Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Volume 2: Enemies Old, Enemies New

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011) #2

by Kevin Eastman (Writer), Tom Waltz (Writer), Dan Duncan (Illustrator)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles begin their journey as a true team of brothers, although distance still remains between them. Meanwhile, Baxter Stockman and General Krang have largely kept to the shadows... until now. General Krang wants results and Baxter has a new invention to capture the Turtles before Krang comes to New York.

Collects: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5-8.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction

104 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2012

About the author

Kevin B. Eastman is an American comic book artist, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Explains a lot, astutely thought, nice twists on institution, and flashback deals, in pangs and feels, a gravitas infusion.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new take of the old stories. Now the turtles and Splinter were created in a lab but yet are also somehow reincarnations from a family in feudal Japan. All of the old gang are being introduced. Mousers and Krang show up here. I like how Krang is hiding that he's a little Basket Case creature in a suit.

Received an advance copy from IDW and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that the brothers are all together they begin their training while we learn of master splinters past.

It's actually a darker tale than I expected but well told. The reincarnation angle is pretty new, and interesting. I also enjoyed the funnier moments with Casey and April. The fights remain a highlight as the art feels right at home here. The villain is a little TOO monologue and boring at times though. Still, a blast, a 4 out of 5.

[Jim Ef · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10
There are some choices here that will either work for you or be a complete miss. It did work for me and enjoyed this second volume slightly more than the first.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are picking up, I loved the flashback sequences and the the development of the individual Turtles' personas.

And coloured Ninja Masks are here!



If it weren't for Krang being an inter-dimensional brain-being hanging out in a torso I'd consider the reincarnation story-line as far-fetched as Donatello does buuuut...Yeah, may as well just roll with it, dudes.

[A.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another volume that I would say is about on the same level of quality as the first. It’s a decent story that takes elements from a ton of different TMNT adaptations and brings them all together into one cohesive story. 

I’m digging it well enough, but I do feel as if I’m still waiting for that one big moment that hooks me and makes me want to stick with this title. I’m a massive TMNT fan and nothing in this run has really grabbed me as of yet, so I couldn’t even imagine how this reads for someone who doesn’t give a shit about any of these characters. Maybe it reads better that way?

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

New to me. I am an old school TMNT fan. I appreciate the tie-in to Frank Miller's Daredevil series from the 80's (Stick ~ Splinter, Hand ~ Foot). Similar poses and such. Thanks to ComiXology Unlimited I have access to 20+ volumes of this run. Fun quick reads.

[Ronyell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Introduction:

Now, I have to tell everyone this: I am a huge fan of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!” I may not have the toys or the video games to prove that, but I sure as heck got a lot of movies and DVDs to prove that theory! So, after I read part of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s original 1980s run of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (the comic book series that jumpstarted the entire franchise), I was looking forward to checking out more “Ninja Turtles” comics and lo and behold, NetGalley happened to have a volume of the legendary IDW series of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” available for free called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Enemies Old, Enemies New Volume 2!”

What is this story about?

In this reboot of the famous franchise “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” the story starts off with Master Splinter explaining to the audience about how he remembers a previous life in Feudal Japan where he was known as an honorable ninja named Hamato Yoshi, who was a member of the Foot Clan. But one day, when Hamato Yoshi’s former ally Oroku Saki wanted to kill a group of innocent people to show everyone that the Foot Clan was powerful, Yoshi disagreed with him and left the clan. Yoshi’s depature caused Oroku Saki to go to Yoshi’s house and murder his entire family and also Yoshi himself and at this moment, the audience wonders what became of this life that Master Splinter was reminiscing about. Meanwhile, during the present time, April and Casey Jones had finally met each other due to April needing someone to teach her self-defense, which Casey was obliged to do and Casey needing a tutor to help bring his grades up in school, which April could do. Later on, Baxter Stockman is up to no good as he creates a set of machines called “Mousers” in order to take down the Ninja Turtles and to grab Master Splinter so that way he could use Splinter’s blood to make super powered mutants for General Krang’s army!

