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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1
Publisher: IDW
Writer: Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz
Art: Kevin Eastman & Esau Escorza
Inks: Isaac Escorza
Colors: Luis Antonio Delgado & Samuel Plata
Letters: Shawn Lee
Cover: Esau & Isaac Escorza, Luis Antonio Delgado

The Last Ronin is a dark tale of the last remaining member of the Splinter Clan seeking his revenge for his slain brothers in the far future. This story that has created a lot of buzz ever since it was revealed that original creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were on board and joined by a talented creative team. Added to that the air of mystery behind the identity of the last remaining turtle as this warrior is seen using all the remaining weapons of his brothers.

Eastman and Laird together with Waltz deliver a great entry to the world of TMNT with The Last Ronin. It’s a bleak, dystopian adventure that the writing team balances out with heart and several action sequences that are brought to life via the art team. The mission of our lone turtle seems impossible and the odds against him set in the first issue seem even more daunting since they decided to kick things off like this. Most of the dialogue is the mystery ninja speaking with the ghosts of his brothers as he uses each of their weapons along with an assortment of others to breach the fortress of Shredder’s grandson. The conversations with the ghosts throughout are terrific banter that keep you guessing as to who the last survivor is. They also keep the book from going too dark and the comedic beats hit at the right times. There’s a Star Wars quote used here that perfectly sums up the mission and goal here which makes it more heartbreaking when the writing team decides to beat on our hero even more.

The visuals create a world that fits the narrative perfectly. There’s a mood set here with Eastman’s layouts and Esau’s pencils that not only give you the feel of the original 80s TMNT comics but a new raw look that sets this apart. I’m guessing this is enhanced by Isaac’s inks. Our hero has a fitting tactical redesign and is clad in a black mask so as not to distinguish him from his brothers like when they all used to wear red masks. The fight sequences are brutal with seamless weapon transitions from sai to tonfa to katana that show off the skill and fluidity of not only our hero but the action taking place in the panels. Delgado’s colors are fine throughout but it’s during the seppuku sequence where they really hit a high and it’s a great synchronization of art, colors, and narrative. Choosing to use as few words as possible really makes this scene hit home.

We’re not going to spoil who the surviving turtle is but we will suggest that any and all TMNT fans pick this up immediately! The creative team not only surprise us here but they do it with style and some good ole fashioned Turtle Power!

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