After the cataclysmic events of “City At War,” the Turtles find New York City drastically changed—new factions and enemies are on the rise, and allies are in short supply. The Turtles discover that in order to survive, they will need to work together like never before, but when they find themselves separated, Old Hob decides to fill the power vacuum with some very unusual mutants: Zanna, Mushroom, and Zink!
Collects issues #101-105 of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
One 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.
After all the crazy events of City at War, the Turtles are in upheaval. They are all dealing with their grief in their own way. Campbell slowly establishes the new dynamics of Mutant Town, a walled off portion of New York City where all mutants are forced to live. We found out very little of what has happened with the other factions other than the Mutanimals. This is all about getting Clan Hamato back together and establishing the new status quo. It's a completely different dynamic than all the moving pieces of the Waltz and Curnow run.
Campbell's art is great. However, she abandons the different builds of the Turtles and has them without their masks for most of the book. There are only slight color variations to their skin to tell them apart and I was constantly getting them confused.
I understand why this volume was done this way, but it does make fun reading. The TNMT are grieving and rather than come together they are being further split apart. Now when the new world when they are needed the most they seem to have given up on everything and each other.
This is a slow new beginning story. The problem for me it was a bit too slow. I can see potentials for future stories but devoting 3.5 out of 5 issues to hit rock bottom before starting the climb out is not the great volume for me.
This was tremendously well done, both the art and the writing so all hail to Sophie Campbell and her collaborators.
There's a modest time jump of six months and we catch up with the Turtles and associates still reeling from the events of City at War, Pt. 2. We divide our time between the familiar confines of Northampton and the chaotic streets of the newly christened "Mutant Town" on part of Manhattan.
The shining light here is the newest Ninja Turtle, Jennika, who acts as the emotional catalyst to get the brothers back together and take bold new steps to help mutantkind.
This is the TMNT taken seriously. After the death of their father Splinter there's a lot of soul searching and angst, and not so much cowabunga and pizza. There's also surprisingly little action in these collected edition and instead a focus on emotions, feelings and relationships. Sets it up nicely for more exciting stories to follow. The art is excellent, especially the representation of mutanimals.
TMNT's first writer change in 100 issues could have gone so wrong. So very wrong. But in the able hands of Sophie Campbell, the Turtles' new direction feels as fresh as a brand new #1 could have been.
In the wake of City At War, everything's changed, and that's not an understatement. New York's landscape is totally different, and the Turtles are scattered to the four winds. The gist of this arc is establishing what's happened in the time jump between issues 100 and 101, and getting the band back together, so there's a lot of exposition, but it's delivered as part of character's new arcs rather than dumped wherever necessary.
For a first arc, it's also surprisingly quiet. There's some good action sequences, but the emotional weight is the real winner here. Campbell's depictions of how the last few weeks have affected each Turtle are varied and authentic; they each have their own personality, so of course they wouldn't all act the same way. But in the process of bringing them all back together, we get to understand them better, and they get to understand each other as well.
And of course, Campbell's artwork is still top notch. I love her style, it feels both soft and powerful at the same time, and the way she differentiates the Turtles is unlike any other artists' interpretation. The new characters she introduces feel in line with the rest of the TMNT universe as well.
I think Sophie Campbell was born to take over the Turtles. This first arc is wonderful, in both art and story, and I have no doubts that she can take these characters on another 100 issue journey just as easily as the previous writers.
The new turtle, Jennika, is a wonderful POV character. The impact Splinter and his family had on her life was tremendous, so of course she would care about how they are all coping with his death and try to help them rebuild their lives. Speaking of which, Sophie Campbell takes advantage of the cataclysmic events from City at War to establish a new setting for the Turtles and its an *incredible* breath of fresh air. If everyone's a mutant, there's no reason why the turtles have to be afraid of going out in public! They're able to engage with the culture sprouting up around them (like going to their first thrash metal concert, which was a ton of fun!), invest in their local community by helping a homeless shelter, and honor their father's life by creating a community dojo (which is everything I wanted the Foot Clan to be when Splinter took it over). The TMNT series is in good hands. Bring on the next 100 issues!
I enjoyed this immensely. Everyone is perfectly in character and Sophie expands upon established lore in new and interesting ways. Definitely a read for any turtle fan.
