Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #43
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #43
Written by Tom Waltz
Art by Cory Smith
Colors by Ronda Pattison
It’s wall-to-wall action in this installment of TMNT, and it’s a fun issue, even if it lacks all the danger and teamwork that made issue #40 one of my favorite comics of last year. Issue #43 may be all about the fisticuffs, but it’s in the service of moving the story forward. Characters all have plans, and they all act on those plans, and for the most part, those plans succeed. A forgotten character makes his triumphant return to throw a wrench into the cogs of Krang’s master plan, but even he seems oddly ineffective this issue. So far, it’s been a very evenly matched Battle for Technodrome. A three way tie between Shredder, Krang, and the Turtles. Hob and his Mutanimal gang are also involved, but I feel like they’re just picking around for leftover mutagen.
With so many forces in play, the issue has a hard time maintaining it’s momemtum. At least six characters are given introductory moments, only to get lost amid the swirling fights and competing plot threads. I can handle 12 people fighting at once. 12 people fighting at once is great, but when they also switch between four locations, it loses the environmental effect that keeps fights grounded. It doesn’t matter if somebody gets punched through a wall if that wall wasn’t there a panel ago.
Still, for all the problems this comic has with hefty plot distribution, the plots in question are still enticing, and every one of them could easily be fleshed out into greater detail. Only the Mutanimals and Splinter receive what feels like amply page space, and maybe I’d feel displeased if those weren’t my favorite characters in this thing. The TMNT themselves are barely in it, but let’s face it, the bad guys are way more interesting and they’ve got all the cool plans. It’s a good comic, it leaves you hungry for more, and give the reader more than enough to ponder.
Written by Tom Waltz
Art by Cory Smith
Colors by Ronda Pattison
It’s wall-to-wall action in this installment of TMNT, and it’s a fun issue, even if it lacks all the danger and teamwork that made issue #40 one of my favorite comics of last year. Issue #43 may be all about the fisticuffs, but it’s in the service of moving the story forward. Characters all have plans, and they all act on those plans, and for the most part, those plans succeed. A forgotten character makes his triumphant return to throw a wrench into the cogs of Krang’s master plan, but even he seems oddly ineffective this issue. So far, it’s been a very evenly matched Battle for Technodrome. A three way tie between Shredder, Krang, and the Turtles. Hob and his Mutanimal gang are also involved, but I feel like they’re just picking around for leftover mutagen.
With so many forces in play, the issue has a hard time maintaining it’s momemtum. At least six characters are given introductory moments, only to get lost amid the swirling fights and competing plot threads. I can handle 12 people fighting at once. 12 people fighting at once is great, but when they also switch between four locations, it loses the environmental effect that keeps fights grounded. It doesn’t matter if somebody gets punched through a wall if that wall wasn’t there a panel ago.
Still, for all the problems this comic has with hefty plot distribution, the plots in question are still enticing, and every one of them could easily be fleshed out into greater detail. Only the Mutanimals and Splinter receive what feels like amply page space, and maybe I’d feel displeased if those weren’t my favorite characters in this thing. The TMNT themselves are barely in it, but let’s face it, the bad guys are way more interesting and they’ve got all the cool plans. It’s a good comic, it leaves you hungry for more, and give the reader more than enough to ponder.
A Look Inside
