Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha #1: Welcome Back Old Friend

“Long Way From Home”

The first story in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha #1 is the one fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been waiting for months for, as Jason Aaron starts taking over writing duties on a soft reboot of the franchise. This Alpha issue short story features some plot elements, but is mainly here to introduce the tonal shift that is going to come with the new creative team following issue #150 which saw the end of Sophie Campbell’s take on these characters.

The plot of this short story is simple, “what is going on with Donatello and what is the status of the greater Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles world?” In just half an issue’s worth of content, Jason Aaron is able to answer both of those questions, while also providing a keen look into the kind of stories that are going to be told within his reboot. From a tonal point of view, this writing is considerably different from the creative team that came before, highlighting the grittiness that Aaron has brought to several Marvel series over the past couple of decades. This already feels like a more mature and serious take on these characters, while not fundamentally changing the world. While it is not as clear how this plot is going to affect Aaron’s overall story, it is definitely something that is full of intrigue and nuance in the best ways possible.

While many may be jumping into this title due to Aaron’s status an an all star creator, a whole lot of fans of DC’s recent Unstoppable Doom Patrol series are going to hop on board to see how Chris Burnham and Brian Reber make their statement within the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is a very simple and easy to follow narrative, and it looks absolutely fantastic. Burnham’s pencils fit perfectly within this world, highlighting the nature of a universe that sees humanity at its worst, playing against anthropomorphic animals that occasionally are masters of martial arts. Reber’s colors shine here as well, giving this world the kind of flair that it deserves. While this art team may not be the main team for the series, it will be great to see what they bring as they return in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 which will again highlight Donatello.

Overall, “Long Way From Home,” is a great way to introduce many elements that will be in play with Aaron’s new take on these characters. The world stays familiar to fans of the ongoing IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saga, while also welcoming in new fans, something that stays consistent with the next part of this story.

“Monster Island”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha #1’s second story features a prelude to another new ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles title, Mutant Nation. This series has been kept at an arm’s length from fans, with Alpha providing the first real look into what will be going on. It appears that this new series will be more of a continuation of the plot from the recent 150 issues of the series, allowing fans of that direction to continue that story without having to do so within the new main ongoing. This appears to be spearheaded by IDW’s main TMNT star, Tom Waltz, who teams up with Gavin Smith and Ronda Pattinson for this introductory tale.

Taking place within the area of New York that’s citizens were turned into anthropomorphic creatures, “Monster Island” shows what Old Hob and Jennika are up to, as an evolving world continues to struggle with mutant/human relations. This series is a perfect follow up to what has come before, recontextualizing the character’s struggles for new fans, but not in an intrusive manner. In fact, TMNT: Alpha #1 includes a couple pages of character biographies to help catch new readers up to speed, which ongoing fans can easily bypass to dive straight into the story.

One of the most endearing characters of the IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles run is Old Hob, a cat man who gained powers around the same time as the turtles and Splinter. This character has been near and dear to Waltz throughout the IDW saga, and it is great to see that his journey gets to continue in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation. “Monster Island” continues to fill Old Hob and the world around him with tons of nuance, giving readers a fantastic look into what has made that character such a mainstay.

Overally, “Mutant Island” is a great follow up for fans of the ongoing saga, that also continues Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha #1’s status as a place for new fans to hop on board for what is next for these characters. This story is a must read for new and old fans alike.