Each of the participating writers/reviews of Comic Bastards will give the issue a score of: Buy, Borrow or Pass along with a short reason for the score. Here’s a blurb about the issue from IDW Publishing before we begin: The Turtles thought they'd be safe in Northampton -- they were wrong! Surrounded on all sides, the Turtles will have to reunite as a fearsome fighting force. Will their newest ally be their salvation, or doom?
Samantha: BUY
What a touching moment, while in the heat of battle Leo and Splinter share a “look.” A “look” of a family being together once again. Awww. I knew at this point in the comic it would take a common threat to bring Leo back to his home.
Then Raphael ruins his friendship with Alopex. Just when I thought these two had a thang. She walks away with such hatred he has got no chance. Then after two emotional ties Mikey runs over Tweety bird, with a motorcycle to make us all happy again. It is pretty epic. But all action aside, this issue does have a lot of emotion left in it. The Turtles will finally leave Northhampton, and it may have happened a bit too early. There are loose ends with Alopex. I desperately hope she comes back. I was actually surprised the way Splinter handles the whole issue.
And what is up with Mrs. O’Neil. That woman is crazy. Lasting thought; mutagen never leads to any good.
Eric B: BUY
I love this issue because of a few things. One it’s packed with so much, but doesn’t overwhelm you. Leo is back. Third Mickey is a bit of hero. Ok let’s expand. There is a lot of action and fighting with the new foe physically and mentally for the turtles. Raphael finally faces his wrong judgement of Alopex and realizes that he can be wrong. Mikey and Donny have their hands full taking out the assassin foot. And finally April has to come clean about working for Stockman.
Leo has to make a choice to be his true self. Is he what Shedder has trained him to be or what master Splinter has raised him to be? All that is taking place makes the story deeper and enjoyable. The last part is Mikey who never gets any credit for what he can do. In an earlier issue he brings his brothers together but here he gets the final blow to defeat Koya to save Raphael. The one thing that has grown on me in the art is the bandanas aren’t always around their heads, but resting on their necks too. This title just keeps rolling out the hits and keeps the story going.
Steve: BUY
I mean, there’s not much to say about TMNT #32, other than this: it was absolute, unwavering, balls-out action ... and it was pretty damn great.
As an artist, Ross Campbell is one dynamic damn beast, and I continue to love his character designs - both human and mutant. He’s so incredibly capable at conveying many different expressions, whether it’s a furious Raphael, a joy-riding Michelangelo or an almost scarily severe Leonardo, he captures them all perfectly.
Speaking of Leo, I love his continuing character evolution as a true badass here against the new mutant, Koya, who herself is pretty awesome as a lethal addition to the cast.
On the whole, not only did I love this issue, but I’m ecstatic about what it represents: the end of the Northampton phase and the beginning of a newly-empowered Turtles team heading to war to fight back ... hopefully with many rounds against Bebop and Rocksteady! Bring that shit RIGHT on!
James: BUY
Chill time in Northampton is over! The guys have been discovered. And now, its victory or death that awaits them. Death might just be a viable conclusion as the head assassin has super smell, super sight, can fly, and has impressive talons. Will the Turtles hold up? What will Leonardo do? How about Alopex? Finally, will April's parents discover that within their barn, they have mutant turtles and a rat living? The answers to all of these questions lie within the pages of this most excellent issue.
TMNT is one of my favorite titles month after month. It has a level of consistency that is real hard to beat. It just never gets dull or stale. You would have expected it to drop after the intensity of the “City Fall” story arc, and it did slow down. But as the action eased, the drama picked up. It gave the reader time to catch their breath. The break has now ended and it looks like action lies ahead for a while as the gang has to decide what to do next. Buckle up is all I can say.
Waltz and Campbell really have a great thing going with script and art. They ebb and flow with each other that makes for a perfect comic in just every way. It's quite impressive and shows no sign of slacking. I can't give enough praise for the title. If you are not reading it, you really need to be. It's golden!
Erik A: BUY
This arc went by extremely quickly. By far some of the best dialogue of the book. TMNT continues to be the best ongoing series out there, and the way that this issue ended just solidifies that fact. Waltz and Campbell make an exceptional team and I can’t wait to see what they have for us next. After that sort of cool down period that “Northampton” was for TMNT, I can only speculate what kind of dilemma our half-shelled heroes will be confronted by in the future. I wish that I could say that it only gets easier from here, but I’m afraid that this is the last break (if you can even call it that) that these guys are going to get for a long time.
But just commenting on the story, I was so impressed with how the turtles dealt with the aftermath of “City Fall”. This book always feels more like it’s about family, brotherhood, honor, and respect, than it is about a bunch of crime fighting turtles. And the fact they are thrown back into the fray unexpectedly by a group of Shredder’s assassins like this, just goes to show you that they still have a ways to go on this journey of theirs. Buckle up. Things are about to get bumpy.
Dustin: BUY
Well everything we kind of knew was going to happen in this issue did happen. I’ve read plenty of comics that have gone exactly the way I thought they would and still disappointed me, but TMNT was somehow able to buck that trend and remain incredible.
The writing team did a great job with the characters and even though I’m sad about the Raph and Alopex’s falling out, hopefully something will come of it later on. Really the fans will be hurting the most as we’ll no longer get to see Campbell’s wonderful renderings of her. I seriously never cared for her character until the last story arc, but after this arc and Campbell’s illustrations I’m a big Alo-head.
This series is great and if you missed this arc the next one is a good place to jump on. This is more than a Turtles book, it’s an action adventure story filled with ninjas and street fights… it’s like the mutated baby of Big Trouble in Little China… don’t ask me which of them is Kurt Russell.
Score: BUY!
Writers: Tom Waltz Artist: Ross Campbell Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/12/14