TMNT #87 Preview and Discussion

[bushido]

Preview here (https://13thdimension.com/exclusive-preview-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-87/).

[Igglet]

Good Lord, Ch'rell is an absolute badass in this.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I like the Cylon mohawk on Chrell's exosuit. :tlol:

[ChosenOne]

He's been in the story for all of 3-4 pages and Ch'rell is already overshadowing Bishop. This should be fun!

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

He's been in the story for all of 3-4 pages and Ch'rell is already overshadowing Bishop. This should be fun!

Well, Bishop hasn't had a chance to come out and play yet. As soon as his hands get dirty, though... :tevil:

[Igglet]

Well, Bishop hasn't had a chance to come out and play yet. As soon as his hands get dirty, though... :tevil:

He did absolutely wreck the Mutanimals in what was, in my opinion, one of the coolest moments in IDW TMNT. Though I guess he was using Slash and his lackeys to do that. We still haven't seen him actually get his hands dirty. But from the previews we've gotten for #87 and #88, it looks like that's about to change.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

He did absolutely wreck the Mutanimals in what was, in my opinion, one of the coolest moments in IDW TMNT. Though I guess he was using Slash and his lackeys to do that. We still haven't seen him actually get his hands dirty. But from the previews we've gotten for #87 and #88, it looks like that's about to change.

He did a pretty great job of kicking Ray's ass without using a mutant mind-slave. Just his own two flesh-and-blood... er, his own two hands? :tlol:

[ChosenOne]

He did a pretty great job of kicking Ray's ass without using a mutant mind-slave. Just his own two flesh-and-blood... er, his own two hands? :tlol:

Besting Ray is a far cry from besting all four Turtles at once, though. I'd like to see him kick as much ass as his 2003 cartoon counterpart, but we'll see how he does... So far I'm not very impressed.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Besting Ray is a far cry from besting all four Turtles at once, though. I'd like to see him kick as much ass as his 2003 cartoon counterpart, but we'll see how he does... So far I'm not very impressed.

Yeah, I think we'll see that in these next two issues.

I was just pointing out, Bishop has gotten his own hands dirty already.

[ChosenOne]

Yeah, I think we'll see that in these next two issues.

I was just pointing out, Bishop has gotten his own hands dirty already.

Yep, indeed he has. But any of the current Mutanimals (sans Slash, obviously) is a "safe" opponent for one such as Bishop considering what we've seen of him so far. He's yet to go up against anyone who could pose a real challenge, and then his willingness to get his hands dirty might change drastically.

[CyberCubed]

In just those 3 pages I'm already far more interested in IDW's Ch'rell than I thought. I thought he might have felt too much like a rehash of Krang in this version (since IDW's Krang was serious and not silly), but Ch'rell seems just different enough so far not to feel like a re-tread.

As said I don't think Ch'rell can become Shredder in this incarnation, especially with the knowledge Shredder is coming back to life, so I do hope Ch'rell continues to go down a different path than feeling like Krang 2.0. So far in these 3 pages he seems very interesting and pissed, and he will most likely turn on the Utroms in the next story arc.

[ChosenOne]

Can you imagine what it would've been like if Krang and Ch'rell had both been active at the same time? :o Every single effort made against them would've failed. Even if the Turtles and the Foot legit teamed up, there's just no way to overcome the two of them at once, with their mindset and firepower.

Actually, could we maybe get a What If?-style one-shot out of that concept, IDW?

[Igglet]

Can you imagine what it would've been like if Krang and Ch'rell had both been active at the same time? :o Every single effort made against them would've failed. Even if the Turtles and the Foot legit teamed up, there's just no way to overcome the two of them at once, with their mindset and firepower.

Actually, could we maybe get a What If?-style one-shot out of that concept, IDW?

I'm not so sure. Ch'rell's a great strategist but he's just one man, or, well, Utrom. If the Foot and the Turtles teamed up, they'd still be way too outgunned.

[ChosenOne]

I'm not so sure. Ch'rell's a great strategist but he's just one man, or, well, Utrom. If the Foot and the Turtles teamed up, they'd still be way too outgunned.

