Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X #4 review: Ace Duck tales
By Alex Widen
The Ninja Turtles’ trek across Dimension X is nearing a close. Will trying to catch Ace Duck bring them a lot of quacks?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X #4
Writer: Ryan Ferrier
Artist: Chris Johnson
Colorist: Mark Englert
Cover Artist: Nick Pitarra
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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are almost at the end of their journey through Dimension X. Sent by the Neutrinos to gather witnesses for their trial of the intergalactic tyrant Krang, the Turtles have faced a score of challenges. Many of them have been set up by Hakk-R, Krang’s techno-organic assassin. Other challenges have come from their setting or circumstance. Their fourth witness is Ace Duck, who is as elusive as he is mysterious. Is he real, or just yet another legend?
Image by IDW Publishing
The search for Ace Duck has led the Turtles to Palmadise City. “An entire planet with money as its core foundation” breeds a culture of crime, gambling, and corruption. Fortunately, the Turtles have some experience with this as native New Yorkers! Palmadise City is a melting pot of beings all across Dimension X, where robots take bets on almost anything, and fights break out constantly. Michelangelo is quickly overwhelmed by all of the sights and the sounds, and places a bet himself!
Image by IDW Publishing
Anything That Happens in Palmadise Stays in Palmadise!
It very quickly dawns on the Turtles that they’re not the only ones looking for Ace Duck. His stubble covered beak is plastered on all of the view screens in town. It seems like he’s made an enemy of Papa Chum, the local mafia boss. Ace Duck apparently stole a shipment of weapons from the syndicate, and destroyed them. As a result, there’s now a bounty on Ace’s head which is seven figures large. This attracts every assassin and bounty hunter in range, including Hakk-R!
Image by IDW Publishing
While Ace Duck is just another face in the crowd on Palmadise, he’s eager to split. He quickly runs afoul (pun intended) with a cyborg assassin who resembles a lady version of Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Ace is cornered in an alley, yet finds himself quickly saved by the Ninja Turtles themselves. Ace exchanges a few quips with them and proceeds to make his escape. Assuming the Turtles were bounty hunters, it isn’t until Krang is mentioned does Ace take pause.
Image by IDW Publishing
Up until now, all of the witnesses have been reluctant, at best, to testify against Krang. B’een Go and Anemon were traumatized by their experiences. And Stump had made an economic deal with Krang and hardly felt wronged until a hit man came after him. Therefore, what makes Ace Duck most noteworthy is that he’s very eager to testify against Krang! It turns out he was a part of a Neutrino air fighting unit and personally witnessed Krang commit military atrocities on the field.
Image by IDW Publishing
Time for the Third Round with Hakk-R!
Hence, Ace Duck sets up a simple deal with the Turtles — get him off Palmadise, and he’s all theirs. Unfortunately, having a bounty on his head makes smuggling Ace off world easier said than done! In a fun shout out to their endless disguises from the 1987 animated series, the Turtles and Ace dress up and sneak onto the local hyper-train. All the while, Michelangelo is gushing about how “cool” Ace Duck is and how much fun he is having on Palmadise City, refusing to take it seriously.
Image by IDW Publishing
Things get serious when Hakk-R tracks them down once again. He easily tears into the subway train, just as some of Papa Chum’s goons turn up as well. Ace Duck immediately uses the opportunity to bail, earning Raphael’s ire. The fearless foursome track down Ace once they get back on street level, with the old bird trying to convince them he’s no chicken. While the quartet are trying to keep a low profile, that becomes impossible once Michelangelo wins the local lottery!
Image by IDW Publishing
Hakk-R quickly tracks them down once again, and everyone around them starts betting on the fight. Papa Chum doubles his reward on Ace Duck. Yet Ace himself has vanished again right under the ninjas’ shells. After a series of defeats and humiliations, Hakk-R isn’t holding back against the Turtles. Things get so dire that even Michelangelo pulls a Pete Rose and bets against them! When Ace returns, can he manage to come to terms with the Turtles, especially a cynical Raphael?
Image by IDW Publishing
Plenty of Easter Eggs for Longtime Turtle Fans!
Ryan Ferrier is a veteran comic book writer, best known at IDW for his D4VE franchise. He also wrote the Metalhead issues of TMNT Universe. He provides a fast paced and fun issue of TMNT: Dimension X, mingling in elements of science fiction with urban crime. He’s able to juggle all four Turtles very well, and has a terrific voice for all of them. The interaction among the four is key, and Ferrier handles it quite well. Aside from Paul Allor, he has the most Ninja Turtle experience coming in.
