Raw Power
Credits: Dean Clarrain (script), Chris Allan (pencils), Rod Ollerenshaw (inks), Gary Fields (letters), Barry Grossman (colors)
We open with Bebop and Rocksteady going clothes (and gun) shopping. They’re interested in stealing some fireworks while in town, but Rocksteady isn’t sure when the 4th of July is. Bebop proves he’s the smart one by suggesting they steal a calendar (preferably a “Sports Illuminated” swimsuit one). They head to the zoo, where they complete the next phase of their devious plan.
Meanwhile, the Turtles are facing the combined might of Slash, Bellybomb, and Krang-head Shredder. Krang is now able to use Shredder’s martial art skills against the Turtles…
…while Slash continues to show off his unique command of the English language.
(In case you're not clear on the logistics, I'll explain. Shredder still has a head, Krang's just sitting on it.) Luckily for the Turtles, Slash wanders off in search of his precious palm tree (he finds it), and Bellybomb is defeated by the sheer toxicity of his own bodily emissions.
The Turtles force Krang to remove himself from Shredder’s head, as Bebop and Rocksteady return.
See, kids? They didn’t kill the pretty animals. Shredder leaves, knowing he owes the Turtles a debt of honor. Bebop and Rocksteady take Krang and Bellybomb with them on the spaceship and drop them off on Morbus. They then return to the Edenworld planet. With the violence out of their system, they’re content to live naked with the animals again.
Review in a Half-Shell: Do I have to reiterate that this stuff is deliriously entertaining? This entire arc has actually been an “illusion of change” affair, but it’s executed so well it’s hard to complain.
Dragon Rage
Credits: Dean Clarrain (script), Chris Allan (pencils), Mark Pacella (inks), Gary Fields (letters), Barry Grossman (colors)
Warrior Dragon stands above Chinatown, ready to stop Fu Sheng’s kidnappers. Unfortunately, not only people but cars all look the same to him, so he grabs the wrong one. He’s soon attacked by more ninjas, who April suspects have superhuman abilities. One of them unleashes a powder that transforms Warrior Dragon back into Chu Hsi. The ninjas disappear with Chu Hsi, leaving April alone to stop them.
Review in a Half-Shell: There’s a lot of action, and it’s staged in such a way that the ninjas don’t seem like a feeble threat to Warrior Dragon. Leaving April alone is a decent enough cliffhanger, but the effort to sell her as a solo star still seems strange to me.
Meanwhile in Riverdale… : Are you ready for the Koosh Kins? Apparently, the fourth issue of the mini never shipped.
3 comments:
This is really getting redundant, I know, but I did really enjoy this arc back in the day, and I can see why.
Slash did well for himself, kicking Raphael's ass so soon after Raph himself beat the Shredder, and Bebop and Rocksteady actually got to win for once. I thought those two's dialogue in this issue was pretty good, especially when they bought guns.
I think there's maybe a strip or two that aren't quite as interesting after this, then the April substory and the main one converge into something rather good.
I didn't realize Mitchroney was still providing covers at this point! It's nice that he stuck around in some capacity for such a long time. As I recall, he has a fill-in issue later on, too. It's also interesting that cover-Shredder is drawn in his more common, cartoon-inspired character design, for what may be the only time in this series!
Sadly, unless I'm wrong, I think this might be the last we ever see of Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady.
When I was a kid I always wondered why Bellybomb was blue on the cover, but now that I'm older I realize that he basically looks like a giant... well, he's suffering from Joe Camel Syndrome.
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