In anticipation of their appearance in the new Ninja Turtles movie, IDW has produced a miniseries featuring Bebop and Rocksteady, who proceed to go hog (and rhino) wild all over time and space.
Is it good?
TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #1 (IDW Publishing)
Observations
- This looks really cool, but I sure wish I knew what the heck was going on.
- Ah, now things make more sense (I think).
- The fourth wall just got its shell kicked.
- Bebop and Rocksteady may be goofballs, but it’s good to be reminded how dangerous they are.
- Ugh. Seriously? This character again?
- *gets a cup of coffee while characters drone on about time travel paradoxes*
- Hey, we finally got to a big fight scene…
- …and an excellent cliffhanger.
Is It Good?
There is so much about this book that could be great, but it’s held back by a swirling vortex of awful that parks itself right in the middle of the narrative.
For starters, we see the return of someone who might be the most annoying character in IDW’s entire licensed franchise library. I don’t want to spoil it here, but let’s just say that this person makes Pigeon Pete seem coherent.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the fun and interesting storyline is brought to a grinding halt by a discussion about time travel paradoxes. It’s brutal. I’m not sure the subject was discussed this much (or this terribly) in all three of the Back to the Future movies combined.
Fortunately, the issue is saved by some excellent artwork, although the multiple artists that contributed to it make things feel a bit uneven. And aside from the mind numbing time travel discussion, Ben Bates (story) and Dustin Weaver (script) have written something that could potentially be a lot of fun. There are some genuinely funny character moments for both the Turtles and Bebop/Rocksteady—along with a delightfully intriguing hook for the next issue. Combine that with some great art and this one barely makes the cut to stay on next month’s pull list. Let’s just hope a certain character gets moved a bit further into the background by then.
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