What does a party dude feel on the inside? That’s the inherent question of IDW‘s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2, which focuses on Michelangelo, living alone in Japan without his brothers. And thanks in large part to artist Rafael Albuquerque’s stunning art, which has never been better.
Don’t get me wrong, Jason Aaron’s story is great, too. And it’s even stronger than the first issue of the new title. Whereas issue one found the angry Raphael being angry in prison, focusing on the tears of the clown Michaelangelo allows Aaron to play more in contrasts. Mikey is now the star of a big TV show in Tokyo. He’s out wining and dining the best of the best every evening. But what he wants is to be sitting in a sewer eating pizza with his brothers.
We still don’t know as of issue two what went wrong between the Turtles that broke them apart. But as character studies go, Aaron’s “but doctor, I am the clown Pagliacci” approach to this issue pulls on the heartstrings… Without sacrificing some extremely intense ninja action, and big surprises by the end of the issue.
But as noted above, a lot of that can be chalked up to Albuquerque. Each of the first four issues of this new TMNT is penciled by a different artist. They reportedly got to choose their favorite Turtle. Albuquerque’s passion shows in every page of this issue, which ranges from cheesy Kaiju-fighting TV shows to the streets of Tokyo, to a battle against neon ninjas in an apartment.
Albuquerque has always been a brilliant artist, but he’s aided here by Marcelo Maiolo’s excellent colors, which round out the whole look of Albuquerque’s art. While issue one of this series felt down and dirty with its prison setting, here Albuquerque and Maiolo make Mikey’s Tokyo look bleeding edge and cinematic. And that’s the point, right? Mikey is a TV star, so the glow of the lights is everywhere. From on set, to the paparazzi, to the ninjas who attack him… He can’t escape the spotlight. It’s rare when you see this sort of synthesis between writing and art style. Albuquerque and company nail it.
Not to insert myself in here, but when I caught up with Jason Aaron at TerrifiCon, one of the things we discussed (you can listen to the full podcast for yourself) was how he was most inspired by the old, Mirage days of the Turtles. And that comes through in these past two issues. It’s far too early to call this a direct successor to that classic, iconic run on the title. But so far, two issues in, it has that same level of thrill, excitement, humor, and emotion. Bring on issue three.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 hits stores on September 11, 2024, from IDW.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 Rating:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 Official Synopsis:
Michelangelo is living in Tokyo, where he’s become a big TV star. It’s a pretty cool life, full of fame and fortune, but if he’s being honest, Mikey misses his brothers and the sense of purpose they had together. Well, in a classic case of “be careful what you wish for,” that old life looks like it’s coming to find him when ninjas show up in his apartment armed to the teeth!
Continuing the all-new ongoing series from writer Jason Aaron (Action Comics, Thor), this time joined by Detective Comics and American Vampire artist Rafael Albuquerque, this spotlight story on everyone’s favorite jokester puts the second piece of the puzzle together for the future of TMNT.