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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios 1984)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Book III
126 pagesFirst Classics (December 1987)English0915419289978-0915419289Product 10.7 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
126 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1987
6 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Eastman
1,105 books352 followersKevin B. Eastman is an American comic book artist, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 28, 2020
There are some good moments here, but all in all, it's a step down from the previous volume in terms of sheer wackiness and originality. Picking up where we left off, the turtles, their robot friend, and the triceratops aliens are back in the brain people's base. The general course of the story is pretty clear immediately, and it takes too long to wrap up. The second story has the turtles rushing to the defense of a runaway apprentice mage; she takes them all to a sword and sorcery time, and they have an adventure with Dave Sim's Cerebus. Then there's two shorter stories, one where the turtles have a fight to stop a gang war, and another where Splinter and the turtles intercede to help a gang lord's son realize his Samurai heritage.
The first story takes too long; the triceratops part is wrapped up quickly, and the rest is a confrontation with the army forces that is basically just everyone fleeing; even the 'secret origin' of the turtles doesn't add anything we haven't seen before. (I'm still amused that their origin story is a Daredevil pastiche.) The time travel story is noteworthy for the inclusion of Sim's character and the time travel device; the latter I have a suspicion may be the inspiration for the third, not very good Turtles movie. And I appreciate how Cerebus is markedly different from the Turtles. They're there to help the girl, but he's more interested in using her essentially as a wedge to get his hands on some magic scroll. He's much more crafty than them, and it shows. Whatever else can be said about Sim (and there's a lot), at least he's got his character down. The other two stories are different flavors of the usual oriental mismatch that the turtles typically draw on; the Splinter-based story is a bit more mystic based, with the character eventually drawing on past lives, and the second is a fight sequence with a story attached. There's a really nice two pages of the turtles taking down two men silently--it's nice to see them live up to the ninja title. So, the execution is improving, but the overall plot isn't that interesting.
The first story takes too long; the triceratops part is wrapped up quickly, and the rest is a confrontation with the army forces that is basically just everyone fleeing; even the 'secret origin' of the turtles doesn't add anything we haven't seen before. (I'm still amused that their origin story is a Daredevil pastiche.) The time travel story is noteworthy for the inclusion of Sim's character and the time travel device; the latter I have a suspicion may be the inspiration for the third, not very good Turtles movie. And I appreciate how Cerebus is markedly different from the Turtles. They're there to help the girl, but he's more interested in using her essentially as a wedge to get his hands on some magic scroll. He's much more crafty than them, and it shows. Whatever else can be said about Sim (and there's a lot), at least he's got his character down. The other two stories are different flavors of the usual oriental mismatch that the turtles typically draw on; the Splinter-based story is a bit more mystic based, with the character eventually drawing on past lives, and the second is a fight sequence with a story attached. There's a really nice two pages of the turtles taking down two men silently--it's nice to see them live up to the ninja title. So, the execution is improving, but the overall plot isn't that interesting.
April 28, 2020
I think things are getting a little TOO out of hand now...
So we've got ninja turtles - cool!
We've got their master, a rat - yeah fun!
They had to fight another ninja master and his foot clan - oh so awesome!
Evil scientists with killer robots? - count me in!
Aliens and traveling through space? - yay, sure let's do it!
Evil talking dinosaurs - I mean, why not?!
Finally get back from space travel, things are wrapped up - that was fun!
Next story - some sort of time traveling teenage girl runs into the turtles then takes them back to medieval times to fight a goat-demon guy and also there is now an Aardvark that can talk and fight - oh, um, ok?
I felt like they jumped the shark already, but again, this is based on the (seemingly) more 'grounded' tv show? (yeah, teenage ninja turtles and space aliens is grounded now) Also after like a three-comic arc through space, we get a one-and-done story about time travel and more talking animal-creatures? Seems like we barely got enough time to learn anything about these crazy new characters.
Also got a weird 'prequel' story about splinter changing souls with an old dying Japanese man, but we also got a lot of killing and grittiness, so I'd say this volume is very hit and miss.
Can't wait to get into the final volume of the original turtles saga1
So we've got ninja turtles - cool!
We've got their master, a rat - yeah fun!
They had to fight another ninja master and his foot clan - oh so awesome!
Evil scientists with killer robots? - count me in!
Aliens and traveling through space? - yay, sure let's do it!
Evil talking dinosaurs - I mean, why not?!
Finally get back from space travel, things are wrapped up - that was fun!
Next story - some sort of time traveling teenage girl runs into the turtles then takes them back to medieval times to fight a goat-demon guy and also there is now an Aardvark that can talk and fight - oh, um, ok?
I felt like they jumped the shark already, but again, this is based on the (seemingly) more 'grounded' tv show? (yeah, teenage ninja turtles and space aliens is grounded now) Also after like a three-comic arc through space, we get a one-and-done story about time travel and more talking animal-creatures? Seems like we barely got enough time to learn anything about these crazy new characters.
