Tales of the TMNT 55
 

Midtown comics is listing this as coming out Wednesday Feb 4th:

Verrrry vague description there... I hope it turns out well!

Is this more Tiny Turtles?

We've seen the Turtles during their daily lives often enough. Alot, in fact.

If it's a young Turtles story, I'm doubly skeptical.

Not quite, this is more "just before vol.1 #1".

Of the Pre-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles era, like in the Hattori issue?

Time to Sticky this Thread!
 

Got mine today!

I was hoping for a light action story, but I was still impressed with this as a characterization story. I think it fits the tone of what the pre-Vol. #1 Turtles should think and act like. The Mikey/Raph love/hate relationship seems to be a good grounding for the early events of Raphael #1, especially Mikey's line to Raph: "sometimes you just can't help yourself." Also, the Leo/Raph head-butting sets up the later conflict in "Return to New York."

It's strange, but I read this issue with the Mako-voiced Master Splinter and the 2k3 Turtle voices in mind. Just shows how the various universes amalgamate in the character lore.

Also, what a surprisingly sad ending! Poor old Raph.

And the biggest shocker of the issue for me:

Midtown shipped mine today, but I have the cheap shipping so I have no clue when it'll get to me.

Wow. I really liked this one.

Every now and again, it is truly refreshing to have a story of just the characters doing something absolutely mundane; their daily routine. It sounds like it would be boring, but it delivers a lot of insight and character-driven entertainment.

But what really sealed the deal for me was the ending. Definately didn't see the Future Raph thing coming. And his words seem to solidify the idea that Future Mike is either dead or missing.

Some good stuff. And next issue is Tristin and Harmon again! Sweeeeet.

Woot!!!:thyper::thyper::thyper:

Also, I like Jim's art when it's just the Turtles and Splinter. He usually does very good backgrounds and really makes me feel like I'm a fly on the sewer wall. Good writing by Berger really makes this issue work.

I can't speak higher of this one... it's basically TMNT Vol. 1 #0. Fantastic script from Dan Berger, and I daresay Jim Lawson even stepped it up a bit in this one... and he didn't even have a seperate inker.

This issue has a whole hell of a lot of heart.

I won't be able to get this one for a bit, although it will definately be part of my next batch. Can somone fill me in on the future Raph part?

It's Raph in the far flung future. Could be the swamp future, as the world is flooded. Not a huge deal. More of an epilogue. It basically tells us that the Turtles did indeed go separate ways and that they really don't have much of a clue as to what the other is doing.

Man, I really dig that kind of stuff. Will get.

And apparently the whole issue is about the day before they face Shredder? That's pretty eerie and really cool.

That depends on how you read it. I would say the closest it gets is a couple of nights prior to the Shredder ultimatum. There's nothing that clearly defines how old they are at the time, but it would have to be fairly close.

I must admit, I'd love to see some more stories set in the Raph-eyepatch era (even have a stab myself :lol:).

Er, not really. It could be several years before their encounter with Shredder (I put it before Tales Vol. 2 #1 in the timeline, personally). It ties into TMNT Vol. 1 #1 in that it features Splinter giving the Turtles a lecture on waiting for the right moment to strike rather than letting anger cloud your judgment and taking revenge at an inopertune time.

Future Raph on the bayou was pretty much the basis of my entire pitch for Tales.

whell I love The cover of tales 55..and yeah future raph kicks ass
eye patch, cuting foot soldiers heads...but I wanna see aa future mike

I liked this story. But I wish the way the turtles were drawn we're more youthful somehow or something. They just look like they way they are now. And do they always have to be in their headbands? Its as bad as Batman that they aren't outside anywhere and they still have their headbands on. I don't see these young TMNT as in just before they meet Shredder. I think its still awhile away, based on how the turtles are written IMO.
Also the way Jim has drawn Splinter these last few years, he seems to have this long large white moustache. He didn't draw Splinter in the early days. There should've been some way to make him look more like he the way he was in TMNT V.1 #1.
The future Raph thing was cool and to see the story end like that, that it was being told by Rapheal was just icing on the cake. It made it cool and makes me wish we could see more of the future TMNT. I still think TMNT V3 Image series when Raph has the eye patch. Great issue.

OOPs I meant Jim didn't draw Splinter like that before TMNT Vol. 4 with a moustache. Thats what I meant to say.