Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #121
Story by Sophie Campbell
Art by Jodi Nishijima
Published by IDW
Released September 29th, 2021
It’s an all-out confrontation as the Mutantimals clash with the Splinter Dojo for the fate of Mutant Town! Will the TMNT be able to keep their students from harm and take the fight to Old Hob?
IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME?!
Last issue, we spent some time with Old Hobb who told his truth. And now he has hell to pay via the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Assassinations, kidnapping, and mutations (all just recently)…what does Hobb have to actually do to come face to face with justice? Is this the issue where he finally faces it? Let’s head to the rundown!
THE RAD:
- Quickly paced story. The issue moves fast and winds down with some decent drama.
- Solid striking artwork. It isn’t beautiful exactly, but it’s bold lines and solid colors are effective.
- Raph being Raph. Dang, when was the last time we saw him stab someone with his sai?
- Controlled chaos. A lot of characters, actions, and interweaving stories are laced up when Hob is at the center. Campbell does a good job at letting every character “get their turn” and for actions to breathe.
THE BAD:
- Getting tired of current politics always being featured in my recent comic titles. Real life will always be an inspiration for fiction, but it’s all about as subtle as a brick to the face. Comics are supposed to be an escape from reality.
- We’ve lingered on the petty drama within the Splinter Clan for much too long now. Kraang, Shredder, Rat King…give me something to really feed me here.
- Old Hobb, while interesting, could be taken much further and deeper. He changed the TMNT story forever via his terrorist acts. Would love to read about his point of view from all this. We’re left in the dark about his true thoughts and motivations other than being told it’s wrong.
Notes: TMNT #121 briskly moves the story forward. Truth is, I’m just not so thrilled with the story anymore. Sophie Campbell’s writing slogs more than impresses. And I don’t believe I’m in the minority with that thought. The past few issues have been serviceable. But I’m ready for something to happen. And I feel like I’ve been saying that forever.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #121 is now available wherever comics are sold!