Review – TMNT/Ghostbusters 2 #2 (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer(s): Erik Burnham & Tom Waltz
Artwork: Artwork: Dan Schoening, Mark Torres, Pablo Tunica and Todd Galusha
Release Date: 8th November 2017

As should be expected by now from an IDW Ghostbusters book, this latest issue serves to cement the current status quo for the mini-series. So, while some people may have been expecting an all-action blowout in this second chapter, what we get instead is a mix of action, fangasms and poignant character development.

We’ve dealt with emotional moments before as part of the ongoing Ghostbusters saga, but on some pages here you can practically feel the Turtles’ frustration, listlessness and sorrow radiating out. As I said before, I am not fully up to date with IDW’s ongoing TMNT series, but they almost feel broken here. I’ve never seen this side of the characters before and it’s incredibly refreshing. The whole issue feels like therapy for the them with the Ghostbusters playing the role of de facto counselors.

This intriguing dynamic leads to a really nice moment between Mikey and Venkman in which we get to see the sincere and softer side of Peter that is normally kept tightly under wraps.

While excellent for character development, this approach does slow down the story somewhat, but given the stellar track record of the creative team it should be obvious that this is just the gradual climb before a steep, exhilarating downhill ride.

This issue also features an expanded roster of artists due to the dimension hopping, and while I admittedly enjoyed some of their styles more than others, I did appreciate the change as it helped immeasurably with the narrative transitions between different scenes.

Honestly, if you haven’t got on board with this series already, I really have to ask — why not? Go out and get this issue – and issue one – right now!

Rating: 4/5.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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