By: Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz (story), Cory Smith (art), Ronda Pattison (colors)
The Story: Krang fails to appreciate that any invasion is improved with ninja.
The Review: I’d forgotten that Shredder had a preexisting relationship with Krang, but in my defense, I’m not sure I ever knew it in the first place. In Secret History of the Foot Clan, we saw Shredder consorting with and ultimately betraying someone who looked like Krang, but who was merely referred to as the “iron demon.” At the time, I thought maybe this was a predecessor of Krang’s, him appearing several hundred years in the past and all, but that he was Krang himself is a far better development.
For one thing, their past dealings eliminates any pretenses at pleasantries in their current meeting, with Krang openly hostile to Shredder’s offers of assistance. That kind of tension is needed to liven up an issue that is half conversation. There’s some interesting points in the discussion, including Shredder’s rather clever suggestion that he and his Foot Clan can be Krang’s puppet government to minimize human resistance to the alien’s control. But for the most part, the two villains are debriefing you on the actions they’ve taken against each other.
More accurately, it’s a brief on the actions Shredder has taken against Krang, as Krang proves too arrogant to retaliate. He allows Shredder to talk to satisfy his curiosity and perhaps to raise the warrior’s hopes before he puts it down completely. Unfortunately, despite Krang’s resources and technology, he fails to seriously account for Shredder’s tactical genius. In a rather Batman-like moment, Shredder reveals he has foreseen and avoided Krang’s death-blow, crowing, “Tricky ninja…remember?” And God forgive us, but you may love Shredder for it.
The remainder of the issue is Krang and Shredder demonstrating their different military styles: Krang, direct, passionate, determined to overwhelm by superior firepower; Shredder, subtle, patient, willing to pull out one contingency plan after another or bide his time for the perfect strike. Although Shredder gets the last word this time with the help of new mutant allies Koya and Bludgeon,* he’ll find it harder to deal with Krang once the Technodrome and the entire Ultrom army comes into play.
Meanwhile, both villains are too busy trying to finish the other to think of Kitsune, the one character who’s always been in the middle of them both yet somehow remaining out of their suspicions. We still have no idea what her own goals are, nor why it’s Shredder in particular she wants to fulfill them, but it’s clear she has plans that have nothing to do with Shredder’s or anyone else’s. It’s exciting to think that at any moment, she can change the entire course of the series by revealing her hand, and that moment seems to be coming soon, if her interaction with Alopex means anything.
Smith is a good replacement for Mateus Santolouco; both have a striking, dynamic approach to the TMNT that makes the comic look as close to mainstream as you can get with giant turtles as protagonists. Although slightly less refined than Santolouco, Smith also prefers a sharper look to his characters, compared to the rounded, almost cute style preferred by Ross Campbell, and his action sequences are roiling with energy. The movements of the characters don’t flow as well, but that intensity is definitely there.
Conclusion: Not a lot of movement in the issue, but a solid confrontation between two major villains nonetheless.
Grade: B
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: * I wonder if Bebop and Rocksteady will be threatened by the presence of these new guys, seeing as how they’re a lot more skilled and smarter than Shredder’s second-gen mutant thugs.
Grade
Conclusion