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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011) #30
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Reborn, Volume 7 – Isolation
The TMNT face one of their biggest challenges yet as the diabolical Rat King sets off a chain of events that nearly brings Mutant Town to its knees!
With Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael away in search of new allies to join the good guys against Rat King’s latest deadly gambit, it falls on Donatello and Jennika to lead the fight in Mutant Town against the terrible trio of Mayor Baxter Stockman, General Krang, and Madame Null. But will a dangerous quartet of masked mutant ninja turtles and a mad vivisectionist bent on revenge—not to mention E.P.F. invaders and angry Utrom soldiers!—sabotage their efforts before they can even begin to dig in?
Collects issues #133—139 which serve as a direct tie-in to the exciting TMNT: The Armageddon Game event!
With Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael away in search of new allies to join the good guys against Rat King’s latest deadly gambit, it falls on Donatello and Jennika to lead the fight in Mutant Town against the terrible trio of Mayor Baxter Stockman, General Krang, and Madame Null. But will a dangerous quartet of masked mutant ninja turtles and a mad vivisectionist bent on revenge—not to mention E.P.F. invaders and angry Utrom soldiers!—sabotage their efforts before they can even begin to dig in?
Collects issues #133—139 which serve as a direct tie-in to the exciting TMNT: The Armageddon Game event!
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2023
9 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Campbell
276 books234 followersOne of the most exciting and talented creators working in comics today, Sophie Campbell has made her mark on IDW books such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Jem and the Holograms.
A graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design, Campbell began her career writing and drawing independent comics primarily focused on the lives of young women from all walks of life, including Wet Moon, Shadoweyes, and the Abandoned. She further proved her versatility as an artist when she began drawing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for IDW, where her kinetic action sequences and distinctive character art were a hit with fans and critics alike.
Campbell was brought on as the first artist on the IDW continuing series Jem and the Holograms, where she was responsible for the modern redesign of the characters and establishing the unique look of the comic. Her work on Jem with writer Kelly Thompson was so well received that the two were profiled by the New Yorker in 2015.
Campbell continues to work on several projects for IDW, as well as her own creator-owned independent comics.
A graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design, Campbell began her career writing and drawing independent comics primarily focused on the lives of young women from all walks of life, including Wet Moon, Shadoweyes, and the Abandoned. She further proved her versatility as an artist when she began drawing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for IDW, where her kinetic action sequences and distinctive character art were a hit with fans and critics alike.
Campbell was brought on as the first artist on the IDW continuing series Jem and the Holograms, where she was responsible for the modern redesign of the characters and establishing the unique look of the comic. Her work on Jem with writer Kelly Thompson was so well received that the two were profiled by the New Yorker in 2015.
Campbell continues to work on several projects for IDW, as well as her own creator-owned independent comics.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 2, 2023
There is
a lot
going on in the volume but I just let go and enjoyed the wild ride of metaphysical powers/time travel/street-level heroics/space opera and whatever the heck else was happening in and out of M-Town.
Do I still not have any clue what The Armageddon Game even is? Absolutely!, but it's not the destination, friends, it's the journey...
Do I still not have any clue what The Armageddon Game even is? Absolutely!, but it's not the destination, friends, it's the journey...
December 20, 2025
Review to come...
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included issues can be found here:
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-2024) #133
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-2024) #134
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-2024) #135
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-2024) #136
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-2024) #137
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-2024) #138
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-2024) #139
February 16, 2024
This review serves as summary review for the whole Armageddon Game cross over including Vols 6 and 7.
3.5 Stars.
This story was both overdue and too long. On one hand, this did take almost every loose plotline from the whole TMNT run and finish them off, along with setting up a clean slate from which to work from, but also spends over 20 issues preparing the Hamato Clan for a fight against a god that takes maybe 2 issues. True, there are many other characters and storylines to cover, so it is a good read and not boring, but ultimately is too long. Also unfortunately, I just read that there will only be 2 more Volumes (10 issues) until this title finishes, and inevitably relaunches again. I would say that this long run has definitely been for the fans of the original TMNT cartoon, now grown up and wanting darker, deeper, and more dramatic stories. I want to see this all to end strong.
