history of break-ins. As for April's "disguse"? Please. Faking an I.D. works only if no one knows who you really are, and she's been working there for eighteen months. Are we supposed to believe that no one was able to see through a hair put up in a bun and glasses? That Chet doesn't know what she looks like from the back? That nobody can tell what "Mary Wharton" looks like?

Also, looking at the issue again, April yanking a tube has nothing to do with Slash's escape--he was already out and about before that, as evidenced by the broken glass and the shadow pages earlier. It's just luck that April appears to be first person to enter the lab and notice anything amiss (Chet states not two minutes earlier that "everything seemed fine", despite the fact that the machines had begun reading "failure" hours earlier) and that it's not until she needs help escaping that he begins his rampage.

[chrisdude]

For what it's worth, Curnow agreed that having #7 occur before #6 was counterintuitive in retrospect, but that is in fact where it goes. (http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=12509)I figured #6 and #7 were basically concurrent.
Like,

Night: Goons come for Casey's dad, April has her nightmare
Day: April wakes up at home, drives the turtles somewhere, and goes to work
Night: April investigates Stockgen, and Casey and Raph go scare those goons. Raph goes back to the shop, and Casey goes home and gets knocked around.
Day: Casey shows up around dawn, right before April shows up with morning doughnuts.

It's difficult to gauge the time of day with Kuhn's art in #13, but I'm guessing there's some kind of morning carpool thing going on, where April drops the turtles off somewhere before work. I figure it was the next morning when she showed with doughnuts in the opening of #13.

If I'm right, Casey's issue starts first.
But I don't know who Curnow is. Is he an authority on the subject?

[DrSpengler]

But I don't know who Curnow is. Is he an authority on the subject?

He's the editor of the book.

[chrisdude]

He's the editor of the book.Well, I guess if he says 7 comes before 6, then that's that. But it seems to fit just fine that they'd happen at the same time.

[oldmanwinters]

For what it's worth, Curnow agreed that having #7 occur before #6 was counterintuitive in retrospect, but that is in fact where it goes. (http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=12509)

Considering the publishing schedule of TMNT #13, I think it only made sense to get the Casey Micro out earlier. The April story may precede it in continuity, but it didn't have any direct ties to issue 13 either.

[Jephael]

I figured #6 and #7 were basically concurrent.
Like,

Night: Goons come for Casey's dad, April has her nightmare
Day: April wakes up at home, drives the turtles somewhere, and goes to work
Night: April investigates Stockgen, and Casey and Raph go scare those goons. Raph goes back to the shop, and Casey goes home and gets knocked around.
Day: Casey shows up around dawn, right before April shows up with morning doughnuts.

It's difficult to gauge the time of day with Kuhn's art in #13, but I'm guessing there's some kind of morning carpool thing going on, where April drops the turtles off somewhere before work. I figure it was the next morning when she showed with doughnuts in the opening of #13.

If I'm right, Casey's issue starts first.
But I don't know who Curnow is. Is he an authority on the subject?


I like this theory. Gotta admit, I was getting a headache trying to figure out what was going on with the continuity.

[ToTheNines]

Great issue, can't say much that hasn't been said already though.

Anyone else catch the yellow jumpsuit gag?

[oldmanwinters]

Great issue, can't say much that hasn't been said already though.

Anyone else catch the yellow jumpsuit gag?

There was a yellow jumpsuit gag in this issue?

:teek:

I don't know... it seems like was awfully subtle if that's what they were going for:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-AprilYellowSuit2crop.jpg

Seriously, dude, I smelled an homage as soon as I saw those yellow Hazmat suits lined up against the wall on page 5. :tlol:

[Andrew NDB]

Seriously, dude, I smelled an homage as soon as I saw those yellow Hazmat suits lined up against the wall on page 5. :tlol:

And the use of yellow with April is becoming more than a little bit haphazard. We get it. You want Fred Wolf fans to feel comfortable with this new April... enough, already.

[Powder]

Bring this artist baaaaaaack (but not for an issue with Slash).

[oldmanwinters]

And the use of yellow with April is becoming more than a little bit haphazard. We get it. You want Fred Wolf fans to feel comfortable with this new April... enough, already.

April: "Well, how do I look?"
Casey: "Great, if you'll be hauling toxic waste!"
:lol:

Bring this artist baaaaaaack.

Indeed. I know Marley made history by being the first female artist (as far as I know) to draw a TMNT comic (at least in America), but the fact is she's as talented as anybody else I've seen on the TMNT books who's name isn't Ross Campbell! IDW, get this lady on retainer!

