Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X #3 review: Stump Wrestling
By Alex Widen
The next witness needed for the trial of the galaxy is Stump! Will the Turtles have to wrestle for him?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X #3
Writer: Aubrey Sitterson
Artist: Khary Randolph
Colorist: John Rauch
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Another week and another trial witness that the Ninja Turtles have to find in Dimension X. Their previous efforts saw them meet a psychic living orb and a four-armed sumo. They’ve also been trying to outrace the techno-organic hit man Hakk-R at every turn. The Turtles have often found themselves outmatched by Hakk-R, escaping or prevailing due to circumstance. Yet as crazy as their trek through Dimension X has been, their stop for the tree-like Stump may be the wildest!
Image by IDW Publishing
Both B’een Go and Anemon had been outcasts, isolated from others or in hiding. Stump, who like Anemon is the sole survivor of his home planet, proves much different. He’s the co-owner and “color commentator” of Intergalactic Wrestling, a traveling sports entertainment company in Dimension X! Stump proves to be a very public, uncooperative and bombastic figure. While Michelangelo is having the time of his life, the other Turtles have to grit their teeth and bare it.
Image by IDW Publishing
The Neutrinos Have to Be Royalty to Grab Last Minute Tickets!
Much like Anemon, Stump had been a willing collaborator to Krang’s conquest of Dimension X. Unlike Anemon, his service was neither noble nor regrettable. Stump eagerly sold his planet out to Krang in order to obtain the cash needed to found Intergalactic Wrestling! Served by his lackey Sling, Stump only cares about profits and putting on a great show for an audience of suckers. He quickly earns Raphael’s gall, who suggests for once allowing Hakk-R to assassinate his target!
Image by IDW Publishing
While Stump has no altruistic or emotional reason to turn on Krang, he’s also not fond of being targeted by Krang’s assassin. Stump capitalizes on the Turtles’ desperation regarding him attending the trial and signs them up as performers for his latest Intergalactic Wrestling show! Sensing the “dark angry charisma” of Raphael, Stump insists he suit up and take on his top contender, “Antrax the Executioner,” as an exhibition before a scheduled championship bout.
Image by IDW Publishing
A key gag throughout the issue is Michelangelo being the only Turtle unaware that professional wrestling is “fake” (or staged). Such knowledge on Earth has been well known for decades, but “kayfabe” is still very much a fact of life on Dimension X! As such, while Raphael had been scheduled to lose, he infuriated Antrax by being too cavalier with such knowledge. The insect-wrestler hits Raph with his finishing move, forcing him to ditch the script and fight for real!
Image by IDW Publishing
It’s Just as Wild as Summerslam!
Much to Sling’s chagrin, Raphael winning the match now ruins Antrax for their main event. While Stump acts furious, he’s eager (in truth) to capitalize on happenstance to insert a new gimmick into the show. Having encouraged Raph to “take one for the team,” both Leonardo and Donatello are now forced to don spandex themselves for a tag match. The main event with champion “Cryin’ Hound” will now be a tag team match involving “El Samurai” and “Superstar Donny!”
Image by IDW Publishing
While the arrival of the Turtles was something Stump quickly worked around, Hakk-R is something else. The assassin beams in before Cryin’ Hound can select his partner, and a panicked Stump rings the bell to start the match! When not even Cryin’ Hound is enough to allow the Turtles to defeat Hakk-R, Mikey gets to live the dream of jumping into the ring himself! Donatello winds up winning the match, and Stump plays everything up to another bombastic staging coup!
Image by IDW Publishing
Aubrey Sitterson is a prolific comic book writer, editor and podcast host. He’s best known for writing G.I. Joe for IDW, yet he’s also edited a slew of titles for Marvel Comics (Ghost Rider, Blade, X-Factor) and Image Comics (Invincible, The Walking Dead). This is his first assignment for TMNT and he does a terrific job paying homage to settings and characters originally crafted by Archie’s TMNT Adventures in the ’90s. It’s also a proudly energetic love letter to professional wrestling.
Image by IDW Publishing
Tons of Clever Uses of Previous Lore!
