Comics

Review: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2012’

Published

11 years ago

November 2, 2012

A wicked blend of crime caper, humor, and action, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2012 is an absolutely easy recommendation to readers. During the fast-paced romp with ninjas, gangsters, and corrupt cops, there is an exuberant flair of adrenaline within these pages. You should expect plenty of laughs and clever plot twists with this terrifically well-written issue. If you’ve seen the live-action movies, played the videogames, and collected the toys, you are in for a special treat.

WRITTEN BY: Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
ART BY: Kevin Eastman
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $7.99
RELEASE: October 31st, 2012

In the midst of their training, the Turtles unexpectedly find themselves in the middle of a gang war. After witnessing a horrific car crash, Raphael and Casey Jones, the hockey-masked vigilante, become entangled with the rival Savate ninja gang. Two corrupt cops are on the search for a briefcase, which contains a caseload of diamonds, which the Savate members have unexpectedly lost. Everyone wants to get their hands on the briefcase, including Shredder and his Foot clan.

Kevin Eastman and co-writer, Tom Waltz, have such an endearing affection for crime movies, including Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. During the opening pages, Raphael and Casey Jones end up witnessing a car crash. Then in a brilliant twist on storytelling, the scene rewinds itself, with the narrative now told from the point-of-view of the Savate driver.

There is such a love for dialogue throughout the interconnecting subplots. From one subplot after another, Eastman and Waltz provide the quirky banter between the Turtles, the hard-nosed exchanges between the two corrupt cops, and the fake slang among the gangs, the Purple Dragons and the Savate. Even Master Splinter gets a chance to throw in some hilarious one-liners as he plays the role of the stern father.

Right off the bat, Eastman’s unique visual style comes to front. It has been close to 20 years since Eastman drew a “Turtles” story, but it seems like he never left at all. With touches of grey, the black and white visual layouts are reminiscent of the old-school days of Peter Laird and Eastman’s original comics. What’s interesting and surprising about this storyline is how the Turtles are involved in a crime drama.

Most of the martial arts action takes place during the climax. Eastman has the poses down pat as the Turtles jump across from one rooftop to the next. The story deliberately takes a steady pace before the cops, the rival gangs, the Foot Clan, and the Turtles end up at the same bar. Each individual gets to partake in the action-packed showdown as everyone fights for control of the New York underworld.

A full blown epic, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2012” should not be missed by longtime fans and is a perfect jumping-on point for newcomers. With the creative team-up of Eastman and Waltz at hand, readers will find themselves endlessly entertained. Always tremendously fun, the Turtles are living up to their potential while solidifying fans’ expectations with the nonstop action and mayhem.

4.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

Related Topics:IDW Publishing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Lonnie Nadler

Click to comment

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

6 days ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.