The Foot would've been wiped out in the Burnow battle if it hadn't been for the Turtles forcing Krang to retreat and then defeating him "behind the scenes". If you add another Utrom in a battle suit to guard the Technodrome, they'd all be dead. Don't forget Krang had an army of his own. Bebop and Rocksteady might tip the scales, but they wouldn't have been enough to keep the Technodrome from being activated, and then it's game over for Earth. The only one who could possibly constitute a spanner in the works was Stockman, but even then we saw how swiftly and easily Krang dealt with his betrayal.

[Igglet]

The Foot would've been wiped out in the Burnow battle if it hadn't been for the Turtles forcing Krang to retreat and then defeating him "behind the scenes". If you add another Utrom in a battle suit to guard the Technodrome, they'd all be dead. Don't forget Krang had an army of his own. Bebop and Rocksteady might tip the scales, but they wouldn't have been enough to keep the Technodrome from being activated, and then it's game over for Earth. The only one who could possibly constitute a spanner in the works was Stockman, but even then we saw how swiftly and easily Krang dealt with his betrayal.

The thing is, the reason why the Foot would've been wiped out in the Burnow battle was because the Turtles betrayed them. If Ch'rell was out and kicking, then you could certainly bet they would've taken a different approach.

[ChosenOne]

The thing is, the reason why the Foot would've been wiped out in the Burnow battle was because the Turtles betrayed them. If Ch'rell was out and kicking, then you could certainly bet they would've taken a different approach.

But each side still only had the forces they had. Infiltration wouldn't work, an Utrom isn't exactly a prime assassination target... They're all ninjas, so even if they allied for real, they would probably bank on a diversion all the same while the real attack comes from elsewhere, only this time there's no one to divert because one Utrom goes out to the front lines (wherever and however those take place) and the other stays behind to make sure everything goes smoothly with the Technodrome. There aren't that many options on how to approach the situation, nor did they have that much time to consider them.

Assuming everything happens mostly the same, with the exception of Ch'rell being there, the Hamato-Foot alliance is toast. Bebop and Rocksteady making too big a dent in Krang's forces? He sets Leatherhead free to stall them. Once the terraforming process begins, none of them can do anything about it anyway... I just don't see how it could work in the good guys' favor, which is half the fun in these kinds of stories.

[Utrommaniac]

Can you imagine what it would've been like if Krang and Ch'rell had both been active at the same time? :o Every single effort made against them would've failed. Even if the Turtles and the Foot legit teamed up, there's just no way to overcome the two of them at once, with their mindset and firepower.

Actually, could we maybe get a What If?-style one-shot out of that concept, IDW?

Oh man, I think they could have taken over the Earth long before the turtles even had a chance to exist.

But in the case that they did exist while they were operating together...it means that when Krang was on Neutrino, someone would have been staying behind on Burnow Island to protect the Utroms. Karai might not have been able to get the Ooze because Ch'rell was there.

Maybe when the invasion on Burnow happens, Ch'rell goes to stop Stockman and Honeycutt from shutting down the Technodrome, so Krang would be able to kill Shredder; and if he's in that absolute monster of a suit, the turtles might have some trouble taking him down.



The thing I think about is what if it was Ma'riell who stayed out of stasis.

[Igglet]

But each side still only had the forces they had. Infiltration wouldn't work, an Utrom isn't exactly a prime assassination target... They're all ninjas, so even if they allied for real, they would probably bank on a diversion all the same while the real attack comes from elsewhere, only this time there's no one to divert because one Utrom goes out to the front lines (wherever and however those take place) and the other stays behind to make sure everything goes smoothly with the Technodrome. There aren't that many options on how to approach the situation, nor did they have that much time to consider them.

Assuming everything happens mostly the same, with the exception of Ch'rell being there, the Hamato-Foot alliance is toast. Bebop and Rocksteady making too big a dent in Krang's forces? He sets Leatherhead free to stall them. Once the terraforming process begins, none of them can do anything about it anyway... I just don't see how it could work in the good guys' favor, which is half the fun in these kinds of stories.

Honestly, I'd say there's too many wildcards for us to tell. Would Clan Hamato and Foot Clan manage to work together successfully? Would Bebop and Rocksteady actually manage to make a dent in Krang's forces? Would Leatherhead turn against his captors? And then, of course, there's lots of convenient things that would certainly happen to turn the tides of battle.