Also got a weird 'prequel' story about splinter changing souls with an old dying Japanese man, but we also got a lot of killing and grittiness, so I'd say this volume is very hit and miss.
Can't wait to get into the final volume of the original turtles saga1
November 7, 2024
This volume was a bit of a dud. The first chapter concludes the saga that began in the previous volume. After that, the meat of the book is a stand-alone story that crosses over with Dave Sim’s Cerberus character for a rather uninspired adventure.
The stand-out tale in this volume is the one-shot story “The Passing,” in which the turtles help facilitate the transfer of an ancient samurai spirit to a new host. Even so, it’s riddled with unfortunate grammatical errors. The volume ends with an inconsequential and previously unpublished one-shot titled “Stompers” about a duel between rival gangs.
The stand-out tale in this volume is the one-shot story “The Passing,” in which the turtles help facilitate the transfer of an ancient samurai spirit to a new host. Even so, it’s riddled with unfortunate grammatical errors. The volume ends with an inconsequential and previously unpublished one-shot titled “Stompers” about a duel between rival gangs.
July 29, 2024
Tapa tomada de la página con el reencuentro entre las Tortugas y el Maestro Splinter.
Terminó siendo el último número en ser publicado.
Terminó siendo el último número en ser publicado.
May 8, 2012
Unless you’re a purist who just has to read everything you could be forgiven for skipping this book. There’s some kind of really annoying apprentice to a time lord who steals a magic scepter and transports the turtles into another comic book. It’s annoying and makes no sense and is full of silly dialogue and horrible writing.
On the other hand the beginning of the book also features the ending of the arc begun in book one and continued in book two so if you’re heavily invested in that particular story, which, as noted, has its own set of hangups, then you could be forgiven for reading a book with such a pointless and annoying story in the midst of it.
You could also be forgiven for being annoyed at how long the previous sentence was.
However, and here we get to the good part, the reason I bought this book again, was the short story contained at the end. The story is called the 49th Street Stompers and it’s about the Turtles stepping in to defend the projects from a rival gang that is trying to oust them. The story is brilliant because we get to see what the Turtles are about. They aren’t your typical super heroes – they did start out seeking revenge after all. They’re out helping the downtrodden and unfortunate but in a unique way.
Being ninjas the altercation is a bit less violent in outcome than many of their other altercations. I think at this point that the creators are starting to realize that it creates a moral problem if your heroes are willing to kill with impunity when they are in a tight spot.
There is also a story about Splinter trying to help the young son of a local crime lord reclaim his Samurai heritage which is beautifully told, if a bit predictable in it’s execution.
The main story of this book is the weakest of the lot but thankfully it is only a portion of the book and two of the best one-off Ninja Turtle stories follow right after.
It’s like frosting on a cake made of papier-mâchét. So if you like frosting…
Okay bad analogy. I hate frosting, and I’m pretty sure I hate the taste of papier-mâchét as well – though that might be exclusionist of me, I’ve never tried it.
You get my point.
On the other hand the beginning of the book also features the ending of the arc begun in book one and continued in book two so if you’re heavily invested in that particular story, which, as noted, has its own set of hangups, then you could be forgiven for reading a book with such a pointless and annoying story in the midst of it.
You could also be forgiven for being annoyed at how long the previous sentence was.
However, and here we get to the good part, the reason I bought this book again, was the short story contained at the end. The story is called the 49th Street Stompers and it’s about the Turtles stepping in to defend the projects from a rival gang that is trying to oust them. The story is brilliant because we get to see what the Turtles are about. They aren’t your typical super heroes – they did start out seeking revenge after all. They’re out helping the downtrodden and unfortunate but in a unique way.
Being ninjas the altercation is a bit less violent in outcome than many of their other altercations. I think at this point that the creators are starting to realize that it creates a moral problem if your heroes are willing to kill with impunity when they are in a tight spot.
There is also a story about Splinter trying to help the young son of a local crime lord reclaim his Samurai heritage which is beautifully told, if a bit predictable in it’s execution.
The main story of this book is the weakest of the lot but thankfully it is only a portion of the book and two of the best one-off Ninja Turtle stories follow right after.
It’s like frosting on a cake made of papier-mâchét. So if you like frosting…
Okay bad analogy. I hate frosting, and I’m pretty sure I hate the taste of papier-mâchét as well – though that might be exclusionist of me, I’ve never tried it.
You get my point.
July 15, 2013
This isn't my favorite collection of original TMNT issues, but if you're a fan, it's required reading. This volume has a few cool features:
1) early Michael Dooney TMNT art
2) a guest appearance by Cerebus and comic legend Dave Sim
3) The turtles wearing bandana-like cowls and using weapons beyond their typical four
4) an early micro-story by Kevin Eastman with great art
But this volume also has a few weak spots:
1) the four stories inside are all unrelated one-offs, the first of which wraps up a story from the previous collection. The overall effect is that the book as a whole felt very disconnected.