[FoxZerro]

That's true. It's over a year into things now and the only villain who's managed to do anything to actually hurt the Turtles or their loved ones is Shredder... and that was 600 years ago in another life.

Oh, and Casey's dad.

I think we have to give non-mutated Old Hob some credit for hurting them as well. Afterall he did separate Raph from the group, which was the main driving point behind their actions in the first arc.

Still yeah the Turtles are a little Supermaney right now in they can't be knocked down. I mean Leo took a beating from the Shredder and was ready to storm Stockgen that same night.

[Heather Breckel]

April: "Well, how do I look?"
Casey: "Great, if you'll be hauling toxic waste!"
:lol:



Indeed. I know Marley made history by being the first female artist (as far as I know) to draw a TMNT comic (at least in America), but the fact is she's as talented as anybody else I've seen on the TMNT books who's name isn't Ross Campbell! IDW, get this lady on retainer!

Wow, she was? That's pretty awesome! I liked that it was a mostly girl crew, it's not often you see that the writer, artist, and colorist are all women.

[Jephael]

Bring this artist baaaaaaack (but not for an issue with Slash).

Why? I thought his rendition of Slash was spot on!

[Sophie Campbell]

...I know Marley made history by being the first female artist (as far as I know) to draw a TMNT comic (at least in America), but the fact is she's as talented as anybody else I've seen on the TMNT books who's name isn't Ross Campbell! IDW, get this lady on retainer!

i was thinking about this too, i'm pretty sure Marley is the first woman to draw a TMNT comic and is Barbara Kesel the first woman to write one? i saw you guys talking about this earlier in the other April thread but was a conclusion ever reached? pretty cool, regardless, and around the same time the awesome Becky Cloonan was the first woman to ever draw Batman with the recent Batman #12. kind of nuts that it took this long. i haven't read every TMNT comic ever, i'm not that familiar with the Archie stuff and especially the European Hero Turtles that was mentioned, but i did some research and couldn't find anybody.

anyway, Marley rules!!

ps: and thanks for the shout-out, man! ;)

[oldmanwinters]

i was thinking about this too, i'm pretty sure Marley is the first woman to draw a TMNT comic and is Barbara Kesel the first woman to write one? i saw you guys talking about this earlier in the other April thread but was a conclusion ever reached? pretty cool, regardless, and around the same time the awesome Becky Cloonan was the first woman to ever draw Batman with the recent Batman #12. kind of nuts that it took this long. i haven't read every TMNT comic ever, i'm not that familiar with the Archie stuff and especially the European Hero Turtles that was mentioned, but i did some research and couldn't find anybody.

anyway, Marley rules!!

ps: and thanks for the shout-out, man! ;)

I can only make that claim based on the American TMNT comics. I really don't know the genders of the folks who worked on the Turtles comics for UK's Fleetway and Mexico's Division Comics.

I would prefer more women writers because I think male writers generally don't understand how to write interesting, fully-developed female characters for an extended period of time.

[Powder]

Why? I thought his rendition of Slash was spot on!

HER rendition of Slash did not appeal to me at all, and I said why a few posts back.

[oldmanwinters]

HER rendition of Slash did not appeal to me at all, and I said why a few posts back.

Oh, I think Marley deserves another shot at least. She had to draw him naked, which can be a little awkward. :lol:

[Ninjinister]

I really liked the Dark Turtle vibe that I got from Slash. Kind of like a mix between Dark Leo and Dark Raph. This kind of solidified him as you know... a bad guy turtle.

I like Ross' version because he looks more like a beast, like some sort of monster Turtle.

As I said before, there's no way I could choose between the two if I ever were forced to pick.

[corvus]

I did not know about the cameras--I didn't read that issue--so thank you for pointing that out. Even so, that arguably raises even more questions--shouldn't non-camera-reliant aspects of security be even more beefed up, if that's the case? Again, they're awfully relaxed, for a group with a history of break-ins. As for April's "disguse"? Please. Faking an I.D. works only if no one knows who you really are, and she's been working there for eighteen months. Are we supposed to believe that no one was able to see through a hair put up in a bun and glasses? That Chet doesn't know what she looks like from the back? That nobody can tell what "Mary Wharton" looks like?

Also, looking at the issue again, April yanking a tube has nothing to do with Slash's escape--he was already out and about before that, as evidenced by the broken glass and the shadow pages earlier. It's just luck that April appears to be first person to enter the lab and notice anything amiss (Chet states not two minutes earlier that "everything seemed fine", despite the fact that the machines had begun reading "failure" hours earlier) and that it's not until she needs help escaping that he begins his rampage.