I jumped into this one without reading any of the lead up to it, as a big Turtles fan I just wanted to read something new. I think this did a good job re-establishing old characters, letting us know what was going on and introducing new characters while also building this new world. The story was interesting and did a great job keeping me engrossed in a Volume that was a slow burn with mostly back and forth dialogue and personal conflicts. The art was really cool it went along perfectly with the type of world they had laid out. This one is definitely worth checking out, especially for turtle fans. 4/5
This is a new writer and a new arc and a whole new direction for the Turtles. It was a nice transitional volume I feel establishing where each of the players are (except Casey Jones, where the heck was he?!?) in this changed world. I like the time spent on the grief and the Turtles adjusting to the new reality and where they fit in it all. That end panel has me a bit nervous for the direction it seems they will take but overall I liked this. There were a few threads left to fray in the wind from the previous volume but otherwise I enjoyed this first foray.
I had not really read or watched anything TMNT in years, so I wasn’t sure what to expect exactly. But this is an excellent collection and exceeded any expectations I might’ve had. The storyline is remarkably poignant and, in many ways, very apropos of our current political climate. A more mature version of the Turtles, to be sure. Recommended for graphic novel and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans.
Premier tome très bon, mais je ne peux l'apprécier à sa juste valeur, a cause du fait que c'est une suite de la série IDW. Je me suis donc retrouvé à découvrir des personnages qui ont déjà eu beaucoup de développement, me laissant un peu perdu et insensible lors des scènes émotions.
Un conseil si jamais vous voulez découvrir/commencer les comics TMNT commencés par l'intégral IDW. Cela vous évitera de gâcher le plaisir de ce tome qui est très bon mais pas sans bagage.
This is the shot in the arm the IDW TMNT comics needed. After thirty + issues of non-stop action, one of my all-time favourite comic series was starting to feel tired. Campbell, being the first new writer to take over since the series began, had the genius idea to let the characters breathe. Instead of intergalactic trials, immortal beings and ninja wars, we get the Turtles hunting for a missing cat and talking about their recent losses. It is a perfect example of less is more, and in 5 issues she has turned this from a series I was losing interest to a favourite once again.
Also, it's a great jumping on point for new readers - don't be intimidated by that Issue 101. If you haven't checked out IDW's masterpiece, now is the time.
Kinda drops you into the middle of a lot of stuff that has already happened. But I was familiar enough with the franchise over the past 30+ years to get the general idea. Read for comic book club, it was one of the best discussions we've had, albeit virtual.
Fantastic start to the post-war era of IDW's TMNT. A volume more focused on pathos and the turtles dealing with the vast changes to their world than on action scenes, it gives us truly great character moments and interesting world building. Sophie Campbell picks up the book from Tom Waltz and even pulls double duty as both script writer and artist and if there is something more praiseworthy than her script being faithful to the characters and breezy to get through, it's how terrific her art is. Clean, colorful and most importantly; emotional, it delivers fully, not just in close ups but also in framing and layout in wider shots. There's a moment where two characters walk away from each other in the snow and even though I was listening to music, I could still hear the silence and the slight creaking of trampled snow. No doubt, some people will dislike the fact that except for the titular brothers, nearly every single player of importance is a woman, but all the new characters added on top of long standing staples of the book such as Alopex and April work and are characters I could easily get used to reading about. I don't know where Sophie Campbell is taking the book, but I will most definitely keep buying it whenever the next TPB becomes available!
This was the best of the trio of random TMNT comics I picked up from the library. The setting was good, the art nice, and the plot/pacing fine. It certainly functioned as all exposition, and it was good enough that I can see myself picking up Volume 2 in the future if I'm feeling it.
Given my only TMNT exposure was from childhood and all of the universe from the show and comics is forgotten or unknown, this was all new territory for me. For now it seems like a solid start to a run of comics that could offer a nice entryway for a new generation to get to know.
It is odd, and I'm making this opinion based on reading all three of these different comics, but why have the Turtles turned into super brooding & dark emotional wrecks? From my early years I remember slapstick and joyful dudes feasting on pizza and knocking around Shredder and the baddies. Sure, Raph was too moody even then, but now it's like everything has gone well beyond post-modernism existential angst and ramped up the dark & brooding vibes and for what purpose? Perhaps the broader extent of material is less so, but all three of the books I picked shared similar overtones. Bring back the comics that made the real world more bearable, not bleak and depressing!
