REVIEW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Best of Donatello
By Benjamin Morin — The latest entry in IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reprints series centers around the brainiac ninja, Donatello. These reprints have been a celebration of the much beloved characters while also giving each individual turtle their own time in the spotlight. This “Best of” collection compiles three complete adventures ranging from the turtles original creators Kevin Eastmen and Peter Laird all the way to the more modern micro and macro series. It’s a celebration mainly for current or previous fans, but new readers can also find enjoyment in it.
The first adventure pulls from Eastman and Laird’s original TMNT series. Donatello teams up with an artist possessing a magic pencil to save an alternate dimension from destruction. It’s as wacky and fun as it sounds. The art here is the major highlight of this story as the series’ textured penciling and gritty shading enhance the work. The choice to pull a classic story such as this for the collection seems only necessary and gives readers a taste of the turtles original style.
The next adventure pulls from a TMNT 2012 micro-series. This story follows Donatello as he visits a science fair and first encounters the scientist Harold, who will become his future friend and mentor. This adventure comes across as very kid friendly and much more reminiscent of the animated series. From the cartoony, exaggerated art style to the humor, it all comes together in a fun and animated fashion. While a departure from the series’ roots, it still retains the heart of the characters and introduces important parts of Donatello’s history.
The final story comes from a more recent 2018 macro-series. Here, we see Donatello and Harold have grown distant from one another; however, as Donatello begins working with the malicious Metalhead true friendships are revealed. Brahm Revel’s artwork here is energetic and frantic. Weapons and limbs whirl around in blurs through the action beats in spectacular fashion. The art style here feels more suited to the story as opposed to the more cartoony aesthetic of the previous entry. However, this story does read the most dependent on previous knowledge compared to the other adventures. I personally am a TMNT neophyte and as a result some of the plot references were lost to me, but by the end it did not detract very much from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Boasting three complete stories and 100 pages of content, TMNT Best of Donatello is well worth the $5.99 price point. It shows off the various series and incarnations of the heroes’ strengths while celebrating their rich history. The issue is a blast to read and should not be missed by any turtle fan.
Overall: TMNT Best of Donatello celebrates the studious and industrious turtle in a fitting collection. Sci-fi wackiness abounds in these fun stories that rewards both current and previous fans. 8/10
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Best of Donatello
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Best of Donatello
Writer: Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Bryan Lynch, Tom Waltz, Paul Allor
Artist: Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Valerio Schiti, Brahm Revel
Colorist: Tom Smith’s Scorpion Studios, Claudia Scarletgothica, Llaria Traversi, Cris Peter
Letterer: Steve Lavigne, Robbie Robbins, Shawn Lee
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $5.99
This next in a series TMNT reprints that showcase the best stories of your favorite TMNT characters! Featuring tales from different publishers, this issue showcases the ever-intelligent Donatello! At almost 100 pages, this story has all the brainiac mutant Turtle you could ask for!
Release Date: November 25, 2020
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Ben is a comic buff and film fanatic. A journalism major by day and a comic reviewer by night, he ardently consumes all forms of sequential art. On Twitter, he goes by @BiglikeBen.