In the ’90s, both Stump and Sling were intended as parodies of Don King, then the most prolific promoter in professional boxing. While that satire still works, in the world of pro-wrestling, Stump seems to take his cues from Vince McMahon, the bombastic CEO of WWE. Eager to act as owner, commentator, and “heel” (villain) to his audience, Stump also mercilessly capitalizes on any circumstance to try to play to the emotions of his fans for dollars. Stump works even better today!
Image by IDW Publishing
The wrestling satire doesn’t stop there! Much like Stump and Sling, Cryin’ Hound was another creation from TMNT Adventures. In both incarnations, he’s the four-armed canine champion of Intergalactic Wrestling. In his original incarnation, his main gag was repeating his name. This time around, Cryin’ Hound is a lampoon of both Hulk Hogan and Honky Tonk Man, two well-known “veteran” WWE wrestlers. He rules “Houndamania” and dresses like Elvis, even using a guitar!
Image by IDW Publishing
Antrax is another recreated character from the TMNT’s past, only this time from the original 1987 cartoon. Originally billed as “Krang’s executioner,” he received a toy in 1991 and his own episode appearance in 1993’s 7th season. Since Hakk-R has more or less taken on the executioner role, it was clever to imagine him as a wrestler here. His design is certainly more like a real insect, and having his “burning ax” serve as the name to his finishing move kept the surprises coming along!
Image by IDW Publishing
A Universe Big Enough for Two Combat Leagues!
In addition, the costumes the Ninja Turtles wear as they’re forced to wrestle are similar designs to those worn in TMNT Adventures. In fact, the only one which has drastically changed is Raphael’s. In the Archie comic, he wore a full-body black leotard. It was similar to Spider-Man’s black costume, which may be why it was altered this time. Leonardo’s samurai costume is made to mix in “luchador” (Mexican wrestling) elements. Plus, the Turtles always had toys with variant outfits!
Image by IDW Publishing
While the previous issues seemed to focus on Leonardo and Raphael, Mikey takes over this one. It’s hilarious watching the other Turtles try to gently convince him that wrestling is fake. Yet it’s his overeager embracing of genre conventions that allows him to help turn the tide. Even Donatello wisely alters his technique to figure out a way to beat Hakk-R, at least briefly. Much like Hawkeye, Mikey also pulls off his own “hurricanrana” move. I henceforth dub it “the Mikeycanrana!”
Image by IDW Publishing
The overall TMNT franchise has seen two different “professional tournament leagues” throughout their lore. Intergalactic Wrestling came first in the ’90s, yet the 2003 cartoon brought about the “Battle Nexus.” Also an inter-dimensional martial arts tournament, Peter Laird later brought it into #24–32 of the 4th volume of the Mirage Studios‘ TMNT comic. IDW’s incarnation set up the Battle Nexus in its 2014 annual. It’s great that this universe is big enough to contain both of them!
Image by IDW Publishing
Incredible Art Makes This a Clean Win!
Khary Randolph provides terrific art for this over-the-top issue. Best known for Spidey and Mosaic at Marvel, here he’s teamed up with prolific colorist John Rauch (Invincible). The pair unite for a work which is unlike either of the previous issues. In fact, every issue having its own creative team and flair is quickly becoming a boon to this series. Stump, the Turtles, and all the wrestlers look fantastic. The colors give it an underground feel, perfect for a story about professional wrestling!
Image by IDW Publishing
In fact, the only quibble comes up in the first page, and it’s a slight continuity problem. The Neutrinos ferrying the Turtles across Dimension X are Zak and Kala. Yet Randolph clearly draws Dask, who stayed behind in TMNT #73. The dialogue is the same “greaser” slang Zak uses. Maybe Dask couldn’t resist tagging in on his own to see some wrestling? It’s a minor blip, but one I noticed. At least the Fugitoid manages to have a cameo here, and Randolph draws him excellently!
Image by IDW Publishing
Next: See the Turtles' last wrestling match with a sumo in #2!
I was never a fan of Stump, Sling or any of the Intergalactic Wrestling stuff when I read TMNT Adventures as a kid. Therefore, I was surprised at how well I took to this version as presented by Sitterson, Randolph and Rauch. Once again, IDW and editor Bobby Curnow know how to hire the right creative team who knows how to merge nostalgia with imagination for elements of this franchise. This is simply an awesomely fun installment, and easily my favorite of the minis so far!