Chris Cooper reviews IDW new series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains Micro-Series #1 – Krang…
“Krang was not always the feared warlord he is today. Once he was the spoiled prince of a falling dynasty. One disastrous mission to a penal colony planet changed all of that! Stranded by himself and surrounded by enemies, Krang faces the ultimate test for survival! See how this seemingly helpless alien grew to become a legend… and a leader!”
I’ve spent a lot of time lately chasing all the achievements on Tomb Raider. Great game, watching our main character grow after being thrown into an unfamiliar situation. Not only did Lara survive, but she thrived.
I only mention this as the story for the first of IDW’s villain series, based on Krang, matches this pretty closely. OK, maybe this is slightly more exaggerated, and maybe Krang isn’t quite as pretty to look at but you get what I mean!
The point of this micro series is to show us things we don’t know about the villains of the TMNT universe, and to maybe give us a different view of them. In this regard, ‘Krang’ succeeds. Being a sucker for an origin story meant it already had my interest. My enthusiasm for the story probably makes up for the fact that it isn’t particularly surprising. It plays out pretty much as you’d expect, so although it does it well, it is never going to jump into the top echelon of stories.
The art is solid, and Krang’s character comes through well. There only being one issue for each character doesn’t lend itself to a large story, and the transformation does occur pretty quickly. But it is handled decently, and by the end of the issue your clear on not only how Krang has changed, but how it came about and why he might want to change in the first place.
Ultimately though, any comic that manages to make a squishy pink brain a capable opponent without looking stupid deserves praise. He might only have some small needle like teeth and a few tentacles but he isn’t to be underestimated!
Chris Cooper
Originally published April 17, 2013. Updated April 14, 2018.
