Review – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #46 (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer(s): Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman
Artist: Mateus Santolouco
Colours: Ronda Pattison
Release Date: 27th May, 2015

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After the shocking “death” of Donatello in issue #44, and the surprising way in which the situation was resolved last issue (enter RoboDonny!), this issue provides the perfect opportunity for some quality storyline advancement as we push forwards with all the disparate plot threads that have been left dangling in the wake of the battle for the Technodrome.

Unfortunately, there’s simply too much going on here for anything to have any real resonance. The narrative bounces around from plot thread to plot thread, with nothing really getting anything significant in the way of attention. We touch base with Casey Jones and his family drama, Fugitoid helping RoboDonny adjust to his new ‘form’, Stockman and Shredder plotting something sinister, the rebooted Foot Clan preparing to rise again… it’s a lot to take in to be honest, and the A.D.D. pace of the issue doesn’t exactly help things.

One thing that does get some much needed attention is the relationship between Raph and Alopex – something the fans have been crying out for – but even that exchange seems to be over before it’s begun as we’re quickly whisked off to another location.

Even if the story is a bit muddled and unfocused at the moment, it still looks great, with Mateus Santolouco turning out some crisp, dynamic pages and showing a definite flair for crowded scenes (something this issue has a lot of). Ronda Pattison delivers the goods as always with her lively colours, working well alongside Santolouco’s detailed linework to put together yet another visually captivating issue.

I get the impression that this is one of those issues that will read better as part of a trade, serving as a slight storyline lull as we take stock of exactly where we are before pushing forward again. Unfortunately however, as a single issue, it comes across as more than a little flat, lacking direction and failing to provide enough meat for the reader to get their teeth into. That said, given the track record of the Eastman and Waltz write partnership, I’m more than happy to write this one off as a minor blip rather than hitting the panic button and abandoning ship.

Rating: 3/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson (aka Ceej)
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