Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Enemies Old, Enemies New by Kevin B. Eastman - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from IDW Publishing/Diamond Book Distributors on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Enemies Old, Enemies New
Author: Kevin B. Eastman, Tom Waltz, Dan Duncan (Illustrations), & Mateus Santolouco (Illustrations)
Publication Date: May 24th, 2016

Synopsis: The Turtles learn the amazing story of their previous lives, and begin their journey as a true team of brothers! Meanwhile, Baxter Stockman unveils a deadly new strategy for capturing them, just as General Krang arrives in New York demanding results!

---------------------------------------------------------

Review: Backstories are my favorite types of stories, regardless of genre. They could be novellas in my favorite novel series, spin-offs of TV shows or movies, or comics based on my favorite characters. I love seeing old enemies and friends and old stories mixed with new characters and worlds. This comic had all of that, and it was about my favorite crime-fighting Turtles to boot! 

At the beginning of this volume, Leo, Mikey, & Donnie have finally found Raph (I guess they were still in the process of assembling everyone, because it doesn't really seem like he ran away). They all start out wearing the read headbands, which I thought was pretty neat - hello, throwback to the original comics! - but they do eventually end up with the colors that most fans know and love. Watching Raph become adjusted to the team was really cool, and I'm kind of surprised I hadn't ever read a story like this one before. 

We also get a peak into the lives of Splinter and the Turtles before they became a rate and four turtles. They were human at one time, and I really enjoyed how the family dynamic remained the same even after all the centuries and many lives they must have lived before they found each other again. It was actually a really sweet story, albeit violent at times. 

Some of my favorite enemies are also running around in this volume. There's Baxter Stockman, who is working for Krang and trying to develop mutants for him. There's Old Hob, who is working for Baxter trying to capture Splinter. There's the Foot Clan, as always, and even Alopex makes an appearance, although she isn't mentioned by name. On the Allies side, Casey Jones and April O'Neill are introduced to each other, and there's a pretty hilarious scene where Casey tries to tell April about the Turtles. 

I just really enjoyed this comic, and I think most fans of the TMNT universe will too. THe artwork is kind of dark and harsh, and there is a little bit more violence in these comics than in the Nickelodeon ones, so I probably wouldn't recommend this one for a younger audience. I'm really excited to read more comics like these (which I hope there are more!). They've also inspired me to look into the origins of more of these characters, so I'll probably dive into the backlist sooner rather than later! A solid 4/5 on this one.

--Ashley

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters by Erik Burnham - Ashley's Review

*I received a copy of this comic from Diamond Book Distributors/IDW Publishing on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters 
Contributors: Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz, Dan Schoening (Artist)
Publication Date: May 6, 2015

Paul's Review

Synopsis: When a new invention goes haywire, the Turtles are sent to a whole new type of New York City. 

One with a whole lot more ghosts... and Ghostbusters! 

The two teams will have to learn to get along quickly, because a new foe from the Turtles past has followed them and aims to conquer NYC!

------------------------------------------------------------------

Review: I've been a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching the 80's/90's cartoon, seeing all of the live-action movies, and more recently I've started reading all of the comics I can get my hands on. I'm also likely to watch Ghostbusters whenever it's on TV, and I usually pull out the DVD at least once a year. They're both classic symbols of 80's pop culture, and I was so excited when I learned that they'd finally been put together! 

I don't know a lot about the Ghostbusters mythology other than what's in the movies, but I'm super interested in the comics now that I know they exist. From just this glimpse at them, it seems like they'd be just as much fun as the original movie. I also liked all of the throwbacks and references to the movie. Some of them are subtle and others not so much, but any fan would be able to pick up on them easily. There are similar easter eggs for TMNT fans, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. 

Obviously if the Turtles are working with the Ghostbusters, the villain has to be something supernatural. But I really liked how they picked a villain from the Turtles' world - I think it made this crossover feel more like a TMNT episode featuring the Ghostbusters instead of the other way around (not that there'd be anything wrong with Ghostbusters featuring the Turtles either). I just think this way allowed for more excitement. The Turtles don't understand this world, and the Ghostbusters don't really understand this villain, but together the two groups are able to figure it out. 

I think my favorite part of the comics was watching Donnie interact with the Ghostbusters. He's totally in his element, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's another crossover later on just because Donnie wants to hang out with his new friends. I also loved how April was more involved in helping defeat the villain, even if it's from behind the scenes. She's not necessarily one to get out there and fight, but she has her own talents that definitely come in handy. And who doesn't love Casey Jones? 

Overall, I think this was a really fun comic that would be great for fans of TMNT, Ghostbusters, or both! It's also pretty kid-friendly, although there are a few scenes that might not be appropriate for really young kids. The artwork is fantastic, and I really enjoyed the two different styles for the Turtles and the Ghostbusters. I will definitely be on the lookout for more crossovers like this one! 4/5. 


--Ashley

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters (graphic novel) - Paul's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Diamond Book Distributors and IDW Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters
Authors:  Erik Burnham and Tom Waltz
Illustrator: Dan Schoening
Release Date: April 14, 2015

Synopsis: When a new invention goes haywire, the Turtles are sent to a whole new type of New York City. One with a whole lot more ghosts... and Ghostbusters! The two teams will have to learn to get along quickly, because a new foe from the Turtles past has followed them and aims to conquer NYC!

------------------------------------------------------------

Review: I must admit, I am familiar with both these franchises, but I am not a superfan of either. That being said, there are probably a lot more references than I got. Although I did get quite a few great references. 

The turtles have a new invention. And when a test goes wrong, the turtles and friends end up in another dimension's NYC. This NYC is quite familiar with supernatural events, specifically ghosts. 

A TMNT villain takes the form of one of these ghosts and the turtles must team up with the Ghostbusters before they can return to their own dimension. 

This is a great team pair-up story. The "Kung Fu Martians" really shine. The pairings of certain turtles with ghostbusters is excellently done. I liked how the turtles don't believe in ghosts and the busters aren't quite sure about mutants. 

This is definitely an entertaining story. If you are a fan of these great franchises, you're enjoy this comic book. I give it a 3/5. 


--PAUL