Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin hit like a bolt of lightning. Not only did it harken back to the grittier roots of the original Mirage series, but it also managed to stand out among the other dystopian superhero tales – a landscape that includes The Dark Knight Returns, Kingdom Come, and Old Man Logan. The initial premise is that the last surviving Ninja Turtle – the titular “Last Ronin” – returns to New York City to exact vengeance on the Foot Clan. I’ll shy away from details because this is a series that needs to be read to be believed, but The Last Ronin had a pretty clear cut ending.
Or did it?
The last page revealed that Casey Marie Jones, daughter of the Turtles’ longtime allies Casey Jones and April O’Neil, had used mutagen to create a new generation of turtles. It’s that generation that picks up the title of their predecessors in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1, and the new Turtles have their work cut out for them. Following the fall of the Foot Clan, various gangs have tried to claim New York City for themselves. Casey Marie and her rebels have more or less managed to keep the peace, but circumstances lead to the new Turtles putting their fledgling ninja skills to the test.
Though the series may be new, the hands guiding them have had more than their fair share of experience with the Turtles. Those hands include Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Issac and Esau Escorza, Ben Bishop, Shawn Lee, and Luis Antonio Delgado – in other words, the entire creative team behind the original Last Ronin. Waltz and Eastman wisely decide to flip the script, showcasing how the new turtles Odyn, Moja, Uno, and Yi are different than Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. For starters, they’re far younger than the original Turtles, but as it turns out, they have their own unique mutation. The same goes for Casey Marie; inheriting her father’s stubborn streak and her mother’s ingenuity makes her a far different mentor than Splinter.
IDW Publishing
The Escorzas deliver yet another unique vision of New York, especially when it comes to the new Turtles. They vary in size and shape, and their more reptilian features are accented, underlining the “Mutant Turtle” part of the TMNT equation. Casey Marie boasts a mask that resembles Casey Sr.’s iconic hockey mask, but her outfit will evoke strong memories of another TMNT character – and it’s not the one you expect. The action, much like its titular characters, will hit hard and fast. Bodies go flying, bricks crack, weapons are drawn with rapid speed. It’s not as graphic as the original Last Ronin, but it still packs a punch.
It’s Bishop’s art that stands out. He illustrates a series of pages that chronicle the history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and it’s gorgeous. Delgado’s color work drenches the pages in warm amber color, making this sequence feel less like a flashback and more like a fairy tale. It’s also a far cry from the original Last Ronin, where Bishop drew plenty of grisly death scenes involving the original Turtles.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1 is unlike any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story you’ve ever read, which is what makes it such an interesting read. Longtime Turtle fans will definitely be in for a treat, while newcomers to the franchise might find their new favorite characters in this second generation of Turtles.
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