4 out of 5

Did it really take 50some issues to get to the point where we can have some straightforward Turtle fun?  I mean, maybe, sorta.  I guess I can see it.  Issues of proving that yer tuff stuff, not yer Daddy’s Turtles and blah blah, then issues and issues (and issues) of dealing with the issues you piled atop.  And now we’re here: Krang and Shredder dealt with (for now), and, I would say, fully in a world that can be of Waltz and crew’s design, and not loosely following what came before.  The freedom, for now, has resulted in much better reads.

It’s also resulted in Leatherhead!  Who looks great rendered in Santolouco’s top-heavy design sensibilities, as do the boys themselves, the ragged-bandana’d Raphael and cute-boggle eyed Mikey versions smoothed out to look more like the rest of the group, which I prefer.  The dude also gets an ample showcase for his pacing and framing skills here, as this is not a widescreen arc, thankfully, nor is it just talking heads; this beat-by-beat storytelling style curbs Waltz’s ellipses obsession and helps keep the story away from the over-dramatics that’ve bugged me elsewhere.

Still, we suffer from some scripting stupidity, which, to me, reads as plot markers with buffered dialogue – sort of the M.O. for the Turtles crew, as issues are storied by the three idea guys and then scripted by Waltz.  Which results in some moments that play out over pages when, had the dialogue been handled more naturally, it could’ve been wrapped up within panels, or even given the same page length but shown-not-told.  It’s not like Waltz is the only man committing this sin in the comic world, though, and the monthly deadlines surely don’t help.  Overall, it doesn’t hit the fun-o-meter too hard.

The gist: the boys visit Burnow island to revive the remaining Utroms, and there meet Leatherhead, who’s been hinted at in recent issues.  The IDW version of L.Head is a smart balance between the different incarnations of the character, resulting in a fun new addition to the current universe, even if his segueway from Burnow to New York is a little silly.  And I’ve always loved the non-Krang Utroms.

Next: Dave Wachter returns, and it looks like we’ll be diddling the Street Phantoms, which is all of our diddling dreams, I’m sure.