Publication date: May 22, 2013
Script: Erik Burnham
Art: Andy Kuhn
Colors: John Rauch
Letters: Tom B. Long
Editor: Bobby Curnow
Summary:
The present.
Burnow Island. Baxter Stockman
is working tirelessly in a lab. He considers to himself how General Krang’s plan to
terraform the Earth with the Technodrome and essentially eliminate human civilization is rather bad
business. As Mousers aid him on his
latest side project, he thinks about how he can overcome this problem.
The past. Baxter
is a small boy playing chess with his father in the park. Baxter thinks the game is dumb, but Mr. Stockman
insists that chess enhances one’s ability to think and problem-solve. Baxter suggests luck has more to do with it,
enraging his father, who insists that outcomes are the result of a person’s
mind and nothing else.
The present.
Baxter gets a message from Krang, who demands a status report. Baxter tells him that the Technodrome is
proceeding on schedule. Krang is
disappointed, as he wants the Technodrome completed AHEAD of schedule. Furthermore, he’s annoyed that Baxter is
wasting time on a side project. Baxter
claims that his “side project” is actually intended to speed up the
construction of the Technodrome. He
introduces Krang to the Flyborg, a combination of mutant fly and
cybernetics. When built into drone
units, it will be markedly more efficient than the current laborers. Krang offers Baxter a backhanded compliment
and signs out. Baxter starts to lose his
temper, but recalls what happens when one loses their cool.
The past. Baxter,
a teenager, is playing chess in the park with his father. Mr. Stockman chides his son on his slow
move-making. Frustrated, Baxter makes a
thoughtless move, setting himself up for defeat. Mr. Stockman warns him that getting angry
causes an individual to make poor, self-destructive decisions. Baxter asks for a do-over, but Mr. Stockman
reminds him that there are no do-overs in the real world.
The present. As
Baxter takes the Flyborg for a test run, he considers his many options; most of
which end in his loss of “the game”. A
unit of Rock Soldiers stop him and demand to know what his creature is. The Flyborg suddenly shows a burst of
sentience and free will. Speaking, it
says that it does not want to be an expendable slave and rebels. Baxter’s override systems fail and the
Flyborg takes down all the Rock Soldiers.
Baxter flees for his life, contacting Krang and asking him to send more
guards and to guide him to a saferoom.
Krang laughs at Baxter’s misfortune and offers his help, but only after
Baxter debases himself for the General’s amusement.
Baxter takes shelter in the heavily fortified control
room, but the Flyborg enters through a ventilation shaft. Upon entrance, it destroys all monitoring
equipment. Seeing his carefully laid
plan a success, Baxter initiates his true override protocols, incapacitating
the Flyborg. As it happens, the entire
Flyborg project and rampage was Baxter’s design. Now with complete access to the control room
and no one looking over his shoulder, he downloads all information regarding the Technodrome and Krang’s many nefarious schemes. Once he gathers all he requires, Stockman
feigns helplessness and draws the guards to the control room. The Flyborg begs to be spared, but the Rock
Soldiers kill it.
Later, Baxter goes over the files he downloaded and is
disturbed by Krang’s plans. The files
contain enough data that he can use to seize control of the Technodrome, but he
can’t do it alone. Looking over a
profile of the Fugitoid, Baxter thinks he can manipulate the robot into helping
him. Smiling, Baxter believes he has
Krang in check.
The past. Baxter,
an adult, meets his father for a game of chess in the park. Before even playing, Baxter tells his father
he has him in check. He then presents Mr.
Stockman with documentation of a hostile takeover that gives him complete
control of Stockgen, ousting Mr. Stockman.
Mr. Stockman can’t believe his own son would do this, but Baxter simply
knocks over his father’s king, saying that he taught him everything he knows.
Turtle Tips:
*As the events of TMNT (IDW) #20 are referenced and Krang
has fully healed, I would place this issue after TMNT Villains Micro-Series #1: Krang.
*This issue was originally published with 2 covers:
Regular Cover by Tyler Walpole, and Cover RI by Kuhn and Daniel “PeZ” Lopez.
Review:
The origin of Baxter Stockman; that’s a tough one to
retell. You see, “Insane in the Membrane”,
the notorious “banned episode” of the 4Kids TMNT series, was pretty much the
essential Baxter Stockman origin. It
was also one of the best Ninja Turtle stories ever told. So the idea of an author going back and doing
a new origin for Baxter left me a tiny bit incredulous. How do you top “Insane in the Membrane”?
