As far as last issue goes, I thought the story was a little too scrambled up for my taste. The introduction of the Rat King was just odd timing and even the layout of the plot all read wrong for me. I enjoyed getting back to the real villains in TMNT with Shredder and Krang meeting up. Clearly, the picture showed a meeting that was set up, so I had to see how it all unfolded in #37 with these two vile characters. I have always loved the evil side of movies, comics, and books. I think those characters have the most potential to be dynamic in nature. With so many villains in the TMNT world it is hard to say who the favorite is. When I was younger, of course Shredder always came out on top. Krang was too weird for me, but with this new IDW Turtle comic, Krang has come out as a hard contender for first. His backstory makes you almost sympathetic for the dude and his alien race. Knowing that he is so committed to Utrom shows that he may just be the most committed character in this comic. When he almost killed himself to keep the ooze intact proved loyalty to something other than himself. Although, I don’t think Krang is dynamic, actually he is quite static, I still think he weighs in with how the plot progresses each time he is in the issue. Plus to his race he has the heart of a hero.
Shredder is a hero to the Foot too, but I think he would backstab anyone in order for personal gain. For him, it is all personal. So I was surprised to see that Shredder set up this meeting with Krang but in desperate times you need to ask for help. Shredder is asking for an alliance. Now, I would probably ask for Krang’s help too. He has power, soldiers, technology, and of course ooze. Shredder claims he wants more ooze, which I think is true, but I also think he genuinely wants Krang’s help. After losing Leo and knowing that Splinter has some plan in the works, Shredder wants protection and plans so he can stay one step ahead. If Shredder got his way, it would mean an uphill battle from here on out with the Turtles. Having these great forces collide would bring on a fight that the Turtles would need more bodies for. I already think that the Turtles need more fighters. They have Slash and Hob, but who knows if they can be trusted. Eventually all sides will have an army, and four turtles and a white dude can’t take down an army.
The other ally that the Turtles could use is Alopex. I was excited to see her in this issue. Not much was mentioned, but enough to know that she is still a part of the comic and out there. I just hope that the Turtles get to her before Shredder does.
I was pleased with the story in this issue if you couldn’t tell. Although we don’t even see the Turtles, it played out more consistent. The action was awesome all thanks to Cory Smith for drawing up the art for this issue. It had some scenes that I have been longing for in the battles. It also had this creepy vibe that couldn’t be explained but played right into the villain centered issue. I am looking forward to where we go from here. My hope is that the Turtles come together for an actual plan against one of their foes.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Tom Waltz Artist: Cory Smith Colorist: Rhonda Pattison Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 8/13/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital