Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Volume 1 (TMNT IDW Collection)

I was introduced to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, like many, via the 1989 cartoon series. The series, of which I was a ravenous fan of as a child, has not aged quite like fine wine. More like stale pizza. Ripe with animation errors (that can mostly be forgiven), the series also unfortunately lacked a shred of seriousness. Wall-to-wall with corny jokes and constant meta references, and populated by not particularly threatening villains, its promise of mutant ninja action enticed the imagination more than the show ever actually delivered on that promise. However, the live action film that hit cinemas in 1990 was a revelation. Fun and lighthearted enough but counterbalanced with a sharper, more serious tone than its animated counterpart, relentless combat action, genuine stakes, and legitimate villains, it would cement me as a TMNT fan for life.Eventually, I would check out the comics. First, the Archie series as a kid, then later, any Mirage issues I could get my hands on at the second hand comic shop, as well as the black and white Image series. I enjoyed all of them.More recently, I picked up a few issues of the IDW series... I started around issue 145. Good reads but by this point, the series is knee deep in its own lore. I liked what I saw enough to go back to the beginning and check out what I've missed. Boy am I glad I did. I was planning on only buying the first one of this set, but after finishing it, I have already ordered Vol 2 and will probably order a few more volumes after that.First, the product itself: beautiful, large, hardcover book, great binding, lovely large, colorful pages. And collects 17 comics!Second, the content: a reboot of the franchise, this series takes a little from the animated series (Beebop and Rocksteady, the Turtles love pizza), a lot from the comic series that came before it , and does a lot of its own thing (a unique take on the Hamato Yoshi/Oroku Saki backstory and mutation origin story). The results are an absolute blast! Nice characterizations, awesome artwork, sharp action. This is not a dark and deeply serious book, but at the same time, it's not all ridiculousness and goofiness either. It finds that sweet spot, that neat balance between the two.It's also appropriate for younger readers. Yes, there is violence and there are some mature themes (child abuse, murder, etc.) but it's all handled thoughtfully and nothing is over the top.Highly recommended.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection is a fantastic deal. For, at the time of writing this, $35.00 you get the first twelve issues of the series AND six micro series one shots that provide much needed context to the story at large, as well as being a ton of fun to read, like the rest of the series. I held off reading the series until this collection came out and I am glad that I did. On top of providing you with the one shots, they're even organized chronologically into the book so your reading experience is seamless.The most impressive thing about the series, for me, is the way the personalities of the characters have remained faithful to the way you remember them, if you're already a fan, but are given much needed back story and context as to WHY they are the way they are. The story as a whole is well written, easy to follow, and completely in line with what came before. The art, for me personally, is gorgeous throughout, whether it be during the kinetic action scenes or the quieter, character building moments.The book itself is well laid out. The cover is solid and won't smudge as easily as many collections. The pages are easy to read; not once did I find myself wishing I could open it wider to see the art inside, a problem many other collections never seem to address. It even comes with a ribbon to serve as a bookmark. All in all, TMNT: The IDW collection vol 1 is a perfectly laid out, incredibly well written steal of a book and is required reading for fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or comic fans in general. An absolute buy.*UPDATE*While I have not had a problem with the construction of my copy, several newer reviews have shown that the quality of some of these books is poor. I am not going to change my score, seeing as my copy seems to be quite good, but I feel it is important to give prospective buyers as much information as possible. The storytelling, art, and enjoyment of this collection is quite high but now that it is known that some copies are inferior, consider buying the cheaper paperbacks instead. $25 or so dollars is too much to spend on a product that may fail you soon in the future.