2) the second issue - the one featuring Cerebus - is just completely ridiculous. One example is when an evil demon-like villain calls forth a zombie army to fight the turtles he says, "Tartar sauce, salsa, and mustard, phew! Bagbalm, garlic and mixed salts too! Pickles, onions, and some special kinda goo! Tutti-frutti skip-a-dee doo! Up my dead, get a clue, it's time to live, there's lots to do!" This is just one example. There's lots to groan about in this particular story.
3) The Eastman micro-story was excellent because of the art and the fight scene, but it was too short to really feel substantial.
To my knowledge, this volume and the other First Publishing volumes in the same series were the first look anyone had at the turtles in color. I've enjoyed comparing the coloring of these volumes with the recent "The Works" volumes that IDW publishing has released. I'm not sure which I like better yet. I probably still prefer them in the original black and white! :)
1) early Michael Dooney TMNT art
2) a guest appearance by Cerebus and comic legend Dave Sim
3) The turtles wearing bandana-like cowls and using weapons beyond their typical four
4) an early micro-story by Kevin Eastman with great art
But this volume also has a few weak spots:
1) the four stories inside are all unrelated one-offs, the first of which wraps up a story from the previous collection. The overall effect is that the book as a whole felt very disconnected.
2) the second issue - the one featuring Cerebus - is just completely ridiculous. One example is when an evil demon-like villain calls forth a zombie army to fight the turtles he says, "Tartar sauce, salsa, and mustard, phew! Bagbalm, garlic and mixed salts too! Pickles, onions, and some special kinda goo! Tutti-frutti skip-a-dee doo! Up my dead, get a clue, it's time to live, there's lots to do!" This is just one example. There's lots to groan about in this particular story.
3) The Eastman micro-story was excellent because of the art and the fight scene, but it was too short to really feel substantial.
To my knowledge, this volume and the other First Publishing volumes in the same series were the first look anyone had at the turtles in color. I've enjoyed comparing the coloring of these volumes with the recent "The Works" volumes that IDW publishing has released. I'm not sure which I like better yet. I probably still prefer them in the original black and white! :)
October 27, 2022
The comics took a serious nosedive in quality in this volume. Of the three full-length issues collected here (there's also a fairly inconsequential short at the end), the first issue is pretty easily the best and it's not even that good? The Turtles are stuck in a building with the Krang, who it turns out are good guys I guess, and the Krang need to fix their teleporter before the cops and national guard bust down the door. They're also reunited with Splinter.
The second issue has some weird time travel shit, and it’s not good weird it's bad weird. The third issue is a flashback to Splinter doing a body swap with some Japanese samurai elder who needs help to convince his grandson to keep the family's samurai tradition going, and like that's cool I guess but I'm not sure why we're supposed to care?
Idk guys, just felt like a pretty nothing volume if you ask me. There's even a few typos in the lettering, which is just embarrassing. It's the first one of these I just haven't really enjoyed reading.
---
Check out my compilation review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on my blog, 24,000 Miles to the Moon! https://24000milestothemoon.com/2022/...
The second issue has some weird time travel shit, and it’s not good weird it's bad weird. The third issue is a flashback to Splinter doing a body swap with some Japanese samurai elder who needs help to convince his grandson to keep the family's samurai tradition going, and like that's cool I guess but I'm not sure why we're supposed to care?
Idk guys, just felt like a pretty nothing volume if you ask me. There's even a few typos in the lettering, which is just embarrassing. It's the first one of these I just haven't really enjoyed reading.
---
Check out my compilation review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on my blog, 24,000 Miles to the Moon! https://24000milestothemoon.com/2022/...
January 8, 2011
Another random story. The Turtles just got back from one dimensional trip involving Fugitoid (see my review of Book II), when some annoying valley-girl typeset girl from another dimension/the future(?) throws a fit and steals a time travel device and sucks the Turtles along on her tantrum.
Strange stuff Eastman and Laird we're pumping out in Books II & III. Again, if you want real good Turtle stories, I recommend Books I & IV.
Strange stuff Eastman and Laird we're pumping out in Books II & III. Again, if you want real good Turtle stories, I recommend Books I & IV.
March 17, 2014
By book 3 the artwork is becoming a lot more refined, and the characters are growing into their roles.
The TMNT return to Earth, only to embark on several short, strange (even by TMNT standards) adventures.
In the last story, we learn that at least one of the Turtles (possibly Michelangelo) listens to Metallica.
The TMNT return to Earth, only to embark on several short, strange (even by TMNT standards) adventures.
In the last story, we learn that at least one of the Turtles (possibly Michelangelo) listens to Metallica.
May 2, 2012
My brother bought me this one, and gave it to me the night before Christmas. I don't remember much about it past that, as I don't remember the story being too memorable, and reading the other review, it appears it really wasn't. Doesn't change what it spawned though.
February 26, 2024
Tercer tomo de la inconclusa edición argentina de TMNT. Repite ISBN con el segundo tomo. Termina con un especial navideño que creo que también tengo en la edición española. Se prometió un tomo 4 que jamás salió.
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March 4, 2014u r stupid
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 26, 2014it good
Want to read
November 1, 2015Edición argentina, tomo 3.
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