Chris Cooper reviews Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #5…
Old Hob is on the hunt for his newest recruit… Leatherhead! The dangerous gator has other ideas though and a battle of the minds soon turns violent!
TMNT Universe made a good choice beginning its run by focusing on the turtles. It eased us into the idea of a second main title and did a damn good job of it.
With the first arc out of the way we’re in the awkward spot before Christmas. Much like the main title, Universe plumps for a one-shot before moving onto a new arc next year. It’s another solid choice, though I don’t think this one works as well as the other one we’ve had this month.
There is an interesting idea at the core of the story and it boils down to Leatherhead and his unique frame of mind. We’ve not come across another mutant who views mutants as the problem. His main problem appears to be that he’s nigh on indestructible. He doesn’t want to mingle with other mutants in particular, as he see’s them all as unnatural, but can’t truly be alone as he seems to have a moral code that brings him into conflict with anything that breaks it.
So when he comes into contact with Hob…well you can guess they don’t really see eye to eye. Hob is pretty straightforward despite how he likes to play things. He has a forward thrust to what he’s doing. But Leatherhead? I don’t get it. Some panels hint towards something but I’m not picking up what it is exactly. Which makes me question the story overall. Did we need to see more of the big guy? Do we learn anything we didn’t know before? I’m not sure we do.
This is far from a bad comic. It’s written well and I like the art; especially how it depicts Leatherhead and his physicality. If it hadn’t come out in the same month as a great TMNT one-shot and just followed a fantastic first arc I may have been happier with it. Effectively TMNT Universe is a victim of its own success.
Rating: 6/10
Chris Cooper
Originally published December 21, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