Rock soldiers aren't beefed up security? I skimmed through. I cannot believe I missed it. the console April spilled coffee on controlled the stasis tanks and caused Slash to wake up. April enters the room, so does a Rock soldier, he attacks. Her disguise? She never looks directly at Chet and for reasons I'm not going to ruin for you even if he recognized her he'd pretend he didn't. It makes sense, besides TMNT is based entirely on random coincidence, you can't critiques it based on that or you'll drive yourself nuts.

[Heather Breckel]

i was thinking about this too, i'm pretty sure Marley is the first woman to draw a TMNT comic and is Barbara Kesel the first woman to write one? i saw you guys talking about this earlier in the other April thread but was a conclusion ever reached? pretty cool, regardless, and around the same time the awesome Becky Cloonan was the first woman to ever draw Batman with the recent Batman #12. kind of nuts that it took this long. i haven't read every TMNT comic ever, i'm not that familiar with the Archie stuff and especially the European Hero Turtles that was mentioned, but i did some research and couldn't find anybody.

anyway, Marley rules!!

ps: and thanks for the shout-out, man! ;)

Becky was really the first woman to draw Batman? That's crazy! In related news, IDW should harass Becky to draw an issue of TMNT

[Bobby Curnow]

I have! Didn't get a response, but...

[Jephael]

HER rendition of Slash did not appeal to me at all, and I said why a few posts back.

Well, excuse me for not knowing the artist's gender!

[Heather Breckel]

I have! Didn't get a response, but...

I hope she expresses interest at some point! Becky's one of my favorites.

[ToTheNines]

Read through it again just now and picked up on something potentially awesome...

Slash's containment unit was neighbored by two other's also marked as "FAILURE". I wonder if any of our other favorite characters are subdued inside of Stockgen.

[Jester]

I was wondering that too. Think of the possibilities.

[Mr. Stay Puft]

Read through it again just now and picked up on something potentially awesome...

Slash's containment unit was neighbored by two other's also marked as "FAILURE". I wonder if any of our other favorite characters are subdued inside of Stockgen.

I'd laugh so hard if one of those failures was Venus, since she was a failure in every way.

[CyberCubed]

The other two should be Rahzar and Tokka, and they're "failures" due to them being mentally disabled unlike Slash who seems intelligent.

It would make sense too since Tokka is another mutant turtle, and would be the first failed attempt before they got it right with Slash.

[The Big Bad]

Rock soldiers aren't beefed up security?

Given that the purpose of security would ostensibly be to prevent unauthorized personel from seeing rock soldiers in the first place...no.

[...]for reasons I'm not going to ruin for you even if he recognized her he'd pretend he didn't.


I disagree. Whatever Chet has going on on the side, he still has to actually keep his job, which means actually being competent and useful. Letting April--whom he thinks is just a regular intern, as far as we know--go by and steal from and sabotage the company doesn't advance his interests, and it potentially jeopardizes them. Say an investigation reveals that it was April who stole the turtle tracker and caused the experiment to fail: Chet, as her supervisor, looks bad--worst case scenario, he starts looking like an accomplice, since he should have been able to identify her when she showed up unauthorized. On the other hand, if he'd identified and helped capture April, he would have been in a position to deflect any suspicions of corporate espionage to her, making his job easier; by all rights, he should want to stop her.

besides TMNT is based entirely on random coincidence, you can't critiques it based on that or you'll drive yourself nuts.

Not the point. Coincidence is fine and a useful story device. The problem is when you have a person get by on coincidence and luck and neither the person nor the text aknowledge it, and I like it when it's used in stuff like the Mirage origin or in the resolution to Turtles Forever. April's plans, when you get down to it were incredibly stupid; the only reason she actually succeeded and lived to tell the tale was because the writers needed her to do so, and so stacked the deck in her favor, even when it strained disbelief. This might still have worked if the story had acknowledged it, but it doesn't: instead, both she and the text act as if her decisions were generally good ones, and that she has a future as a corporate spy, which in the process ends up making her (and Stockgen) seem dumb--precisely the opposite of what they intended.


Or, to put it another way: imagine that, after the Shredder gets killed in Turtles Forever, the film had implied that they'd beaten him because they were so much more skilled than he was. That is what's basically happening here.

Now, this may all yet be moot. Future issues may reveal that April didn't indeed manage to get off scot free, which would eliminate many of my problems with this issue. However, until that happens, I think this issue fundamentally fails at doing what it set out to do, and makes everybody involved seem worse.

