With the Ninja Turtles on trial for a murder they didn't commit, Casey Jones fighting for his life in a devastating coma, and the city overrun by Foot Patrol thugs, New York has but one hope to turn the April O'Neil?
Jason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
This penultimate chapter keeps the energy high and the stakes sharp. The Turtles find themselves under pressure from all sides, the city turning hostile just as tensions within their world hit a breaking point. Jason Aaron’s script balances action with character work, while Juan Ferreyra’s art delivers atmosphere and grit on every page. April O’Neil gets a standout turn here—reminding readers why she’s always been more than “the human sidekick.” A strong setup for what looks to be a finale worth waiting for.
Gotta say this one wasn't the best. I think it tried too many things, and felt a bit to corny for me with some of the talking from the "people" of the streets. But overall it was still fast paced with some good action. Final issue incoming!
Yet another fantastic issue from this team that I really wish was going past #12. Apparently the issue after is the one that is selling out like crazy and is highly anticipated and whatnot, but I think what Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra have put together has been absolutely fantastic. The tension, the mounting suspense, the absolutely beautiful art, including full page spreads of serious ass kickings, has kept me eagerly looking forward to each issue, and I'm sorry this run has to come to an end.
On a random note, can I say how much of a kick I got out of "Lawyer Donnie" wearing a tie like his eye mask? Hilarious!
Also, I'm not a fan of Kaiju mutant monsters, but I feel like this turn of events from the villainous Hale will probably work. It's with bittersweet anticipation that I turn to issue #12, and an end to this glorious run...
The courtroom drama is resolved with a bit of a deus ex machina. Having a deluge of New Yorkers show up to tell the jury "the turtles are good actually" is kind of lazy, but Hale's ensuing comeuppance is satisfying with a true surprise of a twist ending.