Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #12 (Spoiler-free): The Shell is Family

The turtles have seen a lot of ups and downs. Enemies and friends. Hearts broken and souls shattered and rebuilt. In that time, we laughed, we cried, and celebrated a magical universe of unique characters and stories as told by many outstanding writers. To this day, I don’t understand why we don’t celebrate Sophie Campbell on the national level; a bank holiday for my folks across the pond. Having absorbed and adored Jason Aaron’s run on TMNT, I can safely say that Jason and his beard can write all the turtle arcs he wants to. 

Over the past six issues, we have dined on magnificent storylines that kept us hooked and eagerly waiting for the next issue. Those next steps that the four brothers took. Steps that lead to self-alienation, self-doubt, and the like. But also, we see them take steps to heal and overcome. Jason Aaron’s turtles are beautifully dark and come across so brilliantly. With each issue from a different perspective, acting as a window to the soul. As we see with his final offering (relax, no spoilers!), we see why the shell will always be family. Each turtle has fought their own battle and has equally blamed the other. The city they once loved and bled for has turned its back on them, thanks to a healthy dose of bad propaganda that has been played upon the city like a game of chess. Only this time, checkmate belongs to Clan Hamato. 

As a long-time fan of the turtles, whether screen, print, or molded plastic, I’ve spent 30-plus years growing with them. But not like this. Seeing Donny’s breaking and rebuilding, Mikey realizing that the bright lights aren’t all they are cracked up to be, Leo realizing it’s ok to feel vulnerable and trust more, Raph still being Raph, but showing a vulnerability that we don’t see too often, if at all. We see him dive into his feelings and get to know himself a little better. Keeping this review spoiler-free, how this creative team has wrapped up their tenure, is going to be welcomed and adored by fans as any great TMNT story should be.