[oldmanwinters]

Given that the purpose of security would ostensibly be to prevent unauthorized personel from seeing rock soldiers in the first place...no.




I disagree. Whatever Chet has going on on the side, he still has to actually keep his job, which means actually being competent and useful. Letting April--whom he thinks is just a regular intern, as far as we know--go by and steal from and sabotage the company doesn't advance his interests, and it potentially jeopardizes them. Say an investigation reveals that it was April who stole the turtle tracker and caused the experiment to fail: Chet, as her supervisor, looks bad--worst case scenario, he starts looking like an accomplice, since he should have been able to identify her when she showed up unauthorized. On the other hand, if he'd identified and helped capture April, he would have been in a position to deflect any suspicions of corporate espionage to her, making his job easier; by all rights, he should want to stop her.



Not the point. Coincidence is fine and a useful story device. The problem is when you have a person get by on coincidence and luck and neither the person nor the text aknowledge it, and I like it when it's used in stuff like the Mirage origin or in the resolution to Turtles Forever. April's plans, when you get down to it were incredibly stupid; the only reason she actually succeeded and lived to tell the tale was because the writers needed her to do so, and so stacked the deck in her favor, even when it strained disbelief. This might still have worked if the story had acknowledged it, but it doesn't: instead, both she and the text act as if her decisions were generally good ones, and that she has a future as a corporate spy, which in the process ends up making her (and Stockgen) seem dumb--precisely the opposite of what they intended.


Or, to put it another way: imagine that, after the Shredder gets killed in Turtles Forever, the film had implied that they'd beaten him because they were so much more skilled than he was. That is what's basically happening here.

Now, this may all yet be moot. Future issues may reveal that April didn't indeed manage to get off scot free, which would eliminate many of my problems with this issue. However, until that happens, I think this issue fundamentally fails at doing what it set out to do, and makes everybody involved seem worse.


I think you make many solid points, Bad Bad. The story is very enjoyable as it is and it gives IDW writers lots of potential for April in future stories. But her spy skills do kinda come out of left field. And it is strange that no one recognized the college-aged red-headed girl. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next.

[corvus]

Holy crap. I'm the fourth page Aprils coffee mug has a picture of old Hob on it Haha and for some reason they put emphasis on a spider that's on the sign above the door

[oldmanwinters]

Holy crap. I'm the fourth page Aprils coffee mug has a picture of old Hob on it Haha and for some reason they put emphasis on a spider that's on the sign above the door

I noticed the cat face on the mug, but I didn't get the sense it was necessarily an in-universe reference to Old Hob or anything else. I just figured it was a plain ol' mug with a cat on it. Did the cat have an eye patch or something?

[brianforedteam]

Read through it again just now and picked up on something potentially awesome...

Slash's containment unit was neighbored by two other's also marked as "FAILURE". I wonder if any of our other favorite characters are subdued inside of Stockgen.

Bebop and rocksteady? I could see this as an easy way to introduce them

[DarkLightDragon]

^Then who were those two thugs in the Raph-Micro?

[brianforedteam]

^Then who were those two thugs in the Raph-Micro?

Yeah good point since its taking place almost the same time...forgot about that

[Powder]

^Then who were those two thugs in the Raph-Micro?

Who says those containment units don't mutate both animals & humans? It's totally possible.

[ToTheNines]

Who says those containment units don't mutate both animals & humans? It's totally possible.

Duh.... Bebop and Rocksteady work for the Foot. Stockgen works for Krang. Krang and Shredder are enemies.

[Lampy]

Bebop and rocksteady? I could see this as an easy way to introduce them

i don't think Krang will have anything to do Bebop and Rocksteady's mutation considering they're working for the foot. and it's unlikely Shredder's going to hand them over to Krang for mutation... they are rivals after all.

[Powder]

Duh.... Bebop and Rocksteady work for the Foot. Stockgen works for Krang. Krang and Shredder are enemies.

Whoooops. Got me there.

[oldmanwinters]

I do like the idea of Shredder & the Foot Clan using "Black Market" mutagen. Or maybe they do their own tampering with the original formula.

[The Big Bad]

Going by internet time, this is way late, but still, my review of the issue (http://doknowbutchie.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/review-tmnt-micro-series-7-april-spoilers/), going into a bit of detail about why I really disliked the execution.

[Icegaze]

I think this issues establishes lots of potential for April in this series.

Most people think of her character as a news reporter from the old cartoon and live-action movies. She would often tag-along with the Turtles on their adventures out of self-interest in doing her job better. Sometimes she'd even initiate plots because of uncovering villainous plots or finding hideouts before everyone else. And, of course, she'd usually get herself into a trap and need the turtles to pull her fanny out of the fryer.