Well, I wouldn’t say that Burnham tries to "top" that story, but
he does offer a very fitting glimpse at the origin for this universe’s
Baxter Stockman. Burnham opts to focus on Baxter’s relationship
with his father (whereas the 4Kids episode focused on his relationship with his
mother) and the lessons he learned which shaped him into the super villain he
is today. The flashbacks are rife with
subtleties in Baxter’s upbringing that I felt offered quite a bit of depth for
3 whole pages. Baxter’s dad is caring
(taking the time to teach his son valuable life lessons and improve upon his
natural intellectual gifts), but unforgiving (he vocally attacks Baxter for
every poor decision and denies excuses or second chances). He’s profound (likening the numerous nuances
of chess to practical values), but contradictory (losing his temper when Baxter
mentions luck, then telling him never to lose his temper because that breeds
mistakes).
There’s a surprising richness and sincerity to their
relationship that, again, packs a lot into just 3 pages. The broader details of Baxter’s relationship
with his father are unknown to us, but we can see in that last page that he
resents him to some degree (enough to steal his company). Whether this was supposed to imply that
Baxter was naturally a corrupt individual or if he despised his father’s
unflinching parenting and that’s what corrupted him (he uses what he’s taught
against his father), there isn’t enough material to really say,
but I think we all get the gist of it.
And it doesn’t necessarily contradict any of the origin
material from “Insane in the Membrane”, either.
There’s no telling what Baxter’s relationship with his mother was like in IDW or if she died when he was young as in the 4Kids cartoon (and perhaps being
raised exclusively by his demanding father without the softer guidance of his
mother is what “turned” him). I don’t
mean to sound like a stickler for older material, and I know I shouldn’t be
actively comparing these new stories to what’s come before, so please forgive
me for that. I just feel that you can
effectively combine both origins together and come away with an even fuller
picture of Baxter’s personal history than before.
As for the present-set stuff, we get a blunt reference to
Baxter’s fly mutation from the Fred Wolf cartoon in the form of the Flyborg,
but it’s not particularly bothersome.
Baxter commanding an army of Mousers and Flyborgs, combining his two
most notable character traits from earlier incarnations, is a fun prospect and
I look forward to seeing his machinations develop. While Baxter comparing all his actions to a
game of chess is a bit of a cliché, it works alongside the flashbacks and I
enjoyed the opportunity to see how his thought process worked (going over his
various options and their various outcomes several moves in advance, so to
speak). In a way, it kind of reminded me
of April’s microseries issue, where we got a peek into her noggin and witnessed
how she weighed and considered actions preemptively. Considering the close ties between April and
Baxter, the similarities paint a rather interesting picture as to how they
mirror one another.
Andy Kuhn is back on art duties. Not to beat a dead Mouser, but I feel
compelled to reiterate that the primary grievance with Kuhn’s work on IDW’s
TMNT books (from myself and, as I’ve witnessed, many fans online) has been the
way he chooses to render the faces of the Turtles. Now, give us an issue with no Turtles in it
(save a one-panel flashback) and what do you end up with? A clear look at Kuhn’s art without that one
negative element distracting you from processing his work. And he’s really very good. The characters are expressive, the action
flows nicely and he uses space exceedingly well. His panels never feel cluttered, but nor do
they feel empty. He only employs
as much background detail as is needed to tell the story so your focus is never
lost. The guy has grown considerably
since his debut on the Michelangelo micro-series.
I’d also like to point out that the cover by Tyler
Walpole is quite possibly the most perfect image of Baxter Stockman I’ve ever
seen. It says so much about the character. His look is intense and reflective (ha ha) as
he ponders the Mouser in his hand, denoting his intelligence and focus. Yet he’s also menacing, frightening, not only
because of his intensity, but because of the eerie creations that swarm at his
back. Walpole’s cover is just a superb
piece of art that really defines the character in one singular shot; very
impressive.
While this issue may not be notable for its action, as
the “threat” of the Flyborg’s rampage is dampened by the advanced knowledge
that Baxter is plotting the moves of a “game”, it’s a wonderful insight into
the scientist’s brain. Even if you feel
compelled to compare this origin with his 4Kids origin, you’ll find it acts
more as a compliment than a contradiction and shows us a different side of the
bad guy’s upbringing. There’s great
subtlety in the relationships between the characters, even when their
interaction is limited to just a few pages, and the art ain’t bad, either. A nice, if belated, second epilogue to the
Krang War arc.
Grade: B+ (as in, “Baxter’s Flyborg being a cheeky combination
of the two things he’s known for being turned into gives me hope that Baxter
might stay completely human for the duration of IDW’s TMNT comic”.)