It's been so long since I read TMNT! I missed it, and this was a perfect come back to it. Summary: After the events of the last Volume, the Turtles are still very much in mourning for Splinter. NYC has built a wall around the area where Hob turned tons of people to mutants and they are calling it Mutant Town. Alopex runs a food shelter for people who need help, but it's only by rogue Raph's help occasionally that it doesn't get attacked or shut down. Donnie leaves the farm to visit April and they go to visit Jenny, Raph, and Alopex. Convinced to go back home, the group reunites to much emotion. They decide to move to Mutant Town and open a Dojo for the new Splinter Clan, teaching anyone who wants to learn, and helping out as they can. At the very end, it looks like someone has come back from the future who resembles a kid in the dojo in present day. Overall, so happy to have the TMNT guys back in my reading cycle. Picking up following Volumes soon. Strong recommend. Great place to start up too (though I'd always recommend the previous run)
I haven't seen/read anything related to TMNT since I saw the 1990 live action film in theaters (unless we're counting the Vanilla Ice Turtle rap for Macaroni and Cheese from a few years ago). The comics from the 80s never connected with me, and there was such a contrasting tone between the comics and the cartoon and film properties that I just wasn't interested in trying to connect to them.
I mainly picked this up because of Sophie Campbell's name. And I'm glad I did.
This was a great story about loss, grief, and interpersonal relationship. But with talking mutant animals. It was good enough that I did some online research to see how the story had progressed to this point, and I'm going to pick up some earlier parts of the IDW turtles books, and see if I enjoy them as well.
I recommend this to both the Turtle faithful, and those who've had reservations about picking up any Turtle books.
I hate when publishers chicken out on a long running series and start the numbering over to try and get few extra sales (I've honestly lost count of how many times Marvel have started the likes of Amazing Spider-Man at #1 again and again). This should be volume #24 IDW! You've got 23 wonderful trade collections before this (not counting spin offs) don't start here or you'll miss out on the pleasure of possibly the best reimagined series.
So.. Raph is now in Black and doing his Batman thing, Leo is a gardener and Mikey is full time cat carer. Bet you've never seen that in a turtles book. Speaking of stuff you ain't never seen; it shows you how an idea in bad hands is Venus (Ninja Turtles: Next Mutation) but an idea in good hands is Jennika.
Sophie Campbell draws like she means it, most every panel, every page is full of detail and character.
Seemed like a good place to jump back into the comics, as the plot sorta gives you a recap to what the current status quo is, setting up this story, which makes this an easy point to jump back in or start (for new readers). The artist excels at drawing anthro characters which makes this book really nice to look at since the bulk of the characters are all mutants now, but God, the human character designs, like April, leaves something to be desired.
Story-wise this is a 'quiet' book that allows us a chance to get into the heads of each grieving turtle after losing their father and mentor, Splinter. It's a nice set up that I think is necessary to the upcoming story, and I've always been a fan of comics that allow some breathing room to add substance.
A fantastic start to the Sophie Campbell era. I wasn't initially sure I was particularly interested in the setup of a whole mass of people turned into mutants. However, I can safely say that I'm in love with it so far. Campbell has done a fantastic job of fleshing out the world and letting the story breath. It feels super refreshing to be out from under the shadow of Shredder and the Pantheon's world ending plans and into a smaller scale character based story. I hope she's able to maintain this for a bit as I love where it's going!
This was really good! A great new start with an interesting new status quo for the TMNT after the previous hundred issues. I really enjoyed all the different mutants and the concept of Mutant Town, as well as the more subdued atmosphere - it was a nice change of pace after the last chunk of issues that were almost all action all the time - which I felt gave the story and the characters much-needed room to breathe. Campbell’s art is gorgeous, too.
Honestly wasn't sure about this going into it, but once I did, I wound up liking it. This series was surprisingly good. Like most comics, it references stuff that the average newbie won't know, but there's enough loose explanation that it's pretty easy to catch on to what's going on. The art was very nice.
I got a little lost at first not having read any of the IDW TMNT stuff that came before this, but there was enough context to catch up enough and get onto the meat of the story, which was really about rebuilding your life and community after grief and tragedy, and I could relate to that. Kind of the right book at the right time in a really weird way.
It’s a solid start. I like all the pieces that are laid out, and even though I don’t have the full context of the series, it’s a pretty good jumping on point. Campbell’s writing is solid, if a little clunky at times. The manga art style is not my favorite but it does really convey a lot of the emotions on the mutants faces which serves the purpose.
It had been a long time since I read this series, but this felt like an alright place to pick it back up. I enjoyed this book, but I don't know if I enjoyed it enough to get the next one, especially considering the art isn't always done by Campbell in upcoming issues.
I wasn't sure what to make of the new era of the Ninja Turtles ushered in by the always amazing Sophie Campbell, but these first issues set up a new and different TMNT in a society of mutants cut off in the middle of NYC. And it feels like the start of something truly special...