Basic summary:
The Rat King, who in this era is a kind of elder god, decides to use three villains: Mayor of NYC Baxter Stockman, General Krang of the Utrom Empire (who starts the event in Leatherhead's body, then moves to Metalhead), and Madame Null, a ruthless businesswoman who deals with other dimensions. Pooling their resources, they use a team to imitate the Turtles, causing death and destruction, which undermine all the hard work and good will they've been doing in Mutant Town, as both most of NYC and a fair amount of the Mutant Town residents quickly turn against them and cause chaos.
Enter Oroku Saki, better known to most as Shredder, thought dead, but has been watching the Turtles from the sidelines for a while now. In order for them to survive this fight, he must teach them a new technique, called kuji-kiri, which has roots in dark magic but strongly works off of the teachings taught to them by their father Splinter (who also convinces them to do via spiritual vision) but also the bonds of teamwork. After learning, they fight Rat King, and are able to defeat him with the help of some other elder gods, specifically Kitsune, who is Saki's wife.
Mutant Town becomes the official sixth borough of New York, complete with a human/mutant joint task force, a trained police department of mutants, and new allies from both Dimension X and Z.
I'm guessing that the remaining story will deal with the new standards, while also presenting a minor villain or two to fight against. I'd love a happy ending. (Though on a different note, I really love reading The Last Ronin, which didn't give a happy ending for most of the Turtles.)
If you are just sticking to the main title in your read of TMNT, you must also include the 8 issue main Armageddon Game GN or you will be completely lost.
Recommend.
3.5 Stars.
This story was both overdue and too long. On one hand, this did take almost every loose plotline from the whole TMNT run and finish them off, along with setting up a clean slate from which to work from, but also spends over 20 issues preparing the Hamato Clan for a fight against a god that takes maybe 2 issues. True, there are many other characters and storylines to cover, so it is a good read and not boring, but ultimately is too long. Also unfortunately, I just read that there will only be 2 more Volumes (10 issues) until this title finishes, and inevitably relaunches again. I would say that this long run has definitely been for the fans of the original TMNT cartoon, now grown up and wanting darker, deeper, and more dramatic stories. I want to see this all to end strong.
Basic summary:
The Rat King, who in this era is a kind of elder god, decides to use three villains: Mayor of NYC Baxter Stockman, General Krang of the Utrom Empire (who starts the event in Leatherhead's body, then moves to Metalhead), and Madame Null, a ruthless businesswoman who deals with other dimensions. Pooling their resources, they use a team to imitate the Turtles, causing death and destruction, which undermine all the hard work and good will they've been doing in Mutant Town, as both most of NYC and a fair amount of the Mutant Town residents quickly turn against them and cause chaos.
Enter Oroku Saki, better known to most as Shredder, thought dead, but has been watching the Turtles from the sidelines for a while now. In order for them to survive this fight, he must teach them a new technique, called kuji-kiri, which has roots in dark magic but strongly works off of the teachings taught to them by their father Splinter (who also convinces them to do via spiritual vision) but also the bonds of teamwork. After learning, they fight Rat King, and are able to defeat him with the help of some other elder gods, specifically Kitsune, who is Saki's wife.
Mutant Town becomes the official sixth borough of New York, complete with a human/mutant joint task force, a trained police department of mutants, and new allies from both Dimension X and Z.
I'm guessing that the remaining story will deal with the new standards, while also presenting a minor villain or two to fight against. I'd love a happy ending. (Though on a different note, I really love reading The Last Ronin, which didn't give a happy ending for most of the Turtles.)
If you are just sticking to the main title in your read of TMNT, you must also include the 8 issue main Armageddon Game GN or you will be completely lost.
Recommend.
January 22, 2025
For the record, I read around the first 25 issues of Tom Waltz's run, then started Sophie Campbell’s run once the “Reborn” trade paperbacks were published.
This means I am missing a huge chunk of the story, about 75 issues, but I have watched plenty of videos on the comics and read a bit of the Jennika series, which helped me to understand her character.
