Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #5 Something Fishy Goes Down

Issue Description

The Turtles are visiting the Burroughs Aquarium and admiring the manta ray there when the proprietor tells them that the place is closing down. The lads make their exit and head for home, in search of dinner. Meanwhile the Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady are piloting a submarine beneath the waters of the New York Harbor. Shredder informs Krang that Bebop and Rocksteady accidently spilled an entire barrel of Mutagen in the city's sewers, which doesn't make the tentacled alien very happy. Saki then begins explaining his plan to ruin the Fourth of July holiday for all New Yorkers. Later that night, the aquarium proprietor pats the large manta good night and then goes off on an environmental mission. The man is trying to discern if companies are illegally dumping toxic waste into the Harbor. As he investigates a large drainage pipe, the environmentalist discovers an odd substance (that we recognize as Mutagen). Not knowing the dangers of the substance, the proprietor grabs a handful of the goo - just as the pipe is being flushed out! A huge rush of water pours over him and washes him out to sea! Just about that time, we see the TMNT excitedly running towards the beach to have some fun. As the guys are goofing off on the sand, they're spotted via periscope by Bebop. Shredder decides to off the Turtles by shooting a torpedo at them. Just as the deadly missile is about to impact on the beach, an odd shadowy form from the depths grabs it and sends it careening back toward's the sub. Fortunately for the villainous ninja and his cohorts, the torpedo bounces off the submarine's tough hull. Enraged by these strange events, Shredder orders Bebop to steer the sub back to their secret base. However, once the ship is parked, a mysterious shape attaches a huge amount of plastic explosives to its side. Back in the sewers, the Turtles have gotten lost on their way home. As they walk along they see a huge black shape swim by. The boys find a grate, and when they peer through it they see Shredder's sub! The TMNT dive into the water to investigate the submarine. Elsewhere, we see the shadowy form once again, as it prepares to detonate the plastic explosives attached to Shredder's sub! By now, the Turtles have gotten inside the sub and it has set sail once again. The Green Team is discovered by Bebop and Rocksteady, and a fight breaks out. During the battle, Rocksteady's horn bursts through the ship's walls and water starts to pour in. The water-logged sub starts to sink to the bottom of the sea, as Shredder makes his escape. The Turtles grab life preservers and use them to save/capture Bebop and his boneheaded buddy. As Shredder flees, he meets the mysterious stranger face to face... it's a mutated manta ray man, who calls himself (naturally) Man Ray. Shredder begins battling the angry Man Ray, but he's no match for a creature who can breathe beneath the waves, and the villain is quickly subdued... but once Ray has Shredder on the beach, the nefarious ninja gets in a cheap shot and makes his escape. The Turtles speak briefly with Man Ray, but he's weakened from his recent mutation and quickly returns to the harbor. The TMNT enjoy the fireworks on the Fourth, since Ray helped stop Shredder from completing his mission of destruction.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures (1989)

Publisher

Archie Adventure Series

Volume Description

Published by Archie Comics, this comic was based on mainstream version of the turtles. It started out simply retelling episodes of the then popular animated series but with the fifth issue the book branched out into telling it's own stories. Primarily written by Dean Clarrain the stories would often have an underlying environmentalist themes, over time the storylines grew darker and more mature. The series drew negative press when a storyline saw the death of the turtle's allies The Mighty Mutanimals in a massacre.

The three part "Future Shark Trilogy" which saw the turtles, Splinter and their ally Ninjara come to the aid of the older turtles in dystopian future proved popular with fans and elements and characters from the story were revisited many times in the series. For five issues the comic was renamed Cyber Samurai Mutant Ninja Turtles in a storyline that was set soley in the aforementioned future. By now the turtles fad of the eighties and early nineties had faded which meant lagging sales. Mirage wanting to put out their own color TMNT book made the publishers nervous of competition leading them to consider cancellation. Growing frustration of darker storylines came to a head when Clarrain and co plotter and artist Chris Allen submitted a time travel story involving the the future turtles Archie was displeased. The covers for the seven part epic "Forever War" were made with the belief that this would be final storyline of the series. Clarrain and Allen were dropped from the book and it was cancelled two issues later with the final storyline focused on a present Splinter telling the story of how pre-teen turtles picked their weapons written by Steve Sullivan and drawn by Brian Thomas.

Years later Clarrain and Allen would work on the second volume of Tales of the TMNT writing the original turtles for Mirage. It has also been confirmed they are working on completing the final storyline of TMNT Adventures "Forever War" with Mirage publishing it as part of the TMNT's 25th anniversary in 2009.

Collected EditionsTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 1 (#1-4)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 2 (#5-8)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 3 (#9-12)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 4 (#13-16)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 5 (#17-20)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 6 (#21-22)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 7 (#23-27)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 8 (#28-31)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 9 (#38-40)

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