The first four issues of IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been spectacular, each one narrowing the focus to one of the four Turtle brothers as both a characters study and showcase for the artist assigned to each issue. While not without difficulty, recontextualizing and recentering four characters that have been around for decades has guiderails there. They’re known properties. But Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 takes a different tact, focusing in on the series’s villain, a new character who hates mutants. And though this isn’t someone we know and love (or hate), no surprise here: Jason Aaron delivers yet another excellent issue of the title.
The plot follows the new mayor, jumping back in time to give us his full origin story from childhood, while paralleling the “present” where he’s locking down the mutant contingent of New York City. And there are plenty of familiar faces from TMNT lore, like Casey Jones and… Well, others. Aaron gives the villain a unique frame that puts him on a pedestal next to all-timers like Shredder and Baxter Stockman, despite the fact that he’s only human. In short, he’s a classic, extremely terrifying Aaron villain who has a clear motivation for hating the Turtles (and others) that feels understandable, even as you want Raphael and the rest to beat the crap out of him.
But also as usual for this title, the not-so-stealth hero here is Darick Robertson on art. The co-creator of The Boys might seem an odd fit for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but this easily stands with the best work he’s done. Robertson knows how to draw a villain who seeps reprehensibility through every pore, even if they don’t outwardly look like a bad guy. He’s the perfect fit for this character, and sets the standard for anyone drawing him, going forward.
It’s not just the main character, though. Robertson is an expert at bloody violence, and we get plenty of that, for sure. The real jaw-dropper is that the flashbacks are nearly told entirely in a fixed perspective. We are literally behind the villain, as we watch him grow. We are looking through the world through his eyes, so as to better understand were he’s coming from. It’s a neat artistic trick that, in the wrong hands could be droning and repetitive. Not for Robertson, who infuses every panel with intricate detail.
With this issue, the stage is set. We’ve redefined the Turtles. We’ve given them an adversary worthy of their time. Will Aaron and company be able to bring all this together in issue #6? All I know based on the first five: they haven’t steered us wrong yet.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 hits stores on December 18, 2024.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 Rating:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 Official Synopsis:
What has been going on in New York while the Turtles have been scattered across the globe? A dangerous district attorney has come into power, and he’s got a grudge against mutantkind. Backed by some powerful benefactors who have designs of their own for the city, he’s doing everything he can to stoke hatred against the mutants. With the TMNT absent, someone needs to step in and stop this power grab-and figure out who is backing this nefarious new enemy. Enter Casey Jones! Jason Aaron completes his first story arc for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, teaming with legendary artist Darick Robertson, co-creator of The Boys!
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