It would certainly be an interesting battle.

[ChosenOne]

The thing I think about is what if it was Ma'riell who stayed out of stasis.

Ma'riell screws Krang over to save the Earthlings, Ch'rell helps him slaughter them for the sake of New Utrominon. Funny how things work out.

Honestly, I'd say there's too many wildcards for us to tell. Would Clan Hamato and Foot Clan manage to work together successfully? Would Bebop and Rocksteady actually manage to make a dent in Krang's forces? Would Leatherhead turn against his captors? And then, of course, there's lots of convenient things that would certainly happen to turn the tides of battle.

It would certainly be an interesting battle.

I assume both Clans could certainly turn a temporary blind eye to their feud, considering what would be a stake, but it wouldn't 100% tension free. At least before they hit the field. Bebop and Rocksteady are their usual brand of chaos, they could certainly harm Krang's forces quite a bit, but the thing with Leatherhead is, he's guaranteed to turn on pretty much anyone. In my scenario, he'd just be set free without ever knowing why or who did it, and the first people he'd come across are the invading forces. There would probably be some words exchanged with B&R before he decides to pounce on them for whatever reason. Not exactly the most friendly of mutants, that one. And yeah, plenty of convenient ways and last minute trump cards. You'll notice I left out the Mutanimals, for instance... Maybe even Kitsune could intervene in the ninja alliance's favor... It would be interesting for sure!

Damn you, IDW, for putting out such a rich comic! :D

[Utrommaniac]

Given Krang's mental state during the Utrom Empire mini, I actually think Krang would have taken advise from Ma'riell.

He originally intended to take over Earth using mutants, then changed his mind to the Technodrome.

Since Ma'riell was disappointed he had ended up like Quanin in the end, I think she may have been level-headed enough to convince him to find another way. Maybe she could have been able to manage both of them, just barely.


I think a large part of Krang's decision making was because there was no one he respected enough to reign him in. Ma'riell and Lorqa would have fit the bill (but Lorqa was probably a bit too old to have been an advisor and may not have lasted the full duration of the others in stasis).
Of course he would also have respected Ch'rell, but he would not have reigned him in.





I just realized this was the preview for the next issue! So I'm just gonna...
Wow, Ch'rell is processing everything a little better than I thought. Still pretty p*ssed off, but granted, with everything that's happened, it's better to take them at bits at a time by level of importance.

[Utrommaniac]

Well, Ch'rell only ended up bookending the issue, but boy did he close it on a line worthy of an 80's action flick :lol: . Amazing.
He can take down tanks!

So cool that Don is actually on the island for the Big Fight this time.

The start of Bishop's backstory here is just barely qualifying for Loss.JPG :teek: . With implied 60's Cesarean...I'm surprised Mrs. Bishop is even able to sit up, considering how massive those kind of surgeries were during that time.

Now, some here may think I might be wigged out by the Utrom autopsy, but I'm more crying out "give me the forbidden anatomy!"
It's a start to how they manage to fit everything in with their weird body shape, but they're probably not going to say too much that doesn't involve how it's going to fit into Bishop's exosuit creation. From the way things are going...he's probably going to end up a little more human-cyborg. I think eventually someone's going to realize that Bishop is basically just bastardized Utrom tech and will be able to bring him down from there. But...where did they get the exo-suit from? Was it inside the ship?

But wow, Bishop Sr, "We'll have a prototype of an exo-suit soon" is not the same as "We have one now". Yeah, the baby is dying, but basically kidnapping him before your guys have anything substantial would have been a really dumb move if it didn't work out in the end. At least we know now that he was born human. From there, things are probably going to get really weird...and really sad.
(It's already pretty sad though, considering everything Bishop's did to save him from a very early death, only to be turned on in the worst way. An addendum to that, pretty messed up that if there's a certainty the baby won't survive the night, that the hospital isn't ensuring at least a little time for the family to be together...then again, that does seem like a 1968 thing to do.)

The stuff with the turtles and Mutanimals seemed to be business as usual; Bishop pretty much took back his spotlight. But, if we're getting City At War later on, it'll probably be a while before we see Ch'rell again. Maybe.