Sophie Campbell gets unfairly compared to Tom Waltz, who had arguably one of the best comic runs of all time with his take on TMNT (or so I'm told). I do, however, quite like the direction she took it. Choosing to tell a TMNT story with heavy focus on social issues. Her comics aren’t flawless, but they’re a ton of fun, with absolutely beautiful artwork to match.
The main problem with Volume 7 comes not from her own writing, but the burden of being a crossover with the Armageddon Game event (a story which honestly wasn’t that good. Sorry Tom Waltz). This adds some confusion and it does feel like parts of the main story had to be put aside for the sake of this event.
Still, I did quite enjoy what I read and I think that, if you’ve gotten this far, you’re probably enjoying Campbell’s writing too. That or you’re just a committed TMNT fan. Either way, I’m looking forward to reading the rest of her run. Just 2 volumes to go!
This means I am missing a huge chunk of the story, about 75 issues, but I have watched plenty of videos on the comics and read a bit of the Jennika series, which helped me to understand her character.
Sophie Campbell gets unfairly compared to Tom Waltz, who had arguably one of the best comic runs of all time with his take on TMNT (or so I'm told). I do, however, quite like the direction she took it. Choosing to tell a TMNT story with heavy focus on social issues. Her comics aren’t flawless, but they’re a ton of fun, with absolutely beautiful artwork to match.
The main problem with Volume 7 comes not from her own writing, but the burden of being a crossover with the Armageddon Game event (a story which honestly wasn’t that good. Sorry Tom Waltz). This adds some confusion and it does feel like parts of the main story had to be put aside for the sake of this event.
Still, I did quite enjoy what I read and I think that, if you’ve gotten this far, you’re probably enjoying Campbell’s writing too. That or you’re just a committed TMNT fan. Either way, I’m looking forward to reading the rest of her run. Just 2 volumes to go!
October 9, 2023
As the Armageddon Game rages, the remaining Ninja Turtles do their best to survive. While the main Armageddon Game book dealt with the off-world aspects, the main series was all about the boots on the ground, as Donatello, Jennika, and their allies try to deal with a Triceraton uprising and the return of General Krang.
This side of the Armageddon Game, I really enjoyed. It felt personal, and the stakes felt really high. Every victory the Turtles gained was hard fought, and every loss really screwed with them on both a physical and emotional level. The Game itself is almost inconsequential, because the plot lines unfolding here have been building for a long time across the past 130+ issues, so it's not just unnecessary tie-in fluff either.
On art for all seven issues is Fero Pe, who also penciled the Opening Moves mini-series (and is on the Turtles/Stranger Things mini at the moment too), so he's well-versed in drawing Turtles at this point.
Even if you're not reading the Armageddon Game (which, if you're reading this, you probably should), this arc of Turtles feels like a natural evolution of what came before, and is unmissable as a result.
This side of the Armageddon Game, I really enjoyed. It felt personal, and the stakes felt really high. Every victory the Turtles gained was hard fought, and every loss really screwed with them on both a physical and emotional level. The Game itself is almost inconsequential, because the plot lines unfolding here have been building for a long time across the past 130+ issues, so it's not just unnecessary tie-in fluff either.
On art for all seven issues is Fero Pe, who also penciled the Opening Moves mini-series (and is on the Turtles/Stranger Things mini at the moment too), so he's well-versed in drawing Turtles at this point.
Even if you're not reading the Armageddon Game (which, if you're reading this, you probably should), this arc of Turtles feels like a natural evolution of what came before, and is unmissable as a result.
February 5, 2024
Extreme highs and lows this volume with several plot lines finally coming to fruition, but a giant crossover event called Armageddon Game splits up several of the stories, keeping the reader in the dark about several elements of the story to encourage them to buy an extra book or two. Most of the individual ongoing plots here are good, there’s just so many going on at once that the story feels way more chaotic and hard to follow.
There’s also the introduction of the midichlorians of the Ninja Turtle universe, “QNA” which serves as an in-universe explanation for how the Turtles keep becoming a focal point for so many world shattering events. I hate it. It’s something that never needed to be explained and robs every character of their agency. Your friends aren’t *really* your friends, they’re just victims of your magical gravity bullshit. It’s so stupid. Can’t wait for Tom Waltz to leave so we can refocus the book on the things that actually matter and not all this nonsensical world building.
