TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: TURTLES IN TIME #1 Review

Is this trek through the fourth dimension really worth your attention? Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

A brand new mini-series from Paul Allor, Erik Burnham and some of the best IDW TMNT artists ever! The Turtles become unstuck in time and go spinning into the past! First stop: the prehistoric age, where they are far from the most dangerous reptiles around! Will the Turtles be able to find their way home without damaging history?

I’ll admit the first thing I thought of when I saw this comic in my review pile was the old beat ’em up arcade game. Sadly this doesn’t follow that narrative but instead features another excuse for our heroes in a half-shell to jump into the past. Even so it carries a premise with enough meat that the creative team pushes forward with their shenanigans and trust me fans are going to be pleased.

Paul Allor writes the script and does a fine job keeping the momentum of the piece tight while playing up the personalities of our primary characters. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael each act like themselves even in the midst of a prehistoric journey full of dinosaurs, unanswered questions and a few interesting encounters.  To sum up: this body of text is fun as it sends the somewhat tamed current iteration of the Ninja Turtles into a wild and crazy ride that, given time, looks bound to get more interesting.

The illustrations handed in by Ross Campbell are just as soft as you would expect them to be. It might seem weird to refer to the renditions offered here or in any sort of superhero yarn as beautiful but that’s what they are. Sure pencil strokes cascade in brilliance with the added layer of colors done by Bill Crabtree. This is without a doubt a dream team of awesomeness that knows exactly how to execute their unique sensibilities while garnering much deserved praise.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time #1 is the beginning of a mini-series that’s ready to please even the most discerning fanboy or fangirl. Recommended.