[DrSpengler]

Reviewed it over at my site.

Decided I might as well expand past Archie and go after some of the Mirage stuff.

Careful, though. I detail the plot, so if you don't wanna spoil anything for yourself...

Review:

Comic books incorporating characters and elements from their TV show and movie counterparts have become a fairly common occurrence. Harley Quinn and X-23 are probably the most obvious examples, but more subtle crossovers have been going on for years. Ninja Turtles has never been immune to this. The occasional “cowabunga” has found its way into a Mirage comic every now and again, if you want to go old skool, and heck, even the Foot Mystics who have appeared throughout Tales Vol. 2 were cribbed from the 2k3 series.

However, Hun is a bit different. He represents perhaps the most overt crossover from TV series to comic and I know some fans were pretty resistant to the idea. In the opening editorial for this issue, Dan Berger says that the TMNT don’t have a very impressive rogue’s gallery within the Mirage universe and the addition of Hun was a means to increase their stable of villains. I’m afraid I have to take issue with that; the Mirage TMNT have plenty of solid, quality rogues. The problem is that far too many of them are either “hi then die”, retconned out in an effort to make the official Mirage timeline leaner, or are simply forgotten and left with their threats unresolved (will we ever see the villains from Tales Vol. 2 #11 or #22 again?). Mirage has plenty of good villains, they just never give them the opportunity to be used to their full potential.

And that’s why I take issue with Hun. His introduction here was great; don’t get me wrong. Tristan Jones carries over all the familiar elements of Hun’s character and background, including his history with the Jones family, and adjusts them perfectly to the new medium. No longer restrained by the limitations of Saturday Morning television, Hun can ditch the silly laser guns and goofy schemes and act like a real, gritty, blood-thirsty urban gang leader.

So what’s my problem?

I fear that Mirage will simply forget him just like they do with so many of their other villains introduced in the Tales Vol. 2 series. I’m sick and tired of villains being introduced as “the biggest threat since the Shredder, we swear!” and then being discarded for the next new thing, never to be so much as referenced again. With Mirage making such a big deal about Hun’s introduction into the official comic, I’m inclined to believe that won’t be the case, but who can ever be certain with this series? If Tales Vol. 2 is anything, it’s extremely fickle.

But that’s enough of that.

Tristan Jones is a TMNT fanboy who has worked hard and is now living the dream: writing Ninja Turtles comics for the head honchos at Mirage. He interacts with the fandom frequently and is a terribly nice guy in his own right, but I’ll try not to let my personal experiences with him cloud my judgment of his work. Gotta be professional!

“Hun” follows on the heels of his first Tales story, “To Serve and Protect”, carrying over some characters from that tale (Miller and Lin) and referencing back to it. As such, it follows the story nicely and makes for some welcomed continuity. A problem I’ve always had with Tales Vol. 2, is that too few of the issues solidly connect with one another. I hope to see more of this, for if Hun’s threat is to be taken seriously, he’ll need to have more consecutive face time with which to build up a genuine threat, and not just be reduced to random acts of evil smattered sporadically about the TMNT’s timeline.

We get some nice character work on Casey, going further than just having his “origin” from the 2k3 cartoon dropped into Mirage continuity. His encounter with Hun as a boy, the destruction of his father’s business and his father’s eventual demise are all retained, but given a darker edge to suit the atmosphere of this darker TMNT universe. In addition to this, we’re given a bit of an explanation as to why Casey can be so self-destructive and downright crazy. It reminded me a bit of what DC did with Guy Garder. Formerly a “swell” person with no personality, they put him in a coma and then brought him out with “brain damage” that turned him into a raging prick. Obviously, Casey’s and Guy’s mental disorders are only vaguely similar, but that’s the first thing that popped into my head.

If the story suffers from any issues, it’s that it ends far too abruptly. The TMNT are seen stabbing Hun in the leg and then all of a sudden everybody’s in an ambulance. The End. It succeeds in leaving the audience begging for more, but still feels like they just ran out of space and had to end it.

Paul Harmon’s art is as bee-yoo-tee-full as ever. These are the kinds of purdy pictures folks want in their comics, not so much the Lego-inspired artwork of Jim Lawson. The action is dynamic, the atmosphere is thick and most importantly, the characters don’t look stupid. Harmon is superb at laying on the grit, which fits Tristan Jones’ urban, street crime-oriented storytelling like a glove. At times, though, Harmon’s work can get a little too “inky” looking, but nothing as bad as, say, Joe Ng. I’ve hardly anything negative to say about Harmon’s art and, really, if he can make Casey look cool with a haircut then he deserves some accolades.

Overall, Jones and Harmon turn in another excellent Tale of the TMNT. Whenever I pick up one of their books I’m left with the feeling that, had Tales Vol. 2 been this good when it first started, it probably wouldn’t be floundering in sales.

Grade: A- (as in, “And thank you for ditching Hun’s stupid braided ponytail”.)