The Other Dead #1
Written and Co-created by Joshua Ortega
Co-creator by Digger T Mesch
Art by Qing Ping Mui
Colors by Blond
Letters by Tom B. Long
Covers by Reynir Hauksson (Regular), Dave Dorman (RI), and Kevin Eastman & David Millgate (Subscription Variant)
Creative Consulting by Kevin Eastman
IDW Publishing
Release Date: September 25, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Zombies permeate our entertainment at all levels these days. Though, in truth, they have morphed quite a bit from the old shuffling feet and inexhaustible searching for brains versions that I grew up on several decades ago. Popular television shows and even classic literature have fallen victim, but few have any originality to them. They are after all, just zombies. That’s where The Other Dead #1 changes the game a tad. You see, this isn’t about just regular old zombies…it’s about things OTHER than man becoming reanimated and doing horrible things to those around them.

The premiere issue of this six issue mini-series is all about the setup, though some things have already begun that will affect the storyline later on. In this comic, we get a fine sampling of animals gone wild, er…undead. From hunters taking down wild game that comes back to unlife to rend them limb from limb to ritually sacrificed animals coming back to exact vengeance on those who did them wrong. This all seems to be taking place in the deep south, namely southern Louisiana.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24
Written by Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow & Tom Waltz
Script by Tom Waltz
Art by Mateus Santolouco with Mike Henderson
Colors by Ronda Pattison
Letters by Shawn Lee
Editor: Bobby Curnow
Covers by Mateus Santolouco, Kevin Eastman & Freddie Williams II
IDW Publishing
Release Date: July 31, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24 is the latest chapter in the “City Fall” storyline, and to say it’s dark and gritty would come close to being the understatement of the year!

Writers Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, and Tom Waltz turn out what is the darkest chapter in this story so far. And, believe me, that’s saying something. The Turtles are forced to team up with Old Hob to find Leonardo and I’m pretty sure they wish they hadn’t. This is the best issue of Turtles that I’ve read in quite a while. Although, if you’ve been keeping up with the series, you know what’s coming, it doesn’t make it any less surprising or shocking when it does happen. There’s a bunch of great twists and turns here, as well as a compelling subplot that you care about just as much as you do the main story. Overall, a great issue by the writing team.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Micro Series “” Krang #1
Script by Joshua Williamson
Art by Mike Henderson
Colors by Ian Herring
Letters by Shawn Lee
Edited by Bobby Curnow
Covers by Kevin Eastman, Mike Henderson & Tyler Walpole
IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 17, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Micro Series “” Krang #1 is, simply put, a delight. It’s about 50% kick-ass action tale and 50% the fun Ninja Turtle type comic that you love. Put that all together and it’s 100% good!

I really didn’t need a Krang origin, but Joshua Williamson convinced me otherwise. I can’t believe I just read a comic about a living brain who goes Rambo in order to prove himself to his father, but I did. And I really enjoyed it. Williamson writes an interesting story about focusing on Krangs younger years and his quest to earn the respect of not only his father, but his fellow…brains, I guess. It’s a lot of fun, surprisingly intense in places, but it’s all around awesome. There’s great elements of fun, surprise and we get an honest to God resolution for the story. The only downside? No Ninja Turtles.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #20
Story Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script Tom Waltz
Art Ben Bates
Color by Ronda Pattison
Lettering by Shawn Lee
Covers by Ben Bates, Langdon Foss, and Kevin Eastman & Ronda Pattison
Editor: Bobby Curnow
IDW Publishing
Release Date: March 20, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

From the opening panel, I didn’t think I would care for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #20. ONLY because I am NOT a fan of the Turtles in space. Never have been, don’t think I ever will be. I prefer the Turtles fighting crime, underground in New York City. Was my mind changed? Let’s find out…

Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz craft a VERY entertaining story in this issue, one that, I’ll admit, made me a fan of Turtles in space. When the series began, one of my fears was “How long before the sci-fi element comes into play?” It took awhile, which I’m thankful for, but what’s different about THIS time is that evolves logically throughout the course of the series. There’s no dinosaur guy appearing out of nowhere and dragging the Turtles off to a distant planet. But, back to this issue in particular: It’s the climax to the Turtles’ war with Krang and his forces and it’s VERY entertaining. There’s action, cliffhangers, and a few laugh out loud moments. All in all, a really fun comic.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13
Story by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
Script by Tom Waltz
Art by Andy Kuhn
Colors by Ronda Pattison
Letters by Shawn Lee
Covers by Andy Kuhn, Kevin Eastman, and Valerio Schiti
IDW Publishing
Release Date: August 22, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

For those who have been following this latest incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the series is likely a revelation. When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license was sold to Nickelodeon, there was a lot of consternation and wringing of hands among comics fans that the new series would be another cash-in aimed at children. Of course there’s still pleasure in seeing the characters you have grown with once again, but writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz have created something much closer to the original version, with enough tweaks that the series feels fresh and exciting enough to surprise you.

A lot of this work shows up in the turtles themselves. Their quirks — Donatello as the science geek, Leonardo the rigid leader, Raphael the hothead, Michelangelo the carefree bro — aren’t played up as such, but actually inform how each sees the world. They bicker and argue, not just for the sake of it, but because they disagree over how to handle a situation. Never before have they felt so distinct from each other and so fully realized as characters. When, for example, the turtles are presented with their own uniquely-colored masks, there’s a satisfying justification for it that helps build the themes of the story, and the differentiation feels earned. Elements like these are what makes the series fresh and familiar, and is the difference between reinterpretation and cash-in. Alright, sorry for gushing, now let’s get on to issue 13.