What I loved about this story:

Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz’s writing: I will admit that I was a bit interested in seeing how a reboot of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” would look like since we were going to get a reboot of this long running franchise eventually. So after reading this graphic novel, I was actually quite impressed with how they rebooted the origin story of the Ninja Turtles while remaining faithful to the original series. I loved the fact that Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz retold Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki’s backstory to the audience since I have always felt that it was important to explain about Master Splinter’s backstory to the newer audience so that way, they could understand the world of the Ninja Turtles much better if they know about Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki’s backstories. Even though I wished that more was explored with in this department, I enjoyed how the characters interacted with each other, especially the turtles with Master Splinter and April and Casey with each other! I like the fact that the turtles refer to Master Splinter as their father as it made their relationship much more heartwarming to watch and actually gives a closer emphasis on how the turtles see Master Splinter as more than their sensei. I also enjoyed the growing interaction with April and Casey as I enjoyed seeing them share their personal lives with each other and I was also interested in how April was able to witness the turtles and Master Splinter’s transformation into the mutated heroes they are known as now and I am really interested to see where April and Casey will go after this volume!

Dan Duncan and Mateus Santolouco’s artwork: Even though the artwork is a bit too scratchy, I do enjoy the dark and gritty feel of the artwork as it shows that this retelling of the Ninja Turtles is dark and edgy like the original Mirage Comics and I also enjoyed the action sequences as they are shown in great detail.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I gave this book a three and a half star rating was because while the story was interesting, I felt that the story tended to jump around a bit too much due to having so many events happening in one volume (the turtles learning about their origins, April and Casey meeting each other, Baxter Stockman building his mousers, Krang trying to create an army) and the story felt a bit cluttered as a result. Also, I felt that while the artwork showed the action sequences in great detail, it was a bit too scratchy for my tastes and it was hard to see exactly what the characters were doing with the artwork being halfway blurred out and not being able to fully see the characters’ actions.

****SPOILER ALERT****

This is a bit of a small nitpick, but I find the fact that in this version, the turtles and Master Splinter were actually Hamato Yoshi and his sons reincarnated to be a bit too far-fetched for my tastes. Maybe as a long-time fan of this series, I was so used to the turtles just being mutated by ooze and the fact that they are reincarnated in this version just seems a bit odd to me. Maybe once I read future volumes of this rebooted series, I might start to get used to the idea of the turtles and Splinter being reincarnations of their former selves.

****SPOILER ENDED****

Final Thoughts:

Overall, even though “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Enemies Old, Enemies New Volume 2” was an interesting read and a pretty decent retelling of the Ninja Turtles stories, the cluttered storytelling and scratchy artwork made this volume a bit difficult to read through at times and I hope it improves in the next volume.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Ondra Král · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pořád se zuby nehty držíme klasiky - Stockman, mouseři, únos Tříšky, Foot. Zatím mi to přijde jako předělávka starých želv pro nový čtenáře.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Досить багато пройшло часу після прочитання першої сюжетної арки «Невідворотність змін» серії коміксів «Підлітки-мутанти черепашки-ніндзя», але любов до черепашок-ніндзя ще з того юного віку переконала мене все ж взятися за читання другого тому «Підлітки-мутанти черепашки-ніндзя: Старі вороги, нові вороги» #5–8 від сценаристів Кевіна Істмана, Тома Вальца й художників Дена Дункана, Матеуса Сантолуко.

Якщо в першому томі автори нас знайомили із головними героями, то тут вустами Майстра Сплінтера через його спогади, вони занурюють нас у минуле у феодальній Японії. Вчитель розповідає, що він колись був Хамато Йоші, почесним ніндзя, який належав до клану Ноги. Однак, коли колишній союзник Йоші Ороку Сакі запланував вбити невинних людей, щоби продемонструвати силу клану, Йоші не погодився і покинув клан. Це рішення призвело до трагічних наслідків: Ороку Сакі напав на будинок Йоші, вбивши всю його родину, включно із самим Йоші. Це та тяжка доля із попереднього життя, яке пам’ятає Майстер Сплінтер.

Тим часом у теперішньому часі перетинаються шляхи Ейпріл і Кейсі. Ейпріл шукає когось, хто навчить її самообороні, а Кейсі, натомість, потребує репетиторства, щоби покращити свої оцінки. Коли вони зустрічаються, їхні шляхи перетинаються у зв’язку із майбутніми подіями. Однак неприємності назрівають, коли Бакстер Стокман, антагоніст історії, створює групу машин під назвою «Щуролови». Його мета — перемогти черепашок-ніндзя та захопити Майстра Сплінтера. Стокман планує добути кров вчителя, щоб створити потужних мутантів для армії генерала Кранґа.

Я не читав оригінальних «Черепашок-ніндзя», тому момент із порівнянням різних серій мене оминув. Але я був приємно здивований тим, як вони підійшли до історії походження Черепашок-ніндзя, залишаючись вірними суті оригінального походження вмінь ніндзя в Сплінтера, яких він навчав своїх синів черепашок. Кевін Істман і Том Вальц чудово переказали передісторії Хамато Йоші та Ороку Сакі, надавши важливий контекст минулому Майстра Сплінтеру. Це додає глибшого розуміння світу Черепашок Ніндзя для нової аудиторії.

