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    Review

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen #1 Review

    Christopher RondeauBy Christopher RondeauApril 17, 20233 Mins Read

    The Turtles are pursuing Dr. WhereWhen when they are suddenly taken to Feudal Japan, where they meet Usagi Yojimbo. Check out this encounter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen #1 by IDW Publishing!

    The Turtles are pursuing Dr. WhereWhen when they are suddenly taken to Feudal Japan, where they meet Usagi Yojimbo. Check out this encounter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen #1 by IDW Publishing!  
    You can read this issue via our Amazon affiliate link, and support Major Spoilers in the process

    TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES/USAGI YOJIMBO: WHEREWHEN #1

    Writer: Stan Sakai
    Artist: Stan Sakai
    Colorist: Hi-Fi Design
    Letterer: Stan Sakai
    Editor: Scott Dunbier
    Publisher: IDW Publishing
    Cover Price: $4.99
    Release Date: April 12th, 2023 

    Previously in TMNT Usagi Yojimbo: Check out the new crossover between TMNT and Usagi Yojimbo. This is a joint venture between IDW Publishing and the new Dark Horse imprint, Dogu Publishing! This title is written and drawn by Usagi’s creator Stan Sakai.

    THE INITIAL MEETING

    TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen #1 starts with Miyamoto Usagi hearing about a kappa drowning villagers. He manages to convince Lord Noriyuki to allow him to go and check it out, but the Lord believes this is a waste of time. Tamoe, Jotaro, and Yukichi accompany Usagi, and they split up to try and find the kappa. Tomoe Ame and Usagi intensely discuss Ame’s marriage before they see the kappa and quickly dispose of it.

    In the modern day, the Ninja Turtles sneak into a warehouse where they find Dr. WhereWhen, a time-traveling robotic scientist. The turtles dispatch WhereWhen’s henchman before WhereWhen time travels. The Turtles chase him through time, and Donatello sets the coordinates to feudal Japan. The disoriented turtles arrive face-to-face with Jotaro and Yukichi, who declare them kappas.

    TIME TRAVEL SHINANEGANS

    I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this title. I don’t know much about Usagi Yojimbo, nor have I followed the recent TMNT line. So I approached this as a new reader only familiar with the title. TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen #1 introduced many Usagi characters quickly without that much context. I ultimately turned to Wikipedia to try and catch myself up.

    Additionally, we see quite a bit of character moments for the Usagi side, and the TMNT characters don’t get the same attention within those first issues. I think that had a lot to do with Stan Sakai being the creator of this miniseries, where we will see better care for Usaji than the turtles. Hopefully, we can find a little more balance in future issues.

    The art style is standard for Stan Saeki, but seeing the turtles and New York in the Usagi style was engaging. Sakei’s technique worked well for Modern New York and was great to look at. Great work here.

    BOTTOM LINE: NOT SOLD YET

    I am on the fence about TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo #1 because I spent a lot of energy focusing on the story’s context. Now that both character groups are brought together, I hope we take more time to explore the turtles’ place in this world, and I can take the role of a reader instead of a researcher. This comic gets 3.5 out of 5 stars, and I will pick up the next issue.


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    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen #1

    70%
    70%
    Not Sold Yet

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen #1 plays to Stan Saeki’s strength, which is the characterization of Usagi and his crew.

    • Writing
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    • Art
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    • Coloring
      7
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    Hi-Fi Design IDW Publishing Review Scott Dunbier stan sakai Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle/Usagi Yojimbo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Wherewhen tmnt usagi yojimbo
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    Christopher Rondeau
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    Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com

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