Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 2

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Saturday Morning Adventures #2

by Erik Burnham, Tim Lattie (Illustrator), Jack Lawrence (Illustrator)

The adventures of the animated Turtles continue in this new series inspired by the '80s animated series. Grab a slice and settle in with the world’s most fearsome fighting team! Cowabunga!

After an accidental encounter with an unknown element in the sewers of the city, the Rat King finds his ability to control the hearts and minds of rodents is waning. But in its place, he finds the ability to control reptile life, which will totally make things harder for the heroes in a half shell!

Then, the TMNT are stoked when Professor McGuffin sends them on a special expedition to the ocean floor where the heroes are shell-shocked to discover TURTLANTIS, a subaqueous civilization that reveres turtles!

Collects issues #1–5 of the new ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Saturday Morning Adventures series!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2024

About the author

Erik Burnham is a Minnesotan writer and artist that first broke into comics with a series of humorous short stories in the Shooting Star Comics Anthology. These stories featured his original creation, Nick Landime, and culminated in a one-shot: Nick Landime vs. the World Crime League, published by Shooting Star in 2005.

Off and on, in this same time period, Erik also produced a short run of an online strip, The Down Side, until technical issues wore him down. He aims to return to the strip one day.

In 2007, Erik found produced work for two other anthologies – a short humor piece for History Graphics Press’ Civil War Adventures #1, and a horror story for Gene Simmons’ House of Horror #3, produced by IDW Publishing.

This lead to several other projects for IDW, up to and including his critically acclaimed run on the ongoing GHOSTBUSTERS comic book.

Erik has worked on other projects not related to comic books, and hopes one day to share those with the public at large. In the meantime, he still lives quietly in Minnesota; any rumors about this being because he’s completely afraid of the forty-nine other states (and Canada) remain unverified at this time.

Reviews

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

More stories in the world of the original TMNT cartoon! The best of the set is the Rat King two-parter, with the Punk Frogs duology being the runner-up. (The story in the middle is OK.) There are a few more modern gags here and there, but the series still maintains the correct nostalgic tone. (B+)

[Mathew Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome, just like watching the cartoon!

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaleb’s Book Fair Selection.

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of the first volume of the series, which collected the mini-series, and was super happy that an ongoing series was commissioned. TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures Volume 2 collects the first 5 issues of the ongoing. Nothing has changed since the first volume. Erik Burnham absolutely nails the tone of the cartoon and it's incredibly easy to hear the voice actors speaking the as the characters. The plots of the story felt like the actual episodes in their goofiness and absurdity. I certainly enjoyed how we got an ongoing subplot even through the issues themselves were pretty self-contained. The illustrations by a couple of separate artists captured the look of the cartoon in every way. The series really feels like the cartoon resurrected and I will be here to read every bit of it.

Special Thanks to IDW Publishing and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

[Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book 3.5 stars, I would have given this book 2 stars simply out of nostalgia, but it is the lack of action that let this book down gir me.

This is a book of subplots. The artwork, stories, and breaking the 4th wall are completely in line with the old cartoon series. This volume's villains are the Rat King, Leatherhead, and a couple of others. Shredder and Krang continue their schemes in the background.

This book was better than the first volume, but I think it still needs a lot more ninja action. I am hoping everything comes together in the next book. The book finishes with a huge varient cover gallery.

[Giuseppe Sloan]

I swear I'm reading other things besides Ninja Turtles

[Dubzor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for the art alone. Jesus, it looks like old animation cells. They even nailed the color pallette. Outstanding.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as fun as the first volume, but still enjoyable enough to stick with it in the future.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just some more goofiness. I guess they go to Turtlantis in the show at some point? Can't take the Turtle Blimp seriously.

[Brandon Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the nostaglia! Fun stories and just like the 90's cartoon!

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

It maintains the same humor as the cartoons. Some stories are better than others.

[LatinaBunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

More silly, cute 87-style adventures

A good set of silly adventures for our ‘87 turtles.

Besides the usual gang, this volume showcases the Rat King, a bit of Shredder & Kraang, and Baxton for the villains, and a cameo from the Punk Frogs.

If you liked the silliness of 87 such as bad guys laughing evilly and talking about their plans, and cheerful (for the most part) heros who do the occasional jokes (and meta jokes), then this volume will be for you. :)

I’m a fan of light-hearted (alongside the mixed serious-light ones) iterations of the turtles, and grew up with the 87 turtles, so this was up my alley. Recommend for fans of gentle, silly turtle adventures.