Comic Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #69

The Turtles and Old Hob find themselves under siege by the EPF. Elsewhere, Mondo Gecko orchestrates a prison break, and we learn more about Bishop’s past. Yes, this issue has more toppings than one of Mikey’s insane pizza orders.

Comic Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #69

(W) Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, and Bobby Curnow (A) Mateus Santolouco (C) Ronda Pattison

Agent Bishop has been one of the most mysterious figures in the TMNT canon. Yes, he is employed by a shady, off the books government (or independent) organization tasked with rounding up or eliminating the world’s mutants. But that’s all the information that’s been given to this point. Given the civil rights struggles which parallel the real world, its easy to conclude bigotry is his motivator. However, with this issue the creative team does something that has not really been explored before: Bishop’s past.

Specifically, the story by Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, and Tom Waltz introduces readers to Bishop’s father, who has been placed in a senior living community and has deteriorating mental faculties. It’s a welcome break from his cold G-Man persona, offering readers a brief glimpse as to who he his as a man. Ironically, Bishop isn’t a mutant, but up until now he has not felt human.

Of course, Bishop isn’t the only character to shine. The chemistry between the titular characters is as prominent as ever, and the addition of Old Hob is a welcome addition due to his unpredictability. He particularly shines in a moment where he asks why they don’t call on Splinter for help while holding one of the biggest guns to appear in this series. That one panel sums up Hob perfectly. He will do anything to survive, regardless of its moral implications. This plays heavily into the issue’s cliffhanger as well.

Being this arc’s penultimate issue, there’s plenty of action too. With the Turtles and Hob under siege, they attempt to break free. This enables Santolouco to do what he does best, delivering wonderfully laid out and kinetic action sequences. His panel structure allows the action to fluidly flow across the page. Meanwhile, his character renderings are fully detailed, but not to the point where the artwork becomes busy and overwhelming to the reader. Perhaps most importantly, each character moves in a manner that is unique. Whether it’s Hob, Raphael, or Mondo Gecko, these characters, each character has their own physiology that determines their ability to move across the pages.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been one of the best comics in publication since it’s initial release back in 2011, and it appears there are no breaks on this train. The series’ consistently high quality is to the point where I may have to begin copying and pasting the same high-praise review each month. Issue #69 is another great issue, full of action, humor, and some good old-fashioned character development.