Мені сподобалися взаємодії між персонажами, особливо між черепашками та Майстром Сплінтером, а також між Ейпріл та Кейсі. Ставлення черепашок до Майстра Сплінтера, як до свого батька додало тепла їхнім стосункам, демонструючи глибший зв’язок, що виходить за рамки «учень-вчитель». Еволюція зв’язку між Ейпріл і Кейсі, від їхнього знайомства до кінця арки, також була цікавою. Також мені здалося інтригуючим, що Ейпріл мала можливість спостерігати за перетворенням черепашок і Майстра Сплінтера на мутованих героїв, якими вони стали.

Хоча я розумію, що декому малюнок Дена Дункана може здатися дещо кострубатими, особисто я ціную похмуру і грубу естетику, яку вони надають цій переповіді про Черепашок-ніндзя. І якщо одним оком глянути оригінальні комікси про Черепашок-ніндзя, то можна зловити паралель, як цей стиль передає суть оригіналу. Крім того, екшн сцени показані в цій арці виглядають ефектно. А та кількість деталей, яку зобразив художник не відволікає увагу від головних дій. Кожен удар, стрибок чи акробатичний маневр гарно намальовано, що дозволяє читачеві повністю зануритися в сцени із бійками. Але в цих випусках також малював інший художник Матеус Сантолуко, відповідальністю якого було зображення феодальної Японії. І так само, як і Ден Дункан, він зробив свою частину роботу на відмінно. Очевидно, що творча команда доклала багато зусиль, щоб зробити малюнок візуально привабливими. Й один, і другий стиль витримують задуману атмосферу та добре доповнюють оповідь.

Загалом, друга сюжетна арка «Підлітки-мутанти черепашки-ніндзя: Старі вороги, нові вороги» для мене виявилася кращою за першу. Ми тут отримали екскурс у минуле Майстра Сплінтера, знайомство та зближення Ейпріл і Кейсі, вихід на передній план антагоністів і, мабуть, найголовніше, що кожен із черепашки-ніндзя отримав пов’язку на очі власного кольору, а не оті нудні однакові червоні для всіх. Я не знаю коли направду вийде третій том від Вогнепазурів, але надіюся, що видавництво серйозно візьметься за цю серію і активно почне видавати наступні сюжетні арки. Дуже надіюся на це. А так, було класно й цікаво читати цей том.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

When this new series started, I told myself "I'm not gonna buy a Ninja Turtles comic, I'm a grown-ass man." Ironic, as I have no problem picking up issues of Superman or Adventure Time. But I remember these characters almost solely from watching the cartoon after school.

But then I kept hearing good things about the book, so I bought Volume 1. And it was fun!

Volume 2 continues the trend. Krang, the alien brain thingie, wants the formula that turned the turtles into mutants. Using henchmen, both robot and mutant, he chases Splinter so he can get the formula from his blood.

This series is an expansion on the mythos of the cartoon. I think there are nods to the original comics, as well. I'm sure there are diehard fans who froth at the mouth when they see deviations from the source material. But, for my money, this is an interesting update of a slight story.

There is a reincarnation plot thread, which, despite my willingness to swallow everything else, bugged me. I'm not sure I can explain it. It just didn't sit well with me.

I'm annoyed with IDW, the publishers of this volume. Its cover price is $17.99 for four issues, while the original issues were only $16, at most. Most softcover collections give you a chance to save a dollar or two over the original price.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Enemies Old, Enemies New' is an origin story for the rebooted series, but it feels like I knew all this stuff before I read this one.

This is the rebooted Turtles, so their origin is a reincarnated people combined with experiments from Baxter Stockman's lab. We learn this as Old Hob is trying to track down Splinter. He has a flashback of his times in medieval Japan. We also learn about Casey and April, a bit.

Things heat up as Baxter Stockman is displeased with Old Hob's progress. General Krang is displeased with Baxter Stockman's progress. Old Hob unleashes a robot army of mice on the Turtles, and the foot clan is occupied with a French ninja.

