Tom Waltz (Author) Kevin Eastman (Author) Dave Wachter (Artist, Cover Artist) Bobby Curnow (Author) Ronda Pattison (Colorist) Shawn Lee (Letterer)
Thanks to IDW Publishing for the review copy!
Issue 94 ended with Raphael and the Mutanimals attack against Null. Issue 95, part three of the ‘City at War’ arc, picks up where things were left with the rest of the Turtles, who were trying to save Jennika after she was stabbed by Karai. Unfortunately for them, the plan by Bishop and Metalhead to capture the Turtles teased in the last issue is picked up in this issue as well. The action in this confrontation is a high point in the issue, and a part of it appears to be a neat reference to the Alien movies. I continue to be impressed with how well movement is shown in this series. The gritty art style and muted colors are consistent with the tone of the comic.
This issue also does an effective job at ratcheting up the pressure on the heroes, culminating in a desperate play that has a shocking result. The writing remains strong, effectively giving emotional range to mutant reptiles, which is pretty amazing when you stop to think about it. There are a lot of characters in this issue, and each of them has a unique voice.
While I enjoyed the oral history of the IDW Turtles, this time focusing on the second year of publishing at IDW, the history didn’t shine as much light on the current issue as the prior ones did. I also did a second take when it sunk in that IDW has been publishing TMNT for eight years, which explains the tapestry of supporting characters it weaves into the comic.
Unlike the prior two issues, this one requires a little more knowledge of the arc to truly enjoy. With that said, this issue had one of the most effective ‘story so far’ pages in the series.
TMNT continues to be an enjoyable read. The pressure increases a little in each issue on the way to issue #100.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #95 is now available.
Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #96
Have you read the issue? What are your thoughts? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!
