Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #120
Story by Sophie Campbell
Art by Jodi Nishijima
Published by IDW
Released August 25th, 2021
A protest at the Mutanimals HQ turns violent and threatens to destabilize Mutant Town permanently! TMNT allies and enemies rush to take advantage of the situation but not before Old Hob makes a surprise decision that will shake allegiances!
PAYBACK?!
It’s like 1993’s In The Line of Fire but with Ninja Turtles! Boy, that’s a sentence you’d never thought you’d read, huh? But Campbell and company have brought it to fruition. After a brisk and solid #119 and a thwarted assasination…we were left with Mutanimals and the Splinter Clan face to face and ready to burst! Are we up to speed? Then let’s go into TMNT #120!
With the Splinter Clan and Mutanimals buttin’ heads, the gang back at the dojo realizes Lita and the weasels are missing. The Mutanimals’ quick kidnapping is seen as retribution for getting their butts kicked, but Hob of all mutants is caught off guard by this. Campbell’s writing in this issue is swift as heck. It’s a brisk chapter yet I was pleased we got to spend some time with Hob. We get some insight into where he wants mutant town to go from here, as he’s strongly against the kidnapping of the Splinter Clan’s kids. But, more importantly, the effect it can have on his overall plan. After a tense standoff with Ray Filet, the spirit of Oroku Saki intervenes to calm the situation. After writing that last sentence I just realized how ridiculous this all is.
With Sally Pride and the kids saved, the Mutanimals dispatched,and Ray incapicatated…we have a scene we haven’t seen for a while: Hob face to face with the Ninja Turtles. With the Splinter Clan fuming over Hob’s sinister actions and Raphael seemingly deeming out the right hand of justice, will Hob survive? The issue ends with one thing on our heroes’ minds: Payback.
Campbell’s writing is quick and focused. And coupled with Nishijima’s stellar artwork makes this issue a satisfying read. A part of me knows that Hob can’t simply be curb-stomped into oblivion by the good guys. That’s not how it works. But he has to face some sort of consequences, right? He’s why New York is even in the mutant mess it’s currently in. Looks like we’ll have to wait to #121 to see if Old Hob gets his comeuppance.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #120 is now available wherever comics are sold!
