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A review by stephen_arvidson
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Volume 9 by Dean Clarrain
4.0
Spinoffs and crossovers are something of a hollowed tradition for the comic-book medium, and when you have a multi-million dollar juggernaut like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles such conceits are par for the course. These divestitures are a decidedly mixed bag. When done right, they instill some oft needed flavor and variety without cheapening the reading experience. Alternately, many crossovers and spinoffs are poorly conceived, confusing, and a blatant exploitation of brand loyalty at the expense of quality storytelling. Luckily, that’s not the case for the stories found in Volume 9 of the IDW trades, which collects Issues #38-40 of Archie’s TMNT Adventures and Issue #6 of its sister series, The Mighty Mutanimals—hold up, sir, did you just say #38-40? Didn’t Volume 8 leave off at #31? Sadly, yes, for reasons of political correctness IDW, in their infinite wisdom, decided against reprinting TMNTA #32-37, thereby leaving a gaping hole in the narrative. Hope you have those missing issues on hand. If not, consider tracking ‘em down.
Volume 9 comprises a three-part crossover collectively titled “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”, along with a didactic filler story to tide over fans until the next big multi-issue arc. “United We Stand” immediately follows the events of MM #5 (which, regrettably, was never reprinted) and is the culmination of everything The Mighty Mutanimals has been building toward since the start of the series proper—and the ragtag rebel team would align itself with the Ninja Turtles a few more times under Dean Clarrain’s direction, including the short-lived Merdude spinoff. “Part One” (#38) opens in the midst of battle, with most of the Mutanimals lying unconscious and Leatherhead holding his own as bullets fly overhead. Without the first five entries of MM, nor the aforementioned TMNTA issues that IDW sidestepped, unwary readers will feel as if they’ve walked in on a movie an hour after it started. Readers possessing the original prints will be less disoriented and have no trouble discerning the new players and their respective motivations.
Still seeking to bring about the world's end, the dastardly Null makes an overdue return after forming a new alliance, this time with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. As readers will see, this scumbag is literally pulling no punches when it comes to the female of the species; and to further augment his demonic powers through commission of vile misdeeds Null has captured gunslinger Kid Terra and a leopard-skin-clad adventuress named Juntarra, mother of Jagwar (the de facto leader of the Mutanimals). Juntarra is frequently shown unleashing a barrage of Symbol Swearing—enough to make Negan blush. As the Mutanimals are beaten to a pulp by Null’s robo-skeletons, the Turtles, Splinter, and Ninjara enter the fray with the help of a beautiful shape-shifter named Azrael. As it happens, the hollow-cheeked androids are merely the appetizer. Before our heroes can catch their breath, three hulking monstrosities emerge from the burning rainforest. Controlled by means of puppetry, War, Famine, and Pestilence prove an unstoppable force with the ability to distort reality to their whims. But when the plankton-chips are down, it’s the pint-sized Screwloose who shifts the tides in favor of the good guys. Mike Kazaleh’s pencilling in MM #6 is ungainly and childlike; his depictions of the Four Horsemen are just a bit too whimsical and cutesy. On the other hand, TMNTA #38 and #39 succeed largely thanks to sheer drama and Chris Allan’s visually compelling artwork, yet an all-too convenient deus ex machina mars an otherwise gripping climax. Dean Clarrain paints himself into a corner by pitting the heroes against unbeatable foes with no reasonable means of escape. Despite a disappointing finale and a rather goofy middle section, “United We Stand” is a triumphant piece of storytelling with hard-edged battle sequences, formidable foes, and a crossover that’s both organic and effective.
Volume 9’s closing issue, “1492”, offers a sobering window into the darker side of colonial history after a temporal overlap whisks the Turtles, Splinter, and Ninjara back 500 years to the precise moment that Christopher Columbus discovered the New World—if you don’t count Leif Ericson, of course. After the team befriends a group of Arawakan natives on the Caribbean shores, a white evilacular Columbus rolls up in his Spanish caravels, patting himself on the back for finding a new route from the west to the east. Coveting proof of his expedition’s success, the Italian explorer orders Donatello be taken back to the Santa Maria where the terrapin is made to listen to a lengthy monologue about Columbus’s love affair with gold. While the rest of the team clashes with roughneck Conquistadors, an eerie earth spirit called The Other educates Don (and the readers) on how Columbus wasn’t the protagonist America paints him to be, but rather a marauding imperialist who brought disease and death upon the indigenous peoples. While “1492” seems intended as a counterpoint to the spurious American tradition that is Colombus Day, Dean Clarrain’s bumbling use of The Other feels extremely heavy-handed. As smear campaigns go, this would have been more successful without the long-winded lecture. Still, I give Clarrain credit for trying. As to the aesthetics, inker Brian Thomas deserves props for his splendid shadow-work during Don’s imprisonment scenes in the oil-lamp-lit brig; however, colorist Barry Grossman really phoned it in this issue, repeatedly mixing up Mikey’s and Raph’s bandanas and giving Wingnut’s upper back a fleshy Caucasian color. Although appealing and accessible, this time-travel tale misses the mark in places—and that ethereal eel-like creature is borderline creepy, enough to give Marty McFly some real nightmare fuel to sweat over!
