This is the latest in a series of comparison pieces following IDW’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles timeline and how it differs from the original Mirage timeline. These reviews will reference IDW’s TPBs as well as original issues that are being re-released by IDW in TPB format. IDW’s City Fall Part 1 was released in October 2013 and collects issues 21 to 24 of this new series. IDW also released TMNT Classics Vol 6 in September 2013 which contains issues 41, 42, 43 from the original series. These reviews will also contain spoilers to the plot lines so ***SPOILER ALERT*** to everyone who wanted to read these issues first.
While City Fall may intend to pay homage to Eastman and Laird’s City at War story arc in name only, the following four reviews will show how Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Bobby Curnow, and a host of other guest writers have managed to turn the original arc on its head and present what I see as being the complete opposite of City at War with City Fall.
We begin with a prelude to City Fall with art by Kevin Eastman. The entire issue is done in the typical Kevin Eastman long running battle style which we recently saw in the 2012 Annual he did, but this time it was beautifully coloured by Ronda Pattison. Splinter wants to teach his sons a lesson by putting them to the test. Even though it is not directly based on these issues, it does feel influenced by Mirage's Challenges and other issues that depict Splinter and the Turtles in a training session. Was this issue necessary in the short term, maybe not, but in the overarching story that will unfold throughout the City Fall arc, it sets the tone of the family dynamic that exists between the group.
City Fall starts out with a bang as the Foot Clan set a trap kidnapping Casey Jones to lure the Turtles out of their comfort zone. Stabbing Casey Jones in the gut, Shredder shows the Turtles that he is not messing around. Casey is left in critical condition as Shredder's main target, Leonardo, is kidnapped in all the confusion. While Mirage had a certain level of violence, ie Ninjas being sliced to death and the Turtles even shooting guns by the end of City at War, IDW’s TMNT has been pretty PG. I don't mind the violence either way; being more PG does make the comic more accessible to a broader audience. While a lot of the violence in the Mirage books seemed to be violent for the sake of being violent, it was usually not used for impact. This being a fairly tame book in comparison, Casey’s stabbing felt like it came out of left field and is a big deal.
We then get a masterpiece of an issue which follows Casey’s struggle between life and death and Leonardo's brainwashing. The entire City at War story arc was contrasting Casey’s, April’s, Splinter’s, and the Turtles’ concurrent events but none of the issues were done as superbly as IDW TMNT #23. The issue brings together most of the previous IDW TMNT artists and felt like flipping through the Mirage books that came out before City at War. As Mirage Volume 1 went on, more and more artists were brought in to allow Kevin and Peter the time to oversee the overall direction of the brand. City at War marked the end of long series of one-and-done issues and the return of Kevin and Peter to the book. While I appreciate the homage they paid to IDW TMNT’s other artists, I do enjoy the consistency of having a single artist on a book, but more about that later. City at War had some amazing two page spreads in issue 50 that reminded me of the incredible work in IDW’s issue #23 during Leonardo’s brainwashing.
We are then introduced to Dark Leo. Although Dark Leo was not directly influenced by Raphael joining the Foot Clan midway through Image's TMNT run, it is one of the only other times that a Turtle has joined the dark side. Conversely, the Turtles and Karai did work together briefly towards the end of City at War and would have been, in pro wrestling terms, the faces. Personally, I love the idea of Dark Leo, but knowing that in the next story arc, Northampton, he is back with his family makes it feel like a bad pro wrestling angle in which the heel turn is short lived only because the bookers do not want to upset the fans or hurt their sales. What if Leonardo stayed Dark Leo for 20 some-odd issues? Would you stop buying the TMNT ongoing? IDW must know what’s best for business.
Speaking of what’s best for business, fresh off his Secret History of the Foot Clan mini-series, having Mateus Santolouco on as artist for this arc brings a nice sense of continuity to the series as a whole. While Santolouco gets a break on the next arc with Northampton being drawn by Ross Campbell, it is great to know that Santolouco will be on pretty consistently until issue 50. Like Jim Lawson was for the Mirage Turtles, Santolouco seems to be “the guy” for the foreseeable future. He is a great choice and ever since Dan Duncan’s run, Bobby Curnow has done a great job matching the arc to the artist, but having more consistency will be a welcome addition to this series.
Including the micro-series issues, both story arcs will be about the same issues in length (even though the Mirage books had a higher page count). How they differ is that City at War explores NYC and the aftermath of Shredder's demise while City Fall explorers Shredder's rise to power. Mirage's City at War tests the previously established family dynamics between the Turtles and the supporting set of characters while the events in IDW's City Fall test and strengthen the IDW Turtles' comparatively new family relationships. Both story arcs are worth picking up and showcase the best of what Mirage and IDW have to offer.
Stay tuned for my next review, IDW’s Villains Micro-Series which will be released in November 2013 collecting the Krang, Baxter Stockman, Old Hob, and Alopex Micro-Series issues.