By Mark Rodriguez
After the events of City Fall, in which the Foot kidnapped Leonardo and made him evil... the Turtles rescued their brother and escaped with their friends in April's farmhouse in Northampton. Leo still doesn't trust his family, due to his brainwashing, and they also discover that Alopex has followed them, since she is also running from the Foot. Just as Leo is starting to trust his family again, and the others are start to trust Alopex, they are spotted by a mutant falcon named Koya that has called Karai for more reinforcements. Let's see what happens.
The issue opens with Don and Casey fixing up a motorcycle while talking about math and sports. Casey says he'd rather hang and help fix stuff than hang with April at the library. Casey tells Don about how April's dad used to work on the ooze at Stockgen, and Don considers it fate and destiny, like he discussed with Leo before. They both fire up the motorcycle and are glad to see it works just fine.
Meanwhile, Raph is practicing his Tai Chi poses, which Alopex suddenly appears and calls him out on. Raph says it probably doesn't enough 'blood and guts' for her when she was with the Foot. She mentioned she didn't join the Foot for the killing, she did it to belong to something (though honestly, if they mutated her to have her serve them, I doubt they would have given her a choice anyway).
Alopex mentions she felt like a freak when she was first mutated, and the Shredder gave her purpose and a family. Then she realized it was a lie and Shredder killed her real family. Raph mentions he was lost for a while too, but he was able to find his place. Alopex likes where she is now, and Raph tells her she can just call him Raph instead of his full name. She teases him about using Tai Chi, and he attacks her playfully. Alopex returns the attacks and pins him down.
Leonardo is training, until Splinter decides to join him. Splinter
mentions how a sword is merely a tool, an extension of a warrior, but
not a living thing. Shredder used Leo as his sword, but considered him a
failure when he would not draw blood. Splinter says that Leo wasn't the
one that failed, but Shredder. Leo says he doesn't exactly feel like a
winner now, and Splinter understands. Splinter says that back when Tang
Shen was pregnant with him (for those that still don't know, the IDW
Splinter and Turtles were originally Hamato Yoshi and his sons in
ancient Japan), she wouldn't let him turn his back on his family. Out of
respect of her, Splinter says he won't allow Leo to give up on his life
and family. He hands him back his blue bandana and tells him the family
must unite as one, more than ever.
Mikey is impressed that Don and Casey fixed the motorcycle and is eager to take it out for a spin. Don jokes that it will break their cover. April returns and shows off her new short hair style (which in my opinion kinda looks like Nick TMNT April's hair style but if she clipped her pony tail clipped off). April and Casey head off for dinner and Mikey confirms with Donnie that they are indeed a couple. Don smiles and considers Casey a lucky guy.
As they drive off, April tells Casey she found out they're looking into what blew up Stockgen and are blaming 'faulty wiring' for it. Casey can sense something more serious, and April shows him the small vial of ooze she stole from Stockgen a while back. She studied her dad's files and figured it's like a powerful healing potion that could either heal Casey's stab wounds, or Splinter's leg, or anything else... and she can't choose who to help. Casey says he and Splinter are fighters and can mend their wounds on their own... but her father could use such a miracle cure. The problem lies in how to give it to him without explaining the Turtles and Splinter. Casey says they're the fighters, he'll live the complicate stuff for her to figure out.
Mikey, Don, Raph, Splinter and Alopex discuss how Stockgen was destroyed. Splinter says he snuck in and stole Mutagen for Old Hob. Raph questions why he did it, and Splinter says he was only thinking of rescuing Leonardo and at the time, they needed Hob's help. He did mention that Hob and Slash stayed behind, and Raph says they must have been the ones to blow it up. Don says they have bigger problems to worry about, but at least they can do it in peace and quiet.
Just then, Koya smashes in along with newly-designed Foot Ninja with claws A fight breaks out and Raph sees Alopex sneaking off and blames her. Splinter tells Mikey that these are Foot Assassins of the highest order. Raph tackles Alopex down in anger while the falconwoman starts attacking the others.
