Tales of the TMNT – #64 – The Burning Man

I present to you a bittersweet review. Being the last issue done by our power house that is Tristan, we can only hope that we will see him again in the future that is Non-Mirage turtles…

I thoroughly enjoyed this issue. But the Mikey fan in me is probably the reason behind it. Tristan and Jim really did a great mix of action with a bit of humor. Mike narrates the story with this wonderful dry wit as he explains how he gets the ‘verbal spanking’ at the beginning of the story. Yes, you read that right…

Mike goes on to explain this elaborate Rube-Goldberg sequence of events that involves the foot clan, an underhanded Chinese businessman, a flaming skeleton and a scene involving Leonardo dressed up as Batman. Taking place not long after the death of Oroku Saki, Leonardo and Michelangelo discover the Foot clan stealing a relic from a private collector. Said relic turns out to be holding some sort of Chinese curse, which has been set after the businessman Li Xiao Yao.

Mike finds himself alone in dealing with this new threat, and the ending results in the massive chaotic destruction of a good couple blocks of Chinatown. Not to mention Mike being broadcasted on National News. Good Times by All!

Of course, Mike’s totally innocent in all of this. A Victim of Circumstance. Or Murphy’s Law… seriously, you feel bad for him after a while. Between problems with the communicators, and his attempt to disguise himself with a set of nose-glasses, the turtle needs a vacation.

The cover looks is a pose right out of Indiana Jones. All he needs now are the artifacts and giant killer boulders. The addition of color Really helps Jim’s artwork stand out much more. The frontispiece is a fantastic scaly monstrosity, courtesy of Michael Dooney. We even get a little of “Mikey style” artwork, which strangely reminds me of the Canadians from South Park.

In all, this was a great issue, and it pains me to think that we will lose out on further creations from Tristan. Change can be good, but it is oh so hard… So a hearty thank you to Tristan and all of the Mirage Crew. You’ve been such an amazing group, we will always be grateful for your hard work.

So Buy it, read it, and Love it! ZOUNDS!

~Machias