A return to form for the heroes in a half-shell!
Writer | Jason Aaron |
Illustrator & Inker | Joëlle Jones |
Colorist | Ronda Pattison |
Publisher | IDW | 07.24.24 |
Spoilers Ahead
I've made no bones about the fact that the Sophie Campbell run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wasn't for me. It was way too slice-of-life with a bunch of mutant characters that I couldn't possibly have cared less about. It turned into Jennika fan fiction with a bit of the core four to justify IDW paying for the TMNT license. Armageddon Game seems like it might have been an improvement, but ultimately it was too little, too late, and clearly the series needed a change.
That change has arrived in the form of writer Jason Aaron and illustrator Joëlle Jones' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1. Talk about a breath of fresh air. Gone (for now, at least) is Mutant Town, Jennika, and the bloat that had been throttling the series for years. We begin with a mystery, much like we did with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha, which similarly established itself with a captive turtle brother (Donatello). In this issue, Raphael is the captive at center stage.
It's fitting given the original IDW relaunch also centered around Raph, albeit as an amnesiac. Here, Raph knows exactly where he is and what he's doing, but the full details are slowly eked out over the course of the issue. It seems that the grumpy turtle did something heinous enough to get himself put in jail, but the warden is more interested in utilizing Raph’s animosity to tame the rougher elements of the prison. In exchange for his enforcement skills, the warden will let Raph off the hook… eventually.
It's a little bit of an odd setup, but it’s the first issue, so I’m willing to give it some time. What was stranger to me was the introduction of (seemingly) the Foot Clan, who infiltrated the prison in order to frame Raph for murder. I mean… he’s already in jail, so what would be the point of making him… more in jail? Jail-er? Again, it’s the first issue, so there’s room to fill in the holes. Where I was more impressed was Raph’s characterization. He felt tough without being over the top; a legitimate threatening figure despite being surrounded by a bunch of convicts.
Beyond that, there isn’t a whole lot of plot in the issue. Raph’s in jail, has a deal with the warden, then gets framed for murdering said warden. On the run, he declares that he’s going to bring his brothers back together. It feels like this can all work, but my biggest worry is Jason Aaron. Apparently, this story is set to last a year, and given the massive damage Aaron did to the Punisher, I worry about what he can do with the TMNT during that long of a stretch. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him throughout this run.
I have my eye on Joëlle Jones for an entirely different reason: damn this art is good. Jones is a rare breed of artist from IDW in that she actually knows how to draw the turtles. No pill heads, no little boy faces—these are the turtles at their coolest. And look, maybe I’m wrong, but that counts for something in comic books. I’m reading TMNT because of how great these characters designs are; while I can appreciate the artistry of some previous talents that have worked on this series, there have been many who draw really, really ugly ninja turtles. Jones is the opposite, and she's firing on all cylinders here with moody visuals, dynamic angles, and exciting storytelling. I hope she’s here the full year alongside Aaron.
If this issue has a weak spot, it’s that it’s not very new-reader friendly. If you didn’t know who the turtles are before reading this issue, you won’t after, either. I get that this isn’t a total reboot of the series, but a new number one issue will invariably draw in fresh readers—to not cater to them at all here feel like a waste. That problem aside, I highly recommend that fans who might have been turned away by Campbell’s run consider giving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles another shot. I don’t think they’ll regret it.