Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Paul Allor
Artist: Ross Campbell
Release Date: 18th June 2014

Following on from the events of the TNMT Annual 2014, where our favourite sewer-dwellers met up with inter-dimensional time-traveller Renet, this new mini-series sees our heroes thrust headlong into the Prehistoric world without so much as an explanation, where they rapidly find themselves on the run from Dinosaurs and – somewhat worryingly – Utroms.

As I mentioned in my review of the TMNT 30^th Anniversary Special, one of the main selling points of the Turtles franchise is the diverse range of tones and styles that each creative team can choose to adopt. Here, Allor has opted to go for the goofy, zany, ‘Saturday Morning Cartoon’ Turtles, which I believe was absolutely the right decision for this kind of story.

While the story is perhaps a little on the light side, the humour is perfectly pitched here, and there are a few legitimately chuckle-worthy moments along the way. Campbell’s heavily-cartoony artwork, while undeniably basic, is also perfectly suited for this series, and Bill Crabtree’s vibrant colours infuse the pages with a sense of energy as our heroes scramble from one crisis to the next.

Readers looking for the more gritty, realistic Turtles that have graced the pages of IDW’s ongoing series in recent years are likely to be disappointed here, but those of us looking for a quick injection of the fun and humour that made the Turtles such a cartoon sensation are in for a treat. Personally speaking, my own tastes lie somewhere in the middle, but there’s no denying the appeal – particularly to younger readers – of the story that Allor, Campbell and Crabtree have put together here.

Oh, and ‘Pepperoni’ deserves to become a regular character. Seriously. You’ll see what I mean.

Rating: 3/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says