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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011) #5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Volume 5: Krang War
He is a warlord, a genius, and a squishy pink brain. He is General Krang. One of the most signature villains in TMNT history, Krang has an arsenal and wit unlike any other and his master plan sees the TMNTs come into direct confrontation with one of their mightiest enemies!
Collects: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #17-20.
Collects: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #17-20.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2013
23 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Eastman
1,101 books352 followersKevin B. Eastman is an American comic book artist, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
September 22, 2024
(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: A cookie-cutter conflict, largely laser tag for hurdles, as an Armageddon, pretty boring, and it's not about the Turtles.
Notes: A cookie-cutter conflict, largely laser tag for hurdles, as an Armageddon, pretty boring, and it's not about the Turtles.
January 20, 2021
The Turtles get transported to Dimension X where they must help stop General Krang from taking over. All this sci-fi stuff felt really out of place given the gritty street level stories to date. Ben Bates does provide the best art of the series to date. It's not perfect by any means, but far better than Andy Kuhn or Dan Duncan.
July 10, 2019
Krang is the least interesting villain for the turtles. This whole volume is basically focused on his war and him as the main villain. Loved the moments with the turtles, and they have great moments of coming together and some good fights but...Krang is a bore and them traveling to a new world was...weak. A 3 out of 5.
October 16, 2013
I have really enjoyed the new slate of TMNT graphic novels. I feel that the writer and the artist have done a great job of mixing action and drama in this book. Readers still get the often funny teen angst humor you'd expect from a Ninja Turtle comic. It would be quite nice if hollywood took notice in adapting these great stories to the big screen. (I hope Micheal Bay is checking these books out). So if you love the Ninja Turtles or just want something good to jump into other than the Marvel or DC books pick this one up and definitely read the earlier volumes.
March 27, 2024
This book wasn't terrible, per se, but it wasn't nearly as good as the rest of the series, nor was it really good on its own merits. The book has definitely hinted at some of these story elements and you could tell it was building to something, but this wasn’t the best way to do it. The story was cramped and forced. These characters, besides the turtles, haven't been nearly well enough established.
The story was a bit disjointed as well. The timing and content were out of place. I wanted to read this and find out more, but it should have been more established first. It would have been more meaningful if more of the characters were introduced through the little interludes they were already including.
I guess they didn't want anything out there to distract from the upcoming City Fall story. That's not enough reason, though. There are ways it could have still worked.
As for the art, I was unimpressed. At times, it looked good, like there was a panel of just Donnie that looked great. Other times, especially with the Neutrinos, it looked sloppy and inconsistent. The book is still good, but this isn't its best showing.
The story was a bit disjointed as well. The timing and content were out of place. I wanted to read this and find out more, but it should have been more established first. It would have been more meaningful if more of the characters were introduced through the little interludes they were already including.
I guess they didn't want anything out there to distract from the upcoming City Fall story. That's not enough reason, though. There are ways it could have still worked.
As for the art, I was unimpressed. At times, it looked good, like there was a panel of just Donnie that looked great. Other times, especially with the Neutrinos, it looked sloppy and inconsistent. The book is still good, but this isn't its best showing.
November 9, 2018
Although it was some time in coming, I still felt the transition from (relatively) gritty street-level crime fighting (and ninja chasing, to be sure) to interdimensional Star Wars-esque battles came too soon. I couldn't be arsed about these Neutrinos, to be honest, even if Krang was a pretty badass villain.
Poor April and Casey just get left behind to mope around a lot, as well, which is a shame as Casey's domestic abuse story was one of the real eye-openers of the early volumes but has pretty much been chucked off the plot wagon by now to accommodate Shredder's daughter's corporate espionage and Deus Ex Machina missiles.
Poor April and Casey just get left behind to mope around a lot, as well, which is a shame as Casey's domestic abuse story was one of the real eye-openers of the early volumes but has pretty much been chucked off the plot wagon by now to accommodate Shredder's daughter's corporate espionage and Deus Ex Machina missiles.
July 13, 2021
I skipped this one, a very goofy story arc, not for me.
January 26, 2024
Well at least the art is better this time.
Krang War is a fine little adventure, again nothing new if you know your turtles stuff, but it's just fine. More of skirmish than a war, but I know putting war on the cover of a book makes it sell. Krang is kinda goofy for a Terminator alien.
Krang War is a fine little adventure, again nothing new if you know your turtles stuff, but it's just fine. More of skirmish than a war, but I know putting war on the cover of a book makes it sell. Krang is kinda goofy for a Terminator alien.
March 20, 2014
I have to admit that I haven't read much of the Ninja Turtle comics since the original series, but I came across this trade and couldn't turn down a chance to see what these guys were up to in the original medium, now that I've had the opportunity to catch up with them in the animated realm.
Although the tone of this trade paperback seems to match that of the new cartoon series more than the original comics, as well as the colored masks, the action around the turtles is totally within the realm of the old school Eastman and Laird.
Our turtles might not be gritty, but the world they live in definitely is, and it keeps with the rather absolute absurdity of the original as well. Dimension X reigns supreme as we find the Utrom Krang ready to take over everything, in a much more diabolical manner than the weasely Krang of the 1987 cartoon ever could.
We even get to see a short glimpse of Shredder with his granddaughter (a character I hadn't become aware of until checking out the new cartoon) Karai.
The book might be in color, the masks might not all be red, but perhaps that doesn't matter anymore as the cartoon and movie series are more what people remember from this fantastic genre changing comic book.
No matter what you've come to expect from "your" turtles, this book is sure to give you at least a small portion of it. It's definitely got me wanting to find another trade book to add to my collection.
Although the tone of this trade paperback seems to match that of the new cartoon series more than the original comics, as well as the colored masks, the action around the turtles is totally within the realm of the old school Eastman and Laird.
Our turtles might not be gritty, but the world they live in definitely is, and it keeps with the rather absolute absurdity of the original as well. Dimension X reigns supreme as we find the Utrom Krang ready to take over everything, in a much more diabolical manner than the weasely Krang of the 1987 cartoon ever could.
We even get to see a short glimpse of Shredder with his granddaughter (a character I hadn't become aware of until checking out the new cartoon) Karai.
The book might be in color, the masks might not all be red, but perhaps that doesn't matter anymore as the cartoon and movie series are more what people remember from this fantastic genre changing comic book.
No matter what you've come to expect from "your" turtles, this book is sure to give you at least a small portion of it. It's definitely got me wanting to find another trade book to add to my collection.
April 19, 2020
In an attempt to work out what Baxter Stockman and StockGen have been planning, the Turtles end up trapped in Dimension X, between the battling forces of Krang and the Neutrino Resistance. Only by assisting the Fugitoid and rescuing the Neutrino Royal Family can the Turtles have any hope of finding their way home!
This is a great sci-fi story; it has it all, really. Dimensional teleporters, a giant war, creepy alien tentacle monsters, a shape changing robot, some epic fist-pump victories and at least one crushing defeat. For four issues, that's pretty impressive. But it all feels like a side-story for the Turtles. They're thrown into the war and have to deal with it, but even though Krang's story has been bubbling away for the first 20 odd issues of the book, it doesn't feel important in Dimension X. There's a lot of rumblings about the Technodrome, so I'm expecting the follow-up to this story to hit a bit harder, but this is an open-and-shut story that the Turtles feel a bit inconsequential in.
At least the art's improving. Ben Bates draws these four issues, and it's the best the Turtles ongoing has looked since it started if you ask me. He's a bit light on backgrounds, but given all the hectic stuff that's going on in the panels, I'll let him off. Massive step in the right direction at the very least.
Not bad, but not really a story I feel like the Turtles needed to be involved in.
This is a great sci-fi story; it has it all, really. Dimensional teleporters, a giant war, creepy alien tentacle monsters, a shape changing robot, some epic fist-pump victories and at least one crushing defeat. For four issues, that's pretty impressive. But it all feels like a side-story for the Turtles. They're thrown into the war and have to deal with it, but even though Krang's story has been bubbling away for the first 20 odd issues of the book, it doesn't feel important in Dimension X. There's a lot of rumblings about the Technodrome, so I'm expecting the follow-up to this story to hit a bit harder, but this is an open-and-shut story that the Turtles feel a bit inconsequential in.
At least the art's improving. Ben Bates draws these four issues, and it's the best the Turtles ongoing has looked since it started if you ask me. He's a bit light on backgrounds, but given all the hectic stuff that's going on in the panels, I'll let him off. Massive step in the right direction at the very least.
Not bad, but not really a story I feel like the Turtles needed to be involved in.
May 29, 2014
Sorry to spoil the contents of this trade with the subject, but this book is all about Neutrinos. Well, and Krang, as the title and cover suggest.
The IDW series is taking great strides to set itself apart from the Mirage comic series, but there's only so much it can do to take liberties with the Turtles universe. Taking a cue like Mirage did, they remove the Turtles from their NY safe-haven and buddy them up with the extraterrestrial Neutrinos. But these aliens are more serious, manning weapons and fighting Krang to save their planet.
Sorry to be full of spoilers, but my review would also like to point out how much I appreciated Honeycutt's introduction. I actually didn't see it coming, mostly because I haven't read the side-story comics yet, but it was a fun surprise to see a previous character in this story's rendition turn out to be the robot scientist.
A great read, if not a slightly bizarre departure from the previous environments. But that's all from the old Turtles stories. Can't wait to see what IDW comes up with that's fresh for TMNT.
The IDW series is taking great strides to set itself apart from the Mirage comic series, but there's only so much it can do to take liberties with the Turtles universe. Taking a cue like Mirage did, they remove the Turtles from their NY safe-haven and buddy them up with the extraterrestrial Neutrinos. But these aliens are more serious, manning weapons and fighting Krang to save their planet.
Sorry to be full of spoilers, but my review would also like to point out how much I appreciated Honeycutt's introduction. I actually didn't see it coming, mostly because I haven't read the side-story comics yet, but it was a fun surprise to see a previous character in this story's rendition turn out to be the robot scientist.
A great read, if not a slightly bizarre departure from the previous environments. But that's all from the old Turtles stories. Can't wait to see what IDW comes up with that's fresh for TMNT.
June 14, 2013
Bad.
This volume is unnecessarily wordy and expects you to suddenly care about Neutrinos and Fugitoid, which we have only just barely even been introduced to. The Turtles are ripped from their own time and space, and made to deal with Dimension X's resistance against Krang's conquest. It really feels like the author got way too excited about exploring a Dimension X story arc, then jammed it all into four issues with terrible pacing and zero character development. There is nothing interesting about this book, the art is only okay, and unless you are a hardcore old school TMNT fan, you are not likely to give any effs about the Neutrinos.
This was a major slog for me, I hope future stories are better.
This volume is unnecessarily wordy and expects you to suddenly care about Neutrinos and Fugitoid, which we have only just barely even been introduced to. The Turtles are ripped from their own time and space, and made to deal with Dimension X's resistance against Krang's conquest. It really feels like the author got way too excited about exploring a Dimension X story arc, then jammed it all into four issues with terrible pacing and zero character development. There is nothing interesting about this book, the art is only okay, and unless you are a hardcore old school TMNT fan, you are not likely to give any effs about the Neutrinos.
This was a major slog for me, I hope future stories are better.
August 15, 2014
This series continues to be a fun read. My only problem is that certain plot points that end up being kind of important actually happen elsewhere and are then referred to here in the main series. Normally, I have no problem with one-shot spinoffs. But if the events portrayed in those one-offs end up being so important, then those stories should be told in the main series. Characters continue to appear in the main series that were introduced in the spin-off series, and reference is made to items acquired and other adventures that are necessary to propel the plot of the main series and that gets aggravating.
April 7, 2014
Unfortunately, not as awesome as the previous volume for me but on par with the earlier volumes. I was a little bit thrown by the design of the Neutrino's as they felt REAL 80s to me, but I overlooked it by the cool Fugitoid plotline as well as the setting up of the epic City Fall arc!
Some times you have to acknowledge the fact that you are reading a series about turtles fighting a big brain and accept the character designs you are given;-)
Some times you have to acknowledge the fact that you are reading a series about turtles fighting a big brain and accept the character designs you are given;-)
October 11, 2014
Volume 5 deals with the Neutrinos, another throwback to the cartoon (though I guess the cartoon is a representation of the original comic). This Volume wasn't as great as the previous Volume, but I still like the dedication of the Turtles to the greater good. It is a rare combination to find a darker story with such positivity balanced with nostalgia. I would love to see some other 80s and 90s era cartoons brought back as comics this good.
July 17, 2016
About a quarter way through I suddenly realised how well the turtles and Krang had been drawn in this arc. Overall enjoyed the read although to be honest even in the original cartoon series have never really cared to the Neutrinos much. Turtles are all written on point which made for a fun read.
Either way, looking forward to picking up the next volume.
Turtle power!
Either way, looking forward to picking up the next volume.
Turtle power!
September 10, 2018
This series has been really good but took a real dip here. Really couldn’t get on with the art in this one, not my cup of tea. The story just felt like a real departure from what they’ve been building on with some weird alien pixie guys who had poor dialogue and 2 dimensional character. Up until now quality was consistent and hopefully that form will return. This just wasn’t for me.
March 15, 2021
Tady želvy trochu ztrácí spád a art má sestupnou tendenci už od druhý knížky. Poprvý tu cejtím tu přepíčenost, natahování scénáře a zároveň tlak a spěch na produkování dalších issues, jaký normálně známe u kanonickejch sérií velký dvojky. Snad je to jen zaškobrtnutí a vrátíme se zase brzo ke slušnýmu standardu předchozích dílů.
February 26, 2019
I struggled through this story ark a little. For me the turtles are a part of new York not the guardians of the galaxy and having them travelling all over like this just felt a bit too much.
February 28, 2021
So I've really been loving the Turtles series so far for their great pacing and intriguing plot lines. This volume fell really flat for me. Other than some background on Krang and his motivation for starting the war, it really was a no consequence chapter for the story. Although the artwork was different than the last volume, I still hated it...and honestly I don't know how much this one-shot adventure truly mattered. The parts that felt significant probably could have boiled down to one issue instead of an entire arc. But at five volumes that kept a good momentum, I guess just one frustrating one is ok! Here's hoping the next one is more engaging!
October 20, 2013
I never have enough praise for these IDW teenage Mutant Ninja turtle books. You know that feeling, when you look back on the things you loved when you were a kid, and you realize they were pretty stupid, and it was all about making toys, and there wasn't an epic story like you believed there was?
IDW flips that feeling on its head. The writers they have chosen for each of these projects have captured that sense of wonder we had as kids, and actually supply a story to support it.
Nothing is dummer than the idea of the Neutrinos versus Krang, in dimension X. By the end of this trade, you are not only down for their Space civil war, but you can accept that this actually ties in directly with the origin of the Ninja turtles.
This book ties in the Cartoon we grew up with and the Eastman and Laird comics from the 80s and gets rid of the all the goofiness. I love this book. The live action movie is going to suck so much.
IDW flips that feeling on its head. The writers they have chosen for each of these projects have captured that sense of wonder we had as kids, and actually supply a story to support it.
Nothing is dummer than the idea of the Neutrinos versus Krang, in dimension X. By the end of this trade, you are not only down for their Space civil war, but you can accept that this actually ties in directly with the origin of the Ninja turtles.
This book ties in the Cartoon we grew up with and the Eastman and Laird comics from the 80s and gets rid of the all the goofiness. I love this book. The live action movie is going to suck so much.
October 21, 2013
Any of you who aren't already reading IDW's new TMNT series... you need to get on that.
It just keeps getting better, and this volume kicked it up a notch. Spoiler warning, but we see the Neutrinos and their triumphant return. I was definitely skeptical that it wouldn't be ridiculous, but hey, sometimes Nineties nostalgia doesn't completely ruin everything!
In summary, I anxiously await Volume Six. Like, with quivering and biting of fingernails. Yeah.
It just keeps getting better, and this volume kicked it up a notch. Spoiler warning, but we see the Neutrinos and their triumphant return. I was definitely skeptical that it wouldn't be ridiculous, but hey, sometimes Nineties nostalgia doesn't completely ruin everything!
