Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #100
Story by Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman
Art by Dave Wachter, Mike Dialynas, and Ronda Pattinson
Published by IDW
Released December 11th, 2019
City at War, Part 8!
Things have never been worse for the TMNT and their allies, but there’s still one desperate gambit to try if the family can come together in time. Will it be worth the cost? Over eight years of TMNT storytelling have led to this game-changing moment! Don’t miss it!
We’ve reached an important and collosual checkpoint in the comic world: hitting #100. An impressive feat for any title, but it feels oh-so-right for our favorite mutant teenage brothers to have this accomplishment under their belts. With the City At War storyline peaking and even Shredder in Hell building into this issue, how does it all pan out for the Ninja Turtles?
The mutanimals set off a bomb turning everyone into mutants, the Earth Protection Force is moving in on the TMNT, and all whole bunch of family drama concerning Karai, Shredder, Kitsune, and a giant evil papa dragon. You know how it is. With all this going on, Tom Waltz keeps the writing tight with things moving briskly with the right moments resonating. The issue doesn’t go straight for over-the-top action and glitz. Waltz brings closure to a good chunk of his arcs. And, for the most part, they end in a fitting way.
Of course, the great writing is accentuated with solid art and color thanks to Wachter, Dialynas, and Pattinson. The simple linework really helps action-heavy pages look less cluttered and chaotic from a presentation sense. And the flat colors are sort of staple of our Turtles’ cartoon-esque roots when they rose to popularity. Not everything in this issue is tied up perfectly. But I feel what needed to happen…happened.
The big step forward we have taken when it comes to Splinter and The Shredder is cathartic and builds onto the inevitable: Issue 101. Afterall, we have to move forward. 100 is a monumental issue, but the show must go on. And we were given some closure and some epic moments but we’re already marching forward to issue 101. If you haven’t been keeping up with the series, you’re missing out. If you have to catch up, I recommend you do so. With issue #100 the story is now “complete”. And I’d say you buy the ticket and take the ride, Turtlefans.
This being such a monumental issue, I just wanted to share a quick reflection as a TMNT fan and comic enthusiast. We’re all critics when it comes to something we love (and even more so something we don’t) and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are something we’re all protective of since they hold such a sentimental place in our hearts. IDW has always knocked it out of the park with their iteration of the TMNT. It’s a series that always makes me proud to be a Ninja Turtle fan all these years.
The writers and artists that have collaborated through the years to give us something fresh, epic, and cathartic every month for over 9 years is truly a wonderful gift for a fan. The respect IDW has given our Heroes in a Halfshell along with the new characters, iterations, and adventures is something I am so grateful for. This series has really solidified the Ninja Turtles as so much more than pizza chomping, catchphrase spewing, toy machines. No series is perfect but IDW’s TMNT series is a comic that I could always count on the good outweighing the bad. It’s a series that is always about moving forward yet not forgetting to honor the past.
This comic series running alongside Nickelodeon‘s 2012 series as well as the Michael Bay films being released (regardless of how your opinion on those iterations) really made me feel like I was a child again back in in the height of Turtle-mania. With TMNT merchandise overflowing the shelves, televisions, movie theaters, and comic racks. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are something that will live forever. Hopefully we’ll have a new film on the way so even newer generations can experience their Turtles for what can be the first time.
So, thank you IDW for creating such a strong quintessential iteration of our favorite pizza eating turtled teens. And here’s to another hundred issues!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #100 is now available wherever comics are sold!