Volume 9 comprises a three-part crossover collectively titled “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”, along with a didactic filler story to tide over fans until the next big multi-issue arc. “United We Stand” immediately follows the events of MM #5 (which, regrettably, was never reprinted) and is the culmination of everything The Mighty Mutanimals has been building toward since the start of the series proper—and the ragtag rebel team would align itself with the Ninja Turtles a few more times under Dean Clarrain’s direction, including the short-lived Merdude spinoff. “Part One” (#38) opens in the midst of battle, with most of the Mutanimals lying unconscious and Leatherhead holding his own as bullets fly overhead. Without the first five entries of MM, nor the aforementioned TMNTA issues that IDW sidestepped, unwary readers will feel as if they’ve walked in on a movie an hour after it started. Readers possessing the original prints will be less disoriented and have no trouble discerning the new players and their respective motivations.
Still seeking to bring about the world's end, the dastardly Null makes an overdue return after forming a new alliance, this time with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. As readers will see, this scumbag is literally pulling no punches when it comes to the female of the species; and to further augment his demonic powers through commission of vile misdeeds Null has captured gunslinger Kid Terra and a leopard-skin-clad adventuress named Juntarra, mother of Jagwar (the de facto leader of the Mutanimals). Juntarra is frequently shown unleashing a barrage of Symbol Swearing—enough to make Negan blush. As the Mutanimals are beaten to a pulp by Null’s robo-skeletons, the Turtles, Splinter, and Ninjara enter the fray with the help of a beautiful shape-shifter named Azrael. As it happens, the hollow-cheeked androids are merely the appetizer. Before our heroes can catch their breath, three hulking monstrosities emerge from the burning rainforest. Controlled by means of puppetry, War, Famine, and Pestilence prove an unstoppable force with the ability to distort reality to their whims. But when the plankton-chips are down, it’s the pint-sized Screwloose who shifts the tides in favor of the good guys. Mike Kazaleh’s pencilling in MM #6 is ungainly and childlike; his depictions of the Four Horsemen are just a bit too whimsical and cutesy. On the other hand, TMNTA #38 and #39 succeed largely thanks to sheer drama and Chris Allan’s visually compelling artwork, yet an all-too convenient deus ex machina mars an otherwise gripping climax. Dean Clarrain paints himself into a corner by pitting the heroes against unbeatable foes with no reasonable means of escape. Despite a disappointing finale and a rather goofy middle section, “United We Stand” is a triumphant piece of storytelling with hard-edged battle sequences, formidable foes, and a crossover that’s both organic and effective.
Volume 9’s closing issue, “1492”, offers a sobering window into the darker side of colonial history after a temporal overlap whisks the Turtles, Splinter, and Ninjara back 500 years to the precise moment that Christopher Columbus discovered the New World—if you don’t count Leif Ericson, of course. After the team befriends a group of Arawakan natives on the Caribbean shores, a white evilacular Columbus rolls up in his Spanish caravels, patting himself on the back for finding a new route from the west to the east. Coveting proof of his expedition’s success, the Italian explorer orders Donatello be taken back to the Santa Maria where the terrapin is made to listen to a lengthy monologue about Columbus’s love affair with gold. While the rest of the team clashes with roughneck Conquistadors, an eerie earth spirit called The Other educates Don (and the readers) on how Columbus wasn’t the protagonist America paints him to be, but rather a marauding imperialist who brought disease and death upon the indigenous peoples. While “1492” seems intended as a counterpoint to the spurious American tradition that is Colombus Day, Dean Clarrain’s bumbling use of The Other feels extremely heavy-handed. As smear campaigns go, this would have been more successful without the long-winded lecture. Still, I give Clarrain credit for trying. As to the aesthetics, inker Brian Thomas deserves props for his splendid shadow-work during Don’s imprisonment scenes in the oil-lamp-lit brig; however, colorist Barry Grossman really phoned it in this issue, repeatedly mixing up Mikey’s and Raph’s bandanas and giving Wingnut’s upper back a fleshy Caucasian color. Although appealing and accessible, this time-travel tale misses the mark in places—and that ethereal eel-like creature is borderline creepy, enough to give Marty McFly some real nightmare fuel to sweat over!