The Muggers is a Fleetway comic, published in TMHT Adventures #61 in May, 1992.
Appearing in The Muggers[]
Major characters[]
Minor characters[]
- April O'Neil
- Splinter
- Vultures
- Axeman
- Baseball Ace
- Big Joe
- Little Joe
- Lou
Species[]
Objects and vehicles[]
Locations[]
Summary[]
The Turtles are taking a walk after dark through a crime infested area of the city. They’ve been out in their disguises to grab some takeaway pizza. A sudden sound from nearby trash cans startles Donatello, but then he sees that it’s just a cat. Then Raphael hears a funny noise and Leonardo figures it’s another cat. However, they quickly see that it’s actually a group of muggers, armed with bats, chains and knives. The muggers are wearing jackets with “Vultures” emblazoned across the back, and they have vulture tattoos. Leo orders disguises off because it’s too dark for them to be recognized. Raph immediately throws his sais, taking the cap off of one mugger’s head and slicing half of another mugger’s mohawk off.
Another mugger tries to punch Michaelangelo, but the Turtle grabs a trash can lid and the man hits that instead. One of the muggers shouts for the others to get the one with the stick, but Don uses his bō to sweep them off their feet. When Leo draws his katana against a mugger’s knife, the man, Lou, gets scared and runs away. Another of them says that Lou has the right idea and all of the flee. The Turtles put their disguises back on and head to the lair to report what happened to Splinter.
When they reach the lair, the Turtles find April O'Neil talking to Splinter. The Turtles recount their encounter with the muggers and Splinter asks if the gang had tattoos on their hands. Don answers that they did and that they were tattoos of vultures. April explains that it is the Vulture Gang and that they’ve been involved in dozens of muggings in that area of the city. She adds that they are led by a ruthless thug known as ‘The Beak’. The reason for April’s visit is that she wants the Turtles to stop the muggings. Mikey asks if she knows where the vultures’ nest is and April replies that they hang out in a disused factory near Kennedy Airport. The Turtles immediately get back into their disguises and head out.
An hour later, the Turtles arrive at the E.J.E. Factory Warehouse, which is just outside the airport grounds. Leo tells his brothers to be ready for anything and Don assures him they always are. They have no trouble getting inside the building, but it appears that no one is there. Just when they think April might have been wrong about the location, they find themselves completely surrounded by dozens of gang members. The Turtles are welcomed by a man squatting on a nearby crate. He has a bald head and an enormous hooked nose, so the Turtles guess that he must be The Beak.
Calling the Turtles fools, The Beak orders them to talk and tell him why they came to the warehouse. In an aside to his brothers, Leo tells them it’s Plan ‘M’ for mob time and to back him up. He then tells The Beak that the “Boss” doesn’t care for him muscling in on his territory. The Beak asks who the Boss is, and Leo says he’s their godfather, Splinter. When The Beak asks his gang if they are impressed by this, the gang members all start laughing. The Beak then tells his gang to destroy the Turtles.
Immediately drawing their weapons, the Turtles begin dealing with the oncoming Vultures. When an axe bearing thug charges at Leo, he uses his katana to slice through the handle of the man’s weapon and the heavy axe smacks the guy on the head. Another guy, wielding a bat, swings at Don and misses, but the Turtle does not miss with his bō. Two men, calling themselves, Big Joe and Little Joe, try to find Raph. He pops up and throws his sais, pinning them by their shirts against the wall. Mikey is swinging from an overhead chain and when a trio of thugs tell him to come down and fight, he pounces on them. Having knocked out nearly half the gang, the Turtles prepare for a mass attack by the remainder, who have regrouped.
Mikey suddenly says he has an awesome anti-mugger idea and tells Leo and Don to cover him and Raph. As the remaining pair duck chains, bricks, bats and metal pipes, Don wonders where the other two have gone. Mikey says he’s right behind them and to jump. He and Raph are holding a thick length of chain between them and Leo and Don jump over it. Then the pair of Turtles wrap the chain around the mob of muggers and then attach a section of chain to an overhead hook. The Turtles pull the muggers up near the ceiling and leave them dangling for the law.
The Beak makes a break for it, jumping into a manhole and gloating that the Turtles won’t catch him down in the sewers. The Turtles start down the ladder and Don says that the green team know every inch… before he can finish, The Beak opens fire. Fortunately, he runs out of ammo and darts down a sewer tunnel. The Turtles follow and trap the man at a dead end. The Beak still have some tricks up his sleave and tosses a lit stick of dynamite at the guys. They duck for cover and the dynamite explodes. Though they are unhurt, the explosion has destroyed their disguises.
When The Beak sees them, he is shocked, but recovers quickly and says that he can beat a few miserable reptiles. He pulls a length of chain from his overcoat and wraps it around Leo’s blade, then turns and tosses a grenade at Donatello, who uses his staff to bat it away. When The Beak pulls out a knife, Raph throws a sai and knocks if from his hand. The Beak opens his overcoat and displays the armament lining the inside. He pulls a whip from his stash and swings it at Mikey. Ready for the attack, Mikey catches the end of the whip and swings the thug around to slam him into a wall. This knocks The Beak out cold and the Turtles haul him back to the factory. They call the police and they hide to watch as officers haul the entire gang off to prison. Back at the lair, Splinter tells his sons that they’ve done well and Mikey offers to call in a pizza order as a reward. Don thinks that’s a great idea and suggest treble helpings all round.