Splinter, Mike and Don are soon overwhelmed by the speed of their enemies, and the falconwoman prepares to finish Splinter off. Koya asks Splinter if he's ready to be slaughtered... Leo then cuts in, now wearing his blue bandana again, and says he was about to ask her the same thing.
My Opinions-
This was a great issue and I have to say it was interesting seeing all the parallels and differences we've seen from this comic and past TMNT media. Not only are Don and Casey working together on the bike similar to when they were working on a truck in the live-action movie (which in turn is based on Raph and Casey fixing a truck in the Mirage comics), it's kinda weird seeing them be all buddy-buddy when they kinda dislike each other in the Nick series.
Don considering Casey to be lucky to have April is also kinda weird since in the Nick series Don wants April for himself. Yeah, I know. Two completely different series. But I also feel that little line from IDW Don being the exact opposite of what Nick Don would say is a clever way to showcase just how different these two series are.
Then we have Raph and Alopex warming up to each other, similar to how Archie-Raph was warming up to Ninjara, another evil fox turned good (though she was from a race of foxpeople). I had a feeling from last issue that once Koya found them, Raph would be quick to blame her. I mean it makes sense to assume she led the Foot to them. The biggest thing she has going against her is that she tried the cutesy woe-is-me routine before when they first met in IDW's Raph Micro, so you can't really blame the guy. We'll have to see how she can clear her name.
As for character design, it will take a while for me to get used to April's new look. I think this is the first time we ever seen her with such short hair (though I think Mirage April was bald for a time when Baxter's nanobots were attacking her from the inside). I wonder how long it will last because I'm kinda curious how she'll look with that short hair style when the other artists start tackling it. I also notice Raph and Mike have extra like... boxer-ish pads on their wrists, kinda similar to what Ryu and Ken use. The art style hasn't changed, but I don't remember seeing them have them in the last two issues.
I'd also like to add that I love Koya's bad-ass design as well as these cool new Foot Ninja.
The issue was a good mix of down-time and action time. I do wonder if these Foot Assassins will be IDW's version of the Foot Elite or something of the sort. I also saw on the letters page that the next issue will conclude this arc. Wow. I don't know how they're gonna wrap this up in one issue, and it didn't seem they got all that much down-time... maybe a few days? I assume we're gonna get a 'Return to New York' type story... so we'll see what happens.
After the events of City Fall, in which the Foot kidnapped Leonardo and made him evil... the Turtles rescued their brother and escaped with their friends in April's farmhouse in Northampton. Leo still doesn't trust his family, due to his brainwashing, and they also discover that Alopex has followed them, since she is also running from the Foot. Just as Leo is starting to trust his family again, and the others are start to trust Alopex, they are spotted by a mutant falcon named Koya that has called Karai for more reinforcements. Let's see what happens.
The issue opens with Don and Casey fixing up a motorcycle while talking about math and sports. Casey says he'd rather hang and help fix stuff than hang with April at the library. Casey tells Don about how April's dad used to work on the ooze at Stockgen, and Don considers it fate and destiny, like he discussed with Leo before. They both fire up the motorcycle and are glad to see it works just fine.
Meanwhile, Raph is practicing his Tai Chi poses, which Alopex suddenly appears and calls him out on. Raph says it probably doesn't enough 'blood and guts' for her when she was with the Foot. She mentioned she didn't join the Foot for the killing, she did it to belong to something (though honestly, if they mutated her to have her serve them, I doubt they would have given her a choice anyway).
Alopex mentions she felt like a freak when she was first mutated, and the Shredder gave her purpose and a family. Then she realized it was a lie and Shredder killed her real family. Raph mentions he was lost for a while too, but he was able to find his place. Alopex likes where she is now, and Raph tells her she can just call him Raph instead of his full name. She teases him about using Tai Chi, and he attacks her playfully. Alopex returns the attacks and pins him down.
 |
| What is it with Raph and mutant foxwomen? |
Mikey is impressed that Don and Casey fixed the motorcycle and is eager to take it out for a spin. Don jokes that it will break their cover. April returns and shows off her new short hair style (which in my opinion kinda looks like Nick TMNT April's hair style but if she clipped her pony tail clipped off). April and Casey head off for dinner and Mikey confirms with Donnie that they are indeed a couple. Don smiles and considers Casey a lucky guy.
