Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4: Donny’s Time To Shine

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 finally reveals how Donatello ended up a fighting ring as he was shown in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Alpha #1, rounding out the singularly focused issues that are kicking off Jason Aaron’s run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Beyond anything else, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 solidifies why Aaron was the best choice to reignite the Turtles franchise with this soft reboot, with this issue showcasing an entirely different personality and tone that befits his version of Donny, while never taking away what was done with these characters in their past IDW canon.

While Aaron knocks it out of the park again with his writing, the unsung heroes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 are Chris Burnham and Brian Reber, who draw one of the most unique looking Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories in recent memory. For starters, the focal character Donatello, is drawn in a way that truly puts a definitive take on this new iteration of the character. Burnham depicts him with very thin, practically unhealthy arms and legs, showing the way that his captivity has affected him. This style, combined with the amazing colors from Brian Reber, really paint a picture of what Donny is going through, highlighting how his experience is unique compared to his brothers.

Aaron does something very special here with the way he chooses to write Donny, especially with Donny’s relationship to his brothers and father, Splinter. Fans of the 150 issue run preceding this new initiative will know that Donny has often been the odd turtle out. With this issue, Aaron subtly explores what that leads to for Donny, with his captivity and new outlook on life seemingly being partly caused by his past and partly caused by the circumstances he goes through here. Overall, Aaron shows a lot of love for the turtle, most often relegated to the support role, and for a lot of longtime fans, it will feel like a breath of fresh air.