Originally published in: TMNT New Animated Adventures #21
Publication date: March 25, 2015
Story: Caleb Goellner
Art: Billy Martin
Colors: Heather Breckel
Letters: Shawn Lee
Edits: Bobby Curnow
“Cuteagen”
Summary:
In his lab, Donnie is working on perfecting a
retromutagen formula when Mikey comes storming in, insisting that he’s got
shellacne again. It turns out he just
fell asleep on a slice of pizza, but in his hysterics he slips on a banana peel
and crashes into Don, spilling the retromutagen experiment all over
himself. The stuff turns Mikey into a
hyperactive, “pwecious” toddler.
Donatello quickly synthesizes an antidote, but Li'l Mikey
snatches it and decides to play keep-away.
Don rallies his brothers to help him catch Li'l Mikey, but the toddler Turtle
is too fast and energetic for them to pin down.
Eventually, Splinter enters the living room and
disciplines Li'l Mikey (who dutifully obeys his father). He forces the brat to endure a gauntlet of
training exercises until he passes out, exhausted. Splinter tells Donnie to administer the
antidote, but everything starts to get blurry…
Donatello wakes up in his lab, having fallen asleep by
his chemistry set. Splinter tells him
that it is time for his exercises. In
fact, Splinter has come up with a new exercise to test stealth, speed and
endurance. It’s called: “Catch
Michelangelo”.
Turtle Tips:
*The story continues in TMNT New Animated Adventures #22.
*Mikey got shellacne in the season 2 episode…
“Mikey Gets Shellacne”.
Review:
So this story felt like it could have been an episode of
the old Fred Wolf TMNT cartoon. Probably
because it WAS an episode of the old Fred Wolf TMNT cartoon. Hell, I think it might have been TWO
episodes. That series recycled its own
ideas a lot.
Overall, it sort of feels like Goellner came up with the
pun for the title first and then the actual story after that. The plot is mostly obnoxious and there isn’t
much to it. Billy Martin’s energetic
visuals make the best of this comedy relief back-up.
