Publication date: December 18, 2013
Art: Kevin Eastman
Colors: Ronda Pattison
Contents:
Full-page reprints of all Cover Bs by Kevin Eastman from
TMNT (IDW) #1 thru TMNT (IDW) #26.
Review:
IDW is notorious, NOTORIOUS, for their habit of glutting
the market with variant covers. Dozens
and dozens of variant covers like 1992 was making a comeback. It is
insane.
As an individual who doesn’t
collect variant covers, however, I can’t say that its ever really bothered
me. I know it ticks off fans who want to
collect “one of everything”, but jeez, I cannot afford to be that kind of fan.
But IDW’s a pretty cool group of dudes, so they’ve also
begun releasing cover gallery collections priced the same as a regular issue. I’ve picked up a few of these for
some of my other IDW subscriptions and it’s exactly the kind of system for a
person like me. Alas, they don’t collect
ALL the variant covers (this one is just themed around Eastman), but I can
survive.
Nothing to grade; just thought I’d point this baby out
since it might have slipped through the cracks with today’s two other TMNT
releases. Looking over Eastman’s B
covers chronologically, it’s funny to see how much more, well, INTERESTING they
get as time goes by. For the first 4 or
5 issues, he really has nothing to say (partly because those issues were so
decompressed and plot-less). Once the
series began to actually develop characters and stories and unique set pieces,
suddenly his covers become livelier and escalate beyond bland pinups of the
Turtles mugging the camera in awkward poses.
For those who want the variant covers but don’t want to
bankrupt themselves actually buying them AS variant covers, then this
collection should be your first stop.
Grade: N/A (as in, “Now if IDW plans on doing more of
these Eastman-themed collections, I’ll have to ask the lady at my shop to put
aside any cover in my box BUT the Eastman ones.
I just hate to be picky, though…”)
