Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Utrom Empire #3 Review


Do we really need to care for these secondary characters? Or is this whole concept a waste of time? Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

Baxter’s gambit reaches its endgame, but Fugitoid has some tricks up his sleeve! With the fate of the Utrom race in his hands, whom will the robot scientist end up saving? The dramatic past of the Utroms will have dire consequences in the present day!

TMNT Utrom 3_Preview Page 2Much like the limited series, The Secret History of the Foot Clan, this volume sets up story lines that look to be essential for the next year in the main Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book. And that right there is enough of a reason to grab a seat and enjoy these festivities.

The script by Paul Allor is exactly the level of quality these proceedings deserve. From the Fugitoid to Krang we get development, as the global threat known as the Technodrome looms in the background. In all honesty the arc contained within these three issues turned out to be predictable with only a handful of surprises, but the text maintained a strong enough current to keep me engaged. Because of that innate strength these proceedings do more right than wrong as this author takes us down a final romp with a worthwhile conclusion to boot.

The highly stylized works of Andy Kuhn can be a bit chaotic for some viewers but for my money I was enamored by them. His frim grasp on the world and the material within builds a sturdy visual language that fits the scope of this yarn. There were a couple instances where the illustrations turned out to be a bit shaky but never to the point where I was taken out of the experience. Add in the colors by Bill Crabtree and we’re given a way to see this terror rise.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Utrom Empire #3 is a comic that may not write its own destiny but it does enough to generate excitement. As 2014 rolls on it garners praise for whatever looms for our heroes in a half-shell. Recommended.

OUR RATING
8
  • + The script by Paul Allor made me feel for Krang...
  • + Andy Kuhn offers up some highly stylized art!
  • + The ending twist. Not going to spoil it!
  • - Events in the present day felt underdeveloped.

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