Yippee Ki Yay, Cowabungas!

Well, The Last Ronin #3 does not disappoint. I can say that much. Without giving away anything that is  new  to issue #3, I think ultimately "The Last Ronin" will prove to be Oroku Hiroto. The survivors who stayed behind (April and her daughter Casey Marie) have come together through loss, and expanded their family by working with others for a greater good. Michelangelo's journey (and that of whoever else they may find along the way in issues 4 and 5) has to be to come back into their fold, and relearn what it means to be a family. Hiroto is the mirror image of that... we've seen since issue #1 that Hiroto's response to loss and isolation has been to dominate and control and punish. It's warped him to the point where he won't come back... at least that's what it seems like for now. Can I just say how much I love the fact that they've given real moral complexity and redeeming qualities to the Foot Clan generally, and to Hiroto specifically? This is

I know this can be a contentious subject, and I'll cheerfully accept the contempt which is sometimes bestowed upon that species of fan, The Shipper, saving any thoughts about the label and the contempt for some other day. The fact is, in any and every iteration, I think it's pretty likely that Donatello will fall in love with April at some point, and (dependent on circumstances, temperaments, relative ages, etc) every once in a while he might have a chance. The metatext doesn't lie. As far as I know, the 2012 show was the first version to explicitly address the idea that the resident TMNT polymath, who loves Shakespeare and/or Greek mythology, and gets excited over fractals and Dewey decimal and quantum processors, might actually be quite taken with the brave, intelligent young woman who becomes the Turtles' ally. I really appreciated the 2012 take on it... it was so horribly, painfully, realistically awkward. Donnie had so much growing up to do, to transform his attrac

When I was little, Saban's "Power Rangers" was a byword for dumb and irresponsible TV. The parents, the schools, and the evening news were all in a lather about its lack of merit and its dangerous impact on the minds of children. I took them at their word, since I somehow missed most TV shows geared toward the 7-12 age range (anything between Rainbow Brite and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and didn't actually see my first episode of Power Rangers (or the Ninja Turtles for that matter) until around 2017. Well, the byword was wrong. Power Rangers is fantastic. It's fun .  Power Rangers is a show that looks like it was made by children, but in the very best sense - like a kid's imagination come to life. I mean, if I was going to be evil, I would definitely want to do it with such over-the-top style as Rita Repulsa, with a magic staff that turns anything Godzilla-sized.  But Power Rangers isn't Saban's only unreasonably maligned property. If the

* * * SPOILERS: TMNT MIRAGE VOL 4 * * * Today I listened to the amazing Turtle Tales podcast episode 15 with Rob Luther & Josh O'Rourke. I mentioned the episode on Instagram, and Rob asked what I thought of it. Big mistake. There isn't enough room on IG. So here I am on a brand new blog - which is about as antiquated a method of communication as sending a letter in the mail. As a very late comer to the Ninja Turtles, I hadn't even heard of "I, Monster" until today. I'm still playing catch up with Lawson's work, tracking down what I can see online, or buying what I can afford to buy.  I love Jim Lawson's art and his storytelling style. He really is a world builder, and a unique artist… and in the same way that Kevin Eastman is distinct for a really uncanny dynamic quality in his art, Jim Lawson does things with a whole page that isn't something I see anyone else do. The panels are usually quite clear in their narrative, and necessary for moving