Can Leonardo save his brother… from himself? Find out in an all-new review for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8
Written by: Jason Aaron
Art: Juan Ferreyra
Main Cover: Jorge Fornés
Variant Covers: Kevin Eastman, Juan Ferreyra, Mahmud Asrar, Khary Randolph, Oliver Ono, Nikole Čižmešija, Justin Mason
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: April 16, 2025
By the events of Jason Aaron’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles issue #8, the titular turtles are at rock bottom. With the whole of New York City after them, including villainous D.A. Hieronymous Hale and his army of Foot Clan soldiers, the Ninja Turtles have nowhere to run to!
Night after night, the Hamato brothers throw themselves against petty criminals in an effort to get a lead on stopping Hale and Karai, the leader of the Foot. But spinning their wheels has been met with no results; their bodies are bruised, their spirits are dwindling, and their actions are making nary a dent in crime. No one has it worse than Donatello–unraveling at the seams! Once the most dependable and cautious member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Donatello is now spiraling after a brutal period in captivity [remember issue #4?]. Skeletally thin and refusing to eat, Donnie stumbles around muttering to the corpse of a rat he insists is his deceased father.
Leonardo tails Donny one night, trying to understand his fugue state. He observes as Donatello fights a new class of criminals—animal-themed ne’er-do-wells, specifically insured by Hale himself. Leonardo approaches his brother, pleading with him to see reason and take care of himself. But their conversation turns to confrontation, and the brothers duke it out on the rooftops of Lower Manhattan.
Though he may appear to be off his rocker, consider the wisdom of Donatello’s ramblings. Writer Jason Aaron has left breadcrumbs in the previous few issues that imply that dear old Donny may be more in touch with reality than perhaps even his brothers. In the final pages of this issue’s story, Donatello reveals secrets about Leonardo that have never been so much as said aloud, implying help from beyond the grave! Furthermore, the ever-skeptical Leonardo begins to hear, for himself, the disembodied weeping of his father, Master Splinter, just as Donatello had. Leo has come to his senses too late, it seems, as the issue ends with Donatello marching up the steps of the Hale’s courthouse to turn himself in!
This review would be incomplete without mentioning the delightful cameos of fan-favorite henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady, two massive mutant lackeys who offset the A-story with a bit of tension relief, humor, and action.
Long past redundancy, readers of our previous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reviews know how fond of the series we are over at The Comic Book Spot. Issue #8 feels particularly deserving of this praise. Jason Aaron’s script is compelling enough to stand on its own in novelization, sans imagery. And yet, recent series addition Juan Ferreyra’s art is so vivid and tactile, I wouldn’t dare divide the two. Pay attention to Ferreyra’s choreography and paneling in this issue; the story opens with a terrific montage of brutal nights fighting crime in the subways, using the linear nature of train cars to drag our eyes across the page. Superb! Grab yourself a copy and meet us back here next month for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9.