[Igglet]

The issue had some cool moments, not really blown away by Bishop's backstory yet but I like what he's been doing nonetheless. Ch'rell stole the spotlight for me easily, there were some cool moments but overall I'm really just waiting for something big to happen. VERY excited for the Michelangelo Macro and #88

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I wonder what Sally's secret mission is...? Last some mutants were left behind on a secret mission, Donatello got cracked open like a pinata. :teek:

[ChosenOne]

Gotta admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by this issue. Feels like we've seen the best bits in the preview already, and Bishop's backstory is still murky to me.

#88 really will have to pack a lot of stuff in to close out this arc...

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Gotta admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by this issue. Feels like we've seen the best bits in the preview already, and Bishop's backstory is still murky to me.

#88 really will have to pack a lot of stuff in to close out this arc...

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

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

[ChosenOne]

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

The moment he needed to be in charge of Slash to be more useful in the battlefield than your average grunt, we should've known that wouldn't be the case. 2003 Bishop would've gladly included Slash in his list of ass-kicking party guests along with every other single named character in that battlefield. Him taking down Ray isn't that impressive of a feat. I'm sure he can solo one Turtle, but not all four.

Can't wait to see how the first encounter between the Turtles and Ch'rell goes!

[Powder]

Maybe I'm off base here but the implications of the flashback are pretty freakn' insane.

For starters, that blonde, was it Ravenwood? Sure looked like it. Could it be they used Utrom DNA to alter her genetic structure? She sorta has tentacles, after all. Yowza!

Aaaand Bishop Jr. is/was a fetus in an Utrom exoskeleton? Holy f**k?

I am thoroughly intrigued. & this artist is by far one of my favorites of the series, he consistently kills it. So dynamic & detailed!

[ChosenOne]

Aaaand Bishop Jr. is/was a fetus in an Utrom exoskeleton? Holy f**k?

I thought of that, but then he bled as he was struck in the shoulder/chest, so I dunno... Whatever he is, it's guaranteed to be freaky and out of left field.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Maybe I'm off base here but the implications of the flashback are pretty freakn' insane.

For starters, that blonde, was it Ravenwood? Sure looked like it. Could it be they used Utrom DNA to alter her genetic structure? She sorta has tentacles, after all. Yowza!

Aaaand Bishop Jr. is/was a fetus in an Utrom exoskeleton? Holy f**k?

I am thoroughly intrigued. & this artist is by far one of my favorites of the series, he consistently kills it. So dynamic & detailed!

I didn't think of the Ravenwood connection, but you're probably spot on right there!

And yeah, fetus in an Utrom exosuit is what I'm expecting, too... but that's pretty freaking dark, so I'm not entirely sure IDW is going to really go with that. We'll see in a month!

[Utrommaniac]

He wasn't THAT premature guys :lol: . Sure it was harder to save preemies in the late 60's, but it was still a premature birth, not a miscarriage.


That got dark real quick :teek: .


I never made the connection to Ravenwood myself. If only because they didn't quite have the same face shape. If they were going to establish her now, I think they'd put on at least a little more spotlight. Especially since she seemed to be part of the command chain right off the bat and that lady was probably a secretary. She was absolutely infused with Utrom DNA, but I question why the decision to do that would have been made. "HM let's inject this human woman with DNA from an alien creature we barely understand the basic anatomy of! What could go wrong!?"


Wow, this backstory is going to be IDW's most unsettling :teek:


Of course you know, this probably means Ravenwood is a good deal older than Bishop. "I have the authority to stop you! I put a diaper on you once!"


But yeah, I feel like I liked this issue more than others. Mostly the Bishop backstory and Ch'rell's introduction closing off with blowing up three tanks in less than ten seconds.

[ChosenOne]

But if Bishop were a fetus in an exo-suit, why would he bleed from the shoulder? That bit really threw me off after I thought I'd already figured him out.

[MikeandRaph87]

I am left unsatisfied, but for one reason, the fact we jump right in the middle of the action and it stops right in the middle of another situation. Its the negative side of arcs in modern age comics. It also means I am hooked on the plot too. What kind of alliance will Chr'ell make with the TMNT and Mutanimals? Where is Sally Pride?