Image by IDW Publishing
He, like the rest of the writers on this mini, knows his Ninja Turtles lore. Besides the reference to Metal Gear Solid, he puts in a few fun references for fans. The most obvious is the name of the city everyone is running around in. Palmadise was best known in Archie Comics’ TMNT Adventures as the palm-tree filled home-world of Slash. In that incarnation, Slash was an alien rather than a mutant. It is weird seeing Palmadise with nary a palm tree to be seen, yet it was a nice shout out.
Image by IDW Publishing
Papa Chum is an original character, yet he does bare some resemblance to someone from the past of TMNT. In an episode from the 1987 cartoon’s 10th (and last) season, the Turtles meet the titular “Mobster from Dimension X.” There he’s called “the Globfather” and was a giant amoeba. Papa Chum doesn’t resemble him at all, although he is referred to as “a sack of bile.” There are a few mobsters from TMNT, yet few from Dimension X, so it was an easy memory to recall.
Image by IDW Publishing
Is This Recreation Fair or Foul?
Chris Johnson and Mark Englert handle the art and colors, respectively, and do a fantastic job. Johnson has a great handle on all four Turtles, from their facial expressions to their headbands and weapons. He also excels at all of the dramatic poses and battles the Turtles usually inspire! Drawing throngs of alien crowds amid a high tech city also isn’t easy, yet Johnson pulls it off with particular aplomb. Englert’s colors are great, and crucial for breathing life into Palmadise City.
Image by IDW Publishing
The character who benefits the most from the efforts of both Ferrier and Johnson is Ace Duck himself. He is the perfect example of a longtime character who has technically existed within a franchise for decades, but had little to show for it. His action figure debuted way back in 1989, and his only appearance in the original cartoon was a cameo on a TV screen in season 3. TMNT Adventures ditched the pilot angle to make him a wrestler in Stump’s Intergalactic Wrestling show.
Image by IDW Publishing
Ferrier and Johnson go back to basics with this high flying quack, bringing back the pilot’s angle to him. He’s lost the stereotypical pilot’s cap, but kept his cool leather jacket and jeans, with added dog tags and even scars! Hilariously, Ace Duck even has stubble on his bill — could chicken lips be next? Furthermore, Ferrier and Johnson do their best to portray an air of “cool” with Ace via dialogue and body language. He’s akin to Han Solo or even the film version of Peter Quill here!
Image by IDW Publishing
The Coolest Duck since Launchpad McQuack!
Naturally, part of the fun is seeing how the Turtles themselves react to Ace. Michelangelo quickly falls for the feathered foul’s facade. In fact, Mikey probably says the word “cool” so many times, the word may lose a lot of its meaning! Raphael, on the other hand, sees the duck as a coward and opportunist. While both are pragmatic, Raphael never runs from a fight regardless of circumstances. Donatello and Leonardo, at least, are impressed with his vanishing acts and stealth.
Image by IDW Publishing
Unlike Han Solo, Ace Duck was an honorable soldier. His exile was due to pragmatism, not fear. He’s a soldier with a tragic past, yet still acting as a hero. Once the Turtles allowed him a chance to help bring Krang to justice, Ace jumped at it. While several of the witnesses in this miniseries have been brawlers, Ferrier plays up Ace’s pragmatism in the story. He only retreats because he sees fighting as a last resort, and will do anything to get the job done. You can always bet on an Ace!
Image by IDW Publishing
Seems like This Series Aims to End at Its Peak!
Following up last week’s awesome wrestling issue was a tough act to follow, yet this issue pulls it off. The great thing about this mini has been the myriad of creators and stories which have been allowed to be told within it, while all serving a greater connected subplot. Hakk-R’s frequent defeats should be a cause for concern, or at least predictability, yet he usually he is beaten due to circumstance. This issue is no exception, although he is very close to being overused by this point.
Image by IDW Publishing
Next: Get ready to jump from the Top Rope from #3!
Next week sees the finale of this miniseries, and, so far, it has been an unmitigated success. Timed to bridge the gap between issues of the regular series, it has allowed for further exploration of Dimension X. In addition, it’s allowed no end of creators to have their chance to influence this incredible incarnation of the franchise. What Ferrier and Johnson have done with Ace Duck won’t readily be forgotten, and has easily been the best “duck-tale” this character has ever been in.