It’s time for class clown Michelangelo to get serious! Find out more in this review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2
Written by: Jason Aaron
Art and Main Cover by: Rafael Albuquerque
Variant Covers: Danny Earls, Kevin Eastman, Geoff Shaw, Danny Earls, Darick Robertson, Lee Bermejo, Dike Ruan
Page Count: 28 pages
Release Date: September 11, 2024
This review contains spoilers
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 follows Michelangelo in a solo story of his own. Since the disbanding of the Ninja Turtles (the origin of this rift has only been hinted at), Mikey has been living large in Tokyo as a big-time celebrity, known for his starring role in the TV show Super Mutant Turtle Power. But life at the top isn’t all it’s cracked up to be; between a busy schedule of shmoozing with Michelin Star chefs and hiding from paparazzi, Michelangelo suffers from a deep loneliness. Forlorn, Mikey’s nights are now spent eating frozen pizza and watching kung-fu flicks instead of prowling the streets for trouble to avert.
Lethal ninjas–real ones this time, not stuntmen–break into Mikey’s penthouse, and they’re out for blood. Poisoned, caught off guard, and outnumbered, Mikey imagines what his brothers would say to him–using their barbs as the motivation he needs to shake off the rust. He quickly dispatches the remaining ninja assassins by envisioning them as his family, never content to let him off the hook.
The real Raphael, fresh from the pages of his issue last month, arrives in Japan to warn his brother of the attack, clearly a few minutes too late. Less than grateful, Mikey takes out his abandonment issues on his brother the only way he knows how: a fist to the face. With reinforcements approaching, the estranged brothers will have to put aside their differences… or have their reunion cut short.
As mentioned in our last review, each of the first four installments of IDW’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series will feature a different guest artist to pair with writer Jason Aaron, bringing a distinct look to the four turtles. For Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles #2, Rafael Albuquerque takes on artistic responsibilities for the charming reptile. Albuquerque is a fitting choice for such a goofy character; his posing of and emoting for Michelangelo really highlights the ‘mask’ he wears as a squeaky celeb and drops as a washed-up crime-fighter. Speaking of masks, I’m not sure any artist can make a maskless Ninja Turtle not wildly disconcerting. I digress.
Another element that displays the external shine and internal gloom is Albuquerque’s use of light. Compared to the neon-illuminated skyscrapers of Tokyo, Mikey’s dark penthouse reeks of isolation. And in comparison to the fine dining rooms of Japan, we understand his preference for pizza night in the sewers instead–merely based on the warmth and tone of the art.
The new TMNT series remains steady with a fun second issue and an exciting set-up for #3. Now’s a great time to jump in!
IDW Publishing provided The Comic Book Spot with an advance copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 for review purposes. Find more reviews here. If you would like to buy a copy of this title, and help support the Comic Book Spot at the same time, consider purchasing this book at Amazon, My Comic Shop, or at Things From Another World.
