It’s a good time to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. The Heroes in a Half-Shell have crossed over with nearly every comic property in the universe, in addition to headlining a critically-acclaimed animated movie. Even the world of video games is getting hit with Turtlemania: first, the critically-acclaimed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin announced a game adaptation in development, and now there’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate #1. The one-shot from Henry Barajas, Pablo Verdugo, Gigi Dutriex, and Shawn Lee attempts to be a standalone tale while also leading into the events of the game. How does it succeed on those fronts?
I can’t mince words here: A good chunk of Splintered Fate #1 feels more like a checklist at times than an actual story. A LOT is crammed into 32 pages; the Turtles fight the Foot and Baxter Stockman’s Mousers. Then they have to battle Leatherhead. Then the Foot again. Not to mention the sheer weight of characters: in addition to the Turtles, there’s also Metalhead, April O’Neil, Splinter, Shredder, Karai…that’s enough to fuel at least five issues. Barajas’ script tries to be breezy, but it still feels like there are pieces missing. It also tends to fall back on stock TMNT characterizations: Splinter dispenses wise wisdom, Leonardo and Raphael butt heads, the Shredder is up to no good. Considering that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the ongoing IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series have taken the franchise in different yet familiar directions, I can’t help but feel a little let down.
However, for whatever bumps the script might have, they’re more than smoothed over by the artwork. Verdugo’s artwork is simply gorgeous; there’s more than a touch of anime influence in his designs, which fits the Turtles to a T. The designs also feel unique to each character, particularly our heroes in a half shell. Raphael is the biggest, Donatello has goggles, and Michelangelo is usually shown munching on noodles or pizza. The Shredder looks outright menacing and is covered in blades. Dutriex drenches it all in stunning colors, making sure each Turtle is a different shade of green – which contrasts with the Shredder’s silver armor and flowing red cape. There’s also some great lighting, especially in the opening sequences that feature a high-pitched battle between the Turtles and the Foot Clan against the full moon.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate #1 more or less serves as a giant ad for a mobile game, with stellar art making up for a stock story. Granted the one-shot did its job, as I’m curious enough to check out Splintered Fate. But given how other video games have translated to comics or utilized comics (Especially Fortnite), I feel like more could have been done with this concept.
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