Later this month, IDW Publishing will release the latest collection of its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures comics. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures Volume Five is scheduled for release June 24 alongside another TMNT release, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume One. The prior culls Issues #12-16 of the fan-favorite series that takes readers back to the days of the original animated series. The issues in question make up a total of two stories, both connected to one another. Those stories form a strong foundation for the forthcoming anthology. Strengthening that foundation are the book’s collective writing and pacing. The book’s art puts the finishing touch to the presentation. All three items are key in their own way to the whole of the presentation. All things considered they make Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures Volume Five yet another enjoyable offering for TMNT fans of all ages.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures Volume Five, the forthcoming latest anthology of comics from IDW Publishing’s TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures franchise, is a collection that audiences of all ages will enjoy. That is due in no small part to the two stories that make up its body. The first of the stories, “The Ogglympics,” finds the “Heroes in a Halfshell” facing off against one of their lesser-known foes, Mr. Ogg. As an introduction for those who may be less familiar with this minor TMNT villain, he first appeared in the original cartoon series in the episode, “Mr. Ogg Goes To Town.” He ends up being tricked by Shredder and Krang into helping them in said episode before realizing he had been duped. He was not featured in a TMNT series again until 2012, essentially making him one of the noted lesser villains of the TMNT multiverse, and writer Erik Burnham makes sure to point out Mr. Ogg’s limited notoriety throughout the story, too, as a point of comedy. As a matter of fact this reality is what serves Mr. Ogg’s plan. He wants to become a more well-known and feared villain in “The Ogglympics,” and in so doing, he pulls villains from across the TMNT multiverse – past, present, and future, including one who creates fake versions of the turtles from other universes. If this sounds familiar, it should. There was a universe-spanning story line of sorts in the 2003 series’ episode, “Turtles Forever” that brough together the turtles from the 1987 series and those of the 2012 series. The 2003 series aired on the CW, on a side note. In the case of this story, the other turtles in question came from not only the 2003 series but also the 2012 series, which aired on Nickelodeon.
The fake turtles and the other villains are eventually defeated (thanks to a hilarious breaking of the fourth wall of sorts – and that in itself is a point of comedy in the story’s opening, too), leading to the collection’s second story, “Enter The Pantheon.” The “Pantheon” in question is a group of criminals from the turtles’ future that is trapped in a pocket dimension. When the group’s member, The Rat Queen (yes, the Rat Queen – who was involved in the lead story), is returned to said dimension by Mr. Ogg, she explains to her fellow criminals about what happened, leading them to use their own dimensional portal to get to the turtles’ “prime” dimension, kidnap them and bring them back. The group’s plan is to brainwash the turtles and use them to help in their criminal enterprise. The whole will not be given away here, but Michaelangelo ends up being the one to free his brothers and help defeat The Pantheon thanks to a scene that actually artistically throws back to Mikey’s intro in the opening to the original cartoon series. That in itself is so amazing. Speaking of that scene in question it is one of so many artistic items that make this anthology appealing. The overall artwork will be discussed a little later.
Understanding the appeal ensured through the book’s stories, the collective writing and pacing thereof builds on the foundation built by the stories and makes for all the more appeal. In examining the writing, a moment, such as the Rat King essentially trying to flirt with the Rat Queen and then arguing with Mr. Ogg about her being transported back to her pocket dimension makes for a great laugh. That Mr. Ogg bases his actions on an angel and a devil, one on each shoulder, is a classic cartoon bit in itself. That Burham would use this as a running gag of sorts makes for just as many laughs. Later in the Turtles’ battle against the Pantheon, Michaelangelo showing his comic side right along a more disciplined side, makes for its own point of interest. It is a moment of character development, so to speak, that audiences are sure to appreciate in its own right.
Throughout the course of both stories Burham ensures the action and dialogue are expertly balanced from beginning to end. There is just enough of each to keep each story moving fluidly. It ensures that at no point will readers feel overwhelmed by everything. Add in the “chapter breaks” that are commonplace in these TMNT compilations, and the pacing becomes even more of a boon to the overall presentation. When the pacing and writing pair together, that whole works with the stories themselves to make for even more appeal.
Putting the final touch to the book is the artwork. Artist Sarah Myer leads the way in “The Ogglympics” alongside colorist Luis Antonio Delgado and letterer Ed Dukeshire. Myer, who was worked on the TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures series since early in its run, once again presents a fully welcome presentation here, giving the “green machine” that vintage look that readers have come to know and love. At the same time, the design she gives the other turtles and characters is just as true to their eras and styles. That visual appeal in itself will definitely make readers happy once again.
On another note, the previously noted scene in which Michaelangelo is being brainwashed by the Pantheon is another throwback to the original 1987 series. Fans of that series will recall as Michaelangelo is being introduced, he is dancing on a disco club floor, lights shining above and streamers around him. Myer throws Michaelangelo into that setting along with all of the Turtles’ villains for his fictional world. That loving tribute to the Turtles’ history is another piece of nostalgia that has been consistent, artistically in this series from the get go. It adds even more to the artistic appeal of the book. Add in Delgado’s rich hues and tones, and the overall visual presentation becomes once again all the more appealing. The same applies when Dukeshire’s work is added to the mix. The whole makes the overall artistic side of the book once again its own appealing part of the whole. When that appeal is considered alongside the book’s stories, their writing and pacing, the whole makes the book, in its entirety, another welcome offering for TMNT fans of all ages.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures Volume Five, the forthcoming latest collection of comics from the IDW Publishing franchise, is another enjoyable addition to the ongoing series. That is due in no small part to its featured stories. Counting two in total, the stories are collectively a love letter once again to the Turtles’ history and to their future, at least in this universe. The nostalgia that the first story’s multiverse angle takes will appeal to every TMNT fan. The stories’ writing and pacing add to the appeal because of how easy they make it to read each story. The writing and pacing make it so easy to become immersed in the stories, in turn, ensuring readers’ engagement and entertainment. The book’s overall artwork gives readers a fully immersive and in turn appealing visual presentation thanks to the trio responsible for that work. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the book. All things considered they make Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures Volume Five another welcome offering for TMNT fans.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures Volume Five is scheduled for release June 24 through IDW Publishing. More information on this and other titles from IDW Publishing is available at:
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