by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
Cowabunga!
The eagerly anticipated first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin hits the shelves this week, providing fans with a glimpse into the future of the TMNT Universe. Based on an unpublished story conceived by co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in the late 80s, this installment takes our heroes in a half-shell to a bleak and dystopian future.
A lone warrior is finally ready to avenge his fallen family. Haunted by failure and the voices of his brothers, can this lone turtle make a difference in such a different world? The mystery of the surviving turtle and the fate of his missing brothers looms high throughout the first installment, providing readers with an impactful story that will surely resonate with fans of all ages. The ongoing feud between the Turtles and The Foot Clan takes an interesting turn as well, but ends up creating more questions than answers.
From an artistic standpoint, the designs and layouts work perfectly to establish the tone of the new world. Without spoiling the connections, I loved the character design for the “big bad”, and the creative use of the brothers throughout the story made the story of The Last Ronin even more interesting.
Overall, this is the TMNT version of “The Dark Knight Returns”. While that is an extremely high bar to meet, the first issue absolutely lives up to the comparison. I was completely blown away by the concept and execution, and I can’t wait to see what the next issue holds for our hero. Although the issue comes with a hefty price tag of $8.99, it really is a unique take of TMNT that we haven’t seen before.
Lastly, it turns out that there are well over 60 variant covers (not a typo) for this first issue, so make sure you check out all of the different versions or try and collect them all!
Story: Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz & Kevin Eastman
Layouts: Kevin Eastman
Pencils/Inks: Esau & Isaac Escorza
Colors: Luis Antonio Delgado
Letters: Shawn Lee
Rating: [5/5]
ComicsOnline gives Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1 – 5 out of 5 times that the pizza dude has 30 seconds.