I don't think a lot of new ground was covered, or I learned anything new, but it was a fun ride. The art was ok, but not the greatest.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from IDW Publishing, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quite fun, we pick up with Master Splinter as he tells of his backstory of previous life when he used to be Hamato Yoshi until he was murdered by Oroku Saki aka Shredder for betraying Foot clan and same with his wife and children happened and now they have been brought back alive in this life to come together and fight and a second chance has been given. Also we learn more about Stockman and how he was contracted by General Krang to develop mutagen. On the other hand we have TMNT scouting foot ninjas and them getting Pizzas meanwhile they are attacked by Hob and his "Mousers" and in the confusion of that Hob took away Master Splinter and its upto TMNT to find him and rescue! Meanwhile April and Casey grow close teaching each other until Casey takes them to meet TMNT finding her back story, this volume was really good, decent action, more history revealed, more enemies coming soon and the art is simple yet fun to look through!!

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great volume of ninja turtles

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Ninja Turtles goodness. The artwork was more of the same gorgeous colors and inking. The story only took a tiny step forward, and while it was extremely entertaining, I had a hard time really getting behind the whole reincarnated father and sons plot line. But in all my comic reading experience, I have read much much weirder.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 gives us a peek into the past as the plot progresses in the present.

Master Splinter reveals that he and the turtles are reincarnations from feudal Japan and are locked in an ages old battle against the Foot Clan. Raph has been reunited with his brothers and they each get a new colored bandana to help distinguish them...they do start getting their individual quirks in this volume as well. Old Hobb is fighting for survival with the science lab and must use some mutations to try and nab Splinter. Also, the Science lab are revealed to be pawns themselves. Oh yeah, and Casey and April buddy up for some mutual gains.

I'm still digging this series. Detailed illustrations that remain not too complicated or overwhelming to follow. A decent cliff hanger ending leaves me excited to continue to volume 3!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second volume of IDW's TMNT run sees the team finally reunited. A Christmas issue brings presents, and a flashback to who and why the Turtles are the way that they are now, while the remaining three issues bring Krang, Shredder, Baxter Stockman, and Old Hob into conflict with the Turtles once again.

Yep, this is getting fun now. Four issues at a time is still a little slow, but there's clearly a larger story at play here, and it's coming together nicely. I think the slow moving pace of everything hurts it a tad, but I feel like it'll make the pay-offs even bigger. It's taken eight issues for the Turtles to meet April, and that's got to be one of their most iconic friendships, so getting to see that blossom will be fun.

Also I gave myself points for knowing what Mousers were before I saw them!

Still not a huge fan of Dan Duncan's art, but this volume feels better than the first, as if he's settling into who the characters are and what they look like. The new bandanas help tell everyone apart a lot better now and I love the in-story reason for why they were all red in volume 1.

The fire's caught, and I'm ready to burn.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great series. Stylized art that isn't forced and overdone. The story and focus is 100% character driven and each character is given room to grow and a time to shine. While there are multiple story arcs literally set across many time eras and/or galaxies, it isn't stifling or confusing like other comic universes, (*cough DC**cough Marvel*).

I'm also totally ok with the writers inserting the gratuitous cuss word just to differenciate the comic with the cartoon. Make no mistake, these turtles are bad-ass.

I recommend this series, highly.

[Petr Nakasharal Fabián · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je to mainstream jak hovado, rozhodně nejde o neotřelý náměty a nějaký posouvání hranic komiksu. :D Ale pro fanoušky želv skrz mirage/seriál/filmy je to nádherný. Dokonale míchá všechno z těhle médií, resp. vybírá si co z čeho potřebuje a tvoří dobře uchopitelnou verzi ninja turtles pro široký spektrum lidí.
Kresba je super, barvy jsou super, scénář – na to, co to je – funguje obstojně...

Na Mirage želvy si to ani nezkouší hrát a to je asi jedině dobře.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nostalgia/geek read for me this new revised take on the turtles is interesting so far....i'll see how it fans out

[Jacobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really smart updates and takes on this universe. An interesting plot. Lovable characters. Great art.

[Scott Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to really love this series, although I'm not completely sold on the reincarnation angle. I really enjoyed seeing how Casey and April met. I'm wondering when Baxter mutates.

[Nobody_84 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually I'd rate the entire series from 2011 to 2020 five stars. I find that IDW clearly know what they're doing, considering all their work, and the writers really tried to bring these characters to life. You get introduced to new and old characters alike and get to see the turtles more in-depth. There were certainly a lot of what if questions asked, and I found myself able to empathize with the caste. Highly recommended series for non and true tmnt fans alike.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two stories were my first written meeting with certain mutated turtles. I've seen plenty cartoons about them when I was a kid, but somehow never got my hands on the written stories. When I've picked these two books up I though it would concentrate on some event or certain characters. Instead, I got a set of short tales from characters past and present times. Even some from their past lives.

