Review: TMNT #7

The Turtles were a staple of my Saturday morning cartoons, toy collection and life in general while growing up. Sure you can call me a fanboy of TMNT but on the other hand I also stopped watching after the 2nd movie and everything until this series hasn't measured up to those first experiences.

We finally see the second greatest villain in the turtle history, General Krang the brain alien with his giant robot body. After losing soldiers in his last battle, Krang demands to see Baxter about the super soldier mutagen that he has commissioned him to work on.

Elsewhere, find the turtles split into two groups, Raph and Mikey getting dinner and Don and Leo chillin back in the liar. Raph is surprised to find that this pizza place is where he would dumpster dive before they were reunited (and it feels good that they are), he tells Mikey how awesome it is and that it's some of the best pizza ever. Mikey walks up to the back door of Rupert's and chats it up with Woody, a laid back guy that doesn’t care that Mike and Raph are mutants. He's just stoked that they are just good customers and awesome dudes. Back in the lair, Leo and Don are talking about the Oroku Saki legend and the belief of reincarnation. After a moving discussion Don finally gives the benefit of a doubt to the idea of reincarnation. But before the boys can settle in Master Splinter hears something in the wall and with a bang, out comes the Mousers and Old Hobb.

The story moves along well and it is full of action. It foreshadows the plot of the story without dragging it down with details. It brings back some character we have known and love or hated in a good way in General Krang. I know I didn’t mention the small story between Casey and April but it felt like it was stuck in there so you didn’t forget about them. That one spot felt like it was thrown in just to show some dramatic break in action when the Mousers broke in.

The art was good as usual with the gritty style I’ve grown to love for the story. What I really enjoyed was General Krang’s robot suit. The detail is great while intimidating and looks a lot better than the cartoon series. Gone are the days of  Krang’s robot suit that just looked like a horrible pro wrestler in a red Speedo. The detail in Krang is vast and makes him an evil villain just by glancing at him. The details in the action between the mousers and the turtles draw you in. It flows as if it were moving on the page.

If you haven’t picked up this series this is a great place to jump on even if you missed last issue. I enjoyed every minute of it and was sad it was over when I finished. I know I say I might be a fanboy of TMNT but this is a really good read and haven’t regretted getting the series since #1.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Artist: Dan Duncan
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $2.99
Release: 2/22/2012