Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin (1 of 5)
Mike Eakins
Recap
The Last Ronin roams a cold and lonely world in search of redemption, all by himself. We see the guilt this rogue turtle carries with him but why. Who is this mysterious mutant turtle? Who is The Last Ronin?
Review
***SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS***
Decades into the future The Last Ronin roams a city under the authoritarian rule of a most sinister foe with nothing but hatred for what seems to be the last mutant turtle around. We see The Last Ronin show the same brilliant resolved, determination, and stubbornness that has become synonymous with TMNT stories, but this is different. We’ve been through dark times before with the turtles, however, this is undeniably uncharted waters.
Ever since the announcement that Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman were reuniting to breathe life into The Last Ronin, there have been conversations aplenty on who it could be with social media being set ablaze with different scenarios on who it could be with everyone bringing their most stringent arguments. I had the pleasure of talking with Kevin Eastman back in August and in our talk, we touched on The Last Ronin and its origins dating back to the 80s with him and Peter and how it got an update with Tom Waltz joining Kevin and Peter and with every bone in my body and my 30 plus year turtle addiction I can honestly say the finished product of issue 1 was well worth the wait.
The story is dark, dirty, emotional (eyes got a little watery at one point), and everything we know the turtle stories to be. The issue succeeds at doing a great job at setting a fabulous tone for the next 4 issues which are sure to exceed its predecessor. The storyline is brought to life with gorgeous visuals that do a remarkable job of keeping pace with the story delivering its own storytelling. Esau, Isaac Escorza, Luis Antonio Delgado, and Samuel Plata are on a completely different planet with their art and inks, the book is absolutely beautiful.
Final Thoughts
“To be a true warrior one must know when to crouch, when to leap, and when to stand firm” – The Last Ronin. These teachings stick with The Last Ronin just as much as the guilt he carries. Regardless of who The Last Ronin is, we can’t ignore the path our hero has traveled and the pain they’ve felt in their journey. For TMNT fans this has been a long time coming to see Laird and Eastman back together again. They have surrounded themselves with an all-star team that shares their passion for TMNT storytelling and the end product is nothing short of amazing. Frank Miller has The Dark Knight Returns and now Laird, Eastman, and Waltz have The Last Ronin. This is going to be one hell of a story.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin (1 of 5): Wish for Death
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10