Kevin Eastman’s and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continue their adventures through a second volume of stories in one epic collection. Overall, I was impressed with the first volume of stories as they were action-packed, fun, and cool. I was so impressed by what I’ve read so far that I ordered the second volume of stories in the Ultimate collection of the famous Ninja Team shortly after. I discovered more of the same adventurous and action-filled stories that I’ve learned about the turtles. At the same time, these stories further pushed the creativity and even the drama to new places that I would have never expected these stories to do.
The Ninja Turtles' continuing adventures see them fighting crime in New York City and realms beyond their understanding. Familiar heroes and Foes accompany the turtles on their action-packed adventures, but soon, a considerable threat intimates The Turtles and those close to them, and things may turn out to be worse than feared for the Ninja team.
The Stories are action-packed but also very well-written and paced. Expect to see a lot of fighting baddies and the Turtles spewing phrases that relate to their character. However, these stories stand out in particular because they are creative and can also be deep and dramatic, making them insanely memorable. Some stories include Donatello coming across an artist named Kirby, who can bring drawings to life using a pencil with magical properties, or Leonardo going on a journey of self-discovery during Christmas only to be stopped by a familiar foe. Behind-the-scenes commentary from Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird after each story is a nice treat for fans to get the scoop on how these stories were put together. This is the best I’ve seen the Ninja Turtles at storywise. It's gonna take the same amount of passion and creativity for any other volumes that follow in the Ultimate Collection to top what has been done here.
The Characters are fun entertaining, and even quite profound when they need to be. Of course, the four ninja turtles, Leonardo, Donatello Rafel, and Michelangelo, are easy to remember. What makes it even better is that most of them get their little side stories that tie into their character struggles or just go on a solo mission where they get into more trouble than they bargained for. Other characters such as Splinter and April O Neil get more time to shine as some character arcs they have really make them more engaging than ever before. Sometimes, surprise characters will make an appearance and an impression, like Cerberus from the comics of the same name, as he teams up with the ninja turtles to take on a new threat. What more can I say? These characters are a blast to go on butt-kicking adventures with.
The Illustrations are black and white once more. Still, every panel pops out to the viewer's eye thanks to how the panels are laid out to emphasize action or an expression on a character’s face. It's still tough to tell the Turtles apart, given the limitations of the visuals. Still, thankfully, it's more straightforward to tell who is who, as sometimes the ninja turtles will be shown separately in certain scenes or in solo stories of their own. Like before, the turtles and splinter are shown in a more cartoony lens, while the human characters look more realistic. Some visuals, such as fighting bad guys or the harsh winters during Christmas, are expertly done and flow nicely from panel to panel. The only thing I believe would have been better is if the snow in the first story in this book wasn’t overcrowded to the point that some scenes seem hard to see through. Still, even with that said, these visuals are great and have gotten even better from the last ultimate collection.
Somehow, against all odds, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 2” offers some of the best stories I’ve seen from the Turtles and any comic in general. The creativity and storytelling have come a long way since the first volumes of stories, and volume 2 has some of the best stories that I’ve seen from anything Ninja Turtles related; sure, sometimes the black and white illustrations can be limiting, but the storytelling and characters make these comics worth reading. This is the best I’ve seen the Ninja Turtles, and it makes me hope the next volume of stories is just as great.
(Final Grade: A)