Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 1 (TMNT Ultimate Collection) Hardcover – January 10, 2012

Two thumbs up!

The original TMNT comics were second to none. Great read!! Highly recommended if you are a fan of the IP!

Originally I ordered this book, along with TMNT Ultimate Collection Vol. 2 on October 5 2012. I did get volume 2 almost immediately, but due to a rather unsavory experience in which the order for Volume 1 was cancelled without my knowledge or permission, I have just recently (FINALLY) had it delivered to my location. Patience is indeed a virtue, and in this case, not giving up, and being tenacious, definitely paid off in the end. Now that I have had a chance to actually read Volume 1; I can finally offer a real review. The very first comic I very purchased was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2. It was brand new, and in the mid 80's there were MANY animal type heroes hitting the shelves by many great creators like Dave Sim, Stan Sakai, and others.This title stood out. I had forgotten how gritty and good these early original stories were, not having read my old trade paperbacks for years because I was afraid they would not hold up under repeated readings. These original stories are tense, gritty, and violent, with a nice mix of humor thrown in. They started my long time love for comics and I am still collecting today...almost 30 years later.I was thrilled to see the turtles get this type of deluxe treatment. The cover art is great, the inside artwork is reproduced very well, and the annotations by both authors include great stories about creating these characters and meeting with great success. Its also nice to be able to have a book that will stand the test of time so that I can revisit these stories again and again whenever I want to. The pages are a nice thick rugged stock, and the binding is sewn and glued.I am still a fan of the turtles and watch the new cartoon on Nick every week (and think it's also great). Amazon did price this book fairly, and I was happy about that, after seeing a copy at a local comic book store going for $100.00! If you are a long time fan of the turtles, if you want a fairly priced book that is formatted beautifully, and want something sturdy and durable, this book is a great choice. It is a great way to read about the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles and I would recommend this edition confidently.

Having been a long-time fan of Ninja Turtles in many of its incarnations and in particular the first movie (which I watched dozens of times as a kid), this collection is absolutely great if you're first getting into the comics like me. And also if you're a fan of the first movie, you should know that the comics are even better, particularly if you're a fan of the darker elements.The original comics are amazing, even if it does delve into a bit extreme and sometimes laughable territory (such as when they end up transported to another planet). But they're quite entertaining and addictive regardless of the subject matter, and that's what really counts.What I also love is how they developed each of the Turtles' personalities as time went on. Donatello is always the crafty and technologically-oriented one, Raphael is the angry loner type, Leonardo struggles in many situations to keep them all together, and Michelangelo is of course the comic relief, and I also love how he and Raphael's relationship ends up being close. Raphael becomes quite protective of Michelangelo, even if it is only subtly hinted at in these first issues.Where the movies left a lot of stuff out and changed a lot of things, the comics really expand and tie everything together.I highly recommend this collection for first-time TMNT comic readers. All of the artwork is presented on bigger pages and panels than the originals, which makes it much easier to read and follow along, and the commentary by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman on each issue is also very interesting and provides greater insight into the conception of the Turtles and the artwork.This is really a must-have for any fan of TMNT, and I can't wait for the second collection to come out in February!!My only complaint is that the book isn't bigger, because there were A LOT of issues in the series, so I just hope they keep putting out these collections or someday create one giant anthology because after reading this, I seriously can't get enough!!

Like many TMNT fans, I was introduced to the Turtles by the original animated series and toyline that launched in the late '80s and carried on throughout the '90s. It wasn't until I was an adult that I had the curiosity to dive into the roots of the Ninja Turtles and read their first comic book adventures. Since the original issues are highly desired collectors items and quite expensive, this book is the next best thing. It contains the first seven issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as Raphael's one-shot issue that was released during this span of time. While these issues were later colorized, this collection features the original black and white pages. While I enjoy color, I prefer to read old comics in the way they were originally presented, it helps you to go back in time as a reader. This collection is a bit bulky and cumbersome for a paperback, but I understand it's meant to present the magazine-sized panels without distorting the images. Another cool thing about this collection is that every single issue ends with written commentary from creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, who share interesting stories and ideas that went on during the birth of these wild characters. The stories aren't very sophisticated (it was probably targeted towards 1980s teenagers) but they are fun, and the gritty, detailed images are a joy to look at. Here you will not only be introduced to the very first incarnation of the four Ninja Turtles, but also their master Splinter, April O'Neil, the Shredder, the Foot Clan, Casey Jones, Baxter Stockman and his Mousers, Fugitoid, and the Triceratons. So grab a pizza, take a seat, and experience the original Turtle power!

Where it all began! Must read for any fan to find out the origin of the turtles. Good stuff here!