TMNT: The Last Ronin #3
Story by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz
Art by Kevin Eastman, Esau and Isaac Escorza, and Ben Bishop
Published by IDW
Released May 26th, 2021
Unexpected allies from the past reveal a possible path to salvation! As the Foot Clan sweeps NYC for the rogue Ronin, a final desperate plan in the name of vengeance is made! Spanning decades, this issue’s action and intrigue will set up the astounding final issues!
Part 3 of 5: FIGHT OR FLIGHT…
The fate of Casey Jones and the return of Fugitoid tickled our turtle-fueled-toes previously on The Last Ronin. These waits between issues are excruciating, are they not? We’re over halfway through this limited series. Issue 3 is the most story heavy yet practically soaking with plot from the past, present, and future. Fanfare can only take you so far as this issue proves that the Last Ronin story definitely stands on its own.
We get a glimpse into the past of Hiroyuki Saki as we learn that when taking control of the Foot Clan, his supposed plan was to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing war between him and The Splinter clan. We also delve more into the hot headedness of Casey Marie as well as the fate of our beloved Casey Jones and what caused April to move to the sewers. It’s a thick issue that moves at a very brisk pace. Yet the story has time to breathe. I didn’t feel overwhelmed with the plot reading this. And, now that I had time to digest, I’m looking forward to issue 4.
I wasn’t thrilled with Mikey’s reasoning for “disappearing” when April was forced to hide after the clan was wiped out. I hope they go back and touch on this more. I just felt it was odd writing to have Michaelangelo completely assume everyone died in an explosion and hop on a plane to Japan. Never once did he go back or actually wait to see who made it. He just up and left. Again, I hope there’s more to it rather than just being lazy reasoning.
Hiroyuki’s monologue in the rain at the end of the issue was also interesting. We haven’t seen too much of him, but he’s come off as a swift totalitarian leader with revenge in his heart. Yet by the end of this issue…this dude is also bonkers out of his mind. Not sure if there was a better way to write that…but it works for now.
The artwork is great as it’s been for the past 3 issues. Gritty linework and a solid grasp on drawing emotion makes a difference. And, even though Eastman’s artwork is an acquired taste, I love how they use it in the flashback portions. Makes for a unique homage that feels right. Overall Last Ronin #3 continues to be a great title within TMNT lore. We’re delving more into how we’ve found ourselves in this timeline and teased with a very TDKR Turtle-Tank. Last Ronin continues to be the best TMNT comic title currently on the market and I look forward to how this tale can possibly conclude.
