Hey folks, Crooker here with a review from IDW’s new Jason Aaron-helmed run for the heroes in a half-shell, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3. Art in this issue is provided by Cliff Chiang, and stars my favorite Turtle, the leader in blue, always in control, Leonardo. It took me a long time to figure out how to approach this review, so I hope I can offer a fair critique and unique outlook on it. It’s ninja time.
IDW Publishing
I’ve had a lot of time to sit on and think about this issue, thanks to it being such an early review copy. My feelings are complicated. This issue does a lot of things I like and even specifically wanted from IDW’s TMNT for years, but I can’t also help but feel it’s got this inexplicable odd vibe to it that makes it feel… off. Like it’s 12 degrees to the left of hitting that perfect mark I was thinking of.
Aaron feels like he’s trying to mine the Peter Laird well of Mirage era writing for this one, and on some level I really appreciate that. I love the Mirage books, which somehow remain the most underrated and under-loved take on the Turtles despite being the source material, and anything that strives to feel more like that wonderful, weird, wacky, gritty indie hit has my respect. Mind you, as Leonardo is my favorite Turtle and one of my favorite characters of all time, I’m entirely and completely biased in how I feel the character should be done. That said, I always make an effort to consider the intent of the writer and the story, and I think on that level, and with how Mirage this feels, that Aaron and I are mostly in harmony, the intent of the story is something I agree with. It’s oddly zen, very spiritual, but more in a Denny O’Neil’s The Question sort of way and not in a… well, IDW Ninja Turtles way.
Make no mistake, I vastly prefer that. I’ve not been quiet about the fact that IDW’s Leo has never been a version of the character I feel a lot of affection for, and especially with the most spiritual, mystical side that became a big aspect of not only his character, but later the whole book during Campbell’s tenure. While these aspects have always existed in moderation with the Turtles, moderation was the key. It understood when mind-bending magics were the right call for a story, and when something more cerebral and quiet was needed. Balance, something the original Mirage books and 2003 cartoon excelled at, mostly thanks to Peter Laird’s immensely talented character writing.
IDW Publishing
But it’s still a bit… off. Maybe it’s this specific story, and the way it’s told. Leo does some very strange things in the course of this issue that just comes across as silly. And not in the way Ninja Turtles should be silly, just… stupid. It makes him look like a weird idiot for thinking he’s actually getting anything out of what he’s trying to do and it immediately sets a weird tone that undercuts the interesting, quiet, zen bits of the rest of the story. Leo finding some peace and solace in this situation he’s placed himself in is truly interesting stuff. Something I can easily see for his character, finding some sort of bizarre twisted comfort in something unorthodox, given all this version has gone through. But that setup… I dunno, he’s just written so strangely. The actions feel mostly right but the inner voice just isn’t cutting it yet. Mind you, I think Aaron gets it, so I have my hopes these kinks will be ironed out after we really get into business.
IDW Publishing
Speaking on the art front, it’s very good. I think TMNT has rarely had bad or substandard art generally, but I really like what Chiang does with it. It’s kind of bright yet moody, which makes for an interesting contrast, and the ninja action is very kinetic and satisfying. That’s kind of standard for Turtles, but being good at it isn’t a small thing – it takes talent to pull both of those things off at once. Chiang draws a good, classic Ninja Turtle, and that’s all I can really ask for to be satisfied, so the fact he did such a great job on top of that is icing on the cake.
Overall, I’m mixed on this comic. While I think it’s a push in the direction I felt I wanted, the execution left me feeling like it was a bit lacking. I sat on my review copy for nearly a full month because I simply couldn’t find a way to put this inner conflict into a form I felt was a fair critique of what’s actually here on the page. Not what I wanted it to be, but in what it was trying to do. Well, now I feel I know what was being attempted, and that still didn’t quite land 100%… yet. I have reason to believe it’ll get better from here on out, so from me to all of you, as a fan and a reader myself, patience will be a boon.
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