Il virus mangia pizza!, (The pizza eating virus!), is a story in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic published by Rizzoli. It appeared in issue 13, 1991, of the Italian children's magazine "Corriere dei Piccoli".
Appearing in Il virus mangia pizza![]
Major characters[]
Minor characters[]
- April O'Neil
- Barney Thompson
- Bebop
- Splinter
- Canale 6 employee
Species[]
- Human
- Mutant rat
- Mutant turtle
- Mutant warthog
Objects and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- New York City
- Canale 6
- TecnoPizza
- Turtle Lair
Summary[]
Raffaello returns to the lair with four house specialty pizzas from the Pizza Boutique. Michelangelo says that on TV, the “Return of the Amaranth Ninja” is about to begin. Donatello turns on the television and asks what more could they want from life? As Michelangelo lifts a pizza, he announces that if Shredder dares to disturb them now, he’ll shred him. Suddenly, the pizza vanishes in a puff of smoke. The other three pizzas disappear as well and Michelangelo demands to know where his pizza went. Then Leonardo calls attention to the TV, where a special news report has just appeared. The announcer interrupts the regular broadcast to report that the city has been hit by a mysterious virus which disintegrates pizza. The Turtles are thunderstruck, but then Leonardo urges the others not to panic because all they need to do is find a remedy.
At the Canale 6 news station, one of the employees is swearing that they had nothing to do with the pirate broadcast. Barney Thompson, the boss, rants that a pizza-eating virus is a bad joke. In the office with them, April O'Neil hopes that Barney is right, but is concerned that it might not be a joke. Using her Turtle Communicator, she tries to get in touch with the Turtles, but it is Splinter who answers. He tells her that the Turtles just left to find vaccinated pizzas, which he thinks is weird. April realizes that they believed the fake news.
In the city, the disguised Turtles are searching for pizza. Leonardo says that he doesn’t believe they sell medicine for pizzas in pharmacies and that this is going to be a difficult problem to solve. Raffaello then calls their attention to a new pizzeria called “TecnoPizza”. Their sign announces they are open for lunch and good antivirus pizza is sold inside. The Turtles immediately enter and Donatello begins to order four pizzas with meringue, artichokes and… He stops talking as the Turtles see that it is Shredder behind the counter. Raffaello shouts that it’s a trap and Shredder tells them that their specialty is Turtle pizza. Leonardo calls for a retreat, but they can’t leave because a wall drops to block the exit.
Shredder gloats that he knew his fake news would bring them out. There are no viruses. Their pizzas disappeared because Bebop sprayed them with slow acting disintegrator spray. Donatello cheers that their favorite dish is safe, but Shredder says it’s a shame he can’t say the same about them. The Turtles find that several wall-mounted lasers are aimed at them. Shredder explains that his high frequency lasers will reduce them into well toasted atoms. Raffaello throws a sai at his enemy, but it bounces off an unseen obstacle. Shredder gloats that he is protected by an invisible and drill-proof hyper-plexiglass sheet. Holding a remote, Shredder says the time has come to say goodbye.
Suddenly, the thick glass entrance is broken as a group of citizens drives a jeep right through it. One of the men asks Donatello where to find the pizza and the Turtle points out the guy in the mask, saying that he’s the pizza maker. The man discovers the plexiglass sheet and tells the others. One of them says to tear it down because if he doesn’t get a pizza in the next five seconds, he’ll explode. The men push the plexiglass down and demand the virus free pizza. Shredder finds himself backed into a corner by the mob. Raffaello suggests he invite them all to the pizzeria at his expense.
Shortly after, the Turtles are back in the lair. Seated at a small table, Splinter stirs food in a bowl and tells the Turtles that he hopes they have learned a healthy lesson. Nothing would have happened had they not been so greedy for that indigestible food. Leonardo asks his father what he is eating and Splinter says that it is a typical Japanese delicacy; raw fish with herbs. The Turtles react with disfavor.