Shawn Lee

PopCultHQ received advance review copy of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: Urban Legends Vol. 2 TPB from IDW Publishing. Available May 5th, the creative team for this book features writing by Gary Carlson, art from Frank Fosco, inks by Mark Heike & Frank Fosco, colors by Adam Guzowski, and letters from Pat Brosseau & Shawn Lee.

Here is PopCultHQ’s Spoiler-Free Review of…

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: Urban Legends Vol. 2 TPB

Writer: Gary Carlson
Artist: Frank Fosco
Inks: Mark Heike & Frank Fosco
Colorist: Adam Guzowski
Letterers: Pat Brosseau & Shawn Lee

Cover Artists: Kevin Eastman w/ Tomi Varga

FC • 296 pages • $29.99 (SRP)

Collects the final 13 issues, #14–26, of the series.

This is it, fans! You demanded it–the entire Image Comics TMNT run (a.k.a. TMNT Volume 3) reproduced for the first time ever in full, four-color glory, capped with three all-new issues to complete the unfinished series!

Join creators Gary Carlson and Frank Fosco as they take the Heroes in a Half-Shell on some of their most amazing, dangerous, and bizarre adventures ever… culminating in three brand-new issues by Carlson and Fosco to properly close out this long-beloved storyline at last! Long out of print and incomplete, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 3 is one of comics’ lost treasures, now uncovered at last and completed by the original creators.

PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: Urban Legends Vol. 2 TPB

Heroes in a half-shell, turtle power! But what happens when time marches on? Within the volume set before us is some wicked stuff that takes four familiar faces and sends them all over the crazy map. Be prepared for a finale that will send four brothers to the very edge of it all…and if they make it back, they will never be the same.

Writing: Gary Carlson has been telling great stories for years. As one of the founders of Big Bang Comics, he has plied his trade as a teller of tales all over the comics world. Now fans of both TMNT and Gary’s writing will get a real treat with this TPB. He pulls out all the stops when it comes to taking the guys and sending them into all sorts of crazy adventures. Non-stop action, surprises, and, most of all, butt-kicking as only the Turtles can dish it out, courtesy of Gary, his imagination, and the power of the written word.

Art: Frank Fosco utterly crushed it on the art for this TPB. Just as he had done for the entire series, taking it all the way to the end. There are admittedly some strange artistic choices in this book, but that is keeping well to the themes of the overall series. Strange stories call for strange artwork. One of the things this reviewer found to be very enjoyable about Frank’s work was how far he was willing to go to alter the Turtles, but not totally change them. After all, once a Turtle, always a Turtle.

Inks: Slick ink-work by the terrific twosome of Mark and Frank. There is heavy usage of inks for the shadows, which is right up the alley of TMNT in general. Heroes that fight in the shadows need shadows that feel like liquid darkness. Not to mention inks that help their forms stand out whenever they choose to be in the light. Job well done by these two, stellar job well done.

Colors: Adam went all-out for the color choices in this last leg of the series (TPB). A lot of them are more muted, which keeps with the overall pace and feel of the stories and artwork. Bright, flashy colors don’t have a place in a TMNT book that takes readers down strange/dark paths. Hats off to Adam for keeping the pace with his work as colorist and for bringing it home in meshing the artwork and colors together in a glorious, crazy symphony.

Letters: The level of intensity in the whole book and the series has been high. Naturally, that means the lettering needs to reflect that. Pain, loss, anger. Emotions that run the gamut throughout. Pat and Shawn deliver on lettering that channels those three particular feelings beautifully, especially with the dialogue from the Turtles. Readers will be able to feel the hurt, the betrayal, everything. This takes wicked skill and these two gentlemen have got it in spades.

PopCultHQ’s overall assessment:

Cowabunga! Just an absolutely spectacular book. Weird, crazy, but stacked with stories, art, inks, colors, and lettering that give the entire thing such a great vibe. Whoever picks up this book, whether as a long-time TMNT fan or a newcomer, are in for a treat. Terrific job from the creative team and their efforts here.

PopCultHQ’s Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Purchase TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: Urban Legends Vol. 2 TPB online:

About IDW Publishing:

IDW Publishing stands proudly at the forefront of printed visual entertainment, cultivating a formidable library of world-renowned licensed brands and creator-owned original IP. Its diverse array of comic books, graphic novels, and art books deliver reading enjoyment to fans of all ages. Its award-winning imprints The Library of American Comics, Yoe! Books, and Artist Editions preserve the valuable cultural history of the sequential art medium, while titles under the critically acclaimed Top Shelf and Black Crown banners celebrate fiercely independent voices. IDW Publishing is a division of IDW Media Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: IDWM), a fully integrated media company with robust offerings in publishing, tabletop gaming, multimedia entertainment, and art exhibition via the San Diego Comic Art Gallery.

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