Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #76 review: Invasion of the Triceratons
By Alex Widen
The Triceratons have hit New York City! Yet which will destroy the other first in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #76?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #76
Writers: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman & Bobby Curnow
Artist: Damian Courceiro
Colorist: Ronda Pattison
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After a spectacular trial in Dimension X, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have finally returned home. They met a variety of different beings and traveled to plenty of worlds, and finally saw the end of their enemy Krang. While this arc takes place after TMNT/Ghostbusters II, reading this issue doesn’t take anything away from it (unless you thought the Turtles would bite it). It seems like everything has worked out alright from the Turtles’ perspective and they can get back to routine.
Image by IDW Publishing
Their time flung dinosaur pet Pepperoni has been waiting for them, and their lair at least is normal. Yet Pepperoni isn’t the only dinosaur who will plague the Turtles! In no time at all they learn that someone else followed them from Dimension X! The Triceratons have landed in the heart of New York City, and it is an utter war zone! Due to King Zenter’s misinformed act of mercy, the Triceratons went back to Earth expecting a welcome. What they got was the utter exception of one!
Image by IDW Publishing
The Triceratons Get a Bronx Cheer!
Most of the issue takes place in flashback, showing how the Triceratons made first contact on Earth. Having traveled through the star-gate offered by King Zenter of Planet Neutrino, Commander Zom leads a small squad onto the planet’s surface. Why did she choose Manhattan out of any city on Earth? For the same reason every alien invasion, super villain attack or film disaster always happens there! She is flanked by Sergeant Gord and a heavily armed troupe.
Image by IDW Publishing
Since their ancestors the triceratops originated from Earth, Zom considers it a homecoming, not an invasion. Her people were abducted by the Utroms and genetically modified into serving as their soldiers for eons. Yet Zom is no fool, and has heard something of the warfare that occurs on Earth. Her men take position atop the area’s largest building, since to the Triceratons, “having the high ground” is among their key principles. She and Gord then proceed to meet the natives below.
Image by IDW Publishing
Having the Ninja Turtles as representatives from Earth already presents some immediate problems. As Zom quickly finds out, humanoid reptiles on Earth are very rare. While she offers a simple greeting, the typical midtown crowd devolves into panic. People climb street lights, trample each other, and even cause car wrecks to escape! The notion of invoking panic in the natives actually causes Zom some distress. The Triceratons are warriors, but this time they come in peace.
Image by IDW Publishing
Agent Bishop Stirs the Pot!
Yet Earth has its warriors, too. Zom sees this clearly when Agent Bishop arrives with his Earth Protection Force. This includes hordes of soldiers, weaponized vehicles, and his mutant puppet Slash. The EPF was created specifically to combat aliens and other unusual threats by Bishop’s father after the “area 51” incident. Having been involved with battles against mutants, now a threat from the stars has arrived. Yet since the mutagen came from Dimension X, it is all intertwined.
Image by IDW Publishing
Agent Bishop is no fool, and knows how to play the situation. He interacts with Zom on friendly terms, professing no desire to fight. He learns the origins of the Triceratons, and how the Utroms plucked them from Earth during prehistory. Bishop assures her that while some Utroms remain on Burnow Island, his forces have it under guard. The mere presence of the reptilian Slash also brings some familiarity. While Zom is pleased at having seemingly encountered an ally, Gord is wary.
Image by IDW Publishing
As a result of Bishop stalling for time, his squad have taken position around the Triceratons on the roof. The Earth Protection Forces immediately begin their attack upon the aliens without any warning or provocation. While the EPF may not have laser rifles, they do have some sophisticated weapons such as an EMP and other brain-scrambling devices. And Bishop also has control of Slash, a massive mutant able to survive a building collapsing upon him! The battle has begun!
Image by IDW Publishing
Wilder Than the Royal Rumble!
Even without weapons, Zom is not defenseless, and barrels through a quartet of men with ease. The other EPF soldiers quickly find themselves outgunned, even despite using a combat helicopter! Crowds of people are witnessing the chaos, and the Earth Protection Force is doing their best to control them and the media. NYPD detective Kara Lewis, who has met Bishop before, is parroting his cover story of this being a “terrorist cell” attack on TV news stations all around.
