Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #3

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #3

IDW Publishing 2021

Story by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird & Tom Waltz

Written by Tom Waltz & Kevin Eastman

Layouts by Kevin Eastman

Illustrated by Esau & Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop & Kevin Eastman

Coloured by Luis Antonio Delgado

Colour Assists by Samuel Plata

Unexpected allies from the past reveal a possible path to salvation! As the Foot Clan sweeps NYC for the rogue Ronin, a final desperate plan in the name of vengeance is made! Spanning decades, this issue's action and intrigue will set up the astounding final issues!

I’ve never really been a fan of the Turtles, somehow at the beginning I missed out and the cartoon came out when I was busy in High School and working so I really didn’t get into them at all. A few times here and there there are stories or series that I have enjoyed immensely but this one, this one has me completely and utterly mesmerised by the scope of the storytelling and how it is able to draw you in and deliver a story that is one wow moment after another. I thought that Shredder In Hell was the best Turtles related story I’d read and then the guys said hold me beer and here we are.

I am in love with the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is perfectly presented. The character development is bloody brilliant to see! This is thanks to the dialogue, character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances is utterly spectacular to see. Shredder’s grandson is stark raving bonkers and I love it! His monologue is one of the best things I’ve read in my lifetime and it’s not just brilliant but it speaks volumes about the man-child making it. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story along with the twists & turns along the way you are glued to the pages.

The way we see this being structured and how the layers within the story grow, evolve and change is spectacular. The layers here is where the bulk of the depth and complexity of the story take place. Just seeing the story April tells Mikey and the layers within that bring so many possibilities to life that the reader is fully engaged in this. How we see everything working together as well as how it moves the story forward is perfectly achieved.

The interiors here are mindbogglingly brilliant to behold. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques utilised to bring us this level of quality in the detail work is mind numbing. To see this level of work period is extraordinary and I could stare at each page for hours without ever getting even littlest bit bored. The way that backgrounds are utilised throughout and how they work within the composition of the panels bringing out this depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope of the story beautifully. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masters eye for storytelling. The colour work is divine! How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work showcases a master colourist at work.

​

There is nothing about this book that isn’t absolutely brilliantly done. To see familiar faces that aged in such a way that’s powerful and poignant in how its seen. I’m thoroughly amazed by everything we see in this book and I cannot stop reading it over and over again. Three issues in and it is already this huge epic story that thrills everyone whether they are longtime fans of the Turtles or like me casual readers. With exceptionally intelligent writing and mindbogglingly brilliant interiors this is the best thing out there.