MIGHTY MUTANIMALS #1 – April 1992

The Mighty Mutanimals!

Credits: Dean Clarrain (script), Garrett Ho (pencils), Jon D’Agostino (inks), Gary Fields (letters), Barry Grossman (colors)

The story begins with a bizarre sequence. A bald eagle watches as Death, riding a horse, spots a scrap of what appears to be jaguar fur in the desert. Death sniffs the fur, then tosses it into the wind. It’s retrieved by the eagle, who flies away.

The natural transition from this scene is, of course, a shot of Mondo Gecko skateboarding. We learn that the Mighty Mutanimals are still in the Amazon, just waiting for another adventure. After Man Ray introduces the Glublubs to their new home, an underwater marine preserve, he meets up with Kid Terra (formerly Null’s henchman, The Kid). Man Ray is still angry about Bubbla’s death, but he’s willing to forgive Kid Terra. Kid pledges that he’ll expose Null’s environmental violations and help clean up his toxic waste dump. (Even though he’s only now referred to as “Kid Terra” on-panel, he’s been listed that way since his earliest appearances, over a year prior, in the indicia. Clarrain/Murphy obviously was planning a lot of this out far in advance.)

After Wingnut and Screwloose have fun with the local bat population, they reunite with Leatherhead, Mondo Gecko, Dreadmon, and Man Ray at Jagwar’s temple. Jagwar gives the Mutanimals jangala fruit, so that they can all have the same psychedelic experience. He explains, once again, that his mother was a free-spirited human who mated with a Jaguar spirit. As motherhood was “not one of her strong points,” she abandoned him when he was twelve. As he’s telling the story, he’s visited by the spirit of his father, who tells Jagwar that his mother is in danger. Jagwar (and the rest of the mutants, since they’re all tripping together) sees an image of his mother in the desert, receiving the scrap of fur from the bald eagle. Suddenly, she’s attacked by Death and kidnapped.

The bald eagle lets out a scream, which awakens the Mutanimals. The Mighty Mutanimals exit dramatically to search for Jagwar’s mother.

Review in a Half-Shell: Apparently, the Mighty Mutanimals mini was pretty successful, since it didn’t take long for the regular series to debut. This is the only issue of the monthly series I own (I was losing interest in TMNT at this point), which is too bad since I enjoyed revisiting it. The story’s intriguing, and Garrett Ho’s pencils manage to merge an old school Disney look with standard superhero art.

What the Shell? : The entire issue is freaky, especially when you consider that it was a Ninja Turtles spinoff published by Archie. I especially like the fight scene between Jagwar’s mother and Death. She shouts “Cripes!” and “#^$!!!” during the fight, revealing that the naturist who’s traveling the world in search of spiritual enlightenment has a dirty mouth.

TMNT Adventures #26 – November 1991

The Keeper

Credits: Dan Berger (plot/inks), Doug Brammer (script), Ken Mitchroney (pencils), Gary Fields (letters), Barry Grossman (colors)

This is a filler issue; the first one in the book’s run so far. The story opens with Splinter receiving a message from T’Pau, the Yeti, while meditating. T’Pau warns Splinter of an alien that’s targeting other rare creatures around the planet. T’Pau asks for the aid of the Ninja Turtles, and Splinter agrees. The Turtles are up for the task, except for Michelangelo, who wants to stay home, watch cartoons, and eat pizza.

Splinter guilts him into going along because the “code of the ninja” demands they help others. (I thought ninjas were the assassins and criminals and samurai were supposed to be the honorable warriors?) Somehow, Splinter and the Turtles suddenly disappear and rematerialize in Tibet. This is a bit of a copout, as Splinter earlier claimed that the Turtles were going to find some way to fly to Tibet. It’s soon revealed that the alien teleported them closer to his location, but I think seeing the Turtles trying to sneak their way on board a flight to Tibet would’ve been much more interesting.

Anyway, the Turtles enter T’Pau’s lair, and discover he’s the captive of the alien.

The alien blasts the Turtles with a ray and they disappear, leaving Michelangelo alone. He gives the alien a decent beating, but the alien manages to push a button on his glove that makes everyone disappear. Michelangelo wakes up in a cell with T’Pau. They fight some security guards and make their way to the alien’s command center. There, they learn that Splinter and the rest of the Turtles are fine.

