The current IDW run of TMNT comics put a new spin on the classic series, with mutants a known minority in Manhattan. The latest monthly book found Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo separated and dealing with their trauma alone. Now the four brothers are reunited and returned to their hometown. However, their challenges are just beginning, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6.
As TMNT #6 opens, the brothers recall their current circumstances and how they are being hunted by the Foot Clan after a lengthy truce. Raphael was framed for murder, while drifting around the American southwest. Michelangelo became a Sentai superhero in Japan. Leonardo went on a spiritual pilgrimage to India. And Donatello, now studying sorcery instead of science, was forced to fight in an underground arena.
Though the four brothers are reunited physically, they are still divided spiritually. The old wounds that separated the TMNT are far from healed. Indeed, those wounds seem to have festered in their time apart. Unfortunately, with a corrupt mayor gunning for them along with the Foot Clan, it has never been more important for them to work together.
TMNT #6 a perfect entry point for new readers
For all the new information that TMNT #6 unveils, it is surprisingly accessible to new readers. This is largely due to the skillful scripting of Jason Aaron. The exposition is revealed naturally, without feeling like a lecture or info dump. The unique voices of each of the turtles are also captured well in the dialogue. Even without their familiar color-coded bandanas, there is no mistaking who is who.
Talking of that color-coding, TMNT #6 is the first issue to feature Juan Ferreyra as the monthly series’ regular artist. I’ve been a fan of Ferreyra’s work ever since his run on the Green Arrow series. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles proves to be the perfect venue for his talents. There is a dynamic fluidity to Ferreyra’s art; a sense of speed as if he hurriedly sketched every panel in his eagerness to get it on the page. This kinetic aura guides the reader through the intense action sequences, pushing them towards the end of the issue and the stunning finale.
If you have not been reading IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT #6 is the perfect place to start. If you have been reading it, get ready for more of the same intense action and character work that has defined the series to date. This is a book to keep an eye on.
Grade: 10/10
TMNT (2024) #6 arrives in comic shops everywhere on January 29, 2025.
