Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutanimals issue 1



Story: Paul Allor Art: Andy Kuhn Colors: Nick Filardi Letters: Shawn Lee Editor: Bobby Curnow

Solicit
Old Hob, Slash, Herman the Hermit Crab, Mondo Gecko and Pigeon Pete have become a force to be reckoned with in the TMNT ongoing — and now they’ve got their own miniseries, in which their teamwork will be put to the ultimate test! When someone close to the group is kidnapped, the Mutanimals end up on an adventure more wild and dangerous than they could have imagined! What mysteries lurk at … The Null Group?

Plot
and Lindsey Baker are pondering why there's no such thing as blueberry cola. Lindsey is frustrated that Pete is writing down everything she says while he accompanies her on the supply run because Old Hob doesn't trust her to go out on her own. Suddenly three armed men grab Lindsey and Pete and attempt to kidnap them. Lindsey manages to place a call to Hob to alert him that they're in danger but is unable to give him any vital information before the call is cut off and she is thrown in the back of a van. Pete almost manages to escape but is captured as well.

The other (Hob,, , and Herman the Hermit Crab) arrive back at their headquarters after stealing the 's supply of  (see the TMNT ongoing series issue #43, Attack on Technodrome Part Three). Slash is wondering where Lindsey and Pete are but Hob tells him not to worry, Pete probably got distracted on their supply run. Hob then checks his messages and realizes that Lindsey and Pete have been kidnapped and are in danger. Hob orders the Mutanimals to move out, telling the others they can find Pete and Lindsey using the tracking device he planted on Pete. Mondo asks Hob if he planted tracking devices on all of them but Hob tells him not to be paranoid.

Lindsey and Pete are unloaded at a laboratory owned by the Null Group, a large scientific conglomerate that does some of everything. Lindsey and Pete are greeted by Jillian Amante, Lindsey's former co-worker and ex-girlfriend. Jillian pleads with Lindsey not to be mad. Jillian had become aware of Lindsey're unusual employment situation and so wanted to show her the new lab and offer her a job. Lindsey is understandably upset at being kidnapped for a job yet again. Jillian assures Lindsey that her men will return Pete to where they picked him up, no harm done, while she and Lindsey tour the lab. Secretly, however, Jillian orders her men to take Pete to the rail yard. Lindsey asks Jillian how she found herself in her current position; Jillian explains that she got a job with a subsidary of the Null Group, and they managed to successfully create some mutants but are now trying to combine mutant DNA. Lindsey, excited by the prospect of new areas of research, asks to see some of their mutants but Jillian tells her they're not kept on-site. Lindsey asks Jillian where they got their mutagen, since it is in such short supply, with stores no longer at StockGen, only on Burnow Island and with the Foot Clan. Jillian explains that it was in fact the Foot Clan who outsourced their mutant research to the Null Group. Lindsey balks at the thought of working for the Foot Clan, but Jillian points out that she's currently working for mutant terrorists. Jillian goes on, stating that she doesn't concern herself with the politics of her predicament, only her job duties and her salary. Jillian urges Lindsey to accept her job offer but Lindsey explains that their personalities don't really mesh well together, hence their ended relationship.

Meanwhile, Hob and the Mutanimals have tracked down Pete and are tailing him in their van. Herman shoots off the back doors of the van carrying Pete and they urge Pete to jump over to them, but Pete is concerned about the distant. Herman reminds Pete that he's a bird, he can fly rather than jump. Pete lunges from the back of the van, only to discover that he cannot, in fact, fly. Pete bounces off the roof of the Mutanimals' van and lands on the side of the road, injured but alright. Mondo asks if they should stop and pick him up, but Hob wants to catch up with the people who kidnapped him first. Hob runs the other van off the road and the men inside scatter and run. Mondo hops on his skateboard and runs down the van's driver. The Mutanimals question the man but he claims not to know anything. Hob looks through the man's wallet to get his personal information, and asks him if he wants to talk before he rips his throat off. Slash looks concerned by Hob's methods but says nothing.

At the Null Group lab, Jillian continues showing Lindsey around, pointing out the mutagenic filter that Lindsey had been developing in her research. All of a sudden the Mutanimals arrive to rescue Lindsey. Hob is disturbed by what he sees in the lab, flashing back to his captivity at StockGen and all the experiments they ran on him before he was freed. Hob immediately demands to know where the mutants are being held in order to free them, but Jillian tells him they're not there. Hob doesn't believe her and orders the Mutanimals to wreck up the place and find any mutants. Lindsey urges Jillian to run for safety. Lindsey throws Mondo off Jillian's trail and then follows her. Jillian is about to call her boss to report that the lab is under attack but Lindsey asks if she can wait a few minutes to give the Mutanimals time to leave, but Jillian doesn't wait. Jillian calls Null Industries, and the secretary informs of the situation.

Hob and the Mutanimals continue searching the lab for any captive mutants, so far having only found empty rooms, until they encounter a locked door. Slash breaks it down and they enter to find a horrible monstrosity, a hybrid of dozens of different animals dubbed the. The Mutanimals inform him that they're there to rescue him and at first he thinks they mean to mercy kill him, but they tell him to come with them. Hob orders the others to help Mutagen Man into their van while he torches the place, but Mondo points out incoming guards on the security camera feed. The others tell Hob that it would be wise to retreat but he is set on destroying the lab. Slash tells Hob they can burn it down later but right now they have to escape with their rescuee.

The guards watch as the Mutanimals escape, having been ordered not to shoot lest they damage the Mutagen Man. Driving away from the Null Group's lab, Hob declares that the Mutanimals are at war.