I think I saw more demand for these two to return than any of the prior TMNT characters.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains Micro-Series #7
FEATURING: Bebop & Rocksteady
IDW Publishing (October, 2013)
STORY: Ben Bates & Dustin Weaver SCRIPT: Dustin Weaver ARTIST: Ben Bates SELECTED COVER ART: Tyler Walpole LETTERER: Shawn Lee EDITOR: Bobby CurnowIn continuity this story takes place between issue #s 26 & 27 of the main series.
Bebop and Rocksteady are two losers who have been kicked out of every gang in New York. When Karai comes with an offer to make new recruits into mutants, the pair immediately sign up…and cause a lot of havoc in the bargain!
What they got right: The current IDW comic is a lot more serious than the TV show Bebop and Rocksteady came from, so finding a way to keep them the lovable dimwits they are in this tone can’t be easy. Weaver was up to the challenge in his script. He made the characters work, and when they beg not to be kicked out of the Foot despite a major screw-up, I believed it when Karai was willing to give them another chance.
What they got wrong: Wrong is a bit of a stretch. The artwork didn’t work for me personally because I thought it was a bit exaggerated, if I get my meaning across, but it’s more a personal taste issue than calling it bad. Of course, I’ve been going over a lot of 90’s comics lately so the fact that anatomy looked like it could exist is a step up from what I’ve exposed myself to lately. Still, it was enough that I couldn’t come up with a Best Scene nomination, although the writing pointed to some possibilities.
Recommendation: Fans have been pleading for Bebop and Rocksteady to make the leap to comics for the first time since Archie’s series. Well, here you go and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
BW Media Spotlight 