deathmtn

Having run into Jim Lawson, I looked at the TMNT Wikipedia page and saw that Eastman and Laird had published a story a few years ago named The Last Ronin. So, I picked up from the library.

It’s a story set in the far future in which the Shredder’s grandson has totalitarian rule over New York, and the only ninja turtle left alive is Michaelangelo (the artist is Michelangelo, but the turtle is “Michaelangelo”.) It’s an OK read.

The pencils are mostly done by these really competent artists with a fairly realistic style. Some of the flashbacks, however, are pencilled by Eastman, and the art is so much better, even if it’s messier than his classic work. The thick lines allow for a lot more human feeling. It has a very distinct mood.

The story is almost entirely battles, end to end. It’s sort of like the Leonardo micro series comic, if it was all Foot ambush and none of the fun Christmas prep scenes. The action in classic TMNT was one of the best parts, but it can’t stand alone. It worked in context as part of an adventure that had some humor in it. I think the peak of the original TMNT comics was the stories about their encounter with TCRI and the space adventures. It was weird, and it felt like anything could happen. Maybe Laird or the chemistry between Eastman and Laird was responsible for that kind of vibe.

The Last Ronin is intended to be a dark future and a look at what an isolated turtle would be like, so I guess it was bound to not really have the more fun aspects. I respect that, but it’s just not that interesting of a read for an older person that is over grimdark stuff.

That said, it did inspire me to reread the original comics, and they are still good, and more mythological than I had realized. Also, I remembered I had never read the Raphael, Michaelangelo, or Donatello microseries. They were never included in the First Comics collected editions I got in the ‘90s. But they are in the Ultimate Collection, so I checked that out.