IDW Raph-Casey Dynamic
 

Did any of you object to Raphael and Casey Jones starting out as allies instead of rivals? I haven't read much discussion about this on the boards.

I didn't mind the change. It was part of a pretty good arc. Maybe they'll get into it later!

I am more surprised by the fact that nobody really brings up that this time around, Casey is the Turtles first human friend rather than April.

Casey saw all 4 Turtles before April did...which is a first.

True, I hadn't realized that. But maybe that's a sign that he'll play a larger role than her, which would be great.

It makes sense given the situation. That being Raphael is wandering lost. The bromance is a bit weird because they softened both characters a bit. Both characters are no longer the hot-heads. That's the part that's a little distracting.
But regarding the early Raph-Casey partnership, I'm okay with it.

Raph's still a bit of a hothead, especially whenever Old Hob has been mentioned. I like that he's not a consecutive grouch in this comic though.
It gets really old when he's pissy 24/7.

I didn't necessarily mean 24/7 old man grouch. I liked that Raph was always the rebel of the group. It was always his flaw and that gave him substance. Kind of a mirrored image of Casey that made him step back a bit. It kinda feels like a different Raph in IDW. But I'm looking forward to which direction they take him.

I agree, this is a different Raph for sure. It's not a bad thing, but it's definitely noticeable. I didn't like how in Mirage he was so mad all the time. The new origin really threw his character for a loop, and although I think Waltz and co. are going to slowly show how Raph's initial separation is going to play upon his anger issues, so far this Raph is mad chill.

Kinda interesting, Mikey and Leo are very similar to other incarnations so far, but Raph and Don are being treated a little differently than in the past.

Yea... Raph is a bit too chill actually. In the midst of their house being ambushed by mousers and Hob, he sees sees his friend and yells out "Casey!!" with a smile on his face when not too long ago, he was raging over Hob's name.
I agree with the treatment of Leo and Mikey. They're characterizations are perfectly fine. Especially when you think about their ages. Being the oldest can be overwhelming and being the youngest... well you get it.