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 Villains Micro-Series Volume 1 was released in November 2013 and collects the Krang, Baxter Stockman, Old Hob, and Alopex issues of this new series. IDW also released TMNT Classics Vol 7 in November 2013 which contains issues 45, 46, 47 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.
Like with any good story, IDW's TMNT has multiple concurrent storylines going on; they are developing a rich new timeline. This trade covers both main storylines and satisfies fans of both. Krang and Baxter are mainly part of the Krang War/Utrom Empire arcs and Old Hob and Alopex fall under the Secret History of the Foot Clan/City Fall arcs. This book is a good mix of the two and can be read without really having followed either arc, but it is that much better if you have.
I found this book the most difficult to compare to the original Mirage books since half of the book focuses on characters that were created for the IDW series, Old Hob and Alopex. The rest of the book features a character that was originally created for the Fred Wolf 'toon, Krang, and a character that appeared in one issue of Mirage Vol 1, Baxter Stockman. Baxter was the main villain in Vol 2 and had some part in Vol 4, but that is the extent of direct influence the original comic has on this book.
Krang is an Utrom. As I mentioned before, he was originally created for the '87 animated series instead of having an entire race neutral, seemingly equal in power, aliens. He was supposed to be the supervillain of the series, but as with Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady, he ended up being a joke and not the threat he would end up being later on in the IDW series. If you don't count Peter Laird's Volume 4 (he lost me there), the Mirage Utrom didn't really have a leader like the IDW ones do. Most of the Utroms has some kind of "body" which they use to get around, either a human-shaped exo-suit or something smaller, less human-like. The origin of Krang's suit ties the Fred Wolf 'toon in nicely to the current incarnation. From the team that brought us Monkeybrain Comics’ Masks & Mobsters and the artist from the Casey Jones micro-series issue, Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson’s Krang issue was a fun read and makes IDW's Krang seem a lot more bad-ass than he or any Utrom have in the past.
Baxter has always been erratically written in the past and this is one of the most concisely written iterations of him that I've seen. Erik Burnham and Andy Kuhn do everything they can to honor the source material as well as foreshadowing to a big poop-storm on the horizon. Flyborg pays homage to cyborg Baxter in Volume 2 and the fly mutation from the Fred Wolf 'toon. It is also nice to note that the Flyborg is not a one-off character and should make an appearance in Paul Allor and Andy Kuhn's upcoming Utrom Empire mini-series in early 2014.
Old Hob's issue gives a detailed account of the past 2 years from Old Hob's point of view. All forms of entertainment need this kind of a perspective once in a while. Whether it be a episode in a TV series, a chapter in a book, or even a director's cut of a movie, seeing something from someone else's point-of-view gives the audience a much richer experience. Jason Ciaramella and Dave Wachter’s Old Hob issue does showcase something that was truly lacking in the Mirage books, a sense of continuity and meaning. We had 11 issues at the beginning of volume 1, followed by 3 Return to New York issues, and finally 13 issues of City at War. Volume 2 tried to tell a more meaningful, long-term story arc, but that fell flat. Volume 4 also tried, but failed to captivate most fans, never really living up to what became Turtle lore. What will be interesting to watch is how Old Hob and Alopex are remembered years from now and if they will continue to play a significant role in the IDW Turtles books.
The Alopex issue gives her a nice backstory but is oddly placed when you consider the events of City Fall. In an issue that pays tribute to the late Franco Urru, Brian Lynch and Ross Campbell do their best to make you feel for Alopex. I could ultimately see her branching off on her own, maybe aligning herself with Old Hob and Slash’s gang longer term. It was nice to see Ross Campbell’s art again before we hit our next arc, Northampton, for which he is the main artist. He has a style that has definitely been growing on me and the more of this Turtles I see, the more I love it.
Altogether, these issues do bridge the gap between our two current overarching storylines. Krang and Baxter connect the last story arc, Krang War, to the upcoming mini-series, Utrom Empire. Old Hob is part of City Fall as it takes place during issue 23. Alopex take place during City Fall but does not really impact anything as it is more of a side story. Short-term, these issues tie up a few loose ends and fill in a few gaps, but it is what Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, and Bobby Curnow do with these origin stories long-term which will really be exciting to watch over the next few years.
Stay tuned for my next review, IDW’s City Fall Part 2 which will be released in February 2014 collecting issues 25, 26, 27, 28.