Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #66 Review

The search for Alopex takes Raphael and Angel to Alaska.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #66 (IDW Publishing)

Observations

• It’s not the heat, but the humidity that’ll kill ya.
• I feel bad for Alopex having to suffer these violent hallucinations, but they sure are beautiful to look at.
• This talk between Angel and Raph may be running a little long, but at least they finally addressed the whole Mammal + Reptile relationship issue.
• If you know your Alopex history, then you know just how big of a jerk Kitsune is being right now.
• Yeah, I’m not buying that…
• …cool effect, though.
• GOOD LORD. I guess that’s one (incredibly brutal) way to conquer your nightmares.



• Well played, Raph. Well played.

Is It Good?

First off, you better have a good working knowledge of Alopex’s history if you want to get the full effect of what she’s being put through by Kitsune.

Unfortunately, the one thing that’s been made abundantly clear over the years—she and Raph’s affinity for each other—is discussed ad nauseam. Waltz frames it with some very good dialogue, but there’s so much of it that his otherwise intriguing narrative is brought to a grinding halt.

I also wasn’t a fan of Raph suddenly figuring out how to do exactly what was needed at just the right time. I know this is a superhero franchise book, but it’s well written enough that we should expect better.

That’s being said, Sophie Campbell absolutely kills it on art duties this issue. The pages featuring Alopex and Kistune are stunning. There are at least three panels/pages that could (and should) be turned into prints immediately. She also does a fantastic job with facial expressions and emotions during the book’s many dialogue-heavy scenes.

The art is so good, in fact, that I wish the script had been trimmed down to let it tell more of the story. Waltz’s script is still good overall, though. He continues to show a strong knack for making the series’ large cast of characters interact well in smaller groups. No matter how large IDW’s Ninja Turtle Universe gets, Waltz can always be counted on to make a story feel intimate and personal.

Combine that with Campbell’s masterful artwork (along with Alopex’s return), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #65 is a great read…although you may want to brush up on some Alopex back issues first before you dive in.