Kevin Eastman (Author), Tom Waltz (Author), Sophie Campbell (Author, Artist, Cover Artist), Ronda Pattison (Colorist) Shawn Lee (Letterer)
Thanks to IDW Publishing for the review copy!
After the crushing events of Issue 100, the five (yes there are five now) Turtles are isolated. Some physically (Raph has gone off on his own again) and some mentally, as they deal with their grief in their own ways. Jenny, the newest Turtle, is still trying to find her place in the world … a world in which a section of New York has been walled off to house the people who got hit with a mutagen bomb. At the end of issue 101, she befriended a new character named Mona and they got into trouble with some mutanimals.
This issue starts by focusing on Raphael and Pepperoni, who is about as cute of a character as you are going to find in this dark TMNT book (or perhaps any book). A pink mini dinosaur with a hooded fur coat? Perfect. I’m sure the writers have a plan to slowly bring the characters back together, and this issue takes a step in that direction. As I’ve indicated before, the character design of the mutanimals continues to be creative, with each mutant being a different creature. Diamond the porcupine has a lot of potential. The personalities of the characters also fits the creature they mutated into like a glove. Without getting into spoilers, the artwork on Jenny later in the issue stands out.
We then return to life on the farm outside of the City to check in on the other Turtles. While Raphael and Jenny face some physical challenges, the others face emotional ones. It is really interesting how much the artists are able to convey with minimal dialogue.
It’s also nice to see what Old Hob has been up to after a few issues out of the picture. He becomes integral to the plot as his machinations create some new threats. I recommend new readers start with TMNT 101, which started this new arc, to get a better lay of the land.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #102 is now available.
Check back soon for my thoughts on TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #103
Have you read the issue? What are your thoughts? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!
