“Yesterday’s” Comic> Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 (Dreamwave)

“This is not a substitute for parachutes!”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5

Dreamwave Productions (October, 2003)

“Shadows Of The Mind’s Eye”

WRITER: Peter David

PENCILER: Lesean

INKER: Erik Sander

COLORIST: Shaun Curtis

FLATS: Henry Li

LETTERER: Matt Moylan

Tired of operating from the shadows and not getting recognition for his deeds, Raphael reveals himself to a little girl whose cat he just saved. When she tells her mom, he mistakes the mom hitting a fly for hitting her while she was accusing the girl of lying and does the same to the mom, which causes her to pass out. Discussing the “armored frog” gets her into Belleview, but trying to assure the psychologist it’s true (mostly) drives the doctor insane to start shooting from the roof. Raphael manages to get the situation under control, narrowly saving the girl from being shot. It’s an extreme example, but Raph agrees he needs to hide in the shadows, which Splinter corrects him on. They live in the shadows. They protect them. Splinter doesn’t want more than that…because that’s Raph’s “job”.

What they got right: Going with original stories that give the Turtles a focal story that wouldn’t work in the show for various reasons is the better plan than “it’s an episode but from someone else’s perspective”. It allows the story to breathe on its own apart from the show, but still fits into the show’s universe and timeline. (The 2003 series had a continuing narrative, which isn’t easy to find places to show an alternate adventure into and risks getting something wrong down the line, a big problem with the DCAU tie-in comics.) It’s a series of misadventures (Raph even calls out the moment in Superman: The Movie he thinks is being repeated here), but while silly still has a sense of tragic drama that makes it work.

What they got wrong: Why would a psychologist bring a HUNTING RIFLE to BELLEVIEW! YOU KNOW, THE PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WHO HAVE MENTAL ISSUES GO! You shouldn’t even be allowed to bring that in your car to this place, nevermind take it to the roof and start shooting things.

What I think overall: This is what the first three issues (I didn’t get #4 or it’s lost somewhere in the collection) should have been. Maybe it was trying to be, but standing on its own works better, especially with the show currently off the air. Even Pluto TV’s Ninja Turtles channel doesn’t seem to carry it anymore. (And yet it streams episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender from time to time for some reason.) This is better overall.