Introduction

First, a few disclaimers for any new readers to the page. I ordered these comics in February, they got delivered the last week of May, and I wrote these articles into the first week in June. That is the process behind how I arrived at Independent Comics I Love May 2023. Secondly, the only non Marvel or DC comic I received this month was Spawn. So, I’m taking a look back at the TMNT Armageddon Game story finally to fill some space on the page.

In my previous article to return to the world of comic reviews, I wrote about Spawn, a silly Ric Flair one shot I ordered, and the most recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles issue. I wrote there that I needed to take some time to read through the story and give my thoughts. Well, somehow (Chris and I call it “just DCBS things”) I missed a few issues of the event and just ordered them on Midtown. Being Memorial Day weekend, I don’t expect them to fill the order until at least Tuesday. But, I wanted to give you something besides Spawn this month, so here goes.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game

Decent: It’s a talkie. While you don’t get the walls of text that Uncle Todd throws at us sometimes, there is a significant amount of dialogue and exposition. I read comics for the story, But, I don’t mind all the white bubbles. Also, the story makes you do your homework.I don’t know if it is exclusively because this is an introductory event or if they usually have the “* – check issue x for the story” in each issue. I just said to my wife, “This story is so good. Bummed that I haven’t kept up with the series the whole time.”

Good: After talking all kinds of shit about not being susceptible to nostalgia, I keep talking in all of these articles about how nostalgia grabs me every single time. The turtles are no different. Even though the lore is different and the tone is darker, I still recognized all of the characters in the books and it took me back to my time as a teenager myself watching them on Saturday morning. I mentioned previously that this is an introductory event. I know this because they do an incredible job of catching everyone up in the prologue series and filling in the gaps along the way.

Great: The story makes the wordiness of the book bearable for me. I breeze through each issue, devouring every single word before immediately moving on to the next issue. The story is well crafted and fast paced. They also potentially bit off more than they can chew with all of the moving pieces. However, I have the utmost confidence that they care enough about the characters to pull it all off. My other great follows from my minor critique above. I love getting lost in a lore rabbit hole, so I don’t mind a little homework to get caught up.

Spawn 341

Now that I already read one book in this series, I found this one much easier to follow. I still am not a fan of the heaven vs. hell angle of the Spawn mythos, but I like the character, so I’ll stick with it until they move on to something else, hopefully soon. I know it sounds weird to say that I don’t like the major storyline in the books. But, I prefer the earlier stories when Spawn worked as a hero and took care of more earthly matters. I know they’ll circle back around there eventually. I can be patient.

The Verdict

The actual independent comics I love May 2023 are only one book, Spawn. But, I also read the Armageddon Game issues I own for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I promise to finish the series for next month and write another review then.

Credits

Spawn 341: Rory McConville and Todd McFarlane, Writers and Carlo Barberi, Art

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The Armageddon Game): Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell, Erik Burnham, Paul Allor as writers and Fero Peniche, Pablo Tunica, Vincenzo Federici, Roi Mercado, Pablo Verdugo. Kevin Eastman, co-creator.