Chris Cooper reviews the latest in IDW ‘Villains’ series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains Micro-Series #6 – Hun…
“As the new leader of the Purple Dragons, the villainous Hun joins the war in City Fall! He’s already making friends in high places and imposing his will on anyone who stands in his way! Hun’s past will devastate the Turtles’ future!
Well well. I did not see that coming! Though TMNT #25 had a nice clue for anyone in the know, the latest ‘Villain’ issue introduces a new foe, one that we’ve been watching since the very start.
Yet again IDW have taken a character from another version and seamlessly introduced them into the world they’ve created. Hun’s intro not only makes a lot of sense, it also opens up a raft of interesting story possibilities. Enemies sure are stacking up against the turtles!
Using an AA meeting as the framing device is a nice touch, and left me with mixed feelings regarding the character. I’m all for him turning his life around, but his chosen method leaves a lot to be desired. Some fabrication by a certain clan leader moves things along nicely, and will no doubt rear it’s head at a later date.
Quickly reasserting his dominance, the main question I’m left with is how will the turtles, and their allies, deal with not only Hun’s physical threat but also the effect his resurgence will have emotionally. Interesting times ahead.
Overall Mark Henderson’s art is good, though one gripe is the Hun inside the book doesn’t match the lean yet muscular chap on the front cover. Sometimes he looks bit more chubby than brutish.
Personally I’d have liked to have seen more of Hun’s transformation, but I love the intricacies of such things. Within the framework of one issue the team have done an upstanding job with his introduction so I don’t feel too bad about it. Going to read the initial arcs now should be slightly different, knowing what is coming up.
The villains series has proven quite the success so far and is far stronger than I suspected it would be. I gladly admit that I underestimated each creative team and IDW as a whole. DC comics are currently shaking down people’s wallets like some kind of playground bully via their villains month, as they release an issue per week for some of their flagship titles. Having read two of them already, and realising they add nothing, I cancelled the orders for the rest and will just continue with the main story. This is how you do it DC! Give people well written stories that work on their own whilst adding layers onto the overall narrative and you’ve got yourselves a winner.
We now know that a lot of the villains skulking around have their own agendas. But this is nothing in comparison to who we have coming up next month. Bebop and Rocksteady!
Chris Cooper
Originally published September 12, 2013. Updated April 14, 2018.
