Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

As a TMNT fan, this was an amazing first issue from IDW Publishing that delivered everything you could have asked for, as well as some new ideas that add to the TMNT mythos. New fans will also enjoy being able to just pick up and read with little explanation needed, but the ones who are really going to enjoy this issue are the fans. This issue shows how far you can take turtle power. Read Full Review

Sheer enjoyment increases my rating on this beyond simply story and art. Read Full Review

Figuratively and literally, the carefree 80's attitude that the turtles represented for so long gets tossed along the wayside. Not that I expected IDW to go that route, but it's nice to see them acknowledge it and move on. This is a promising start to the series and just might deliver the sort of adventures fans have wanted for quite a long time. Read Full Review

The series is off to a great start and hopefully will continue to impress. Read Full Review

Overall, it'll take some getting used to, thinking that these goofball characters will be able to tell some really good stories instead of being flashy marketing tools, but honestly, some of the best comics involve the ability to swing from ludicrous concepts to surprisingly real moments with ease, and the Ninja Turtles could certainly accomplish that feat. TMNT #1 is a good start in that direction. We'll know more if and when we first see Shredder. Read Full Review

Fans of the characters, especially from their comic roots, will want to pick this up (although there is a nice joke thrown in for fans of the animated series as well.). Worth a look. Read Full Review

This isn't the worst Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book I've ever read. As a new series, with a new take on old characters, this story has a bit of everything and it works rather well. There is plenty of setup, and while no real reveals are made, it's enough to bring me back for another couple of issues. If you like the Turtles franchise, or are looking for something different to pick up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 is worth checking out, and earns 3.5 out of 5 Stars. Read Full Review

While I recall the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cartoon as geared towards a younger audience, I thought for certain this book would have a younger slant to it, but having one of the turtles utter "damn" instead of a younger term, coupled with a kick to an opponent's crotch and declaration of "No baby gangstas for you, dude!" deflated that expectation. This book is clearly aimed towards an older readership, and it serves them well. Read Full Review

With the introduction over now the story has to take over. This issue does a good job of showing how the series is going to be made up. It's got action and some mystery to it, which should be good enough for now. However, unless we get a handle on the characters and what makes them tick this series may not fulfill my needs for this franchise. This was a moderate start. Read Full Review

The first issue kicks off with the Turtles and Splinter facing off a new villain named Old Hob, a mutated alley cat with a bone to pick with the Turtles and their master. As if to make it clear to readers and parent buyers that despite the appearance of the art this is still a relatively kid friendly book, Splinter immediately tells the Turtles that in the battle with Hob, "None must die:" Read Full Review

If director Jonathan Liebesman's reboot does well enough at the global box office to warrant a sequel, I'm really hoping the project will have a far more compelling narrative and take more steps to expand the mythos. All in all, this is a fun albeit mostly forgettable experience. The visuals, action, and humor are solid, but everything else comes off feeling pretty cliche. Oh, and if you do wind up strongly disliking the movie but still love the franchise, please remember the animated show on Nick and the IDW series are both consistently excellent! Read Full Review

Hislight

Jan 11, 2020

A fresh start for the Turtles. This series changes the origin of many characters in a way that feels very modern. April is much younger here but feels more empowered, while characters like Casey give us a glimpse of abuse and issues young men deal with. It was very adult in nature with jokes that also matched that theme without going overboard. It felt very much like the Ninja Turtles, nothing about this issue felt off in tone or had you cringing. The new concepts offered are interesting and make you want to read the next issue. The art is loose in a way that is dynamic and gripping with that energy loose drawings can offer. Its a perfect fit with great iteration of the Turtles and a color pallet that offers this new comic world a nice poli sh. more

Hex

Jun 21, 2022

So I didn't really grow up with the Turtles. My dad did in the 80s and tried to pass some of it on to me but they never really stuck. I liked the movie and some of the games and even the early 2000s animated show but they were still a fringe interest for me. Recently, I've been much more interested and decided to pick this up. While I don't know the full history of the Turtles, I know that this is a new origin and status quo for them as well as Splinter. It's fresh, interesting and actually grips me more because I know that it's not the norm. Eastman and Waltz did a fantastic job this issue with setting up a slew of characters, their motivations going forward and a brilliant pace throughout. Establishing Mikey, Donny, Leo, Raph, Splinter, A pril, Krang, Stockman, this Old Hob character I am not familiar with and of course, Casey. Usually in a first issue I would say that throwing that much in so quickly would be a disaster or at least that the book wouldn't be paced well enough to give each appearance a good hook but Eastman knows his characters well and it's displayed beautifully in the writing as well as artistically on the page by Dan Duncan. more

Ryan Spade

Jun 29, 2019

IDW brings us a new iteration of the Heroes in a Half-Shell, with Tom Waltz in the writers seat. The story begins with mutant turtles Leo, Mike, Don and their mutant rat dad Splinter fighting against a human gang, with the ruffians being led by a mutant cat named Old Hob. Meanwhile, Raphael is separated from the group and comes upon a domestic violence situation with a familiar character from the TMNT franchise as the victim. The story also gives a glimpse at the origins of this version of the reptilians and gives us a cameo of another soon-to-be friend of the protagonists, along with a villain possibly tying in to their beginnings. Dan Duncan is the artist for the issue and his artwork is grim and solid in the present day parts, with the a rt standing out while showing the Turtles beating down on their opponents. The flashback segment has a brighter green hues, selling the tone of simple beginnings for the team. Overall, this is worth a buy if you want to start reading the great Turtles comic that began back in 2011. more

Kenjamin

Jun 26, 2024

Art: 3/5 Story: 3.5/5 Total: 6.5/10