[AlZarkovski]

Great issue! So many action and story! Yes, I also thought that this woman could be Ravenwood. It was the 50s, I doubt that she immediately became an agent.

But there is one thing that confuses me. Flashback takes place in 1968. However, the Roswell incident was in 1947. Did the EPF conducted research of the Utrom's ship and the pilot for 21 years?

Eisenhower also spoke about the dangers of the military in 1961. Maybe I'm wrong, but did the EPF receive funding after that?

[MikeandRaph87]

Great issue! So many action and story! Yes, I also thought that this woman could be Ravenwood. It was the 50s, I doubt that she immediately became an agent.

But there is one thing that confuses me. Flashback takes place in 1968. However, the Roswell incident was in 1947. Did the EPF conducted research of the Utrom's ship and the pilot for 21 years?

Eisenhower also spoke about the dangers of the military in 1961. Maybe I'm wrong, but did the EPF receive funding after that?

The dialogue did suggest while they do not understand the physiology of the utroms after dissection and they need to provide answers for funding answers would come so yes I believe it would drag out two decades.

It is also interesting to see Agent Bishop is not a contemporary of Andrew Jackson,but a Generation X baby that would be fifty years old now. I guess we can assume that he has had just one body albeit enhanced?

[Utrommaniac]

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



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

[MikeandRaph87]

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



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

Comic book logic cryogenics or maybe ooze.

[Utrommaniac]

It's pretty unlikely they had ooze.

I would think formaldehyde, but that can be unreliable if you're trying to do research and dissection for the long term.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Thinking about it in retrospect, IDW kinda took the 4Kids route with this.

Just like Oroku Saki, we thought Bishop was going to be (mostly) human, and then he gets sliced up and--BOOM. Exosuit robot of some sort!

[Utrommaniac]

At the very least, they didn't wait until three or four seasons in to tell us. And that he was pretty likely human to begin with, and still retains at least some biological stuff inside all that metal.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

At the very least, they didn't wait until three or four seasons in to tell us. And that he was pretty likely human to begin with, and still retains at least some biological stuff inside all that metal.

But does he? I mean, I assume he does. But it's hard to tell. It SEEMS to be blood, and it probably is, but I can't just take that for granted.

Is it a squishy human eyeball or a robot eyeball? Etc, etc.

[CyberCubed]

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

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

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

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

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[CyberCubed]

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

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

[ChosenOne]

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

I keep wondering what this means, though:

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

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I keep wondering what this means, though:

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

What do you mean?

[ChosenOne]

What do you mean?

Look at the name on the guardhouse.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Look at the name on the guardhouse.

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

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

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

[ChosenOne]

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

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

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

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

[TomWaltz]

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



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


Lots and lots of ice. :-)

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

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

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

Talk soon...

Tom W.

[TomWaltz]

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

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

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

Yes. He. Will.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

[ChosenOne]

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

Yes. He. Will.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

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

OH F*** YEAH!!!

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

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

[CyberCubed]

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

[hypered1]

I keep wondering what this means, though:

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

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

[ChosenOne]

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

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

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

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

Yes. He. Will.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

Aw yeah. There's the good stuff! :tgrin:

[hypered1]

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

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

[ChosenOne]

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

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

[Utrommaniac]

Lots and lots of ice. :-)

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

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

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

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


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

OH F*** YEAH!!!

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

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

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

[Igglet]

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

Yes. He. Will.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

Oh sweet baby Jesus, did he just...

Did he just use Herman's...

Did he...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

[hypered1]

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

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

[CyberCubed]

Hey, what happened to Pigeon Pete? Did they forget about him? :lol:

They explained Sally's absence, and Mutagen Man/Lindsey stayed at the lab, but Pigeon Pete was completely absent. Am I remembering wrong or wasn't Pete shown in the previous issue? I know he's an incompetent goofball, but he wasn't even acknowledged.

