Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #147 Review

The Road to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150 continues with issue #147, one of the most well constructed single issues of Sophie Campbell’s run yet. This is part three of the story that concludes Campbell’s multi-year definitive run on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where she is joined by Vincenzo Federici on art, Ronda Pattison on colors, and Shawn Lee on letters.

I’ve been a big fan of this whole epic since it began in 2020 and though #147 is the third chapter of this story arc, it is the first issue that I really felt the end coming. The Federici cover with an aged Raphael really fits the story beautifully and captures the way I feel after reading it. His mask is fraying at the edges and there are spots along his flesh and more wrinkles than I care to look at, because it’s sad to see him like this.

In this current arc, Donnie is flowing through a wormhole as he is being pursued by Armaggon; a giant kaiju-like mutant shark. Last issue, Donnie met up with Leonardo and learned about where he and his family are in the far future. This issue is focused somewhat on future Raph. I think you can guess where the next couple issues may take us.

From the start, 147 is off running with an action sequence back in the present that first sets up one of the main ideas of this issue– the effects of radiation from the wormhole. Carmen, one of Leo’s trainees, freezes mid-combat and at first it doesn’t seem like a big deal until the same thing happens to April. This setup is paid off later when we meet Raph in the future. But before we get there, another important piece of setup occurs when Leo calls Mikey for reinforcements. Mikey explains that Jennika has joined up with Sheena’s band as they embark on their first tour. It’s this tiny would-be throw away moment that hit me hard.

It’s the emotionality that I’ve adored throughout this run and after writing 50 something issues in a row, Campbell is a master of weaving action, setup, and raw emotion in the span of a small 5 page scene. She also leaves a breadcrumb for the next issues with how she leaves Leo. Campbell is displaying a bit of compressed storytelling here that I haven’t seen in this run. It’s been pretty open and immersive and decompressed but that’s not necessary here. This is the big epic closer arc and I can feel it here in this opening scene as the story narrows to its conclusion.

Picking up with Donnie in the future, the radiation idea is furthered as we meet Raph who carries Casey Jones’s mask and has full on conversations with it like Casey is there next to him. He has been eroded by time. Venus mentions that at least he seems happy which I suppose is true but it remains sad as Raph is a mere shadow of the character I know. (Not to mention, dementia is a real life thing that is among the saddest afflictions I am aware of.)

The emotional pacing of the story is furthered when Lita, her future self now being a full fledged Timestress (protectors of time), who is very happy to see Donnie calls him Dad in a slip of the tongue. It’s an incredible moment that made my whole body clench and I leaned forward like my heart may flutter its way out through my mouth. Lita is one of the linchpins of Campbell’s run and she really shines in this issue. After the slip, her mentor, Renet scolds her and Lita expresses her desire to tell her family more of what she knows but she has a job to do.

The issue comes to a head when Armaggon arrives and there isn’t much time. Lita disobeys Renet in order to open a wormhole to save her family and send them further on. It’s here that the issue culminates with an incredible emotional blow. Donnie and the others are floating through the wormhole and Lita yells “It has to happen this way, Dad. Just go and be proud of me.” This issue should be sold with tissues because it wrecked me. Lita is one of the finest achievements across this run. I loved her from the moment she appeared in 101 and I will love her for all time.

The stacking of emotional moments within these 20 pages is nothing short of masterful. Sophie Campbell is an incredible writer and these past few years on this book have only made her stronger.

I’ve written nearly this whole review without really going into the work Federici is doing on this book and for that I apologize. By no means do I mean that as a slight or that his work is secondary to Campbell’s because if a lesser artist was on this book the emotions would not hit as hard as they do. After Lita’s quote from above, you turn the page and that panel right there where Donnie is reaching out toward her there is so much emotion in what looks like a simple rendition of Donnie. I think Federici is doing outstanding work and may be the only artist capable of this story because it’s a dense story with many threads and his art is simple. Let me say that again. The art is simple. NOT simplistic. Simple, as in, anyone can look at this and understand what’s going on. You can see the emotions plain as day on the faces of these mutant turtles that don’t have eyebrows and really only have white circles for eyes. Federici’s art showcases real depth that is vital for this massive emotional epic story that Campbell is writing. Also the use of silhouetted panels throughout this issue was a pure delight. It adds so much movement and motion to the pages that makes the pacing seem accelerated. And I especially liked the shots where Donnie’s long neck is showcased.

Going into this issue, I wasn’t expecting to be reaching for the tissues and if this is any indication, maybe I am not prepared for #150. All I know is waiting for the #148 is going to be difficult with such an excellent cliffhanger. Cyborg Jennika?!

This arc is really showcasing that IDW is missing out on some toy action because I’d buy so many toys of these characters. Old Man Laser Sword Leo? Time Eroded Raph with Casey’s mask? It’s pure TMNT and just shows that even 40 years in, there are new things to find. But seriously, the issues need to come with tissues.