Reviews: The Rocketeer, The Hunger and the Dusk & TMNT
From IDW Publishing
From IDW Publishing, this week, there are two new series with The Rocketeer: In the Den of Thieves and The Hunger and the Dusk, as well as two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics.
The Rocketeer: In the Den of Thieves #1
The Rocketeer is grounded! After Cliff and Betty’s adventures in Europe—with Cliff losing the Great Race but saving the day—he and Betty return home with a busted jet pack and a fully repaired relationship! They’re as happy as they’ve ever been…but paradise doesn’t last long! An elite band of Nazis, foiled in the past by their attempts to construct their own jet packs, decide on a new tactic: kidnapping the only person who can enable them to create their very own fleet of Rocketeers...Cliff’s beloved friend and mentor Peevy!
by Stephen Mooney (Author), David Messina (Artist)
I always enjoy The Rocketeer, and this has a fantastic team on board as well. This story starts after the previous mini-series, with the Rocketeer no longer flying and Cliff working on his relationship with Betty.
The feelings that Cliff has are worked well, he’s torn between flying as the Rocketeer and his home life. Although, things are thrown out of kilter with the Nazi problem.
This fits in well with the character, and I can see the conflict coming. It does have some action scenes and good flying for the story, but we can see the action is coming, and I can’t wait to read more.
I enjoyed the parts with Betty working in the movies and Cliff working his way into that world. This issue works well for new readers and those who know the character.
The Hunger and the Dusk #1
In a dying world, only humans and orcs remain—mortal enemies battling for territory and political advantage. But when a group of fearsome ancient humanoids known as the Vangol arrive from across the sea, the two struggling civilizations are forced into a fragile alliance to protect what they have built. As a gesture of his commitment to the cause—and to the relief of his bride-to-be, Faran Stoneback—the most powerful orc overlord, Troth Icemane, sends his beloved cousin Tara, a high-ranking young healer, to fight alongside brash human commander Callum Battlechild and his company of warriors. With a crisis looming, the success of this unlikely pair’s partnership and the survival of their peoples will depend on their ability to unlearn a lifetime of antagonistic instincts toward one another…and rise above the sting of heartbreak.
by G. Willow Wilson (Author), Christian Wildgoose (Artist)
This starts off the story in an interesting manner. The thought of a threat and then it is dealt with. Is this to be a war between men and orcs? No, there is something far worse, and this sets up the story well, with an uneasy alliance between the two.
The foe is mainly hinted at until the final few pages, but we get an idea of the dread behind them and what they are all about. And it is not good.
This first issue did a really good job. Not only does it introduce the world and the threat against it, but it also gives us a lot about the characters involved. This is cleverly done in the quieter moments (although some are learned in action moments).
This is an interesting, well-rounded series with an interesting beginning for what feels like an epic.
The artwork depicts the light and the dark of the issue well, with some excellent scenes and action being shown, as well as some good expressions and magic from characters.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2023 #1
The Ninja Turtles take to the streets for a simple patrol, but what they find will rock their shells! Realities collide in this oversized special issue where the Turtles come face to face with a threatening force from the future! Can the brothers band together to take down this mysterious foe?
By Writer Michael Walsh & Artist Vlad Legostaev
An interesting segway from the main series here.
This mysterious foe from the future sure has an interesting story, and the build-up to his appearance is well played out. I especially liked his attitude and the brother’s identification of the interloper.
He doesn’t start off as a foe, though, and he does have some things to say. If this something to look forward to (with fear), or is this an alternate timeline? Time travel is funny like that.
Even so, there was some interesting action in the story, which gives us a possible hint towards what is happening next. I liked the comment about Michaelangelo, which made me think of The Last Ronin. I think the art did too.
A good one-shot issue that may be important later.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #141
With the Armageddon Game over, new groups compete to fill NYC’s power vacuum from new ninja clans to the police, and even old threats like Dr. Barlow. After the Armageddon Game, the Hamato brothers are so divided, they can’t even agree on what the biggest threat is. With the city vulnerable, it may have to look elsewhere for help as the TMNT might not even be able to help themselves, let alone New York.
by Sophie Campbell (Author), Gavin P Smith (Artist), Ronda Pattison (Colorist)
I must confess, I would have read a whole issue of Raph in jail dealing with the criminals - maybe some other time. Even so, this issue moves the story on well. Not only dealing with the division between the brothers and the change of the status quo in New York.
The split between them is pretty heartbreaking, and I wonder how this will all be patched up. With the split, the threats seem to be building up.
We reveal two threats in one here, speeding up this storyline.
This was an excellent issue with banter and action.