There’s also the introduction of the midichlorians of the Ninja Turtle universe, “QNA” which serves as an in-universe explanation for how the Turtles keep becoming a focal point for so many world shattering events. I hate it. It’s something that never needed to be explained and robs every character of their agency. Your friends aren’t *really* your friends, they’re just victims of your magical gravity bullshit. It’s so stupid. Can’t wait for Tom Waltz to leave so we can refocus the book on the things that actually matter and not all this nonsensical world building.
July 29, 2023
I want to qualify that I've really been enjoying Sophie Campbell's tenure as writer on this book since she took over with issue #101. I wasn't buying or reading the Turtles before that so bear that in mind when I say that this whole Armageddon Game thing has been tiresome, frustrating, drawn out, and the main Turtles book has been the weakest link in the whole ridiculous chain.
There have been some good moments here and there but these eight chapters, as a whole, just fall flat.
I am very much looking forward to the next volume as we will likely be getting back to the interesting character beats and stories that are a hallmark of Campbell's run, to date.
I'll probably speak more about Armageddon Game proper in a review of those chapters when they're collected.
There have been some good moments here and there but these eight chapters, as a whole, just fall flat.
I am very much looking forward to the next volume as we will likely be getting back to the interesting character beats and stories that are a hallmark of Campbell's run, to date.
I'll probably speak more about Armageddon Game proper in a review of those chapters when they're collected.
November 13, 2023
IDW does a poor job of putting these events together. This is part of Armageddon Game but from reading this you won’t know much about it even though this is the main title. It’s about Donatello and Jennika holding down the fort while the other Turtles are I guess doing the actual event stuff. Mutant Town is going nuts with the fake Turtles stoking the fires and the Ultrums sneaking to attempt an assassination of the Triceratons leader.
February 4, 2025
Splitting up the team for separate missions is one of my least favourite tropes in fiction, especially when the title usually relies so heavily on the interaction between them.
This epic Armageddon Game main run manages to escape mostly unscathed in this regard but absolutely requires additional reading to all make sense in the grand scheme of the crossover event.
I continue to enjoy the simultaneous expansion and introspection of this IDW Turtles run and am in it till the end.
This epic Armageddon Game main run manages to escape mostly unscathed in this regard but absolutely requires additional reading to all make sense in the grand scheme of the crossover event.
I continue to enjoy the simultaneous expansion and introspection of this IDW Turtles run and am in it till the end.
August 21, 2025
Only half the story
In order for this volume to make any real sense you HAVE to read the "Armageddon games" TPB and essentially switch between the two from chapter to chapter.
If not, you will constantly be wondering why characters are appearing and key events are happening off the page.
If read in the correct order with the connected volumes this would be a strong 4 stars. In isolation it's an almost unreadable 2.
In order for this volume to make any real sense you HAVE to read the "Armageddon games" TPB and essentially switch between the two from chapter to chapter.
If not, you will constantly be wondering why characters are appearing and key events are happening off the page.
If read in the correct order with the connected volumes this would be a strong 4 stars. In isolation it's an almost unreadable 2.
November 8, 2023
The weakest of Campbell’s run so far, but I put the blame squarely on the obligation to tie into The Armageddon Game event than anything else. TMNT is at its best when it doesn’t have to tie into events, in my opinion.
July 21, 2023
Entretenida, pero debió ser más breve
December 20, 2023
Ready for the Campbell run to end
June 17, 2024
I've really enjoyed this era of the book and seeing a lot of the plot threads finally start to come together. On the other hand, near the end of the volume I was starting to wish for an end.
June 18, 2024
IDW is still making omnibus versions of their TMNT comics but I'm thinking that'll be the superior way to read this arc...because following the GoodReads order may not be correct. I was super confused with where the Turtles were (why they were split up) and really was bummed there wasn't more with Rat King and no actual like showdown? Meh. This Armageddon Game is shaping to be pretty mid as far as events in this title going.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews