It’s fitting that I’m covering the new Jason Aaron-written Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book since I’m the (self-appointed) chief TMNT correspondent here at Biff Bam Pop! and also because I called dibs on this book months ago.
Here’s the blurb:
NEW SERIES PREMIERE! NEW JUMPING-ON POINT!
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have all left New York to pursue their own interests, but there are forces gathering that will pull them back together—whether the bad guys like it or not. First up: Raphael! But why is everyone’s favorite brawler in prison?! When a surprise attack behind bars puts Raph’s position in jeopardy, he needs to figure out how to get out of jail and warn his brothers that trouble is coming.
Superstar writer Jason Aaron (The Mighty Thor, Batman: Off-World) teams up with Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Catwoman) for the first issue of a new TMNT series that will start a bold new era, celebrating the TMNT’s 40th anniversary while setting them up for the next 40 years to come!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
Jason Aaron (W)
Joëlle Jones (A)
IDW Publishing
I was drawn to this book by a couple of things: A new TMNT book that doubles as a new jumping-on point? Sign me up. Also, there are few people in comics right now that are having as much fun as Jason Aaron. It’s also a treat to see Joëlle Jones’ take on the Turtles (or really any time we get to see Jones draw something).
Jones kicks off the art duties on the book and is followed by a real Murderers’ Row of artists for the next three issues: Rafael Albuquerque, Cliff Chiang, and Chris Burnham. We already got a peek at Burnham’s art last month as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha and that too looks amazing.
This book functions extremely well as a jumping-on point because we’re all in on the ground floor of this story. Raphael is in prison? Is that legal? I’m sure he’s still a minor, right? I mean, sure we all suspected he’d end up there one day…but how? Where’s the other 3/4 of the group? April? Casey? Splinter? (J/k, I did a little homework on IDW’s TMNT, so I’m aware of the broad strokes of the story thus far).
As it stands now we’re getting four spotlight issues, each highlighting a separate Turtle, which seems like an excellent idea to kick off this era. We get reintroduced to each of the Turtles and, in turn, reintroduced to the world the inhabit. It’s a strong first issue and I’m intrigued that IDW didn’t do a hard reset of the title like they did with the Transformers books a few years back. It’s super easy to hit that reboot button and go back to what’s safe about the franchise: Four Turtles, sewer, talking rat, ninjas, pizza.
These are things that will always be part of the DNA of the franchise but the adaptability of the concept is what’s kept the Turtles around for the last FORTY YEARS. I’ve already added the book to my monthly pull list and I’m excited to see what Aaron and company have in store.
