Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #19

So issue 18 fed us a mouthful of action and a helping of story and #19 continues that tradition. With the King and Queen being held hostage by Krang and his goons, the only option left for the Neutrinos? A full on assault and some cloak and dagger tactics. It is relentlessly fun to see what this creative team is doing with the Neutrinos. What in the original series was group of goofy, teenage hot rodders has become a living entity with solid characters and an amazing backstory. The writing on this issue is continuing to blow me away. My friends and I can't stop talking about what's next and love every minute of it. Seriously. I complain when books come out too often, but this one could come out every week and if the quality held, I would be all over it.

Artistically Bates is doing a good job but the story and action are so overwhelming that I barely notice his images. I had to sit down and make myself admire the art and it looks great. I like his style and I feel like he has a good grasp on the character designs but whether Nickolodeon is pushing it or not, they look just like the current television series. That isn't a bad thing, but I would rather he do his own take on them than some cookie-cutter art. Also, the unsung hero I try to sing of, colorist Ronda Pattison, is making this book shine. As I said, with so much happening the art tends to fade but the color is amazing and each page flashes. She really should get more notice.

So what's the tally? This is a buy and a half. I tick off half a star just for the fact it is more action than story so it felt more like a Marvel book than a Turtles book. It is still solid and fantastic. Go nab it!