Doom's the closest to the Morrison take on Lex, the man who COULD have saved the world, and didn't, because what's really important to him is conquering it and being LOVED for that.

Eric is a truly next level hater who wants to destroy everything the Black Panther is, because the Panther was supposed to be there for him and -wasn't.-

Major difference between them and Mags, and an important distinction to make? All of them are leaders, who truly could make something great. But there are multiple roles Magneto could adopt to lead his people. Teacher, general, philosopher, statesman. He's first among equals, with cause to be arrogant when he is.

Doom and Killmonger want to be -kings.- Which is why I think fairy tale is an apt description for them. You know what a man who kills to become a king is.

There's also the setting all three were built to work in, although Eric came along in the 70s and it'd take until around then for Mags to start becoming the multifaceted character we all talk about. The Marvel Universe begins in the Cold War, it's heroes powered by (cartoonish) radiation, often in the form of an accident. Hulk and Daredevil are mutilated victims of (cartoon) radiation.

That's the text. That this stuff isn't beneficial even when it -is- empowering.

DC's heroes were power fantasies. What if just for once strength, darkness, nature, science, fetish (in the case of Wil Marston) were on YOUR side?

Marvel's heroes lived in the atomic age, were powered by it, and didn't want to be here. The Fantastic Four are already kinda the all American ideal, and after their shuttle crash they become superheroes out of self defence, because now America will hunt them down with pitchforks if they don't market their radioactive mutations properly.

Point being, you have all these heroes who never asked for the power and obligation to do anything, and have an ongoing conversation about whether they -can- use those things to affect their society, the one invading Vietnam, never mind if they have the right.

So y'know who'd be a great foil to an uncertain hero? Someone who's utterly convinced he's right and the world owes them for their special pain.

Not every Marvel villain was that, of course. Any in-depth conversation about Magento should include the fact he starts out as a pretty stock mastermind type.

It's also interesting that Doom's first appearance only specifies his interest in black magic and the hubristic accident that scarred him, the fact he was orphaned (and he's Romani!) not revealed/invented until the FF's second annual, published two years after his first appearance.

This version of Megatron seeking redemption works because his redemption is a series of questions, from if it's even possible to whether he deserves it and where would he even begin.

Best will in the world, IDW Shredder just not being evil any more because magic or something I don't even know, is not that.

Alright, had dinner, let's get on with it. This is gonna be the Splinter Clan dojo, our main setting for Campbell's run. Characters, backgrounds and detritus, three of Campbell's greatest artistic strengths!

Also, what song do you imagine this montage being set to? The Jason Segal Muppet movie has cursed my brain into playing We Built This City on endless loop.

#tmnt

Wonder who James is.

#tmnt

Continuing the theme of The Most Sophie Campbell Panel Ever.

#tmnt

INTERNET.

Mikey in a Wu-Tang shirt.

#tmnt

Guess he can't wear his Batman shirt from vol 1 #17 because IDW Mikey has actually met the big guy and it'd be tacky.

EDIT: No, wait, he wore a Superman shirt a couple of issues ago, so are Clark and Bruce both fictional characters in IDWT-verse and they were just too polite to mention it to Bruce or...?

Couldn't you just shove both of them in a locker?

#tmnt

Again, kinda wish this was April's role.

#tmnt

Let me put this in terms the TMNT wiki'll understand: yOu'Re nOt oN nIcK tOoNs aNyMoRe!

#tmnt

Music by Sebastian Evans II.

#TMNT

The covers for this portion of the run are great. So distinctive after a couple years worth of generic cape comic covers of the characters just standing/posing/gurning.

#tmnt

Need to commit to a better bit than how much the first 100 issues suck, at least until the Armageddon Game comes along, but to tide me over, because I'm that petty, and because the opportunity is too good to resist: Raph and Al after reading the first 100 issues, boom, did it.

#tmnt

JEN & DONNIE: In the crater after the bomb love begins to tentatively bloom
MIKEY: I'M ALIVE! FOR THE FIRST TIME I AM ALIVE
RAPH & AL: Fuck everyone and everything (not complimentary)

#tmnt

I love this joke.

#tmnt

Solid conversation, these poor kids are going to try their best. Also: possible neurodivergent Raph? "You're always so literal" and he doesn't twig when Al's kidding.

#tmnt