Every so often, a comic will make a bold decision that radically shakes up its landscape. Sometimes this change can echo for decades, as in the events of Secret Wars and Crisis on Infinite Earths. Other changes are ill-advised from the jump; there are still fans who point to One More Day or the New 52 as an example of what not to do in comics. Thankfully, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #17 seems to be leaning in the first direction, as it’s taking some bold swings that could reshape the Heroes in a Half-Shell’s world.
Those big swings start with the Turtles mounting a rescue operation to save Splinter from Karai, Shinigami, and the rest of the Foot Clan. Shinigami intends to use the Turtles’ mentor as a pathway to Yomi-No-Kuni, aka the Land of the Dead. As the Turtles fight to save Splinter, one of them winds up in Yomi-No-Kuni…and comes face to face with the last person they’d expect to see.
It’s a moment that fans won’t see coming, and yet it also shows that Gene Luen Yang is more than willing to raise the stakes. Since Yang’s opening arc has been mostly focused on Splinter going to extreme lengths as Ujigami to protect his sons from their potential deaths, it only makes sense that his worst fear would come to life. As for the Turtle that Yang chooses to leave stranded in Yomi-No-Kuni, it’s probably the last one that anyone would expect, and also the one that could bring a much-needed emotional heft to future issues.
The art by Freddie E. Williams and Fero Pe also does a great job of conveying emotion and action in equal measure. Williams handles the bulk of the art and doesn’t let up on the action for a minute. Whether it’s Leonardo and Karai engaged in a fierce sword duel, Raphael’s brute strength against Shinigami’s black magic, or Michelangelo being the spanner in the works, each page is packed full of dynamic movement. Pe handles the sections set in Yomi-No-Kuni, infusing them with a surprising amount of sadness – especially considering who meets whom in this strange realm.
IDW
Both artists have Luis Antonio Delgado and Andrew Dalhouse to thank for making their artwork sing with his color work. I’ve sung Delgado’s praises plenty of times, but this issue is a prime example of how he uses color to set the mood. For Williams’ work, there’s plenty of bright hues to match the martial arts and magic taking place on the page. With Pe, there’s a more subdued palette that suits a landscape called “The Land of the Dead” and complements the somber tone of Yang’s script.
That’s not even getting into the final pages, which introduce yet another major upheaval into the Turtles’ world. Playing into the earlier paragraph about change, it feels like a natural development that pushes the story forward, rather than just being thrown in for shock value. This approach is what I love most about IDW’s TMNT run – it’s willing to take risks, but it also remembers what makes the Turtles some of the best characters in comics.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #17 radically shakes up the Heroes in a Half-Shell’s world, while still keeping the action and emotion that make them great. It’s a lesson for any creator who takes over a long-running property: you can keep things fresh without losing what fans love about it.
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