TMNT comics you've come to appreciate

[BigApple3AM]

Just wondering if there's been any TMNT comics that you didn't enjoy at first, but if over time you've come to enjoy them?

I just reread most of volume 2. I've never had the full run so the gaps with no previous issue blurb made it hard to follow. Recently I filled some of those gaps and I found myself really enjoying the story. Lawson's art was actually pretty superb in the beginning (though by issue 13 it became mediocre). His storytelling was surprisingly really interesting. Is the Baxter robot a Lawson creation? If so it's one of the greatest contributions to the TMNT universe (just look at how 2k3 overused it).

I also read the flaming carrot/tmnt mini series for the first time. I think this counts as appreciating them over time since I've owned these issues for over 10 years without ever reading them. It ended up being a fantastic surreal story though the art chores changing half way through the series threw things off a bit. Overall this was a fantastic mini series and I'm pissed at myself for having the issues so long and never reading them.

Next I'll be rereading City at War for the second time this year. Strangely I reread it earlier this year and can't remember it at all. Weird.

So what have you guys come to appreciate?

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

Originally Posted by Ectocooler

Next I'll be rereading City at War for the second time this year. Strangely I reread it earlier this year and can't remember it at all. Weird.

I can never remember City at War, no matter how many times I read it. I'm missing quite a few issues, which might explain that...

I don't know that there have been all that many TMNT issues that I've had to grow to appreciate. I'll have to get back to you on that one.

[funatic]

Originally Posted by Ectocooler

Next I'll be rereading City at War for the second time this year. Strangely I reread it earlier this year and can't remember it at all. Weird.

I too, have the same problem with City at War... perhaps its because that story arc presents more of a feeling of ambiguity, rather than a straightforward intro-threat-resolution narrative? I certainly appreciate that arc more each time I read it exactly for that reason.

[Cipher]

Am I the only one who has most of "City at War" commited to memory?

Anyway, the only issues I can remember hating and then growing to like are the original run of Tales. Everything except #4 and kind of #5 really bored me upon first read. They seem a little bit more fun every time I go back to them, though.

[CyberCubed]

Volume 2 felt like nothing happened the first time I read it. To be fair, its only two story arcs.

But it does have its place in TMNT history. I love Baxter coming back to get his revenge on April, and the Darpa story was good, although a bit rushed.

Leo's fight with the fish woman and giant Turtle was kinda pointless, but that Tales story showed them living peacefully as further backstory.

[plastroncafe]

Lately I've come to appreciate the entire Image run, something I didn't do when the issues hit the shelves originally.

Just recently got my hands on the last two issues of that series that I was missing, and now am looking forward to reading them in context during my Massive Canon Go Through that I've got slated to start in January.

[discordiatookie]

I've grown alot more appreciative of Lawson's work. First time I read his early stuff, as in his Archie issues, etc, I couldn't really get into it. Now I can't get enough of it! I think its pretty fricking awesome now...

Originally Posted by Ectocooler

Next I'll be rereading City at War for the second time this year. Strangely I reread it earlier this year and can't remember it at all. Weird.

I just reread this about a week ago. I've been going through old story arcs at random and just picking them out. I too was quite surprised at how much i'd forgotten!

Like for example: Karai's daughter getting killed. Totally forgot about it. Which got me thinking that if she's got a grown daughter working as her aide during City At War, and if roughly seventeen or eighteen years has gone by to get to Vol 4 (Shadow = baby in City At War; late teens in Vol 4) then just how old is Karai? In here fifties?*

*(Eighteen when had daughter; let's say her daughter starts working for her when she's eighteen, so at least thirty-six during City At War; then another seventeen years for Vol 4, makes Karai around fifty-three!)

Damn, she looks good for her age!

[BigApple3AM]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who forgets the details in City at War.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Leo's fight with the fish woman and giant Turtle was kinda pointless, but that Tales story showed them living peacefully as further backstory.

Yeah it was pretty weird, and I think it was pretty out of character for Leo to attack these creatures, but at the same time it has the most obvious symbolism of almost any TMNT comic except maybe the River story arc by Rick Veitch.

Speaking of the River story arc, that's actually what made me want to start this thread in the first place and I forgot about it, d'oh. I had these issues for over a decade as well, and just finally read them earlier this year. It was pretty freaking amazing, goes in my top 5 tmnt comic arcs of all time. I can't get over how good it was, I hope everyone checks it out at some point.

Originally Posted by discordiatookie

I've grown alot more appreciative of Lawson's work. First time I read his early stuff, as in his Archie issues, etc, I couldn't really get into it. Now I can't get enough of it! I think its pretty fricking awesome now...

I wouldn't go that far personally, but I do agree that Lawson's art isn't as bad as people make it out to be. I'm guilty of badmouthing his art in the past but as I've learned more about art, and specifically comic art, I've come to appreciate the things I think he really does well which are his panel layouts and story telling technique. His style is unique and definitely needs to grow on a person, but the way he makes things flow is something that not many people do better. There are issues where it's obvious he's phoning it in, but his current stuff in Tales definitely kicks ass.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by discordiatookie

Like for example: Karai's daughter getting killed. Totally forgot about it. Which got me thinking that if she's got a grown daughter working as her aide during City At War, and if roughly seventeen or eighteen years has gone by to get to Vol 4 (Shadow = baby in City At War; late teens in Vol 4) then just how old is Karai? In here fifties?*

Karai having a fully grown daughter is really weird and makes you think. How can Karai be that old?

I wish that was just Karai's lover or something. Karai being a mother to an 18 year old girl way back in City at War is hard to swallow, yet Karai having a lesbian lover would have fit better.

[Cipher]

Originally Posted by discordiatookie

I've grown alot more appreciative of Lawson's work. First time I read his early stuff, as in his Archie issues, etc, I couldn't really get into it. Now I can't get enough of it! I think its pretty fricking awesome now...

His Archie work is terrible. You can tell he wasn't putting any effort into it.

I really like his "City at War," Volume 2, and modern art styles though. Very unique, very bizarre. I think it fits the tone of the series.

But I have to say, Lawson has always been a better writer than an artist, and he doesn't get enough credit for it. I'm tempted to say that of all the writers to ever work on Turtles, Lawson understands the characters and the series the best. Case in point: he scripted "City at War" and Volume 2, which were both phenomenal in their handling of the characters.

Karai having a fully grown daughter is really weird and makes you think. How can Karai be that old?

I don't have any problem with Karai's age in "City at War" and Volume 4. It's not implausible. The only weird thing is her appearence in Tales #42. It's supposedly 2063 and she's still kicking? Not buying it.

[discordiatookie]

Can't say it really bothers me about Karai's age in said issues either. I was just surprised that I never realised it before. And hey, i'd guess working your way up the Foot ranks to become the head of the Japanese division took awhile also...

As for Tales 42, who knows what scientific breakthroughs the Utroms have helped come up with to help stop/slow down the ageing process. Or perhaps she got a Foot Mystic to rustle up some anti-ageing spell.*



*Looks like she took it a bit late though, cos she's looking old!