Bad Science! is the first comic in the forty-third issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Appearing in Bad Science![]
Major characters[]
- Bebop (debut)
- Michelangelo
- Rocksteady (debut)
Minor characters[]
Locations[]
- New York City
- Bebop and Rocksteady's hideout
Objects and vehicles[]
Synopsis[]
Out for their nightly patrol, Leonardo lines out the plan for the evening. Donatello is assigned to patrol downtown while Michelangelo will cover the docks. Don says it’s a good thing he increased the T-Phones reception because now they’ll be able to pick up police scanners in a 10-mile radius. Mikey says his security network is helpful too, but his brothers scoff, telling him that taping flashlights to rats isn’t science.
The Turtles separate. On the docks, Mikey sits on a crate looking out over the water and muttering about how nobody appreciates his genius. After all, he was the dude that figured out retro-mutagen. Speaking to one of his rats, he tells “Captain Squeekers” that he’ll show them all.
Unknown to him, Mikey is being spied upon by Bebop, who tosses down a pellet of knock out gas. Some time later, Mikey comes to as a captive of Bebop’s and Rocksteady. They are tired of waiting on Baxter Stockman to make them some retro-mutagen and tell Mikey he’s going to make some.
Mikey tells them they got the wrong Turtle and that Donnie’s the science guy. Rocksteady is annoyed and says he should have known Mikey wasn’t the smart one. Bebop says smart one, stupid one, he can’t help it if all turtles look alike. Mikey protests being called stupid. Bebop asks Rocksteady what they should do with “Dummy McDoofus” and is told that maybe they can use him for target practice.
Furious at the insults, Mikey snaps the ropes binding him to a chair. He confronts the pair and tells them there wouldn’t be any retro-mutagen if it weren’t for him and his mad mixing skills. Rocksteady says Mikey should prove it and the Turtle takes that challenge. When asked what he’s waiting for, Mikey says a pair of goggles… and a garlic-cappuccino pizza.
Soon, Mikey is munching on pizza and mixing things in test tubes. Bebop wonders if he shouldn’t have some sort of formula and Mikey tells him science-ing isn’t just about formulas and measuring stuff. He says that it’s about art as he dips a slice of pizza into his mixture.
There is an explosion that blows out the windows. Inside the hideout, Bebop and Rocksteady are sooty, but Mikey triumphantly holds up a beaker. He wants to know who is ready to retro-mutate, but neither Bebop nor Rocksteady are anxious to volunteer. They try to leave, but Mikey meant it when he said he’d retro-mutate them, so he splashes the mixture on both.
The fur on their bodies immediately puffs up, sticking out as though full of static. Bebop starts scratching, complaining that it itches and Rocksteady accuses Mikey of turning them into monsters. Mikey points out that they turned into something, so it worked – he did science. They tell him to fix them now or else. Mikey urges them to be patient, that genius takes time and they’ve got all night.
Mikey gets to mixing again. Formula #2 give them warts. Formula #8 makes smoke come out of their ears. Formula #12 causes them to breathe fire, which Mikey wishes he could do as well. None of the formulas cures anything he did to them earlier. Rocksteady threatens to feed him a knuckle sandwich, but Mikey tells him to take it easy and continues mixing things.
Meanwhile, the other Turtles are following the rat with the flashlight strapped to its back. Raphael wants to know why and Don says that Mikey hasn’t reported in and he’s not picking up his T-Phone. They have no choice. Leo wonders what Mikey would be doing in a different part of the city.
Suddenly there is an explosion from a nearby building and both Rocksteady and Bebop go flying through a window. The hit the ground and start running, both of them surrounded by pink flames. Mikey appears out of the smoke and tells his brothers there’s highly scientific explanation for all this, but they wouldn’t understand. Don says he was playing ‘mad scientist’ again. With narrowed eyes, Mikey says maybe.
Leo compliments him on taking care of Rocksteady and Bebop. While Mikey is saying that he told them he was super-sciencey, he waves his hand around and splashes Raph with his first formula. Fur puffs out all over Raph’s body and Mikey grins sheepishly, saying he did mention there’s a scientific explanation for all this.