In summary, I anxiously await Volume Six. Like, with quivering and biting of fingernails. Yeah.
June 24, 2014
It's big and absolutely crazy; everything a TMNT comic should be!
April 25, 2018
Turtles have had a good run, but the fun stops here. Krang War is riddled with cliches and unappealing artwork. This is where I get off.
July 18, 2020
This one's a volume-long detour to Dimension X, where the Turtles are accidentally teleported... right into the middle of a war between Krang's forces and the Neutrinos. As I mentioned in a previous review, the Neutrinos didn't make much of an impression on me as a kid, and they don't do a ton for me here either. (Maybe there's just something about their scifi-rockabilly aesthetic that doesn't appeal?) I didn't feel especially invested in the Neutrinos' fate, and since the Turtles were just meeting them, it's hard to accept that the Turtles did either (beyond their general concern for justice, etc.). A crush Michelangelo has on the Neutrino princess is used to personalize the whole thing, but that rubbed me the wrong way too because I prefer my Turtles basically asexual and aromantic.
And I question whether this story arc fits here at this point in the saga. It does advance things and it's certainly not a throwaway story, but it felt weird to me to move the Turtles off-world so early in the series. I feel like the first big war should've been on home turf, grounded in the world that's already been established, where everything is personal. I know something like that is coming with the City Fall volumes -- so I think I would've held off on Dimension X for a while longer.
Still, there's a lot of fun stuff in this volume. There's a ton of action, explosions, bright colors. It's fun to look at. (The artist for this volume, Ben Bates, is maybe my favorite so far.) The writing is once again solid and logical: to accommodate three different subplots the Turtles are split up in ways that feel natural to their characters; nothing forced about it. Donatello has a nice scene with Professor Honeycutt that builds on the science-versus-faith conundrum he faced a couple volumes ago. Again you just have to appreciate the character development.
And I question whether this story arc fits here at this point in the saga. It does advance things and it's certainly not a throwaway story, but it felt weird to me to move the Turtles off-world so early in the series. I feel like the first big war should've been on home turf, grounded in the world that's already been established, where everything is personal. I know something like that is coming with the City Fall volumes -- so I think I would've held off on Dimension X for a while longer.
Still, there's a lot of fun stuff in this volume. There's a ton of action, explosions, bright colors. It's fun to look at. (The artist for this volume, Ben Bates, is maybe my favorite so far.) The writing is once again solid and logical: to accommodate three different subplots the Turtles are split up in ways that feel natural to their characters; nothing forced about it. Donatello has a nice scene with Professor Honeycutt that builds on the science-versus-faith conundrum he faced a couple volumes ago. Again you just have to appreciate the character development.
March 25, 2023
Volume 5.
In an unexpected turn of events, the Turtles find themselves transported to the planet Neutrino in Dimension X. To save Earth in their own dimension, they ally with the Neutrino resistance fighters against the brutal warlord General Krang.
Of all the books of the series so far, this felt the most like the 80s cartoon. Under most circumstances I would use that as the highest compliment but here I mean that this book feels shallow, predictable and, in the larger storyline, inconsequential.
Although Krang is clearly being set-up to be one of the main antagonists of the series, this story feels a lot like a sidequest and the personal stakes of the Turtles feel so much lower than they did against Shredder and the Foot Clan.
It doesn't help that none of the new characters are particularly engaging, largely consisting of generic resistance fighters and/or generic rulers whose kingdom has been invaded.
Whilst Krang's angry-brain-in-a-robot-body design is pretty iconic, I can't say the same of any of the other characters this storyline introduces to the series, with the Neutrinos looking like elves-meet-manga and Krang's soldiers being bland beyond description.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
In an unexpected turn of events, the Turtles find themselves transported to the planet Neutrino in Dimension X. To save Earth in their own dimension, they ally with the Neutrino resistance fighters against the brutal warlord General Krang.
Of all the books of the series so far, this felt the most like the 80s cartoon. Under most circumstances I would use that as the highest compliment but here I mean that this book feels shallow, predictable and, in the larger storyline, inconsequential.
Although Krang is clearly being set-up to be one of the main antagonists of the series, this story feels a lot like a sidequest and the personal stakes of the Turtles feel so much lower than they did against Shredder and the Foot Clan.