[Utrommaniac]

"We don't talk about Pigeon Pete"
Zl7H1mj6jNk?t=8


He also was looking down the barrel of a gun in the last issue, so maybe they made him sit this one out. Just stocked the fridge with blueberry sodas and hoped that would be enough to leave him to his own devices. Which are a thing! (https://www.amazon.com/Maine-Root-Blueberry-Organic-TWENTYFOUR/dp/B00EA5JJXU)

[ChosenOne]

Hey, what happened to Pigeon Pete? Did they forget about him? :lol:

They explained Sally's absence, and Mutagen Man/Lindsey stayed at the lab, but Pigeon Pete was completely absent. Am I remembering wrong or wasn't Pete shown in the previous issue? I know he's an incompetent goofball, but he wasn't even acknowledged.

Remember that gun he was looking straight down the barrel of? Yeeeah... :lol:

[neatoman]

f4JNJ_c0o8w

Anyway, my basic theory on what Bishop is:

So you know how he bleeds and sweats? Anybody watched Terminator? The Arnold model of Terminator had skin and flesh, more than enough to fool anyone, even a machine designed to only send living tissue through time. So what I propose is that Bishop has human a robotic skeleton (and probably other synthetic organs) but it's all draped in human fleshy bits. Think a more subtle Victor Stone or more advanced Wolverine.

[martinitolove]

So the first name of Bishop sir is Wayne, of Bishop junior is Jonathan W.

As far as I see it is John Wayne Bishop.

Like the 1933 film Somewhere in Sonora, where John Wayne plays John Bishop! ;)

[ChosenOne]

So the first name of Bishop sir is Wayne, of Bishop junior is Jonathan W.

As far as I see it is John Wayne Bishop.

Like the 1933 film Somewhere in Sonora, where John Wayne plays John Bishop! ;)

Nice bit of trivia! :) And good thing his last name isn't Gacy, though he would certainly live up to that one...

[neatoman]

So the first name of Bishop sir is Wayne, of Bishop junior is Jonathan W.

As far as I see it is John Wayne Bishop.

Like the 1933 film Somewhere in Sonora, where John Wayne plays John Bishop! ;)

Oh god, I can't believe I didn't catch that! It's hilarious!

[Utrommaniac]

Given the age of the nerds who write this, I'm really not surprised they'd slip that in so sneakily :lol:




Anyway, I gotta gush about Ch'rell for a moment.

Mostly about that scar looking more natural and less like a tattoo, while still retaining the purple-ish tone.
https://i.imgur.com/sufXaT5.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/LFGX9bU.png
Maybe it's because the skintone isn't nearly as bright as the 2003 show, but it just looks better. Has that extra layer "What in the world happened???"
Not going to be anything like Saki getting swiped in the face with a sword by assassins, it's going to be nasty.

Well...yeah, sword to the face is still pretty ugly, but I think we're looking at a burn or worse. The kind of horrific injury that changes a man.

So now I can stop coloring it red when I draw him, which is what I've been doing while I wasn't entirely sure what they would do. I also like that, at least by this design, it's just one long band instead of pronged ridiculousness...also much easier to draw, especially amid the fact that Ch'rell is a spiky fellow.

[bushido]

Mostly about that scar looking more natural and less like a tattoo, while still retaining the purple-ish tone.
https://i.imgur.com/sufXaT5.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/LFGX9bU.png

I find it...outrageous

http://www.theactionpixel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/jemHologramsBanner.jpg

[shredder orokusaki]

Seems like Bishop is a head in a utrom robot. To save him they connected him to an utrom robot when he was a baby and then cut the head from his baby body and put it on the Utrom robot. Just like stockman did in the City at war 2003 series when he had his head put on the utrom robot. That explains why his body is full of metal. He is not human. Just a human head on a utrom robot body.

[Redeemer]

Seems like Bishop is a head in a utrom robot. To save him they connected him to an utrom robot when he was a baby and then cut the head from his baby body and put it on the Utrom robot. Just like stockman did in the City at war 2003 series when he had his head put on the utrom robot. That explains why his body is full of metal. He is not human. Just a human head on a utrom robot body.

I don't think so bc when Raph threw his sai and struck him blood came out of his torso. I am leaning towards cyborg. Basically I believe he is some sort of hybrid.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I don't think so bc when Raph threw his sai and struck him blood came out of his torso. I am leaning towards cyborg. Basically I believe he is some sort of hybrid.

