Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Alopex

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - AlopexAlthough I haven’t paid attention to the previous one-shots of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains Micro-Series, this one caught my eye. Of all mutated enemies the Turtles have faced Alopex (Kevin Eastman’s first new TMNT character in more than 15 years) is one of the most intriguing in that the arctic fox is an honorable warrior bound to the Shredder‘s will who, given a different path, could easily be seen as an ally for the Turtles.

Presented entirely from Alopex’s point of view, the one-shot provides insight into the creature’s backstory as Shredder takes the arctic fox back the wilderness in which she was found and teaches her a valuable lesson about who her true family is while planting the first seeds of animosity between Alopex and her master.

Given we know so little about the character this issue should appeal to fans, and the dark turn it takes involving the arctic fox’s former home hopefully foreshadows a crisis on conscience for the character that we could see played out over several months (if not years). Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Batman and Catwoman #22

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Batman and Catwoman #22The constantly revolving door of Batman and… brings Catwoman to town with a secret mission from the Justice League of America to break into the Chinese Embassy and rescue the young daughter of a defecting biological weapons designer from those who want to use the girl as leverage for force her father to return to his work in China.

The more brutal Batman we’ve seen over the past few months is back in action, although he does find it in his heart to set the young girl’s fears at rest and even crack a smile. Artist Patrick Gleason makes good work of shadow panels as Batman and Catwoman make their way through the embassy’s guards. He also provides a nice splash panel celebrating the successful rescue.

Catwoman helps break Batman out of his funk as does Carrie Kelley whose continued perseverance at talking to Damian forces Batman to go to extreme lengths to continue the pretense that his son is still alive. I’m not sure where Carrie will eventually fit in, but any comic with her instead of Harper Row has to be counted as a win. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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FF #9

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FF #9The Future Foundation is invited to a pool party by an alien who once impersonated Julius Caesar. So.. it must be a Wednesday? It’s been awhile since I picked up Matt Fraction and Mike Allred’s take on the those the Fantastic Four left behind. Still wacky, the latest issue offers the team of She-Hulk, Medusa, Ms. Thing, and Scott Lang their chance to save the original Fantastic Four as well as the opportunity for tiny super-villain Bentley 23 to put together his first documentary masterpiece.

Light and fun, I enjoyed FF #9 in the same way I occasionally like cotton candy, but much like the first couple issues of the series I came away wanting something a little more substantial (or even more zany). I really want to like the comic more than I do, but I’m not sure this will ever be more for me than a world I give a peak into every six months or so (especially if the tone of comic is going to shift more from the wackiness of the various children to the adventures of the grown-ups – although this would also finally give She-Hulk something substantial to do). For fans.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Transformers: Regeneration One #93

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Transformers: Regeneration One #93As Hot Rod and the Dinobots continue their descent into the bowels of Cybertron, Soundwave has successfully neutralized the Autobots’ early warning defenses allowing the Ark to make its way into Cybertron’s orbit undetected. Of course in a ship containing Galvatron, Starscream, and Shockwave the chance for last-second mutiny is a pretty good bet.

Although Shockwave and Starscream’s teased partnership to get rid of Galvatron has been slow boiling for months, here it comes to fruition as Galvatron finds himself attacked and then forcibly ejected out a hatch in Cyberton’s atmosphere. Meanwhile Hot and and the Dinobots find more than they were expecting including Grimlock‘s body which has been possessed by the spirit of Primus.

There’s a lot going on in this issue including several characters reverting to form as, despite the last-minute betrayal, Galvatron has finally made it back home. We also get cameoes from Optimus Prime, Prowl, Kup, the Aerialbots, and Ultra Magnus. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Red Sonja #1

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Red Sonja #1Red Sonja is a hard character to get right. Much like with Thor or Wonder Woman, writers can often get bogged down in the mythology and miss the sheer kick-assery and fun inherent to the character. Although I don’t think this first issue of the new series is great, Gail Simone gets the character better than most and there’s certainly enough here for me come back to see where things go from here.

The comic begins with the armies of King Dimath’s victory over Zamora and the freeing of two female gladiators kept in the dungeons, one of whom is quite distinguishable for her bright red hair. Months later Red Sonja is summoned back to Dimath whose lands are being hit by both plague and a bloodthirsty enemy ready to overwhelm his empire.

Although you don’t expect the comic to start off with Sonja as the victim, the set-up provides ample insensitive for the She-Devil with a Sword to fight to the death for an impossible cause. Walter Geovani has drawn the character before and his art fits the tone of Simone’s new tale.

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