Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Sophie Campbell
Artwork: Gavin Smith
Colours: Ronda Pattison
Lettering: Gus Wooton
Release Date: 14th June 2023

---

As the dust settles in the wake of Rat King’s failed “Armageddon Game”, IDW’s ongoing TMNT behemoth continues to go from strength to strength with a brand new story arc.

However, rather than launching us headlong into yet another sprawling epic, series writer Sophie Campbell wisely opts to focus on the fallout of the Rat King’s machinations and ultimate defeat. We check in with each member of the Splinter Clan as they try to figure out what life looks like now that the walls of Mutant Town have come crumbling down and they find themselves not only back in NYC, but finally thrust out of the shadows and into society at large.

Campbell continues to articulate the distinctive voices of each character beautifully, and for my money, it’s these moments where her dialogue shines brightest. Leo and Jennika both want to continue with their patrols, Raph is clearly still smarting from the breakdown of his relationship with Alopex (who makes a brief appearance alongside the rest of the “Claw Clan”), Mikey is doing his best to integrate into the community at large, and Donny remains fairly distracted and engrossed in the books he received from his future self.  Oh, and there’s a mysterious killer stalking the shadows murdering mutants in cold blood for good measure.

Gavin Smith takes over the art duties here, providing a more realistic artistic style that helps to underscore the slightly bleaker tone on display here. Victors they may be, but this is far from a celebratory mood.  Subtle tweaks like the Turtles being slightly more humanoid and a little taller than some of their more ‘cartoony’ iterations really helps to sell the story, and the brief flashes of combat are rendered with a promising flair.  Definitely a great addition to the team, and as always, Ronda Pattion’s colours and Gus Wooton’s lettering helps to ensure a pleasing amount of consistency throughout.

There’s not too much in the way of action here (although we do get a little), with the bulk of the issue focused on character development and letting each of the key players adjust to post-Armageddon Game life.  As I mentioned above, I’m firmly in favour of this approach, and even though this is very much a ‘catch your breath’ kind of issue, there’s still more than enough tantalising new plot threads being introduced and intertwined to keep the pages turning throughout An intriguing new status quo for IDW’s cornerstone title, and a perfect jumping-on point for curious new readers.

Rating: 4/5.

---

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]

---

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says
You can follow Ceej on Twitter

---