Chris Cooper reviews Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #41…
“Attack on Technodrome” begins! Time is short as Krang accelerates his plan to terraform the Earth… which will kill all who live on it! A surprise alliance results in a daring plan—and the stakes have never been higher!”
Here it comes. After 3 years the Technodrome is ready to rumble! Before Northampton. Before Dark Leo. Before Slash. The IDW series has been building up to this for a long time.
Judging by this first issue in ‘Attack on Technodrome’ it’s gonna to be a doozy!
The titular behemoth has always looked pretty dorky, and Cory Smith (who was awesome on #37), doesn’t hide away from that. This is the drome design you’d expect but with an overall sense of menace about it. That menace is dwarfed by Smith’s depiction of Krang however, his pitch black eyes delighting in the carnage he is about to bring about on Earth. It’s a great piece of work and the strongest depiction of Krang in the whole series.
He may peak on the villain, but the quality is high throughout, from adult conversations to backgrounds, they’re all covered well. Do Pattison’s colours suit Smith’s work more I find myself wondering? Perhaps they do.
Throw in one very cool pose for Leonardo and you’ve got yourself a top notch picture book.
But it doesn’t end there! Despite one clumsy piece of dialogue that stuck out to me I still find myself impressed how Tom Waltz manages to juggle so many threads whilst making sure none feel neglected. Most of the major characters get moments in this issue. All feel useful and none feel rushed. The relationship between the words on the page and the expressions on faces is brilliant, and this is perfectly highlighted in the exchanges between Donatello and Harold. When things are meshing this well together you don’t need page after page to get the message across.
The team still manage to fit some action in this issue. It’s good to see Leo back his old self and seemingly on his A-game after a long period of turmoil. The Mutanimals are proving their worth too, with the two groups complimenting each other well. But what they’re coming up against extremely daunting. Will there be any big shake ups? No doubt. IDW have jumped into another big story arc which could change the landscape forever….literally.
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 December 11, 2014. Updated November 7, 2019.
