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1/8 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 (Image Comics) Writing: Gary Carlson Artwork: Frank Fosco (p) Erik Larsen & Chance Wolf (i) Letters: Chris Eliopoulos S P O I L E R S Well, it's finally here. The moment you've all dreaded for months. No, not Onslaught! The first issue of Erik Larsen'ts TMNT! And to be honest? It's not half bad. We're dropped right into the action from the beginning as cyborgs storm the TMNT's birthday celebration and blast Donatello on page one. From there, it's no-holds-barred action as the turtles fight the cyborgs and their boss, a female ninja and realize just how outclassed they are. The cyborgs and the ninja kidnap Don and Splinter and try to take 'em back to the "Dragonlord", but Don escapes and Splinter manages to project a warning to the other turtles. This issue actually manages to capture the feel of the original TMNT quite well. Not only are we dropped right into the middle of the action, but there's something for everyone: action, humor, even a touching scene as Donatello experiences his birthday party in flashback. It's the first non-BIG BANG work that Gary Carlson's done that I've enjoyed. Frank Fosco's pencils, combined with inks by Chance Wolf and Erik Larsen, do a pretty good job of capturing the Turtle feel. I miss the ol' duotone look, though. There's room for improvement, to be sure, but at the same time I'm not displeased with what we've got. The Fosco/Wolf team should prove to be a formidable combination. This isn't a great comic. It's enjoyable, yes, it's fun, to be sure, but it still falls short of being a really good comic. On the other hand, it shows more than enough promise. I future issues are as good as this one was, you'll have another reliable book to add to your subscriptions list. If they're better, then we've got another gem on our hands. And hey, not a single pizza in sight. Aw, what the hell do I know anyway? BLAND Reviews are archived at http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/usr/dw4e/zuni/r.html DAVE WHITE, dw4e+@andrew.cmu.edu, http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/usr/dw4e "Those who induce these stressors on you, were individually not your friends in the first place, for they wish through these stressors to either brainwash you, transvalue your sex, or even kill you with alphabet soup." --Owen W. Gustafson