Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #149 once again splits the action between two main plot lines; Leonardo, April and Carmen are battling against evil Bob and his Armaggon minions while Donatello, Venus and Bob are traveling through the time stream running into future versions of the turtles. With just two issues left until issue #150 and the end of Campbell’s run, will the Turtles and their allies be able to make progress in the fight against Armaggon?
IDW Publishing
The Story
With the arrival of Michelangelo, Koya and Bludgeon’s astral projection in Northampton, our heroes are able to stop the fighting and try and talk some sense into evil Bob. They learn his plan and what Armaggon has promised him. Bob also gives a quick explainer of what QNA is, perhaps more for the reader than anyone else. In a shocking turn of events, Bob proves the power of Armaggon and un-mutates Lita back into her human form. Leo is understandably enraged by this “violation” and is furious at himself for letting it happen. As the leader of the Hamato Clan, he feels a deep responsibility and duty to protect those under his care. His failure to protect Lita really impacts his self-worth.
With the portal collapsing and Donatello’s future hanging in the balance though, he doesn’t have much time to sulk. Leo springs into action along with April to restore the magic keeping the portal open and giving Don and crew a chance to return to the present. Campbell once again deftly handles themes of identity and autonomy. Leo is absolutely right when he calls Bob’s actions a “violation” since Bob has removed Lita’s autonomy to choose her own identity. Assuming that turning her back to her human form is a “gift” or a return to some kind of agreed upon status quo without even asking Lita what her wishes are is a serious transgression. We have seen a future version of Lita as a timestress in previous issues, so hopefully whatever evil Bob has done through the power of Armaggon can be reversed.
IDW Publishing
In the Mutant City of the future, Jennika finally decides to help Donatello, Venus and Bob with their mission by directing them to a time portal. Like the far future Leonardo in issue #146, Jennika just wanted to spend more quality time with her close friends. The portal leads to a future version of Mikey who also shares this sentiment. He’s less than forthcoming with Donnie about the comings and goings of future Donatello because again, he wants to spend time with his estranged family and friends. Venus has to smash through his floating AR display to get him to take their mission seriously and stop obfuscating. This version of Mikey has become world-famous, but shuns the spotlight now because he never knows if people are sincere in wanting to be his friend, or if it’s radiant gravity forcing them into his orbit. This theme of longing for the good times has been prevalent in this story arc with characters reminiscing about the good ole’ days and wanting to hold on to a piece of it for as long as they can. One wonders if that’s perhaps what Sophie Campbell is feeling coming to the conclusion of her long, celebrated run on the series. In the final pages of the issue Bob tussles with his evil counterpart as Armaggon looms large in the background.
The Art
Vincenzo Federici’s art is once again stellar in this issue. It’s always great to see Koya in action, and the opening splash page really starts the issue off with a bang. Lita’s transformation from turtle to human over three panels is gradual, yet still shocking when you realize what’s transpiring. Leo’s facial expressions from rage and fury to tears on a single page shows the breadth of Federici’s ability to add humanity and emotion to these anthropomorphic characters. His choice to use black silhouettes throughout the issue provides a nice change of pace and interesting contrast. Rather than panels or backgrounds being covered in shadow, it’s the characters that are darkened, letting us focus on the changing background sceneries. Ronda Pattison makes some excellent color choices throughout the issue. There’s a lot of yellow backgrounds in action filled panels that contrast nicely with the green, forested scenes of Northampton. The red backgrounds and highlights that accentuate Leo’s rage are also well done. The glowing blues and greens around the magic and portals are also a nice touch. Mikey’s red AR screen is also an interesting choice, perhaps red was chosen as a subconscious warning that Armaggon was approaching the apartment.
Final Thoughts
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #149 showcases Campbell’s adept storytelling as it delves into the complexities of identity and autonomy. With Armaggon’s plan to erase the turtles from the timestream by going all the way back to Feudal Japan, the stakes have never been higher. Leo’s turmoil over Lita’s un-mutation highlights the ethical dilemmas posed by wielding power over others’ identities. Meanwhile, in the future, themes of longing and nostalgia are woven into the narrative, mirroring the sentimentality of this concluding arc. Federici’s art elevates the emotional depth of the story, from intense action sequences to subtle character expressions, while Pattison’s color choices enhance the visual storytelling. As the series charges towards an extra-sized issue #150 and the end of an amazing comic book run, I can’t wait to see how the story is wrapped up and what the future holds for these characters.
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