Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #26 Review


Their family is shattered, but can our heroes do enough apart to bring themselves back together?  Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

While Leonardo and the Foot bring the fight to the Savate ninjas, the other Turtles call upon all of their allies to prepare for War. City Fall continues to escalate when Splinter crosses a line by helping Old Hob get his revenge!

This property has certainly had its share of ups and downs, especially when it comes to re-interpretations. It doesn’t matter what medium is used, however, as long as you have a strong creative team that’s ready to tackle it in a unique way.  That’s exactly what happens here, as this hard-hitting arc barrels forward into new territory.

The story is brought to fruition thanks to the efforts of three talented authors but it’s the work of Tom Waltz that ultimately sells this tale.  We have a rather wordy entry that sees fit to expand and expose the more human elements of this crime war.  The scribe does a tremendous job delivering on some key bullet points but there are times where the dialogue itself comes off a wee bit shaky, resulting in some stuffy conversations.  That said there was a twist hidden in the narrative that I just did not see coming, so all I have to say is: kudos!

Mateus Santolouco once again does a tremendous job bringing the world and characters to life in a way that echose a hyper realism that’s simply uncanny.  His depictions of the heroes in a half-shell, their allies and antagonists fit perfectly within the confines of this literary work, so much so that I found myself drawn in just by the visual pieces on display.  As much as I enjoyed the main birth of work I’d be remiss not to mention the opening by Charles Paul Wilson III, it’s a beautiful sequence that sure to get some feelings flowing.

Teenage Mutant Jinja Turtles #26 is an outstanding issue that stumbles only slightly on the road toward what should be an engaging follow-up next month. Recommended.

4/5

S#!T Talking Central