4 out of 5

Let’s skip past the part where I realize that the Image run of Turtles was actually a heckuva lotta fun, since I followed Pete Laird’s lead for a long while and brushed it off as non-canon, further assuming that the worst Image indulgences would’ve plagued the series with too many boobs and too much blood.  As Gary Carlson had kicked off a Golden Age / Silver Age gee-whiz tribute mini-universe with his Big Bang Comics, his writing style – comboed with Erik Larsen’s pledge to avoid Fred Wolf / Next Mutation kidliness – was almost the perfect realization of the original Laird / Eastmen Mirage mentality, and these three issues – which crossover with Carlson’s Big Bang Knight Watchman and Larsen’s Savage Dragon – works really well as a result, despite being an admitted cash-in to bump up sales.

While this is a pretend extension of the hunt for Splinter, with the TMNT following leads to Watchman’s and Dragon’s respective turfs, it’s all too clear that we’re on hold for the moment; Leo gets to pal around with the former in issue 9, then teams up with robo Don and SD in books 10 and 11, with their Splinter trail turning out to lead to another image character, Deathwatch.  Meanwhile, Mikey has a date with Savage Dragon (I think) character Sara, and Raph gets drunk at a strip club.  While the Image tour somewhat carries over into the next couple of issues as the Deathwatch angle is closed out, the Raph / Shadow storyline starts to take much more significance, putting the book back on a forward trajectory.  But even though these three books are a detour, Carlson makes enough of an attempt to call out the various bits of plots that are in motion so it doesn’t feel like a waste of time, and then makes sure to keep the books fast-paced and cheeky and fun to boot.

Fosco’s art with Andrew Pepoy’s inks are a frenetic hoot; somewhat sloppy – and occasionally rushed to fit 18 various actions into one panel – but with a big and bold bravado that fits the style of the writing.  The IDW Urban Legends reprints add Adam Guzowski’s colors to great effect, adding just enough depth to Fosco’s pages to flesh them out without slowing them down.