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Some random TMNT comic thoughts
Jun. 29th, 2013 08:51 pmThe other day, I was browsing through some of the original Mirage comics (as I've been following the new TMNT IDW series, so I was curious about the original series), and then found my favorite story arc from the Tales of the TMNT: Vol 2 #5 plus the Tales of Leonardo: Blind Sight miniseries.
I'm seriously in love.
For one, the aesthetic used to represent Leo's blindness (vector shapes in black and white) is both gorgeous and a great way to represent Leo's visual blindness but limited awareness of his surroundings. For another, it's quite introspective, which I always enjoy, and Leo'sacid-tripping tea-induced hallucination about ancient Japan was really interesting and also pretty meaningful. I especially love the mythology in his acid-tripping dream, in which Leo is the son of a Kappa but was condemned to a life among mortals (though how he could have fathered a human daughter, I don't want to know).
Speaking ofacid-tripping wacked-out dreams, I also enjoyed the craziness that was TMNT IDW #23 and the way Leo was brainwashed into following the Shredder. Visually, those pages were quite stunning, and they did a great job of representing the insanity and creepiness and sheer chaos of his hallucination.
I know basically everyone is gushing about Mateus Santolouco's artwork, but personally I'm not a fan of the way he renders the turtles. The very detailed articulation of their faces bothers me for some reason. Actually, I've always had a hard time getting into Western comics because a lot of the art styles don't appeal to me, although while I initially didn't like Dan Duncan's (the first TMNT IDW artist) art, it grew on me a lot over time.
I've read every issue of IDW's TMNT so far except #12 (yeah, random I know, but I couldn't find it) and the whole Krang War arc. The whole reincarnation schtick had me skeptical at first, but so far it doesn't seem to be a big plot point other than setting up the conflict between Splinter and Shredder. While it's still pretty early on in the City Fall arc, I love the idea of it and think there's a lot of potential, and I'm also interested in seeing the repercussions of City Fall in the arc that comes next. Leo's always been one of the most introspective turtles and tends to feel very guilty about failures or perceived failures, so I'm thinking he'll have a lot of emotional baggage by the time his brothers snap him out of Shredder's brainwashing.
I'm seriously in love.
For one, the aesthetic used to represent Leo's blindness (vector shapes in black and white) is both gorgeous and a great way to represent Leo's visual blindness but limited awareness of his surroundings. For another, it's quite introspective, which I always enjoy, and Leo's
Speaking of
I know basically everyone is gushing about Mateus Santolouco's artwork, but personally I'm not a fan of the way he renders the turtles. The very detailed articulation of their faces bothers me for some reason. Actually, I've always had a hard time getting into Western comics because a lot of the art styles don't appeal to me, although while I initially didn't like Dan Duncan's (the first TMNT IDW artist) art, it grew on me a lot over time.
I've read every issue of IDW's TMNT so far except #12 (yeah, random I know, but I couldn't find it) and the whole Krang War arc. The whole reincarnation schtick had me skeptical at first, but so far it doesn't seem to be a big plot point other than setting up the conflict between Splinter and Shredder. While it's still pretty early on in the City Fall arc, I love the idea of it and think there's a lot of potential, and I'm also interested in seeing the repercussions of City Fall in the arc that comes next. Leo's always been one of the most introspective turtles and tends to feel very guilty about failures or perceived failures, so I'm thinking he'll have a lot of emotional baggage by the time his brothers snap him out of Shredder's brainwashing.
