Review: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ #3
This was great issue, though it was my least favorite of the first three so far for me. Perhaps I had too high of hopes for it as Leonardo is my favorite turtle as we get our third background story from writer Jason Aaron who is joined by Cliff Chiang on art duties.
I love to see how much Aaron seems to get the individual turtles. Raphael’s sense of isolation while being a loner in prison was spot on. Mikey being an over-stimulated action-star in Japan was true to the character. On paper, Leo isolating himself completely to focus on finding his inner self through meditation also makes perfect sense. Except I was anticipating a slightly different set up than what we got. The fact his story takes place alongside soft-shell turtles who feast on the dead was a bit too on the nose And yes, the Indian government actually did release turtles to try and clean up human remains in the Ganges. Aaron wasn’t completely making up this plot point. Either way, I was anticipating Leo’s journey venturing deeper into mysticism or the supernatural.
With the story he chose, Aaron's narration really got us into Leo's head. Those who read the previous IDW series know how how much baggage he's carrying due to the various traumas he suffered. Aaron doesn’t bog the issue down with overhanded recaps, but provides new readers enough context to understand how much weight Leo has put on his own shoulders. The solitude he now seeks comes from elements he can control on his own — his training and meditation — all while he can’t escape a connection to the family currently torn apart.
Chiang's art is just beautiful. You won't forget this is a Cliff Chiang book as it's seeped in the typical style that’s made him a fan-favorite for years, but he makes it work perfectly for TMNT. It’s moody with thick ink lines yet vibrant with simple, bold colors, which makes for a perfect contrast and complements Aaron’s story well. Any artist on a TMNT title needs to be able to nail ninja action and Chiang's action sequences are animated and energetic.
While this may not have been my favorite issue, I’m still very excited for the direction Aaron is taking us. I can’t wait to see what’s in story for Donnie in the next issue and then where Aaron decides to take things once the turtles reunite.
Rating: 8/10
