The Turtles have come face-to-face with a near unstoppable monstrosity, but can they bring themselves to do all that is necessary to stop this beast’s terrible rampage?  Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

A relentless, demented foe is after the Turtles and he won’t rest until his deadly mission is fulfilled! A desperate fight for survival will take some unexpected turns before the night is over. Don’t miss it!

The latest iteration of this storied franchise continues to barrel forward as it dives head first into some rather heavy moral dilemmas.  Trust me when I tell you the level of sophistication and skill executed by this creative team yields an imperfect but heartfelt romp that takes our characters and reveals their inner core in a way that complements both themselves and this series.

Tom Waltz delivers a powerful narrative that sees our Heroes in a Half-Shell deal with some rather mature issues.  His script calls on all kinds of character growth as Leonardo and Michelangelo specifically have to deal with some rather dark themes that will honestly push and pull the brothers in some interesting but complicated directions.  It’s not a perfect rendition of this type of plot but for the most part the beats are very solid with only a few brief scenes that seem rather bogged down by an unnecessary amount of dialogue.

Andy Kuhn unveils some of his best work to date as he tackles some complex panels in this latest release.  He attacks each scene with a sense of grace and precision that echoes the core essence of this property while giving birth to a striking visual crescendo.  Each pencil stroke imbues the comic with not only a strong sense of self but an extremely clear understanding of purpose that will leave fans quite pleased with their purchase.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #16 is an emotional powerhouse that will leave faithful followers more moved than they might honestly expect.  Recommended.

4/5