TMNT: Black, White & Green #1 is published by IDW Publishing. The book features stories by Declan Shalvey, Dave Baker & Jesse Lonergan, Gigi Dutreix & Lorenzo Hall and Paulina Ganuchaeu. Artwork is by Shalvey, Lonergan, Dutreix and Ganuchaeu.
TMNT: Black, White & Green #1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon ComiXology UK right here.
Synopsis
It’s the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles like you’ve never seen them before! This special series gathers up some of comics’ most eclectic and exciting talent to bring their takes on TMNT to the page, taking the characters back to their origins in black-and-white independent comics…but with a touch of green! Thrill to all-new adventures by the likes of Paulina Ganucheau (Wonder Woman: The Adventures of Young Diana), Declan Shalvey (Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan, Moon Knight), and more. With covers by Shalvey, Ganucheau, and superstar James Stokoe (Orc Stain; Godzilla: The Half-Century War)!
Review
The synopsis certainly has it correct. This is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles like we have never seen them before. Appearing for the first time in an anthology book which strips away the legendary coloured bandanas, replacing them with a simpler black, white and green colour scheme. But can this kind of dynamic storytelling, featuring a cool collection of creators, surpass its gimmick to prove itself a worthy book for readers?
Of course it can. Lest we forget that the Turtles first started out in black and white 40 years ago. SoTMNT: Black, White & Green is something of a return to the olden days in celebration of the franchise’s 40th birthday. There are inherent issues which come with narrowing the colour scheme. Each of the creative teams on the book’s four stories needs to work a little harder to define the identities of the four Turtles. But each story does so in its own way. Either by strongly defining the initials on their belts or by focussing on one or more characters, using dialogue to identify just which of the Heroes in a Half Shell we’re dealing with.
The anthology nature of the book is electrifying. As each of the creative teams approached the brief differently it means every turn of the page is exhilarating. In the opening story, “Green Screen”, Declan Shalvey uses green to highlight key aspects of every frame against the stark black and white backdrop. Whilst Dave Baker & Jesse Lonergan bathe the entirety of “The Brutal Sword of Leonardo” in green. Gigi Dutreix & Lorenzo Hall‘s “The Flame That Fuels You” is much inkier and murky, instead opting to use green mainly in dialogue bubbles. Whilst final story “Identity Theft” by Paulina Ganucheau takes on a more classic cartoony feel, using green for a key character within the story.
It isn’t just the visuals where the distinctions are clear. Each of the four stories has its own individual tone and style. From character studies to comedy capers, TMNT: Black, White & Green is clearly a celebration of what makes the franchise a cultural mega-hit. As such there’s something here for everyone. Fans of the cartoon will dig the more light-hearted approach of “Identity Theft” which, at times, put me in mind of flubber. Whilst those who prefer their Ninja Turtles more ninja-y will no doubt connect with the more traditional approach of “The Flame That Fuels You”.
Those who fall in to Camp Donnie, such as myself, will love the series’ opener, “Green Screen”, which finds the Tech Turtle a little too addicted to his screen time. But as the four-issue series moves forwards it’s going to be interesting to see which other genres it dips its toe in and which characters it chooses to focus on.
Verdict
TMNT: Black, White & Green #1 is a quintessential celebration of its characters and their forty-year legacy in pop culture. Four equally engaging and differing stories prove the versatility of the Heroes in a Half Shell and are an interesting glimpse in to a “What if…?” of future storytelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
