3 out of 5

A fan comic coming out of the Russian Dream Studios – at this point a classic TMNT fan studio that has (unofficially) contributed to both the Mirage and Archie worlds – that follows up on IDW’s Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything miniseries with some connective tissue to Hit the Road.

Here’s the thing: those two series were already very tightly tied together, and so Bravery & Stupidity doesn’t have much to add: it’s a vignette. A moment.

Here’s the other thing: writer Artem Tsarkov and artist Andrey Gorkovenko – accepting of some translation hiccups for English speakers like m’self – mostly nail the ridiculous tone of the minis, which, to me, were some of the best things to come out of ALL OF IDW TMNT, and so… man, I’m not above asking for more of that, and these two deliver it. But, again, unlike some of the other Dream inserts, there’s no real story gap to fill in, and so the book is a true indulgence. And while some of the joke mistimings, and “misses” in terms of depicting certain scenes are due to that aforementioned translation (with no heavy blame on translator Aleksandr Nikitin; I’m guessing there’s going to be some culturally tonal stuff that isn’t 1:1, given how the B&R comics were riffing on a particular brand of hijinx comedies and that’s going through a Russian interpretation, then cycled to English…), some of the pacing hiccups are surely just that: hiccups. The kind of hinkiness that ultimately bemarks this as an indie project. Charming in its own way, but not the smoothest read.

Gorkovenko is pretty on-model for the look of the characters, though, and there’s a funny time travel gag that carries over the fan-service nodding from the original minis. Hiccups; the translation; but I stand by what I side: the creatives mostly nail the overall vibe. And it’s a bright, professional looking publication; it’s an enjoyable read to insert between two other fun reads, and a worthwhile investment for fans of the B&R books.