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*DrSpengler* · 09-23-2009, 02:13 PM

Here's my full review. Beware of spoilers.

And here's just the review part:

Spoiler:

Review:

The fourth and final TMNT character-themed miniseries begins here. I wasn’t too enthused with the previous three (though “The Third Kind” was alright), but this one actually had me pretty excited. The reveal in TMNT (Vol. 4) #9 that Don had morbidly kept Stockman’s brain in a secret lab in the sewers for years was one of the volume’s better twists, though it was more or less ignored as soon as it had been brought up.

“The Brain Thief” looks to cover that plot point, which is something of a relief, since it always seemed to me like it was something too important to ignore for over half a decade.

While I like the idea, I’m a bit wary of the execution. Jim Lawson seems to be going for the “manga-style” of extremely decompressed story telling which I’m not so sure I like. There’s a balance that needs to be struck between plot and pacing; you don’t want to cram too much story into too few panels, but you don’t want to spread a simple plot point out over so many pages that the reader feels like they received little for their investment. Lawson doesn’t manage to strike that “just right” note with this issue, and you end up reading the whole thing in four minutes tops.

There are pages meant to build tension, but wind up simply wasting time. Did the hobo and his dogs really need to absorb the first four pages of the issue, when all they were there for was a set-up for Baxter’s explosion? I mean, it’s the sort of thing that works on a cinematic level, in a movie or what have you, but you’ve got to be a little bit more frugal with your page space in a comic book.

The overall lack of dialogue makes things even breezier.

In the end, after 28 pages, I feel like I only read half a comic book. I imagine it’s one of those things that’s intended to “read better in trade”, but I’m reading it now, so that excuse doesn’t exactly fly. Ah well, I’m still genuinely interested I seeing where everything’s going.

Grade: C- (as in, “C’mon, Don’s spent the better part of two decades fighting robots five days a week. He could chew that roach up and spit it out”.)

09-23-2009, 02:13 PM	#2
DrSpengler Foot Elite Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 4,842	Here's my full review. Beware of spoilers. And here's just the review part: Spoiler: Review: The fourth and final TMNT character-themed miniseries begins here. I wasn’t too enthused with the previous three (though “The Third Kind” was alright), but this one actually had me pretty excited. The reveal in TMNT (Vol. 4) #9 that Don had morbidly kept Stockman’s brain in a secret lab in the sewers for years was one of the volume’s better twists, though it was more or less ignored as soon as it had been brought up. “The Brain Thief” looks to cover that plot point, which is something of a relief, since it always seemed to me like it was something too important to ignore for over half a decade. While I like the idea, I’m a bit wary of the execution. Jim Lawson seems to be going for the “manga-style” of extremely decompressed story telling which I’m not so sure I like. There’s a balance that needs to be struck between plot and pacing; you don’t want to cram too much story into too few panels, but you don’t want to spread a simple plot point out over so many pages that the reader feels like they received little for their investment. Lawson doesn’t manage to strike that “just right” note with this issue, and you end up reading the whole thing in four minutes tops. There are pages meant to build tension, but wind up simply wasting time. Did the hobo and his dogs really need to absorb the first four pages of the issue, when all they were there for was a set-up for Baxter’s explosion? I mean, it’s the sort of thing that works on a cinematic level, in a movie or what have you, but you’ve got to be a little bit more frugal with your page space in a comic book. The overall lack of dialogue makes things even breezier. In the end, after 28 pages, I feel like I only read half a comic book. I imagine it’s one of those things that’s intended to “read better in trade”, but I’m reading it now, so that excuse doesn’t exactly fly. Ah well, I’m still genuinely interested I seeing where everything’s going. Grade: C- (as in, “C’mon, Don’s spent the better part of two decades fighting robots five days a week. He could chew that roach up and spit it out”.)