Publication date: July 2003
Written by: Peter David
Pencils by: Lesean Thomas
Inks: Erik Sander
Colors: Rob Ruffolo, Shaun Curtis
Flats: Kenny Li
Letters and design: Matt Moylan
VP/Editor in Chief: Roger Lee
President: Pat Lee
“A Better Mousetrap”
Summary:
At the old O’Neil homestead, Li’l April is practicing to
be a news reporter by interviewing her mom.
She asks what’s for dinner and Mrs. O’Neil says turtle soup. Suddenly, the Ninja Turtles come bursting out
of the pot as Mousers come crashing through the windows. As the Turtles fight the Mousers, Li’l April
wants to get a better look.
Now it’s the present (maybe) and Baxter Stockman is
rehearsing the announcement of his new Mousers with his lab assistant, an adult
April. April is distant, feeling like
only moments ago she was a little girl. Baxter
is not amused and wants to get the rehearsal right.
April is now in her Dad’s VW Beetle (with the oh-so
subtle license plate “BMBLB”). Mr. O’Neil
refuses to let her attend journalism college, saying that her scores in
science are too high to be wasted on the wrong major. April reminds him that she’s already
attending college and that she changed her major to science a while ago. A manhole in front of them explodes and out
pop the Turtles, still fighting the Mousers.
Back at the lab, April and Stockman record their
demonstration of the Mousers. As Baxter
gives his speech, April sees Li’l April sitting in the corner playing with
Ninja Turtles dolls. The Raph doll warns
April that her boss is evil. April is
incredulous, but the Raph doll reminds her of what just happened to her not a
few minutes ago.
Now it’s the future (maybe) and April is running diagnostics on
the Mousers. She finds a transmission anomaly
and wants to go over it, but Baxter tells her it’s nothing. All the while, Li’l April is sticking a
microphone in her face, encouraging her to use her journalistic instincts to
get the scoop on Baxter. April
overhears Baxter in another room, talking to a mysterious benefactor. After Baxter leaves for the evening, April
messes around on his computer (at the behest of the Raph doll and Li’l April,
while her father leans over her shoulder and tells her not to go through with
it). She finds the symbol of the Foot
Clan and clicking it opens a secret elevator.
On the ride down, Mrs. O’Neil (still cooking dinner) warns her that
things aren’t safe.
April exits the elevator to find a mass production line
of Mousers. Baxter appears behind her
and tells her that she’s seen too much.
He sics the Mousers on her and they eat Li’l April (who tries to
interview them). Donatello (dressed as
Sigmund Freud) thinks that its striking symbolism as April flees into the
sewers. She’s cornered by the Mousers
and Mr. O’Neil tells her that this is where “reporter’s instincts” inevitably
lead. At the last second, she’s saved by
the Ninja Turtles and faints.
April awakens a moment later, realizing the entire
surreal, out of joint experience was nothing more than a dream. She sees the Turtles and faints again.
Turtle Tips:
*This story is continued from TMNT (Dreamwave) #1. The story continues in TMNT (Dreamwave) #3.
*This issue is adapted from the 4Kids TMNT animated
series episode “A Better Mousetrap”.
Review:
A quick anecdote, but back in the summer of 2003, this
was the first issue of Dreamwave’s TMNT series I bought. And after reading it, it was the last. I didn’t get the remainder of the run until a
couple years ago when every single issue turned up in the quarter bin at my
local comic shop (along with pretty much everything Dreamwave ever published). So coincidentally, exactly 10 years has passed
since I last read this comic.
Well, I didn’t like it then and I don’t much care for it
now.
“A Better Mousetrap” is definitely an improvement over
the first issue of the series, primarily because the focus is on an established
character readers care about and not a pair of nobodies who won’t have any
impact on the series whatsoever. Writer
Peter David tries to crack the lens on this episode a little bit more; whereas
before, we saw events from the cartoon through a different POV, now we’re
seeing them through a different POV AND as part of a dream.
The disjointed effect is kind of neat, but it’s mostly incoherent. Once again, David is
writing these issues under the assumption that all readers have watched the
animated series as a prerequisite. If
you’re coming into the Dreamwave comic blind, you don’t stand a freakin’
chance. With that in mind, this issue is
especially unforgiving to newcomers with its dreamlike “jump from one moment to
another out of chronological sequence with no rhyme or reason” approach.
I think the desired effect was for us to learn more about
this incarnation of April, but what all does David actually tell us? That when she was a little girl, she wanted
to be a reporter but her father wouldn’t let her? That’s the long and short of it, really. It explains her inherently curious nature,
which is neat (and, of course, is a throwback to the old Fred Wolf cartoon and
the live action movies), but aside from that, we’re afforded no greater glimpse
into April’s personality or history. If
anything, the “dream sequence” effect seems to have been applied just to keep
this from being a straight retelling of the episode and to try and jazz the
story up a bit.
On the subject of Lesean Thomas's art, you can tell he lacks
ambition (or motivation) and doesn’t like to step out of his comfort zone;
namely, what he knows he can draw easily.
As a result, look at April throughout this issue. I hope you like the ¾ view of her face:
And I honestly can’t say if the coloring is better or
worse in this issue than the first. On
the bright side, I can mostly tell what’s going on this time around, but on the
down side, there are so many “shiny” highlights added to the characters, I think
Ruffolo and Curtis were under the impression that people are made of plastic.
Oh yeah, and once again, the Turtles are only guest stars
in their own comic. Sorry I’m saving
that comment for the end, but it’s a problem epidemic to the entire Dreamwave
series and I kind of think it ought to go without saying.
Grade: D- (as in, “Dreamwave, Dreamwave, Dreamwave…
Couldn’t you do ANYTHING right?”)