Image by IDW Publishing
It seems like the Triceratons are getting the upper hand. Bishop’s men are on the run, and the helicopter is down. As a result of this, Bishop is injured and once again his cybernetics are on display. He once again assumes control of Slash and begins his own attack. Gord ultimately sacrifices himself to save Zom, which infuriates her. Yet neither she or Bishop could anticipate what happens next! The Foot Clan, led by Splinter, arrive to proclaim their ownership of the city!
Image by IDW Publishing
The Triceratons Are More Complex Than You Think!
Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, and Bobby Curnow once again produce a fast paced and imaginative start to a new arc. This one in particular bares a similarity to the debut of the 3rd season of 2003’s TMNT cartoon, produced by 4Kids Entertainment. It naturally featured the Triceratons invading New York and the involvement of Agent Bishop. Yet the circumstances are vastly different. In fact, it speaks to the depth of the plotting that it is easy to see the perspective of both!
Image by IDW Publishing
While it seems like an invasion, the Triceratons are actually ancient Earth natives. King Zenter only led them to Earth because he wanted to make amends for their historically cruel treatment by others. In particular, his willingness to use them as foot soldiers against Maligna. Since the Ninja Turtles were the only Earthlings he’d met, Zenter had a misinformed opinion of the planet. He had no idea that he was sending the Triceratons to a planet which was full of intolerance and strife.
Image by IDW Publishing
Despite being warriors, Zom did everything reasonable to make her peaceful introduction. She and her men have weapons, yet as she notes to Bishop, any warrior would be naive to enter anyplace unarmed. The Earthlings have plenty of weapons, after all. The Triceratons suffer a state of dysphoria, a people without a homeland due to war. Zom’s eagerness to reclaim a home and her heritage almost makes her too eager to belief Bishop’s lies that a pleasant welcome is possible.
Image by IDW Publishing
Who Is a Hero or Villain Depends on Point of View!
Yet from Agent Bishop’s perspective, this is everything he has lived for. The Earth Protection Force was formed to combat monsters, both from the stars and on land. His father founded the force, yet even he grew dissatisfied with it. Bishop, on the other hand, embraced it with zealousness. The appearance of an alien fleet passing the moon was everything he’d prepared for. The Triceratons have superior technology and strength. To him, the ruse was an act of cunning strategy.
Image by IDW Publishing
The inclusion of Splinter and the Foot Clan at the end is a narrative masterstroke. Waltz and Eastman have done their best to flesh Splinter out beyond merely being a peaceful sage. While he is a wise mentor with a good heart, he’s not incorruptible. He may be a more merciful leader of the Foot Clan than Shredder with different goals — control for the sake of safety — but he is still a warlord nonetheless. His involvement will put the Turtles in a very tough position emotionally.
Image by IDW Publishing
The Ninja Turtles are still getting used to adjusting to life on their own. As the last issue of TMNT/Ghostbusters II showcases, Leonardo and Michelangelo in particular are taking it the hardest. Yet this invasion will all but force them to oppose Splinter’s Foot Clan. While Splinter sees his role as defending the city from both the Triceratons and Bishop, the Turtles know the perspective of the former. It should make for a complicated, and thus dramatic, ninja conflict!
Image by IDW Publishing
Hey Tumblr, If You Want Non-Traditional Heroines, This Is It!
Damian Courceiro, who drew some of the last issue and the initial arc on TMNT Universe, returns to art here. He has a knack for drawing both Agent Bishop and massive brawls with inhuman creatures. The Triceratons are great under his pencils, Zom in particular. His camera angles and use of shadows are great. The gun battle between the EPF and the Triceratons is of cinematic quality, yet he is also able to convey emotions easily, whether on a human or a Triceraton.
Image by IDW Publishing
Commander Zom, much like Kora, represents another progressive female character that I wish IDW’s TMNT got more credit for. Upon visiting many blogs and Tumblr’s which are critical of mainstream comic books, many of them question why many women in the genre tend to be designed as sexed up models. In TMNT, not only doesn’t this happen, but women of non-mammalian species are designed accordingly. Zom is not buxom or given a bow. Even her horn ornament is neutral.
Image by IDW Publishing
Next: Check out how the trial of Krang ended in #75!
In conclusion, this is yet another issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with little involvement from the Turtles themselves. In fact they’re only in the first three pages. And there are some fans who write in the letter columns who are annoyed by this. Yet for me it only showcases how wild and wonderful their universe is. Their cast is so large that not even two series can contain them. With a mixture of old and new elements, and fresh twists, this invasion arc is off to a shell of a start!