The first thing you’ll notice about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9 when you pick it up is how stunning the artwork is. Juan Ferryra pulls no punches throughout the issue, especially when it comes to the use of nunchucks. Nunchucks smash thugs in the jaw, send ninjas flying, and are thrown with enough force to knock someone out. If you hadn’t guessed, this issue focuses entirely on Michelangelo as he goes on the warpath to free Donatello from prison, and most importantly, the clutches of the Foot Clan.
The thing that stands out the most to me is how Ferrerya utilizes every inch of the page, even the panel breaks, when doing his artwork. When Donatello comes face to face with D.A. Hieronymus Hale, the panels resemble the bars of the cage Donnie’s trapped in. Another moment features Mikey’s nunchucks, intercrossed to form a X – which leads to a series of panels where Mikey confronts a group of thugs wearing shark masks. I also love how Ferreya utilizes the Turtles’ signature colors throughout the issue. Since this is a Mikey-focused issue, orange is everywhere, from the backgrounds to the word captions.
But the real standout moment is a splash page where Mikey takes on an entire legion of Foot Clan soldiers. Ferrerya draws this as one single, continuous image, featuring Mikey crashing through a building while kicking and “chuking” his opponents. As a bonus touch, there’s captions for each floor detailing the weapons the Foot soldiers are utilizing, which grow more and more dangerous as time goes on. It’s only matched by the page where Mikey dons a yellow Bruce Lee style tracksuit, which transitions into another frenzied, action-filled splash page.
IDW
While Ferrerya’s artwork packs a punch, Jason Aaron’s writing can’t be discounted. Aaron shows how Mikey, despite his usual energetic outlook, is tired – tired of fighting with his brothers, tired of fighting a city that’s trying to kill him and his family, and tired of fighting in general. It’s a far cry from the jokester fans know, but it’s telling how dire things are that Mikey’s gotten to this state. Aaron also starts to peel back the reason why the Turtles split up, hinting that the wounds are still raw for Mikey.
But Aaaron’s biggest reveal continues to be how Splinter is influencing the Turtles, even in death. What I love about the Turtles is their family dynamic, and that extends to the fatherly bond they have with Splinter. There’s a reason this issue is subtitled “The Way of the Rotted Rat”; other than nunchucks, rats play a big role. That includes the aforementioned rotted rat that Leonardo and Raphael commune with, and the rats that follow April O’Neil.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9 isn’t just a visually stunning comic, it’s also a great character showcase for Michelangelo. Every once in a while, there’s a series that reminds me why comic books are one of the best artistic mediums around. Aaron and Ferreya’s TMNT run is one of those series. Fans of TMNT, newcomers to comics, or comic fans wanting to shake up their pull list will find something to love here.
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