Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time Vol 1 - 4 Review
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time, takes our favorite heroes on the half shell into four different timezones. The turtles journey into the prehistoric period, feudal Japan, the golden age of pirates and the future. This is a short four part story arc written by Paul Allor and Erik Burnham. Is this a story arc worth the time jump? Or should you stay in the present times?
One thing I love about TMNT: Turtles In Time is that each volume focuses on one particular turtle. Making each one of the turtles the main focal point really help me as the reader connect more to them individually. In volume 1 the turtles arrived in the prehistoric era, all thanks to their time traveling friend Renet. After dodging an stampede of dinosaurs Raphael is capture by aliens of Krang's race. It's up to the remaining turtles to find out how to get Raphael back and how can they get home. I will say out of all the four volumes this one was the most lighthearted one. Raphael is the main focal point in this volume. It was fun to see Raphael vulnerable and having to rely on the help of others. Fans actually will get to see a sweeter side of Raphael as he befriends a baby dinosaur he calls pepperoni. This was a fun issue and it captures the spirit of the turtles for the younger readers. There is enough action for older fans and in this issue Mikey steals the show. I won't give it away all I will say is turtles can fly.
In volume 2 the turtles travel to feudal Japan. This volume had the most emotional depth and hits the turtles hard. The main focal point in this volume is Leonardo. When the turtles arrive a fellow ninja is being attack by a group of other ninjas. The turtles decide to intervene and stop the attackers, they later find out the person they help was Hamato Yoshi. Hamato Yoshi sees the turtles as demons but invites them back to his home as he is grateful for their assistance. I won't go into any more details since it enters spoiler land. I will say this was a pretty intense volume for Leonardo, because he is tempted to change certain events in the past. Leo is in a really dark place in this volume and it was great to see him be conflicted with his moral code. To see the leader filled with hate, rage and willing to end something makes the reader ask would I have these same feelings.
The dark tone shifts to another lighthearted tone as volume three is all Mikey. The turtles travel to the golden age of pirates. The pirates are in trouble with the Kraken and are about to lose hope. Enters Mikey who decides to take upon himself to be the voice of inspiration. Mikey shows a rare serious tone as he gives a great dialogue of never giving up and the importance of pushing forward. Inspire by his words the pirates make Mikey the captain of the ship. This ensues a bunch of humorous moments with Mikey and his brothers. This volume is pack with humor and a feel good story for Mikey.
The final volume is my favorite because like volume 2 it has emotional depth. The final stop is a future that is ruled by the Shredder. The place is called Shredder Island which was formerly known as Manhattan. Humans and mutants live in a coexisting world. However all is not what it seems as Shredder rules with an iron fist. The main focal point of the story is Donny. Like Leo, Donny sees something he wants to change in the future in order to save it. He is at great conflict with himself and we see a vulnerability to the turtle who always has the answers. There is a moment where future self and past self meet and it is the highlight of this volume. Seeing my favorite turtle carry so much shame, regret and sorrow was great to read.
Overall I enjoyed this story arc it has everything you look for in the turtles. The book has humor, two great emotional depth stories and the artwork is spot on. If you love the turtles this a fun but an emotional story arc to check out. Each turtle has a lesson to learn and it furthers their characters more.
Final Grade 8.5/10
One thing I love about TMNT: Turtles In Time is that each volume focuses on one particular turtle. Making each one of the turtles the main focal point really help me as the reader connect more to them individually. In volume 1 the turtles arrived in the prehistoric era, all thanks to their time traveling friend Renet. After dodging an stampede of dinosaurs Raphael is capture by aliens of Krang's race. It's up to the remaining turtles to find out how to get Raphael back and how can they get home. I will say out of all the four volumes this one was the most lighthearted one. Raphael is the main focal point in this volume. It was fun to see Raphael vulnerable and having to rely on the help of others. Fans actually will get to see a sweeter side of Raphael as he befriends a baby dinosaur he calls pepperoni. This was a fun issue and it captures the spirit of the turtles for the younger readers. There is enough action for older fans and in this issue Mikey steals the show. I won't give it away all I will say is turtles can fly.
In volume 2 the turtles travel to feudal Japan. This volume had the most emotional depth and hits the turtles hard. The main focal point in this volume is Leonardo. When the turtles arrive a fellow ninja is being attack by a group of other ninjas. The turtles decide to intervene and stop the attackers, they later find out the person they help was Hamato Yoshi. Hamato Yoshi sees the turtles as demons but invites them back to his home as he is grateful for their assistance. I won't go into any more details since it enters spoiler land. I will say this was a pretty intense volume for Leonardo, because he is tempted to change certain events in the past. Leo is in a really dark place in this volume and it was great to see him be conflicted with his moral code. To see the leader filled with hate, rage and willing to end something makes the reader ask would I have these same feelings.
The dark tone shifts to another lighthearted tone as volume three is all Mikey. The turtles travel to the golden age of pirates. The pirates are in trouble with the Kraken and are about to lose hope. Enters Mikey who decides to take upon himself to be the voice of inspiration. Mikey shows a rare serious tone as he gives a great dialogue of never giving up and the importance of pushing forward. Inspire by his words the pirates make Mikey the captain of the ship. This ensues a bunch of humorous moments with Mikey and his brothers. This volume is pack with humor and a feel good story for Mikey.
The final volume is my favorite because like volume 2 it has emotional depth. The final stop is a future that is ruled by the Shredder. The place is called Shredder Island which was formerly known as Manhattan. Humans and mutants live in a coexisting world. However all is not what it seems as Shredder rules with an iron fist. The main focal point of the story is Donny. Like Leo, Donny sees something he wants to change in the future in order to save it. He is at great conflict with himself and we see a vulnerability to the turtle who always has the answers. There is a moment where future self and past self meet and it is the highlight of this volume. Seeing my favorite turtle carry so much shame, regret and sorrow was great to read.
Overall I enjoyed this story arc it has everything you look for in the turtles. The book has humor, two great emotional depth stories and the artwork is spot on. If you love the turtles this a fun but an emotional story arc to check out. Each turtle has a lesson to learn and it furthers their characters more.
Final Grade 8.5/10
