Chris Cooper reviews Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #52…
“A new faction within the Foot colludes against Splinter and the Turtles as they struggle to deal with new threats to New York City. And where’s Michelangelo?”
Last week I received my copy of TMNT #52 and dove straight in. On first pass I came away pretty unimpressed. The art wasn’t doing it for me at all, and the action didn’t seem that clear. For a big new world we find ourselves in, it didn’t particularly excite me.
With work being hectic writing reviews had to take a back seat for a few days (If only it were my job!), so before writing this up I read the issue again. Perhaps I’m in a better mood, but the issue was far better second time around (see what I did there?).
The art, whilst still suffering from some odd facial expressions, seems like a mix between Eastman and the original films. It makes a nice change from the more detailed designs we usually see. Overall the actions scenes come together pretty well; only a couple of panels needed a second look.
A lot of questions are raised, and they’re all interesting. Is preventing trouble by taking out those you think might cause it before they do anything reasonable? Can even the most well-intentioned and strong individual control a clan raised via on fear and death for so long? Why did someone let Pigeon Pete spell out a message to Mikey? They all left me pondering how things will pan out.
Splinter is quite the badass isn’t he? He’s clearly a strong leader, but will his old assassin ways come through too strongly? Mikey is right to be concerned. Even with the best intentions, could having an army of ninjas be a bad thing for our heroes?
It’s good to see Alopex finding a home alongside Leonardo, with them both commenting on their recent history with The Foot and the very different position they find themselves in now. Unfortunately it does mean the end, for now, of her partnership with Angel.
Phew, I’m glad I read #52 again. The story is interesting, the dialogue works great and the art, despite some missteps, has done the trick. There are some very interesting things on the horizon so roll on #53!
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=0_9dLZCKOvQ
Originally published December 1, 2015. Updated November 7, 2019.
