I’ve always wanted to get into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but there have been so many irritations, from tv shows to movies to even games, that I didn’t know where to start. Finally, I decided to look up the origins of where the ninja turtles got their start, and obviously, they started out as a comic series created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The comics first developed in the mid-’80s are much different from the kid-friendly versions of the cartoon show counterparts. However, most of the defining traits we associate with the basics of the ninja turtles still remain, and it honestly made for such a fun read, even if these particular comics are not necessarily made for kids.
This series of comics endure the tales of the ninja turtles and how they got their start from being infected by radiation and learning jujitsu from their new rat father, master splinter. Years later, the turtles become teenagers and find themselves helping others and saving the day using their ninja fighting skills to stop the bad guys in their tracks.
This first volume of stories includes the origins of the Ninja Turtles and their many unconventional adventures where they end up in very precarious situations. Each story will include mild violence and swearing, but not in a way that makes it too adult or gory. These action-packed adventures hit the right balance of being thrilling but also funny and wacky simultaneously. I was wowed by how well these stories hold up to today’s standards. They usually revolve around the turtles helping a strange but charming character with their issues. The turtles would then end up in a much bigger problem than they initially thought would have easily been fixed shortly. This omnibus also includes behind-the-scenes commentary that the comic’s writers Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comment on, which gives great insight into making the stories for both new readers and old-time fans. This was an over great introduction to getting into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and it made me interested visit the other iterations of the brand to see if they can be just as good as these comics.
Most of us are familiar with the basic idea of the characters in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Even if you have never read the original comics. The main turtles, Leonardo, Donatello Raphel, and Michaelangelo, are well defined, and you can tell who is who by their dialogue and actions. They are fun to watch in action and have decent character depth to make them even more enjoyable. Other characters like the turtle master, splinter, the young reporter April O’Neal and the evil splinter are also very memorable, and each adds their own exciting quirks that work well on the turtle characters. It's fun to look at where these characters started because their defining traits would later carry on in other versions of the famous ninja turtles franchise.
The Illustrations are all done in black and white but are given so much depth and interest with well-shaded textures and almost realistic imagery mixed with just the right balance of cartoony expressions. The action is staged, almost like you're watching a movie, and the boxes that include the turtles kicking butt and car chases in the streets are great and create interest. The violence is not gory, but it is more than what you’d see in kid-oriented versions, which makes these comics stand out from the cartoons. The human characters look realistic, while characters like Splinter and the turtles have cartoony attributes but still feel believable in the world that they live in. The turtle characters are expressive, but admittedly, it's hard to tell them apart from a visual perspective (which is something they would fix in the later iterations.) the locations, such as the city, are made exciting. There is no telling what crazy environment the turtles will end up in next.
This first omnibus has opened my eyes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise in an intriguing way. Granted these comics are more edgy and violent than the kid-friendly cartoons. Still, the main ideas and character traits have mostly carried on through the multiple versions of the ninja turtles iterations. If you are new to the ninja turtles franchise like I was but want to give it a chance, this is a great starting point to get you into becoming a possible fan and introduce you to the most iconic ninjas to ever hit entertainment.
(Final Grade: A-)