As they drive off, April tells Casey she found out they're looking into what blew up Stockgen and are blaming 'faulty wiring' for it. Casey can sense something more serious, and April shows him the small vial of ooze she stole from Stockgen a while back. She studied her dad's files and figured it's like a powerful healing potion that could either heal Casey's stab wounds, or Splinter's leg, or anything else... and she can't choose who to help. Casey says he and Splinter are fighters and can mend their wounds on their own... but her father could use such a miracle cure. The problem lies in how to give it to him without explaining the Turtles and Splinter. Casey says they're the fighters, he'll live the complicate stuff for her to figure out.
Mikey, Don, Raph, Splinter and Alopex discuss how Stockgen was destroyed. Splinter says he snuck in and stole Mutagen for Old Hob. Raph questions why he did it, and Splinter says he was only thinking of rescuing Leonardo and at the time, they needed Hob's help. He did mention that Hob and Slash stayed behind, and Raph says they must have been the ones to blow it up. Don says they have bigger problems to worry about, but at least they can do it in peace and quiet.
Just then, Koya smashes in along with newly-designed Foot Ninja with claws A fight breaks out and Raph sees Alopex sneaking off and blames her. Splinter tells Mikey that these are Foot Assassins of the highest order. Raph tackles Alopex down in anger while the falconwoman starts attacking the others.
Splinter, Mike and Don are soon overwhelmed by the speed of their enemies, and the falconwoman prepares to finish Splinter off. Koya asks Splinter if he's ready to be slaughtered... Leo then cuts in, now wearing his blue bandana again, and says he was about to ask her the same thing.
My Opinions-
This was a great issue and I have to say it was interesting seeing all the parallels and differences we've seen from this comic and past TMNT media. Not only are Don and Casey working together on the bike similar to when they were working on a truck in the live-action movie (which in turn is based on Raph and Casey fixing a truck in the Mirage comics), it's kinda weird seeing them be all buddy-buddy when they kinda dislike each other in the Nick series.
Don considering Casey to be lucky to have April is also kinda weird since in the Nick series Don wants April for himself. Yeah, I know. Two completely different series. But I also feel that little line from IDW Don being the exact opposite of what Nick Don would say is a clever way to showcase just how different these two series are.
Then we have Raph and Alopex warming up to each other, similar to how Archie-Raph was warming up to Ninjara, another evil fox turned good (though she was from a race of foxpeople). I had a feeling from last issue that once Koya found them, Raph would be quick to blame her. I mean it makes sense to assume she led the Foot to them. The biggest thing she has going against her is that she tried the cutesy woe-is-me routine before when they first met in IDW's Raph Micro, so you can't really blame the guy. We'll have to see how she can clear her name.
As for character design, it will take a while for me to get used to April's new look. I think this is the first time we ever seen her with such short hair (though I think Mirage April was bald for a time when Baxter's nanobots were attacking her from the inside). I wonder how long it will last because I'm kinda curious how she'll look with that short hair style when the other artists start tackling it. I also notice Raph and Mike have extra like... boxer-ish pads on their wrists, kinda similar to what Ryu and Ken use. The art style hasn't changed, but I don't remember seeing them have them in the last two issues.
I'd also like to add that I love Koya's bad-ass design as well as these cool new Foot Ninja.
The issue was a good mix of down-time and action time. I do wonder if these Foot Assassins will be IDW's version of the Foot Elite or something of the sort. I also saw on the letters page that the next issue will conclude this arc. Wow. I don't know how they're gonna wrap this up in one issue, and it didn't seem they got all that much down-time... maybe a few days? I assume we're gonna get a 'Return to New York' type story... so we'll see what happens.
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