Comic Book Review: Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #2

Jared Leatzow |

Jun 8, 2016

In TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #1 the dynamic duo of villainy travel back in time to meet up with their younger, and still human selves. The turtles along with the time traveling Renet are left trying to figure out how to go about pursuing the two bad guys.

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The first issue had an interesting premise and the two title characters are some of the most fun to come out of the TMNT franchise. However, the art and writing didn’t exactly leave much to be desired. Thankfully, [easyazon_link identifier=”B01GSENFS0″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #2[/easyazon_link] is a much better issue as it moves the story into a direction that just might be promising.

The central theme of this series is that Bebop and Rocksteady are traveling all through time creating havoc. The Ninja Turtles are in hot pursuit and can hopefully undo the damage that the baddies create.

Time travel can either be interesting to read about or mind numbingly exhausting. Exhausting because there tends to be a lot to keep track of with the characters and the implications of their actions. The series seems to be moving into a fun direction, but with talks of time paradoxes and characters interacting with future and past selves this series may be headed into a much headier place than most readers may wish to go.

There are several head scratching scenarios throughout this issue. In particular, the characters have already traveled to three or four alternate timelines. Renet explains that the very nature of traveling anywhere in time creates another reality. Reading this you have to question if it is then even necessary for the turtles to go through the trouble of undoing the damage Bebop and Rocksteady create.

One of the highlights is the vehicle Bebop and Rocksteady use to travel through time. They drive around in this purple convertible car that looks like it came out of some sort of deranged version of Back to the Future. This is one of the more fun parts of this comic, and is immensely enjoyable to see drawn out on paper.

Also the interaction between past and future selves of the characters is a plus. It is these interactions that provide much of the comic relief throughout the issue. The past selves will be having some sort of issue with one another, then the future mutated selves will correct or point out how this will later be resolved. This makes the past selves mad because they have yet to have the experience.

There are three artists on this particular issue. It’s a little jarring to see, mostly because each artist has distinct styles that don’t complement each other. In particular when the book transfers from Giannis Milogiannis to Sophie Campbell. Campbell’s artwork is much more cutesy and cartoony looking compared to Milogiannis. Unlike the Image comic Prophet which uses multiple artists to tell stories from varying points of view, this comic appears to not be as clever. Instead it looks sloppy, with artists filling in a scattered fashion throughout the comic. When the turtle travel back in time to the Cretaceous period it is drawn by both Milogiannis and Campbell.

The Verdict

[easyazon_link identifier=”B01GSENFS0″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #2[/easyazon_link] is an improvement over the previous issues. There are some fun exchanges between past and present characters, and the time traveling purple convertible makes for a fun image to see come to life on paper. The plot may be moving into a fun direction, but it is too early to tell. The art is a detriment with the jarring nature of having three artists drawing the same issue.