It’s all come to this. The 4th issue, the 4th deep dive into the last of the 4 brothers: Donatello. He does the machines, he’s the hero of time, he’s… he’s gonna be okay, right?
Jason Aaron once again proves he deserves the helm of TMNT and once again I’m floored by what he’s done. I don’t think anyone has gone this deep into these characters before. At the very least, it feels fresh and brand new. It’s almost like he saw what Kieron Gillen was doing in Immortal X-Men and took it as a challenge.
Joining Aaron for this 4th issue is Chris Burnham and what a match this is. Both of these guys don’t waste anything. There’s not a line or a word that isn’t absolutely vital. It’s paced perfectly, bringing me right to the moment before the tears come. Both when Donnie is locked up, the page before The Final Fight and then when the brothers are reunited. It is dialed up just right and feels like a perfect trade off between Aaron and Burnham. And it’s a brilliant escalation of the emotional beats that Aaron has built up across these first issues of what is shaping up to be an all timer. The man just keeps getting better.
Rounding out the art team is Brian Reber on colors and Shawn Lee on letters. Reber’s colors accentuate Burnham’s lines perfectly, resulting in an issue that feels both of the present day and of the old days of TMNT. Combine that with Aaron’s perfect handle on all of these characters and the world. It’s a TMNT fan’s dream.
These first four issues have been an utter joy to read and the slow burn reunion has been pitch perfect. It’s slowly built over time to get to the moment where the brothers are all together except… the baggage is HEAVY. And after going on that time travel romp (Issues #145 – #150) with Donnie at the front, this feels like too much. It’s overwhelming and there’s this excitement laced with dread as I’m looking towards issue #5.
I ask again: Donnie’s going to be okay, right? RIGHT?
