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Some TMNT stuff really isn't for little kids. |
Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles volume 1 issue #2, later retroactively titled TMNT vs. the Mousers, was published on October 1984 by Mirage Studios.
Characters
Major Characters
- Donatello
- Hamato Splinter
- Leonardo
- Michelangelo
- Mousers (debut)
- April O'Neil (debut)
- Raphael
- Baxter Stockman (debut)
Minor Characters
Plot
The second issue introduced April O'Neil and Baxter Stockman. The book begins with the Turtles and Splinter watching the news. The reporter, Ms. Hynes, is doing a story about Dr. Baxter Stockman and his new invention: the rodent-killing robotic Mouser. Stockman, with the help of his lovely assistant April O'Neil, demonstrate the Mouser's ability to track and slay rats. Splinter cautions the Turtles that they must be very careful with this new threat in town.
Several weeks pass, and in that time many bank robberies have occurred. April is reading the paper to Dr. Stockman, which describes strange small tunnels dug into the bank's vaults. April hypothesizes that the Mousers would be capable of doing this, which the good Doctor promptly dismisses, pointing out the April had helped to program them, so she should know better. Stockman then proceeds to take Ms. O'Neil to an underground security level of the laboratory, where he shows her an army of Mousers that are being built. April demands to know how he got the funding to build hundreds of Mousers... when she concludes that her suspicions were correct: the Mousers were robbing the banks! Stockman then reveals his plan to blackmail the City. April is confused, as she notes that Stockman could have made millions legally with his invention. Dr. Stockman replies that he's not doing it for money but because it's "fun." April realizes that the Doc is quite mad and she bolts for the elevator. Stockman then programs the elevator to drop her into the sewers, and sends several mousers to kill her.
Just as she's about to be mauled, the Turtles show up and save her by destroying the robots. April faints at the sight of them! The turtles take Ms. O'Neil to their home, and when she awakes, tell her their origin. The Turtles then turn on the news to find Stockman making his demands of the City. It seems that he's had the Mousers dig tunnels underneath every corporate headquarters in New York City, and if a ransom is not paid for each building, he will have the Mousers destroy the skyscrapers' foundations, thus causing them to crash to the ground.
The Turtles and April decide that it's up to them to stop the mad Doctor, and they sneak into his building. They confront Baxter, who sets off an explosion and traps them in the basement lab. The Turtles manage to blast a whole in a wall, but unfortunately it leads to the storage room full of Mousers! The horde of bloodthirsty robots attack! Leo, Raph and Mike struggle to hold them off, but there are too many! Just as it looks like it's curtains for our heroes, Don and April manage to program the computer to shut down all power in the cellar... including the Mousers!
Trivia
- This story is continued from TMNT (Vol. 1) #1. The story continues in TMNT (Vol. 1) #3.
- The third printing of this comic (1986) contained a new painted cover by Richard Corben, a pin-up page by Mark A. Paniccia, and a five-page bonus story, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, by Fred Hembeck.
- A Cerebus comic can be seen on page 2. The turtles will meet that aardvark in TMNT (Vol. 1) #8.
- First ever appearances of April O'Neil, Baxter Stockman and the Mousers.
- The Mousers will return to threaten to the turtles in Tales of the TMNT (Vol. 2) #61.
- Baxter Stockman will return in TMNT (Vol. 2) #2.
- When broadcasting his threat to the city Stockman makes an example of the "Retxab" building. "Retxab" is "Baxter" spelt backwards, making Stockman's target a reference to the headquarters of Marvel Comics superhero team the Fantastic Four.
- This issue was adapted into two episodes in the 1987 TV series, Turtle Tracks and A Thing About Rats.
- This issue was adapted into two episodes in the 2003 TV series, A Better Mousetrap and Attack of the Mousers.
- The Turtles' meeting with April was adapted into the 1990 movie, with April being attacked by the Foot Clan instead, and Raphael being the only turtle present to rescue her.
Reprinted in
- 2nd printing (January 1985)
- 3rd printing, with added back-up story by Fred Hembeck (January 1985)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Book I, in color.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Collected Book 1
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 1 (January 2012)
- IDW Color Classics #2 (June 2012)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Works Volume 1 (May 2013)