Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 is written by Jason Aaron and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork and colours are by Juan Ferreyra and letters by Shawn Lee. Main cover art (left) is by Jorge Fornes.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 is available from January 29, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
New series artist Juan Ferreyra joins writer Jason Aaron to turn the volume up to maximum with this explosive second arc of the all-new era of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! The family reunion hasn’t exactly gone as planned for the Turtles. Even if they could put their sibling feuds aside, there’s no time for the brothers to celebrate. Hunted by a new Foot-enhanced police force led by the relentless D.A. Hieronymus Hale, the Turtle brothers must endure their worst gut-punch yet: New York City is no longer safe for the TMNT, forcing the mutant heroes to take drastic measures—relocating to the sewers of New Jersey!
Review
Jason Aaron’s incredible run on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues today as new series artist Juan Ferreyra really begins to sink his teeth in to the bleak New York City landscape. With TMNT ‘24 coalescing and exposing the roots of the brother’s differences our POV shifts back to poor Donatello for another issue which puts the reader through the wringer.
Our heroes have hit rock bottom. Not only are they struggling with their own internal chaos. But the city who once loved them has turned on them. We pick up in issue #7 right where we left off. In the centre of Times Square with an army of Foot-led goons breathing down their necks. Only now we’ve shifted back to see Donnie’s perspective. Perhaps the bleakest and most heartbreaking of the four turtles current mindsets. But it’s also Donnie who seems most set of reuniting the family and that means TMNT #7 is perfectly setup to tug at the heartstrings and play to the strengths of Aaron’s current approach.
Similar to the slow burn approach of Power Rangers Prime, this new TMNT understands both what its audience wants and what its characters NEED. What they need right now is to continue to work through their problems. But the only way they can do that is to retreat in to themselves and act in the only ways they know how. That means that whilst poor Donnie desperately holds on to the final shreds of his sanity, Leo is determined to search for Karai, Michelangelo continues to blame his brothers for their predicament and Raph? Well Raph just wants to take his anger out on anything and anyone. There’s no arguing with Aaron’s fundamental understanding of how each of these characters ticks. He so easily digs even deeper in to each of the turtles this issue, somehow driving the wedge even deeper just as we’re celebrating seeing them share the page.
At seven months in there’s absolutely no denying that Aaron has sold the entire fanbase on his take on the Heroes in the Half-Shell. This issue is par for the course in a series which feels destined for Eisner-glory. TMNT #7 is really Aaron setting up new partner in crime Juan Ferreyra to put his stamp on the book. The initial run of issues, each with a different artist, was a cool way to setup Aaron and IDW’s bold plans for the franchise following its incredible 150 issue-run. But with the story coming together and setting a new status quo it was time for a singular style to become the footprint on which greatness can be built.
Ferreyra comes out of the gate swinging. The opening splash of the turtles surrounded by the city they once loved is a bold mission statement. It encapsulates the pain and anguish each of the heroes are facing. But it also neatly communicates to the audience the danger they’re facing. No punches are being pulled and that ethos flows right through the entire issue. Ferreyra has a knack for visually hitting the same emotional sweet spot where Aaron is basing his storytelling. The two work together seamlessly to really put us through it as fans of these characters. It’s a tough read. But for all the right reasons.
With danger on all fronts we leave Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 very safe in the knowledge that this series is in the right hands. Tonally and visually this feels like a series which has not only found its stride but has grabbed the opportunity to revel in these character’s anguish. There are tough times ahead Turtles fans. But trust in these creators has shown the ride is going to be worth the pain.
Verdict
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand new artist, Juan Ferreyra, joins the series in a pivotal moment. With Jason Aaron having set wheels in motion for an intense, angst-ridden arc, Ferrayra’s visual pack the kind of visceral and visual punch needed to land the emotional beats on an unsuspecting audience.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
