Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comics: Where to start in 2022
A new printing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 1 arrived this week.
By Kris Markl — This isn’t news, but back in 2020, the entire world was on fire and the majority of humankind was cooped up indoors (and some of us still are, to varying degrees). During this time, I happened upon an advertisement for ComiXology Unlimited, which teased IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics as a featured title. I’d always enjoyed the Turtles in other mediums, but I’d never taken time to jump into the comics. I immediately tore through the first 100 issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles over the subsequent months, and when I was done, I was newly-hooked on the title.
In fact, I now believe that the current ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series by IDW is a true hidden gem, a book as essential as anything being published by the Big 2. Let me assure you: this series should skyrocket right to the top of your to read pile, too. If you’re a fan of street-level heroes like Spider-Man or Daredevil, then this book is right up your alley.
Today I’d like to make it easier for you to jump in like I did, which is why I’m here to go over characters as they relate to their versions in other mediums, ways to read the book, and just what makes it so essential in general. Enjoy!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comics: Where to start
Before we get into the comics themselves, I first want to talk about where you can start reading the fantastic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ongoing comic. The easiest way to do it is through the collected trade paperbacks titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection. There are 13 of these books (links below), and they contain all the way up through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #100.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 1: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 2: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 3: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 4: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 5: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 6: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 7: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 8: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 9: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 10: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 11: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 12: In print / Digital
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 13: In print / Digital
While Vol. 14 is slated for July, right now after issue #100, the comics are collected in a new series of trades, titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Reborn. There are so far three volumes of these books (links below as well), and the retitle comes as the writing team of original creator Kevin Eastman with Tom Waltz departs, with writer/artist Sophie Campbell coming aboard. So far, these trades have collected Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #101 - #117, with a fourth book collecting #118 - #123 expected at the end of March.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comics: The Eastman/Waltz Run
As mentioned above, the first 100 issues of the series are written by the team of Kevin Eastman (the co-creator himself) and Tom Waltz, with art done by a rotating roster of incredible artists. What stands out to me as one of the shining elements of the series is how it takes the best of the past iterations of the Turtles and combines it all masterfully into new, streamlined comics. Everything that you grew up loving about these stories and characters, has essentially grown up and evolved just like you have.
From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The IDW Collection, Vol. 1
Layouts: Kevin Eastman
Artwork: Dan Duncan
Colors: Ronda Pattison
Letters: Robbie Robbins
Leonardo, long criticized by many for being a bland yes-man for his father and sensei, has one of the most compelling and trying arcs that I’ve read in comics, as he’s kidnapped and brainwashed by the Foot Clan, becoming Shredder’s lead assassin and primary weapon against his own family. The resulting trauma spinning out of that resolution stays with him for the remainder of the series (including now).
Splinter, meanwhile, is not just dear old dad or a wise master giving out inspirational quotes. Like a true parent, he oversteps his boundaries, makes calamitous mistakes, burns bridges with his family, and does it all for what he believes to be the best interest of his boys. His rivalry with Shredder/Oroku Saki is truly captivating, living up to and exceeding expectations.
Speaking of Shredder, if any criticism can be laid at the spiky feet of past iterations of Shredder, it’s that he comes across at times as one dimensional, lacking any true depth. That is very much not the case in this series. He loves, he cares and he strives for the best for the Foot Clan. Saki truly believes that he is in the right and, while you may not fully agree with him, he does make a compelling argument.
Raphael (my personal favorite turtle) is also not just a one-note hothead, at least not in this series. It’s revealed in a beautiful series of panels that the reason that his anger and temper get the best of him is that he simply cares that much about his family and his duties. His relationship and teaming up with Casey Jones is one of the premier highlights of the series as well.
From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The IDW Collection, Vol. 1
Layouts: Kevin Eastman
Artwork: Dan Duncan
Colors: Ronda Pattison
Letters: Robbie Robbins
I could go on, but the gist is this: the one note characterizations we’ve seen in other mediums is gone in these comics, which are fleshed out and given depth across the board, leading to a more immersive and ultimately rewarding reading experience.
But far and away my favorite thing about this series is the new aspects that have been introduced and thrived. The concept of reincarnation, for example, is applied to the Hamato Clan’s origin story, bringing a new aspect to how the series treats these characters and the themes around them. A new character, Jennika is also introduced, initially as the lead assassin for the Foot Clan before being…well, I’ll hold off on directly revealing all of that to avoid spoilers. But, obviously, the Eastman/Waltz run is not where these comics stop…
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comics: The Sophie Campbell run
From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #105
Artwork: Sophie Campbell
Colors: Ronda Pattison
Writer/artist Sophie Campbell takes over the primary creative duties from Eastman and Waltz beginning with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #101 and does not miss a beat. Doing a majority of art work on those issues, Campbell provides a fresh perspective on the characters and their experiences with an entire neighborhood of New York being exposed to mutagen, giving birth to Mutant Town. This gives us comics about an entire group of people tackling a litany of new issues, including body image struggles, alienation and/or isolation from friends and family, loss of work and livelihoods, and the ever-present meddling of Old Hob and Mayor (yes, mayor) Baxter Stockman.
While the majority of the first volume (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 - #100) are consumed by all out clan warfare - be it Foot, Hamato/Splinter, Utrominons, or Triceratons - the run by Campbell & Co. is focused much more on found family, close-knit bonding, community building and surviving together. It’s a refreshing shift in direction, moving on from the streamlining of old ideas in the first volumes to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics that feel almost entirely new, yet still grounded in the cowabungs, pizzas, mutations, etc. that have always made the turtles work.
Nostalgia can be a mixed bag when it comes to drawing an audience. At times it’s led to carbon copy reboots of series or films, attempting to capture the eyes of a new generation and the hearts of previous ones. The IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics do an incredible job of using the memories and feelings of yesterday as a hook to show you how to create something entirely new and inventive. Again, it’s almost as if the property has aged and matured alongside us as the audience.
From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #105
Artwork: Sophie Campbell
Colors: Ronda Pattison
Letters: Shawn Lee
Anyway, today’s piece is the first edition of a new monthly Turtles column — Cowabunga Corner — that I’ll be writing. Future editions will include reviews of new issues, look backs at other trades, back issue gems. There’s a lot to love about Ninja Turtle comics and I’m psyched to share it with you all!
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Kris is an educator by day and a podcaster by nights and weekends. He co-hosts a weekly nerd/pop culture podcast called The Nerd Byword and can also be heard as a contributor of mutant-centric madness on the glorious podcast X of Words, hosted by the one and only Ashley Alleyne.
