Review: TMNT: Mutanimals #1
I love me some TMNT. I like mutant animal hybrids. I was however cautiously aware that this comic might suck. Spoiler, it doesn't. It works and it's awesome. I love the characters. I'm familiar with Old Hob, Slash, Mondo Gecko and (to some extent) Pigeon Pete (who just sky-rocketed to my favorite character in this book). I was unaware of Herman the hermit crab. Him and Pete are lucky to have alliterated names, or did they change them after the mutation.
The characters sound like real people and mostly feel unique (too much use of the word null though). Pigeon Pete is the perfect example of a unique voice, he is fun to read and his interactions made me laugh a few times.
The art is awesome, it feels dark and gritty and has a definite style. The action is easy to follow. They make use of varying panels and sizes, which sometimes leaves a lot of white border, which detracts from the issues darkness. I guess a gray border would up the printing cost, but I think it would be worth it for the tone of the book.
The story set-up is quick and gets right into the action. There's no origin story here just a group of mutant animals that get on with their stuff. The ending also leaves the book in a good place. We get to know everyone, we understand the stakes, we know who the bad guy is (kinda) and we know where things are going.
Score: 4/5
TMNT: Mutanimals #1 Writer: Paul Allor Artist: Andy Kuhn Colorist: Nick Filardi Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 2/25/15 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital