Review – TMNT: The Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan #1 (IDW Publishing)

March 22, 2024

2–3 minutes

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Erik Burnham
Artwork: Mateus Santolouco
Colours: Marco Lesko
Lettering: Shawn Lee
Release Date: 20th March 2023

Over a decade removed from their stellar four-part “The Secret History of the Foot Clan” mini-series. Erik Burnham and Mateus Santolouco are back with an in-depth look at everyone’s favourite (or possibly second favourite, depending on your personal affection for the Man Without Fear) hooded ninja group. A lot has changed in the ten-plus years that have passed, with Oroku Karai taking over the leadership of the group from her grandfather Oroku Saki, AKA the O.G. Shredder. And in this blisteringly fast-paced first issue, we join Karai and a group of the Foot’s best and brightest – including Bebob, Rocksteady, Casey Jones, Natsu and others – as they engage in a little ‘work for hire’ by breaking into a well-guarded facility to steal some high-grade tech for a client.

It’s a fantastic way to kickstart the series, dropping us right into the action and letting us not only see how formidable the various members of the Clan are, but also how they interact with one another. Unfortunately, their mission is interrupted by a pair of cybernetically-enhanced ninja from the “Dog Star Clan” who easily dispatch them, beating Karai into a bloody pulp before leaving with the tech. It seems there’s a new group in town, and that this series will feature the Foot Clan, and Karai in particular, trying to find a way to overcome both these powerful adversaries and their own arrogance.

As set-ups go this is a great direction to go in, with Burnham delivering a tight, self-contained script that doesn’t need to infringe too much on the larger TMNT universe. I’ve always been fascinated with Karai as a character, balancing the weight of her responsibility with her more impetuous and slightly overconfident personal traits, so watching her explore this ongoing struggle over the next few issues is already more than enough to keep me hooked.

Something that should surprise absolutely no-one about this first issue is the fact that Santolouco absolutely crushes it with the artwork. For my money one of the top 2 or 3 TMNT artists of all time, the Brazilian illustrator brings his trademark blend of dynamism and detail to this action-heavy opening chapter, cramming an eye-watering cast of characters onto the pages with consummate ease. Ably assisted by the rich colour work of Marco Lesko and Shawn Lee’s typically slick lettering, Santolouco delivers several stunning visual set-pieces, with the aforementioned bludgeoning of Karai being a sickening highlight.

The final pages lay the groundwork for the ‘Foot Clan versus Dog Star Clan’ battle to come, introducing a mysterious new antagonist in the form of Yoshi, who seems to have his own vision for the future of Japan and who, based on the events of this issue, no longer sees the Foot as a legitimate threat. It’s fantastic to see this creative team returning to the ranks of the Foot Clan after all these years, and this first issue is packed with all the action, drama and jaw-dropping artwork you could possibly hope for. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]