Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 is written by Jason Aaron and published by IDW. Artwork, colours and main cover is by Cliff Chiang and letters by Shawn Lee.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Leonardo is traveling the world in search of peace. All the adventures—good and bad—he’s had with his brothers have taken their toll, and he is seeking a new way to exist, leaving the life of New York far behind. On the banks of the Ganges, he has found a turtle colony that shows him a simpler way to be, but even these turtles have their foes. Leo can fend off the poachers easily, protecting his temporary home, but what will he do when a deadlier enemy comes searching for him? Continuing this new run of stories by legendary comics scribe Jason Aaron (The Mighty Thor, Batman: Off-World), each of these first four issues focus on one Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. In the Leonardo issue, Jason is matched with fan-favorite artist Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls, Catwoman: Lonely City), whose unique style is a perfect match for this unique TMNT story!
Review
A new issue has come out as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles relaunch, with Jason Aaron writing and with Cliff Chiang taking over from Rafael Albuquerque as this week’s artist for the new issue. An artist that fits the story being told here for Leonardo. It’s impressive that so far, they’ve managed to pick artists that not only fit each individual turtle but feel like they’ve been chosen specifically for the story being written.
Last month, we focused on Michelangelo, who became a celebrity, with his own show where he was facing fake ninjas instead of the real ones that he was used to. That all quickly came crashing down as not only did the Foot Clan break into his house, but Raphael also showed up. Instead of helping each other out to take down the Foot Clan, they broke into a fight. We’re slowly starting to piece together what broke up the four Ninja Turtles, and while this issue doesn’t give more clues into what happened, we do get to discover where Leonardo is and what he’s been up to.
Jason Aaron takes Leonardo and provides him with this Lone Wolf storyline that usually wouldn’t be too expected of him, but he has been through a lot and all he wants now is peace. He finds himself at the Ganges River in India, where he believes he’ll be able to finally find peace with the turtles of the river who feed on the dead. This issue is darker with its tone compared to the past two issues and deals with a heavy topic, as Leonardo feels like the only way he can find peace with himself is finally dying, as he already feels dead inside. It’s a tough one to read, but Jason Aaron handles this story incredibly well.
Leonardo goes through a journey in this issue of self-discovery and overcomes this identity crisis that he’s going through. Is he a man, a ninja, or a turtle? By the end of the issue, he fully gives in to one side before being dragged into the chaos like his previous two brothers had been, with the Foot Clan finding him and destroying the nature of his peace, forcing him once more to have blood on his hands. While Jason Aaron takes real care with this story, it’s Cliff Chiang who brings it all together—not just with his art, which sets the mood, but his use of colour to set each scene makes this issue more beautiful than it already is.
We return to the end of the last issue and continue the fight between Raphael and Michelangelo; it seems like it’s going to take a lot for these brothers to rekindle the relationship they once had. The fighting is brought to an explosive end as Leonardo enters the scene, but what’s going to happen next? What news does he have for them? Well, I’ll leave that for you to find out for yourselves once you read this month’s issue.
Verdict
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 continues to be a grand start to this new relaunch, with Cliff Chiang being brought on to bring this morbid and darker-toned story by Jason Aaron to life. Leonardo’s story is the best one yet, bringing in real raw emotion and touching on very sensitive topics that Aaron handles with great care. The strongest issue yet, with a creative team that I’d love to see return in the future. Give Cliff Chiang a TMNT story!
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