Publication date: December, 1992
Story: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
Script: Jim Lawson and Peter Laird
Pencils: Jim Lawson
Inks: Keith Aiken
Letters: Mary Kelleher
Tones: Eric Talbot
Inking assist: Charles Yoakum
Cover: A.C. Farley
“City at War, Part 5 of 13”
Summary:
At a grocery store in Colorado, Casey’s working as a
bagboy. Screwing up the order of groceries, he’s assaulted
by his manager who threatens to fire him.
Casey belts the loudmouth in the jaw and starts to walk out when he
realizes he really needs the job.
Turning back, he apologizes and helps his manager up. The manager continues being irate, so Casey
finally belts him again and storms out for good.
In Northampton, Splinter continues to explore the
abandoned industrial complex. He feels
emotional residue of pain and loneliness, though he sees only rats now occupy
the place. Walking the edge of a large
smokestack, the ledge crumbles and Splinter goes tumbling into the dark pit.
In California, April is settling into her new job as a
computer programmer. Her employer,
Colin, hits on her, but April politely declines the invitation to dinner. She’s distressed, though, that he’d even ask.
Back in the bottom of the smokestack, Splinter comes to
and finds his right leg broken in two places.
The pain is unbearable, but Splinter uses what’s left of his energy to
form a splint and set the bone for mending.
The pain is so great it knocks him unconscious.
As her shift ends, April gets a ride home from
Robyn. Robyn’s watching her infant son
Trevor for Christmas… a son whom she had with Colin (hence April’s distress
when he hit on her). With Christmas
coming up, April and Robyn decide to try and find a nice tree to decorate.
In New York City, Mikey enters the water tower now that
his guard shift is up. A month has
passed since the street massacre and gang violence has only been increasing. Leo finally lays out his feelings to his
brothers; he doesn’t believe there is anything they can do to make a difference
or end the violence. He believes the
world has become a more violent place, with people motivated strictly by greed
and hatred, making their cause hopeless.
Raph asks Leo what motivates him and he answers that he hasn’t a clue.
On a private jet crossing the Pacific, the Foot advisor,
Yanura, brings a video tape of the street massacre to his superior, Karai. Karai inspects the footage and, after some
video enhancing, catches a glimpse of Donatello among the crowd of Foot
Soldiers.
Back in the smokestack, Splinter regains
consciousness. He attempts to walk, but
even with the splint he is unable to stand or limp. Splinter realizes that his ankle will need
time to heal, but winter is approaching and with no food or shelter, he may not
have much time left.
In Colorado, Casey and Gabe are busy decorating their
tree. Gabe is starting to get her “baby
bump”. Casey asks her to open his gift
early; a gift which turns out to be lingerie.
Gabe begins to cry, but Casey soothes her, telling her that she can wait
until after the baby’s born to wear it.
In a hospital, a nurse helps the old man out of the
radiology ward.
At a warehouse in New York, Foot Soldiers are busy
working on something in a chemistry lab.
Suddenly, a Foot Elite Guard storms the building, slaughters everyone
inside and then blows the place up by igniting a gas line.
At the water tower, the Turtles hear the report about the
attack on TV and ponder the anchorman’s question: “When will the violence stop?”
Turtle Tips:
*This story is continued from TMNT (Vol. 1) #53. The story continues in TMNT (Vol. 1) #55.
*April’s history as a computer programmer goes back all
the way to TMNT (Vol. 1) #2.
Review:
This one’s definitely a breather issue, as we take a
break from the heavy action (which dominated the last issue) and let the
characters stew for a bit. Casey’s segment
was great, as it shows how much he’s struggling with this whole “grown up”
thing. He has to learn to suck up his
pride and do menial tasks, but that’s a tall order for someone so used to punching
out anybody that ticks him off. Moments
like this are great because they show that he didn’t just decide, “I’ll be
responsible, now” and suddenly transform into a responsible adult
overnight. He’s got to work hard at it
and he’s only got a few months to figure it out before Gabe’s kid is born.
The other big moment in this issue is Splinter’s dilemma finally
getting under way. He’s been shown to
have lost his focus and zen-like perspicacity over the past few issues and now
that inability to concentrate is really starting to bite him in the ass. I always like stories that show Splinter
struggling, as he’s far too often depicted as an infallible and untouchable
master of whatever physical or metaphysical art the plot calls for. I hate “perfect” characters, so it’s been
really satisfying to see Splinter labor and lose himself.
Then there’s April, being hit on by her sister’s
ex-husband who also happens to be her new employer. That’s some soap opera-quality melodrama if I
ever read any. Still, it’s nice to see
April’s history as a computer programmer brought up again. It’s an ability of hers that basically went
forgotten by Mirage since her introduction in favor of relegating her to a
shrewish den mother at best and a whimpering crybaby at worst. I’d almost forgotten that she could do
something other than nag and sob.
Meanwhile, the Turtles are left to come to terms with how
ineffectual and outmatched they are in this situation. They’ve been stewing in that water tower for
a whole month since the street massacre, getting absolutely nowhere. As with Splinter, it’s great to see the Turtles undergo this ego-blow, as it really helps mold them as
characters. Leo puts the whole “growing
up” theme that’s been permeating “City at War” into words in this issue,
helping to illustrate how juvenile and simple their original solution was. Storm the bad guy’s headquarters, kill the
leader and blow the place up? That may
have worked in the old days, but the world is growing and evolving beyond such
childish schemes and if they don’t grow and change with it, well… They might as
well just sit on the sidelines like a bunch of dopes. And that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Grade: B (as in, “But I see the Foot have CSI Miami
levels of magical video resolution enhancing technology”.)