I received a copy of these books from the publisher via NetGalley.

TMNT: Allies and Enemies

This book has a short introduction to April and Casey and how they've started working with the turtles, although I felt these stories were a bit too short. At least from April's side - I was expecting more and what I got felt like an abridged version.

Bepop and Rocksteady's story was a big disappointment to me. I know there's not really much to these two, they are a rather brainless wreck-it-all mobsters, but I was hoping for something better.

It wasn't a complete disappointment, I had some good time reading this novel, but I guess it was more due to the graphic and basic Turtle-awesomeness then the story itself.

TMNT: Enemies Old, Enemies New

It was a curious novel with a good backstory to Turtles origin. Or rather their past lives in old Japan, where Splinter and his sons try to survive.

We also get a glimpse (because I wouldn't call it a full story) into Stockman's plans against the Turtles. He has his moments, but I wouldn't bet on him at this point ;).

This novel has some good action scenes that made it more exciting and fun to read than the "Allies and Enemies". There were few moments that really caught me and I couldn't put down the book.

~~~~

It looks to me like these two novels are more of an introduction to the series. Maybe it's supposed to be a revival of good old ninja turtles? It would be a nice start, but as solo books, they didn't do much. Fans of the series probably won't find many interesting things in here, but for people like me, it was a fun read. We got to know some of the origin stories for both heroes and villains, taste some action and all in an eye-catching, pleasant graphic style.

Find more of my reviews at https://maginibooks.wordpress.com

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ever since I was five years old, when the television show debuted in the 1980s. My younger brother and I were obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We had all of the action figures and toys, which we played with extensively. The original television cartoon series and the original movies from the early 1990s will always hold a special place in my heart.

This story definitely has some redeeming qualities, but I am sorry to say that it fell a little short with me. I enjoyed some of the backstory, but the way that it was relevant to the present in the story did not sit well with me. I just didn't like the idea at all. I can see how the concept could work for new fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but it didn't mesh well for an old school fan such as myself. The artwork was okay, but I wasn't overly impressed with it.

I did enjoy seeing each of the turtles' personality throughout the story. I was glad that their personalities seemed to match up with those of the original turtles. I also enjoyed seeing some background for Casey Jones. He is a character that I have always loved.

Although this story did not work for me personally, it certainly has merit. I would definitely give it a shot. I think that this story would be great for new fans. It is also a interesting take for older fans.

[Justyn Rampa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was as enjoyable as the first volume!

Kevin Eastman is doing some interesting tricks with the narrative to kind of acknowledge the original TMNT series that came before this reboot.

Familiar characters are getting set up: Casey Jones, April O'Neil, Baxter Stockman and the Mousers.

I will also say that he is doing a good job at establishing the dynamics of the turtles themselves as well as sowing the seeds of conflicts to come. I never realized the emotional truth of each turtle, and to be fair they may not have been as evident, but I'm really enjoying what Kevin Eastman is doing especially with the inherent conflict between Leonardo's blind faith in Splinter and Donatello's pragmatism and reliance on science. Michelangelo is developing into the heart of the team while Raphael hasn't really gotten to explore his issues yet.

Looking forward to more...

[Michael Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't bad. It's just sort of a holding pattern. The plot does move forward a little bit, but it's more clarification about what's already happened than anything else. The thing is, you could probably skip this whole volume and go to number three and not be that confused.

There are a couple of decent moments but really nothing that stood out that much. Again, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good either.

The art was still great. The turtles all have a distinct look to them while staying similar. Though, at one point, a friend told me Splinter looked more like a wolf than a rat. Not really much more to say, but I'm still looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off at a slightly slower pace than the previous volume but toward the second half it started picking up. Once again I want to stress that this origin story is different than what you'd probably be used to in TMNT lore if you're a fan of the 80's toons, original movies, or 03' show. However it is very refreshing to see something different. While I do prefer a story staying true to its roots, I can appreciate when liberties are taken as long as it is sensible and is meaningful.

Overall the story is moving at a good pace and has me anticipating the next volume! The character development is enjoyable and the story is cohesive at this point. Great read!

- V.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the first volume I was left with a lot of questions. Vol 2 pretty much answers all of those questions.

I am loving how they are combining the original comics, the tv show and new material into one.

This is looking like a great series right now.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 continues on with the great storyline, introduces the feudal Japan elements, first Krang, and April meets the Turtles. Fast flow, art style fits, and the story is really well done.
High recommend!