Today’s Super Comic — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time #1 (2014)
When I first picked up this issue, I hadn’t read a Ninja Turtles comic since maybe 1992 or 1993. The Turtles were my gateway drug into comics back in the day, but once I started reading Batman, I put the Heroes in a Half-Shell aside. And for a solid twenty years, I never looked back.
Then nostalgia got the better of me, and I’m glad it did.
The first issue in the Turtles in Time miniseries is just plain fun, with a humorous script by Paul Allor and clean, solid art by Ross Campbell. The premise is straightforward—the Turtles are involuntarily traveling through time, and their first stop is the prehistoric past…where alien scientists are studying dinosaurs.
The Ninja Turtles are an inherently ridiculous concept, even by comic book standards. You can’t play them too seriously, but you also don’t want to resort to camp. This book strikes just the right balance and makes the case for readers of all ages enjoying some Turtle time.
Michelangelo’s running gag and its payoff particularly amused me. I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy this comic as much as I did. Time has been kind to the Turtles.
Writer: Paul Allor
Artist: Ross Campbell
Publisher: IDW
How to Read It: back issues; Comixology; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (TPB)
Appropriate For: ages 8 and up
