Turtles in Time #1 Review

In many a comedy film review you’ll see mention of the ‘laugh test’. Now I’m not sure exactly how many laughs are needed but I will tell you that if Turtles in Time #1 was subjected to the same test it would pass without a doubt. Not only is Paul Allor’s dialogue funny, but Ross Campbell’s art also does a great job at tickling my funny bones. That the two come together so well is a bodacious bonus.

Looking through I can see at least 7 scenes that made me laugh out loud. Some of them I will need to print off and keep with me for daily chuckles. But it’s not all histrionics. There are feels too, and a new hero! Who could well be the cutest little hero I’ve ever seen.   With a foreword explaining that this story might not make complete sense as characters will be met properly in the TMNT 2014 Annual (is that just a problem covered nicely?), we’re thrown in right at the deep end, as are our heroes.  

This is a relatively straightforward tale, and I don’t mean that disparagingly. It’s not some far out story you need to get your head around. It’s there and you enjoy it. Simple. They may also be helping create the future they live in. Time travel malarkey! I won’t dwell on it too much.

I loved Campbell’s work in the ‘Northampton’ arc,where his softer more introspective style perfectly matched the mood. Here that same style (though with bolder colours?) just makes me smile. One panel registering our heroes reactions is just perfect.

Bill Crabtree takes on colouring duties for this issue, and his bright choices really complement Campbell’s work. They make for quite the pairing.

I would write a longer review, but you should really go and buy this now and then enjoy it. I don’t want to ruin anything for you (I’ll do that below in the new section). It’s just a joyous, colourful adventure. With #35 of TMNT released today too, some might be tempted to compare. That would be a waste of time, as these are two very different approaches and both extremely well crafted and valid.   We’ve covered dinosaurs and had a very cool homage to a famous book/film, and next month issue looks like it’s going to cover Feudal Japan. Can it do it better than the third live action film? Of that I have no doubt.