Sirk TV Comic Review: IDW Advance Previews [11-28-18]

Watching the texture of character's journey within the following comics, the idea of meaning and the existential possibilities of what they can and will accomplish is always something that fuels story. While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lives in a constant state of transition this structure rings true. However with older progressions like Scrooge McDuck or the League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, their journey takes the same path though tempered by experience.TMNT - Macro Leonardo In a separation from the normal progression, this macro story follows an almost existential crisis that Leonardo is experiencing. Splinter has seemingly abandoned the training of his sons in order to lead the foot clan. It basically leaves his sons without direction. Leonardo, being the most philosophical of the bunch, just wonders if the fight is worth it. He wants to feel connection. This kind of issue goes to the heart of the Turtles mythos but is not usually so forthcoming. Leonardo is attacked by a foe in the mutant sector but hardly fights back. The winged Karai's viciousness though is simply in the eye of the beholder because as soon as Leonardo admits to his folly of judgment, her menace seems to go away. Ultimately, Leo makes this conflict in the forest not about fighting but instead about resolution.Rise of the TMNT #2 In keeping with the texture of the new series, this issue continues to push the idea of a slightly punk and underserved turtles probably because of the seemingly lax element of their father Splinter who has taken to being a couch potato. He is still quick but they are worrying they are losing him in a matter of speaking. The structure of this issue has them taking him to a hypnotherapy seminar which ends up being a front for a gigantic hippo hypnotist who wants to take over all the New York apartments of his victims because he is upset with the rising prices. The aspect of this is a little overdone with not much tension or good humor but it does get Splinter out of the house even if all he wants to do is eat cake.Uncle Scrooge - First Millions #3 This issue continues the idea of Scrooge McDuck relating to his nephew and grand nephews how his fortune came to be. It is not as overwrought or anywhere near as engaging as Duck Tales. Instead this series plays to more the idea of embellishment of story. After Scrooge created his first corner store, which looks like it is in the country, he is pitched a movie theater by a young ambitious country artist. This leads to a first film about cows and then by coincidence capturing a heist on film and then the invention of popcorn. Scrooge's stinginess is never far from the center but his ego knows no bounds even if it is a continuing metaphor for the texture of his loneliness through his sense of importance.TMNT #88 This progression of the war story involving the mutants and the Turtles with the Krell seemingly in play as well as altered humans still lacks some basis of story line through and through. Nonetheless, it offers the balance of an almost "Pitch Black" story line against a wasteland which is interesting especially when the notion of sacrifice comes to bear. An enemy who has been tricked through mind control allows his own life to pass to save others. The image of all the mutants standing with the cat leader frozen in time as the enemy drifts away is an iconic image. This giant mutant turtle is allowed to drift in space while the nuclear detonator inside consumes him. The mythos of this specific series despite some overarching story points continues to move in the right direction.League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol 4 - Tempest The essence of superheroes being outmoded follows back to the interesting perception of a post modernistic era where the superheroes were those from literature. That is the perception contained in this continuing story of those like Madame Mina and Captain Nemo. However in this intonation, the aspect of superheroes have started to become normal and the paranoia of Captain Nemo continues to grow. Here Mina and her girlfriends from antiquity end up on a deserted isle which happened to be a base for the elusive Nemo. There he is helped by a variety of super humans including a would-be Hercules who destroys the girls submersible. Nemo also has control of an artificial intelligence who looks to the future in the 30th century where all aspects of superpowers have become normal. While this paradox is interesting, the aspect of Extraordinary Gentlemen that was always interesting was the aspect of forward technology in a antiquated world which it loses a bit here.

By Tim Wassberg