The New IDW TMNT # 1 Review
The New TMNT #1 with new Creative team Jason Aaron, Joelle Jones and Rhonda Pattinson
A new start for the IDW TMNT series with a new Creative Team! The IDW TMNT series is starting over at issue #1, but they are not clearing the slate. Hot on the heels of Issue # 150 and last Month’s TMNT Alpha # 1, the Turtles could not be more separated. Issue # 1 under the new Creative team of writer Jason Aaron, Artist Joelle Jones with colors by Rhonda Pattinson, and letters by Shawn Lee, This tells the tale of Raphael who finds himself alone and in the most inhospitable environment possible, a Prison.
With no Friends, or Family to get his Back and an angry population that is looking to take down the Ninja, he has to keep his focus and find a way to stay alive to complete his secret mission, ( more to come on that next issue I imagine).
Playing a dangerous game of double agent for the Warden who despises him, Raph has found a way to focus his Rage into a constructive coping mechanism. To put it bluntly, he’s busting the heads of criminals but from behind the same bars they are.
In just a short few pages we get to see that Jason Aaron (Scalped, Wolverine, The Mighty Thor) finds the voice of the Angriest of the Turtle brothers, and he manages to show both the introspective prisoner as well as the un-yielding rage filled warrior in the same story; without sacrificing what we love about the character. Granted, this is exactly what you would hope to find in an action comic starring a Mutated Ninja Turtle, but it feels right.
There’s more internal dialogue and thoughts than chatter, and Raph even thinks to himself at one point” You want witty Banter, you came to the wrong Turtle. What I got to say I say with my fists.” It’s moments like this where I as the reader was reminded that when an author truly get’s the character, they can show not tell, and just get out of the artist’s way and let the story unfold. This brought back fond memories from reading Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons The Watchmen, when Rorschach was sent to prison, and how the population treated him.
One of the Hallmarks since the Mirage comic days, have been that story arcs are usually set apart by having a new artist join the book for a fresh take on the TMNT. In this case artist Joelle Jones ( Catwoman, Batman Rebirth, Lady Killer) lends her clean line style to the book. The artwork is beautiful, and the characters whether the A plot with Raph in the Prison or the B sub plot with the District Attorney all show emotion as if they were actors caught on film and not drawn. That said I think that Jones style works very well for this issue, and the colors from Pattinson are muted tones that work well in the prison as well as the scene in Manhattan at night.
The book will catch you off guard with a few unsuspecting surprises, and this is a great jumping on point for any new readers.
Those asking how we got to this point are in luck, and can catch the IDW series issues # 1-150 and the Armageddon Game crossover to get acquainted with the story in media res.
A great start to kick off the new series, and I would recommend picking up one or multiple copies at your local Comic store.