The alien is named Boss Salvage, and now that his translator is working, he explains that he’s just taking rare animals, such as the Loch Ness Monster, to safety. Why? Because (oh, here it comes) our Earth is horribly polluted, we’re all fools, and the planet is doomed. T’Pau argues with Boss Salvage, saying that people are starting to pay attention and help the Earth (one of the useful activities shown to help the environment actually includes protesting a nuclear power plant). Boss Salvage realizes that we can all make a difference and sends everyone home, making this the bestest Earth Day ever.

Review in a Half-Shell: This reminds of the type of story the cartoon used to do, except for the overblown preachiness that’s tacked on to the end. It’s not a very strong story in the first place, and adding yet another heavy-handed environmental message to the end makes the creators seem monumentally self-unaware. At least Ken Mitchroney’s back, though.

Pizza References: Michelangelo is rewarded at the end, as the Turtles are returned home just as April O’Neil arrives with their pizzas.

Questions

Credits: Dean Clarrain (script), Garrett Ho (pencils), Gary Fields (letters), Allison Flood (inks), Barry Grossman (colors)

April O’Neil tracks down the men who kidnapped Fu Sheng and Chu Hsi, but she can’t find her friends. Splinter appears and tries to interrogate one of the kidnappers, but he’s afraid of his ninja employers. Suddenly, Storm Shadow a ninja in a white outfit dramatically enters.

Review in a Half-Shell: This is only five pages long, and the only plot advancement is Splinter’s sudden arrival. I suspect one reason why I didn’t care for these backups as a kid is the number of months it took for the story to go anywhere.

TMNT Adventures #24 – September 1991

Gimme Danger!

Credits: Dean Clarrain (script), Garret Ho & Jim Lawson (pencils), Brian Thomas & Rod Ollerenshaw (inks), Gary Fields (letters), Barry Grossman (colors)

Before Krang and the others can return to Earth, their spaceship completes its auto-pilot course and lands on an “Edenworld” planet. After the ship drops off its delivery of deer, Krang is shocked to discover that this planet is the one Bebop and Rocksteady were exiled to months earlier. The very naked Bebop and Rocksteady are bored with paradise and want to commit crimes again. They leave the planet, as the Turtles continue their search for Shredder in the New York sewers. They discover one of his hidden bases, just as Jim Lawson shows up to finish the issue.

Their fight is interrupted when Krang’s ship crashes in. The Turtles now face Slash, Bebop, and Rocksteady.

Once it’s pointed out to Bebop and Rocksteady that they’re only wearing fig leaves, they suddenly develop shame and leave. Krang and Bellybomb join Shredder for a conference while the Turtles are busy fighting Slash. Krang suggests they reunite in the spirit of “togetherness,” which leads to this shocking ending…

Review in a Half-Shell: This is a nice example of what I always liked about this title - crazy characters, action, humor, slow-burning storylines, and ridiculous cliffhangers. It’s too bad that Garret Ho’s very fluid cartooning is suddenly replaced by an awkward Jim Lawson job, though.

It Started in…Chinatown

Credits: Dean Clarrain (script), Chris Allan (pencils), Mark Pacella (inks), Gary Fields (letters), Barry Grossman (colors)

In this April O’Neil backup story, April runs into Chu Hsi and Fu Sheng (the owner of the curio shop from #20) in Chinatown. When Fu Sheng is suddenly kidnapped by a group of ninjas, Chu Hsi transforms into the Warrior Dragon.

Review in a Half-Shell: It’s only a six-page story, so there’s not a lot to say. I seem to recall finding the April backup stories pretty dull as a kid, so I’m not sure where this is heading.

What the Shell? : There are three pages of letters in this issue, and most of them are gems. We’re in the middle of a “boys vs. girls” fight in the letters page (one writer brags about her friend named “CLAWS” who once “slashed one boy’s neck open with his fingernails when he wouldn’t leave her alone”), which started when a fan opined that a female Turtle would more interested in checking her mascara than fighting. There are also some letters personally addressed to the Turtles, one addressed to Shredder that asks him to stop being so mean, and an editorial response that confirms that the Turtles are fans of Public Enemy and the Jungle Brothers.

LINK: With this issue, Mike Sterling learns that this series can be a little odd.

