Inkspot Fancy

This is the start of the new-ish IDW version of the TMNT. And with a new start comes a quasi-new origin - most of the general pieces you know from previous generations of the story were there - the mutagen, the protective rat saving baby turtles, humans April O'Neil and Casey Jones getting involved. But some of the details were different as well, and that was really what made me decide I like this. I don't know exactly where it's going.

In this book, we start with the family split - well, sort of. The storytelling hops around a little in time, between their pre-mutation days in a science lab and their post-mutation lives as ninjas in NYC. And shortly after they get freed from the lab, Raph gets separated from the rest of the group. So while his brothers are searching for him, he's wandering the city, hiding and trying to figure out who he is.

I admit to really liking the versions of this story that use April-the-scientist, so this gets bonus points there. :)

This one also gets to introducing Casey and Raph pretty early, which is kind of the norm now, but does it a little differently than usual. I'm not sure if I like this better - I'm actually pretty sure I don't - but I do like that the book was willing to go a different way on something that's become kind of a staple of TMNT stories.

My only real complaint - it's so SHORT! At barely over 100 pages, it just felt like it was over as soon as it started.