Probably went through a lot of cybernetic grafts and operations growing up; as his human body grew and developed, cybernetic stuff had to be upgraded and replaced.

A real patchwork Frankenstein's monster kind of a guy.

[ChosenOne]

Probably went through a lot of cybernetic grafts and operations growing up; as his human body grew and developed, cybernetic stuff had to be upgraded and replaced.

A real patchwork Frankenstein's monster kind of a guy.

AKA the long way around to "I, Monster"/"Insane in the Membrane".

[Redeemer]

Probably went through a lot of cybernetic grafts and operations growing up; as his human body grew and developed, cybernetic stuff had to be upgraded and replaced.

A real patchwork Frankenstein's monster kind of a guy.

Yeah that's what I thought

AKA the long way around to "I, Monster"/"Insane in the Membrane".

Makes sense

[Utrommaniac]

On the one hand I agree...on the other, I have an itching feeling that the situation might end up way, way worse.



Either way, I wouldn't blame Marie if she divorces Wayne real hard at some point down the line.

[shredder orokusaki]

What feeling do you have that it will end much much worse?

[shredder orokusaki]

AKA the long way around to "I, Monster"/"Insane in the Membrane".

I monster was a Bishop clone not Bishop himself. But the 2003 Bishop wasnt normal human either. He was creating clone human bodies and he was puting his mind inside them . But stupid Stockman decided to put alien dna on his clone body that why it got destroyed while Bishop's clone bodies didnt have any issues.

[Vegeta]

I wasn't too huge on the pantheon arc or the rather quick ending from the triceraton war arc but man this bishop/ultrom stuff is really kicking ass.

[Powder]

ultrom

How are people still making this mistake?
https://emojipedia-us.s3.dualstack.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/thumbs/120/facebook/65/weary-face_1f629.png

[ChosenOne]

How are people still making this mistake?
https://emojipedia-us.s3.dualstack.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/thumbs/120/facebook/65/weary-face_1f629.png

God knows how many times I've had to stop myself from doing it! Don't be surprised if one slips into my posts one of these days.

[Utrommaniac]

I mean...there's a difference between an accident and not really seeming to realize there's no l (I've already made a "Santa's name has no l" refrence on here, so...)


Anyway, I'm going to keep making observations on Tom Waltz's cryptic math on how 88 will have a similar significance to 44. Technically speaking, 44 was technically Krang's exist from the plot at hand. Sure, he returned for his trial and death, but he didn't really do anything that significant. He yelled, made a decent attempt to defend himself on trial (even though he'd basically shot himself in the tentacle with employing Hakk-R), and was abruptly killed. He didn't even participate in the Malignoid invasion. 44 was technically the end for him.

So if we're going by the 88/2=44 logic, Ch'rell is basically taking over exactly where Krang left and working backwards a little bit.


It's probably obvious to everyone, but it's something worth saying.

Just watch Ma'riell reaaaally take things backwards by destroying the Technodrome and actually restoring her people's place in Dimension X; making Krang and Ch'rell look like complete fools. Though, with that in mind in the parallel I'm looking at, she'd basically be a moral foil to Ch'rell in the way Honeycutt was to Krang. Someone who's in his way, but can't kill or dispose of. In this situation: his family instead of the most important engineer in plans for conquest.

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

The Age of Ultroms :tlol:

[Utrommaniac]

Sounds like what Krang's plans were :lol:


Something I noticed in my theory that Ch'rell and Slash-Bishop might have a fight is...Ch'rell's suit is bigger than Slash from what I could guess at. And he has rockets that can blast apart tanks without making a sound until impact.


It's going to be interesting.

[Ninjinister]

How are people still making this mistake?
https://emojipedia-us.s3.dualstack.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/thumbs/120/facebook/65/weary-face_1f629.png

I blame the robot guy.

I mean...there's a difference between an accident and not really seeming to realize there's no l (I've already made a "Santa's name has no l" refrence on here, so...)


Speaking of which, I understood that reference

[Utrommaniac]

https://media.giphy.com/media/tnYri4n2Frnig/giphy.gif

...Gosh, us and Avengers in these last few posts :lol: