IDW TMNT The Armageddon Game- Opening Moves # 2

 By Mark Rodriguez

Shredder and Kitsune embark on a psychic quest to search for weakness within their enemies in Rat King's upcoming Armageddon Game. After finding weaknesses within Krang, they now go after Baxter Stockman. 

Shredder and Kitsune, in spirit form, arrive in front of Baxter Stockman, the current New York City Mayor. He calls for his secretary and tells her to bring him information on the private company Agent Bishop had in contract under the Earth Defense Force. Shredder and Kitsune venture into his mind.

Months ago in TCRI Stockman and Flood are checking over their specimens and expected delivery. Ms. Flood reminds Stockman that she has holiday vacation coming up which he already approved. She asks if he has any holiday plans, and he says nothing beside his usual Mayoral duties. He tells her to use her time wisely and be ready to work when she returns from vacation. Baxter mutters to himself about people wasting their time on the holidays while people like him still keep working to keep the world turning. Suddenly a voice taunts him for being alone over the holidays. Baxter turns and is surprised to see who it is. 

Old Hob shows up and says he was waiting for the secretary to leave before they can conduct business. He pulls out a knife and Baxter whips out a gun and asks him how he got past security. Hob reminds Stockman that was his favorite guinea pig back in the day so he remembers the lay out of the building. Baxter fires a shot and hides after Hob dodges it. Baxter fires off some more shots but Hob is behind him and grabs him. Baxter says he'll tell him what he knows. He tells him he's a pariah, getting pursued, beaten and imprisoned by his fellow mutants. 

Hob angrily stabs the wall right next to Baxter and then flings him over to a vat of chemicals. As Baxter gets up, Hob picks up his gun and aims it at him. Hob tells Baxter he's dead and Baxter tells him he might be but a far worse fate is waiting for him and his fellow mutants. Hob tells Stockman he is alone and he wants the same thing to happen to Baxter but worse. He'll tear down Baxter's business, politics and overall reputation and make him wish he pulled the trigger. 

Shredder is surprised to see how Hob scares Baxter, which is not easy to do. Kitsune agrees that Old Hob can be an asset but he's currently at odds with the other mutants. Shredder says to leave that part to him. As they leave, Baxter's secretary tells him that Bishop's group was named Darkwater and asks if she wants to arrange a meeting. Baxter says he would like that.

Shredder and Kitsune travel to see Madame Null, who Shredder admits he knows little about. Kistune says that's what makes her the most dangerous, she is the wild card in the Rat King's game. At Null Industries, Zodi and Krisa assure Null that the building is secure and they leave for the night. Null gets to bed as Shredder and Kitsune enter her mind.

Null's memories take them the planet Hirobyl in Dimension Z as both she and her cousin Noi Tai Dar are surprised their captive has escaped with the Turnstone. Null says she some clients from Dimension Z that are very interested in their latest experiment. Noi Tai Dare releases a creature they call Verminator Z and sends it after Cherubae.

Cherubae is hiding in an underground cave and says she had fallen for a trap and is too injured to flee. She says she is running out of town as she begs for something or someone to return to her. Verminator Z has locked onto Cherubae's scent and runs towards it as Null's forces follow. It breaks into the cave she was hiding in and is confused to find nothing. Cherubae jumps out of her hiding place and hits the monster with an energy blast. She flies off as Nulls gives chase and Noi Tai Dar tries to get Verminator Z back to its feet. 

Cherubae is too worn out and collapses on the sand, dropping the Turnstone. Verminator finds her and leaps out at her, which makes Cherubae blast it back. Null tells Noi Tai Dar to control the beast, they want Cherubae captured alive. No Tai Dar shoots an energy net over Cherubae and captures her. Null tells her that they have her, and her friends The Four Winds. If she wants them to remain alive, she tells Cherubae to cooperate and go back to her prison with them. Just then something comes to grabs Cherubae and they get away as Verminator tries to attack them.

Null angrily shoots Verminator Z dead and tells her cousin to clean up that failed prototype and make sure The Four Winds are still in captivity. She tells him to make sure they are still alive to ensure that Cherubae will return so they can capture her this time. Shredder and Kitsune leave her mind and Shredder is confused by the Four Winds and the Turnstone. Kistune says it seems the answers will lie with Cherubae.

Shredder and Kitsune head back to their bodies, though Kitsune will need time to heal after using her power to accomplish this. She says he knows what he must do with the information they learned today and gives him a scroll that will help him with the fight against her brother the Rat King.

Saki wakes up in his body and Kistune is gone, leaving her mask behind. Saki sets the mask in its place and then goes to put on his classic armor. 

Rat King shows up where Leatherhead and Krang lay dying. He detects Kistune's scent and realizes she's gotten herself involved. He shoves a rat into Leatherhead's mouth so that Krang can finally get some sustenance. Rat King eats one as well and tells Leatherhead and Krang that they'll need their strength since they have a more determined competitor than expected. 

My Thoughts- 

I love the story and especially dug the art and the bright colors. The set up and we got to know at least a little more about Madame Null, while still keeping her a mystery. It seems she's now an alien that is posing as an Earth woman (or Earth mutant) as she runs her business with her own mutant henchmen. Of course we got to see a bit on Baxter and Old Hob and both of their current situations but the highlight was seeing into Madame Null's past.

The comic also brings in a lot of classic and obscure Archie comics characters, similar to how last issue brought in the Nova Posse. This issue brings in the demon Noi Tai Dar as Null's cousin, which much like herself was another demon turned into an alien. In the Archie comics Noi Tai Dar was an actual demon summoned out from the underworld to wreak havoc in Japan which led to the Turtles meeting Ninjara, the Warrior Dragon and Oyuki in that particular story. As far as I knew, he had no relation to the Archie version of Null either, so his appearance here caught me by surprise.

Then Noi Tai Dar released a prototype wildcat type creature called Verminator Z. This was another clever callback to another Archie character, Verminator Z, a mutant cat cyborg from the future. Seeing how they kept referring to it as a failed prototype, and seeing that we already have a mutant cat that's missing an eye, I wonder if we're getting close to Null turning Hob into the IDW rendition of Verminator X? Even random pics of the character from the Archie comics almost look like Old Hob turning into the guy. It would be a bold change for a long-running character, pretty much the first villain the IDW turtles ever faces and being over 100 issues in. 

Of course, he would look slightly different since Old Hob is missing the other eye.

Then of course the big deal here is the return of Cherubae and the Turnstone. To my surprise, Cherubae looks exactly as she looks in the Archie comics without any major, if any, update to her overall look. This time Null is the one chasing after her and the Turnstone. The comic seems to imply that only Cherubae can use it this time around. Null says that Cherubae will be using its powers for her and is adamant that they need her alive when they could easily just kill her and take the Turnstone for themselves. The Turnstone also seems to have been nerfed, which works for the story since in the Archie comics it was pretty much all-powerful and Cherubae could have easily warp herself out of the situation or even wished Null and her forces out of existence. 

We also have a reference to The Four Winds which is also something from the Archie comics, though I don't recall actually seeing them in the comics. And finally, well..... anyone that read the Archie comics run knows that is Cudley the Cowlick that rescued Cherubae. They angled it the panels and the shots in a way to make it a surprise or a mystery reveal for later, but yeah... it's Cudley the Cowlick, the giant sized interdimensional traveling cow head. 

And yeah, Cudley pretty much gobble you up, travels through dimensions and then spits you out in the next dimension. 

Overall this is a cool lead up to the main Armageddon War and I can't wait to see how all of this will play out, especially with all these interesting characters that have been placed on the board.