TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE LAST RONIN #4: Blood in Snow (Spoiler-Free Review)

We are just going to dive into the pool without checking the temperature. I know the Ronin would want us to plan a little better, but that is just not in the cards. Buckle-folks, The Last Ronin #4 is here! Now, let’s talk about it. 

Aside from the delays, this series has been a dream for TMNT fans. Everything from the covers to the brutally beautiful visuals being laid down by Ben Bishop, Esau & Isaac Escorza, Kevin Eastman, Samuel Plata, Luis Antonio Delgado, and Shawn Lee. I will stand my convictions about this issue being my favorite art wise but don’t take my word for it. The battle scenes could stand to be a recruitment poster for the Ronin and his cause. The art drives the Ronin’s passion on every panel. From the emotional facial expressions, the war-torn city, or Shawn Lee’s brilliant way to capture the tenacity of the story through his lettering, The Last Ronin #4 hits on all cylinders.

The Ronin and Company are deeply entrenched in a battle to conquer Stockman’s Tech Island; however, the plan is not going as smoothly as they would have hoped. After all, he’s fighting two conflicts simultaneously, on the battlefield and in his mind. The layouts, while this is playing out, are fabulous. 

The reveals in this book are huge! I would have never thought to go with that angle (then again Kevin and IDW did not call asking for advice) but that is just another example of how great this story has been. There’s a section in the book, leading up to the reveal where we see Mikey put all his emotions on display. His guilt, his anger, his love, his trust in himself are all on display. That passion, that drive, is why we love the turtles. Mikey has a lot to sort through and on how this issue ends and going into the final installment, I can’t wait to start talking about the speculations.