MIGHTY MUTANIMALS #1 – May 1991

The Wild Angels

Credits: Dean Clarrain (script), Ken Mitchroney & Garrett Ho (pencils), Ryan Brown & Gary Fields (inks), Gary Fields (letters), Barry Grossman (colors)

From the pages of TMNT Adventures comes Mighty Mutanimals, a miniseries that spotlights the various mutants the Turtles have met in the previous issues. The story picks up where TMNT Adventures #19 left off, as Jagwar, Man Ray, and Dreadmon witness the hatching of the meteorite Man Ray found underwater. Maligna’s larvae emerge from the meteorite, and promptly begin eating the rainforest. When Jagwar tells them to cut it out (he manages not to cry this time), they decide to eat the environmentally friendly mutants instead.

Meanwhile, the Turtles are rescued from Null when Splinter mentally commands an army of rats to eat their bonds. Null escapes with Scul and Bean, but unbeknownst to them, Raphael and Mondo Gecko have stowed away on their ship.

Elsewhere, Maligna orders the executions of Stump and Sling for sending aid to the Turtles when they fought her children earlier. They’re rescued by Leatherhead, Wingnut, Screwloose, and Cudley. When the others learn that Maligna is preparing to invade Earth, they disobey Stump’s orders and fly to Earth inside of Cudley. (Stump thinks the invasion of Earth could make for great ratings, making him a slightly less evil capitalist than Null, apparently.) Unfortunately, Cudley’s shot down by a mysterious spacecraft during the trip. He lands on Earth, oddly enough, right next to Jagwar, Man Ray, and Dreadmon.

Review in a Half-Shell: There’s a lot of action and a few humorous moments, so it’s maintaining the tradition of the best TMNT stories. There are a lot of coincidences involved in getting the Mutanimals together, but I’m not sure at this point if they’re true coincidences or if some sort of “cosmic fate” angle is going to be played up later. I guess I have an obligation to point out that the ‘90s were so crossover and spinoff crazy, the Archie Ninja Turtles series couldn’t even avoid it, although this does feel like an organic extension of the main book.

I Was Not Aware of That: This probably isn’t that much of a surprise, but the Mighty Mutanimals almost became a cartoon and toy line in the early ‘90s. You can see some of the various concept art at the Lavigne/Brown blog.

TMNT Adventures #19 – April 1991

The Man Who Sold the World

Credits: Dean Clarrain (script), Garrett Ho (pencils), Dan Berger (inks), Gary Fields (letters), Barry Grossman (colors)

Following the previous issue, the Turtles and Mondo Gecko are on the rooftops, observing the skyscraper where Donatello caught a glimpse of floating meteorites. Splinter and April arrive, after doing research into the skyscraper’s owner. His name is Null, The Kid’s employer and the man behind the undersea base that was dumping toxic waste. Inside Null’s office, he’s meeting with Maligna’s children, Scul and Bean. They’ve set up a deal that will give the Earth to Maligna, while Null is given otherworldly business opportunities. (Hence, the title of this issue, a reference to an obscure David Bowie song that he had forgotten himself until Nirvana later covered it.)

Meanwhile, Man Ray investigates the strange meteorites that have landed in the ocean. One of them suddenly comes alive, hitting Man Ray in the stomach and carrying him to a distant beach. Conveniently enough, he lands near Jagwar and Dreadmon. I’m sure Man Ray and Jagwar could just spend hours talking about the horrible things people are doing to the environment, but their first meeting gets off to a rocky start.

Meanwhile again, the Turtles’ rooftop conversation is interrupted by The Kid. He tries to explain that he’s here to warn the Turtles, but that doesn’t stop Raphael from dramatically returning in his original outfit.

Soon, Scul and Bean arrive to fight the Turtles. The fighting is fierce, but it abruptly ends when Bean…ahem, “drops a load.”

Finally, Null turns to the imaginary camera, revealing his face.

Get it? Because corporations are like the devil. To be continued in Mighty Mutanimals #1.

Review in a Half-Shell: It’s admirable to see the way Clarrain/Murphy is pulling various threads together again for a big story. I like the way smaller stories can stand on their own, while still serving to add to a larger picture. There’s a lot going on this issue, taking advantage of Archie’s twenty-eight page length. I also like the fact that Raphael managed to keep his own unique uniform for over a year, which from my perspective as a kid, was practically forever. Garrett Ho debuts as artist this issue, keeping the Turtles very “on-model” with their look from the animated series, while still maintaining the fluid cartooning of Ken Mitchroney.

What the Shell? : Dropping a load? And it makes a “plop” sound when it lands? What?