It doesn't help that none of the new characters are particularly engaging, largely consisting of generic resistance fighters and/or generic rulers whose kingdom has been invaded.
Whilst Krang's angry-brain-in-a-robot-body design is pretty iconic, I can't say the same of any of the other characters this storyline introduces to the series, with the Neutrinos looking like elves-meet-manga and Krang's soldiers being bland beyond description.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
May 15, 2023
Fun! I find I really like when the arcs take up the whole volume, instead of being a volume of smaller arcs in one.
We get a lot of information about Krang in this, with a fun jaunt to another world that was engaging despite being brief. I always find Honeycutt interesting and learning more about his backstory was a treat.
I think it’s a neat undercurrent theme of Splinter dealing with his internal rage and anger about both the past and the present. It showcases why he is so harsh on Raphael’s quick temper, since Splinter realizes snap decisions could lead to a lifetime of regret. We got a big scene in that nature in Vol. 4, but here it was more subtle and quietly upsetting.
I enjoy this dynamic of their family, as eclectic as it is sometimes. The brothers are so protective of each other while also being staunchly their own individuals with their own gripes amongst themselves. I enjoy this series a lot!
We get a lot of information about Krang in this, with a fun jaunt to another world that was engaging despite being brief. I always find Honeycutt interesting and learning more about his backstory was a treat.
I think it’s a neat undercurrent theme of Splinter dealing with his internal rage and anger about both the past and the present. It showcases why he is so harsh on Raphael’s quick temper, since Splinter realizes snap decisions could lead to a lifetime of regret. We got a big scene in that nature in Vol. 4, but here it was more subtle and quietly upsetting.
I enjoy this dynamic of their family, as eclectic as it is sometimes. The brothers are so protective of each other while also being staunchly their own individuals with their own gripes amongst themselves. I enjoy this series a lot!
October 13, 2022
Krang is my favorite character from the old cartoons because, well, he's really bitchy. He's always complaining about not having his robot body, then he gets the robot body, and it's insane looking.
It's like a mostly naked guy in a red Speedo and red booties with a tuning fork on his head and 3D glasses.
The design is, frankly, amazing. The robot body serves no purpose as far as hiding Krang's identity. Not even on the level of The Thing, a multi-ton orange rock man, putting on a trench coat and being like, "That'll fool Yancy Street." A brain on wheels is weird, but the robot body with that same brain in its stomach is even weirder.
And why does the face on the robot body make expressions?
Is there any particular reason Krang is in the robot body's stomach?
None of it makes sense, and that's why it remains one of my all-time favorite Turtle things.
It's like a mostly naked guy in a red Speedo and red booties with a tuning fork on his head and 3D glasses.
The design is, frankly, amazing. The robot body serves no purpose as far as hiding Krang's identity. Not even on the level of The Thing, a multi-ton orange rock man, putting on a trench coat and being like, "That'll fool Yancy Street." A brain on wheels is weird, but the robot body with that same brain in its stomach is even weirder.
And why does the face on the robot body make expressions?
Is there any particular reason Krang is in the robot body's stomach?
None of it makes sense, and that's why it remains one of my all-time favorite Turtle things.
October 27, 2025
I stated in my review for Volume 4 that I was not too big on the Dimension-X storylines from the '80s/'90s cartoon, and unfortunately, this volume goes all in on the Dimension-X story arc. On one hand, there is a lot of backstory for IDB's version of Krang, but I was ultimately not that invested in many of the characters of the resistance force introduced throughout. It was a well-told story arc, but I kept wanting IDB's version of the turtles to get back to being more grounded in New York, and it felt like they could have eased me into it a bit more here. This is not an awful volume by any means, but is also not a must-read either.
July 8, 2021
The turtles teleport to “Planet Neutrino” and help some pointy eared aliens thwart General Krang’s plot to take over the universe. Fisticuffs ensue. To date the series has focused on the turtles’ adventures in New York, and Krang War feels out of step with those origins. Ben Bates art is disappointing too. He draws the turtles really well, but his humans look like bad manga fan art. The weakest volume in the series to date.
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