Chris Cooper reviews the third issue of IDW’s latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mini-series, Turtles in Time…
“The Turtles hit the high seas when they are dropped in the middle of a pirate battle! Little do they know that the true leader of the pirates is an enemy they are all too familiar with. Getting out of the time period alive will all depend on the quick wits of the Turtles’ captain… Michelangelo!?”
Issue three of Turtles in Time jives so well with my current feelings on the turtles that it is “so far up my street it’s coming down the other side”. I might not do it justice with my words. Suffice to say I loved it.
OK I’ve got the gushing out of the way now. Let’s see if I can explain why.
Ben Bates has popped up a few times in the IDW series, on both the ‘Krang War’ arc and the Bebop and Rocksteady Villains Micro. I felt he’d improved between those two issues and once again I think he’s kicked things up a notch or ten here. Maybe this is due to a standalone issue giving him more time, or him doing his own colouring. Maybe it’s both! But everything he does here is gold. The use of panels and white space was the first thing to jump out at me, quickly followed up by the almost watercolour palette used. Spot on. I’m taking for granted the fact that Ben can draw a cracking turtle by the way. Add in the sense of movement each panel has, especially in the action scenes and it’s a corker from an artistic perspective.
I have but one complaint and that is that Mikey doesn’t get to wear a pirates hat. But Raph does rock an eye patch so I won’t whine too much.
Erik Burnham doesn’t overdo the pirate lingo and balances action alongside more introverted and personal scenes well. Mikey had me chuckling a few times and I enjoyed seeing the turtles interact with a group who didn’t seem to judge and took them for what they had to offer. It was nice that they didn’t feel as though they had to hide and were accepted pretty much straight away.
Once again the turtles seem to be interfering in their own timeline, but I won’t go into that here. Suffice to say it’s very cool.
This series is my favourite since Secret History of the Foot Clan. An idea that could have been really cheesy and clichéd is turning out to be funny, moving, and action packed. Maybe I shouldn’t have doubted IDW and their creative decisions. Silly Chris. I am very curious as to how this series fits into the timeline though.
I’m not happy that there is only one issue left of Turtles in Time. Not happy at all. If that’s not a sign of how good it is I’m not sure what is.
Chris Cooper is a Flickering Myth Staff Writer, and owner of the blog Super Duper Stuff. Follow him on Twitter @SDCCooper or visit the blog’s Facebook page.
Originally published August 27, 2014. Updated November 7, 2019.
