The villains had the most fun!
Karai seeks advice from her old teacher due to being completely unhappy with the Shredder's decision to demote her in favor of his new favorite second-in-command, Leonardo. Her meeting will either force her to embrace her new role, or find another purpose in life serving the Foot Clan. -summary
It's no secret that the villains usually have all the fun, and IDW's Micro-Series focusing on them saw to it that they continuously had a ball. I mean this volume was good, really good, and like the previous volume it didn't only further expand on the TMNT universe, but it was an exciting ride that featured some really good action, character background, and also filled in very necessary holes found in the main series. This second volume Micro-Series Villains contains: Shredder, Karai, Hun, and Rocksteady and Bebop.
The villains portions are complete opposites to the Micro-Series following the Turtles and their allies. While the Turtles books at times felt like those whom were following the series didn't really learn anything new, plus they felt lacking in some areas. This volume along with the first feels quite necessary and should be collected. This TPB works very well for Hun, as it properly explains his transition from old drunk to elite member of the Foot Clan. His story is very well written and fun. Karai's story is another solid number focusing on her ambition and simply proving herself to Shredder. Rocksteady and Bebop steal the show and proves they are worthy of being heavy fan favorites in IDW's TMNT run. This story is excellent from beginning to end with some very entertaining dialog and barbaric action. The writing is very solid with witty dialog; they play off of each other so well that most readers probably won't get enough of them. The only weak link for me is Shredder's story. I completely get it and there is quite a bit of depth to be found, but it simply wasn't what I expected. I definitely wanted more details on his resurrection.
The artwork once again is delivered by various artist. Karai's story is visually amazing with a good, quick battle with her new nemesis. As usual, there's a sense of urgency in the action-filled battle segments. Despite the show but don't tell rule being broken here, it does serve a purpose in developing one of the characters. Rocksteady and Bebop's zany and over the top pencils and inks works too well. It fits perfectly with their erratic personalities and simply delivers a wonderfully psychotic experience. The other stories are done well but are easily overshadowed by the other two.
It's worth noting that this TPB should be read before TMNT volume 7 for better coherency. This way it doesn't seem like things happen so randomly. Overall, this is easily the strongest book in the Micro-Series line up, and it definitely should be picked up along with Villains volume one. In all honesty, these two Micro-Series books are the only one's really worth owning.
Pros: Works into the main series, exciting stories for the most part
Cons: Only one story feels lacking
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