REVIEW: TMNT: The Armageddon Game #1

3.45/5.0 Stars 
Rating if the Book Were a Movie: PG-13

Creative Team:

• Writer: Tom Waltz
• Artist: Vincenzo Federici
• Colors: Matt Herms
• Letters: Shawn Lee
• Cover: Kevin Eastman and Fahriza Kamaputra
• Editor Assistant: Nicholas Nino
• Editor: Charles Beacham
• Publisher: IDW Publishing 

Ratings:

• Story: 3.5 Stars
• Artwork: 3.2 Stars
• Cover Artwork: 3.6 Stars
• Dialogue: 3.5 Stars
• Mechanics: 3.3 Stars
• Editing: 3.6 Stars 

About the Book:

For years the Pantheon, a collection of Gods, have played games. The Rat King is starting a new game. The winner gets to control planet Earth. The Rat King has his queen, rook, and knight in the forms of Madame Null, General Krang, and Baxter Stockman. If victorious, the Rat King has promised great rewards to all three. 

The only thing standing between this frightening syndicate and victory is an unlikely alliance between the ninja turtles and Oroku Saki (Shredder). The game is already in motion as teams have been dispatched to get help against such formidable foes. Will that be enough?

Reader’s Notes:

“The Armageddon Game” is the biggest TMNT event since “The Last Ronin”. Events in the various TMNT titles have been building to this moment for over a year, and the fruits of that labor have paid off. We get a deep story that the reader can’t help being pulled into.

I liked how we got to see so many familiar faces. Better yet, all of those familiar faces have a critical role to play. Nobody is window dressing with the sole purpose of being there to make a fan base happy. 

Buyer beware. This book may require some research. If you’re not well versed in the lore of all things TMNT from the past few years you may be at a disadvantage. There are a lot of references to events from past issues. We get editor’s notes that give references to what issue the events can be found in, which I loved. As it turns out, I need to do some serious diving into TMNT before I get to the next installment of this story.

Being old enough to remember when TMNT first came on the scene, Kevin Eastman’s work has always held a special place in my heart. That still rings true with this cover. I loved seeing “LeatherKrang” ready to throw down with any and all comers.

The artwork on the interior pages is solid. Some panels aren’t as detailed as I would have liked. The brawl between “LeatherKrang” and the mutants more than makes up the difference.

As a geek on a budget I believe that this series is a must read for TMNT fans. There’s already plenty of intensity, and we’re just getting warmed up! With the amount of time and work spent building up the foundation, this series is going to be huge.