More recent years have seen creative attempts to tie her firmly back with her lab assistant roots. But the problem with the scientist approach is that such a job description quickly fizzles out once she loses that particular job in the lab because Stockman is clearly a bad dude. At that point, April is left to do very little besides driving the van around, doing odd stuff on computers every once and a while, and running an antique store all day. Real exciting stuff, right? And eventually, she gets trained in martial arts and quickly becomes a very effective fighter who can go head-to-head with some of the big-names villains in the TMNT-verse. It's almost like the creative minds are going out of their way to say, "See, April's not a damsel-in-distress in our continuity!" That certainly brings her back into the action plots, but that martial arts prowess doesn't really allow her character to contribute anything worth-while to the group dynamic.

Back when David Wise revealed (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=36610) that he based the FW April design on Fujiko Mine, the thief/spy/love interest from Lupin III, I watched the classic Castle of Cagliostro for the first time. I was struck with the inspiration that if I ever had the responsibility to reboot the TMNT series, I would strongly consider making April into a spy character. That way, you could make her role similar to her portrayal in the FW series in that she could take the initiative in sneaking into places to uncover information before anyone else without having her characterization defined by an obsession with "getting a story!" Her scientific background would give her knowledge of relevant details that other characters might overlook.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-Aprilspy-Crop.jpg

The role of the scientifically-minded spy would allow her to actually be the impetus to plots rather than just the Turtles' "tag-along" or "assist character" as she has often been reduced in the past. When she's on her spy missions, she could wear something comparable to her familiar multi-pocket jumpsuit (it certainly doesn't have to be yellow, of course). She could have some fighting skills, but her role in the story wouldn't require that she be a truly capable physical force; a spy is more sly than spry. Inevitably, she'd get herself in over-her-head and need a bail out, but that's okay because everyone needs a little help from their friends.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-AprilYellowSuit-Crop.jpg


I'll be curious to know if the IDW crew plans to use this issue as a major evolution of April's character. We know she won't be a lab intern at Stockgen forever, so it will be very interesting to see if they decide to let the seeds sown in this issue come to fruition.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/IDWmicro7-AprilLast-Crop.jpg

I could not agree more with this post.
This issue alone makes this April my all time favourite version of the character, both physically and personality-wise.

[oldmanwinters]

I don't know if this has been posted here before, but David Petersen posted some of his sketch work on this cover on his blog:
http://davidpetersen.blogspot.com/2012/08/tmnt-april-process-my-7th-tmnt-micro.html

[Heather Breckel]

Don't know why he thinks he's not good at drawing women, I thought he did a good job on that cover! I'm glad they went with the final design too.

[Mayhem]

It's a little part of his belief, which is why he went with doing Mouse Guard, as he believes that he is far better drawing animals than humans (Stan Sakai is very similar btw, he prefers drawing animals). But you're right, he did knock out a fabulous April there. Hopefully I'll get the cover when it's available heh.

[Ninjinister]

Don't know why he thinks he's not good at drawing women, I thought he did a good job on that cover! I'm glad they went with the final design too.

Agreed. April in that cover design is just too cool.

[Heather Breckel]

It's a little part of his belief, which is why he went with doing Mouse Guard, as he believes that he is far better drawing animals than humans (Stan Sakai is very similar btw, he prefers drawing animals). But you're right, he did knock out a fabulous April there. Hopefully I'll get the cover when it's available heh.

Yeah, I could definitely see that and understand. I'm pretty much the same way. I can draw humans, but animals are more fun to draw.

[Matches Malone]

It's a little part of his belief, which is why he went with doing Mouse Guard, as he believes that he is far better drawing animals than humans (Stan Sakai is very similar btw, he prefers drawing animals). But you're right, he did knock out a fabulous April there. Hopefully I'll get the cover when it's available heh.

He did great on the April cover, but maybe he just means that it took him forever compared to when he does non-human characters. He seems like a very meticulous artist, so he would probably flat out say "he can't draw humans" if he couldn't get them to look good in any amount of time. Given enough time, he can probably draw anything spectacular!

[ToTheNines]

Indeed. I know Marley made history by being the first female artist (as far as I know) to draw a TMNT comic (at least in America), but the fact is she's as talented as anybody else I've seen on the TMNT books who's name isn't Ross Campbell! IDW, get this lady on retainer!

Actually Steph Dumais was the first when she penciled "Swan Song" from Tales Vol. 2.