Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was an instant classic. It created an new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe that hit the iconic level of Dark Knight Returns. That was followed with a prequel series titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin – The Lost Years. The series gave greater insight into Michelangelo’s lost years before the events of The Last Ronin. The comic also set the groundwork for a new TMNT team led by Casey Marie Jones. How will this new TMNT live up to the legacy of their predecessors? Let’s find out with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman
Artists: Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza, and Isaac Escorza
Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado
Letterer: Shawn Lee
SOLICIATION
“More than a decade after the Last Ronin defeated the Foot Clan, New York City finds itself in a state of steady decline. Now, the disparate gangs vie for economic and political control and that the chaos is taking its toll. It’s clear to Casey Marie that if something isn’t done soon, the city she knows and loves will be lost forever. So, whether they’re ready or not, she and her young pupils must raise a new coalition and lead the charge to keep the peace.
Witness the rise of the next generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as they fight to restore peace to the streets they live below! Legendary TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman proudly presents the next epic chapter of The Last Ronin, reassembling the acclaimed creative team from the original monster bestseller for a second oversized, prestige format miniseries event!” – IDW Publishing
REVIEW
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1 is a sequel in every way. In the aftermath of the original The Last Ronin mini-series we picked up fifteen years later. Because of that we are brought into a world where the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are no longer around. In their absence a new generation takes over as the world of The Last Ronin is at an inflection point.
The direction that is taken with The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1 speaks to how this is a sequel series. With Hiroto Saki and The Foot no longer in the picture the criminal underworld has become decentralized. While it is a positive that the dictator-like Hiroto was defeated there was no plan in how to handle what would come afterwards. All the criminals and gangs that were controlled by Hiroto are now rooming free to cause all sorts of chaos without a leader.
This is also reflected in how the government and police are approaching all of the crime. They do everything to make it seem like the world has become better with Hiroto. Even if it means trying to sweep the gang war that is seemingly about to blow up, they don’t want to make that publicly known. While we don’t get a central villain for this series, this approach of a gang war makes much more sense for where The Last Ronin sequel would follow up.
Following up on the original series by placing Casey Marie Jones, the daughter of April O’Neil and Casey Jones, as the lead immediately gives this a sequel vibe. The timeskip provides an opportunity to see how Casey has taken the mantle of her mentor, Michelangelo, and come into her own as a leader. There is a sense of confidence in everything that she does. Whether it is fighting or ensuring The Resistance doesn’t go down the path of becoming killers, there is a purpose to everything Casey does. Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman leave enough room for the lead villain to rise up as the story moves forward from either the gang or political side.
Establishing the badass, leader made for a great compliment to the sensei and mother-figure Casey is to the new TMNT. Waltz and Eastman do well in balancing Casey’s character so that we see all sides of her character. Seeing how fully well-rounded she is we understand how she is truly carrying on her family legacies, which include April, Casey, and the original TMNT.
The sense of legacy is what Waltz and Eastman really nail down throughout The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1. The way Casey and April take care of Moja, Odyn, Uno, and Yi show how they learned to be mentors and parental figures to adoptive family. The spirit of Splinter and Michelangelo is felt through all of these personal interactions.
Moja, Odyn, Uno, and Yi wielding all of their predecessors’ weapons rather than specializing was a nice touch. This specifically carries on the legacy Michelangelo created as when he mentored Casey, he was proficient in all these weapons. The influence of Michelangelo’s Last Ronin being carried on Moja, Odyn, Uno, and Yi show how his legacy is being carried on. All of these are great ways to show rather than tell.
Moja, Odyn, Uno, and Yi personalities also are distinct to these characters. Waltz and Eastman knew that they needed to make Moja, Odyn, Uno, and Yi distinct from their predecessors. Everything from their dynamic to individual personalities gets you invested in each of them. They still have the typical sibling elements of knowing how to get on each other’s case. But at the end of the day we see how they are a family.
That leads in well into Casey needing Moja, Odyn, Uno, and Yi to back her up in the fight that concludes this issue. Esau and Isaac Escorza nail the all-around fighting style each of the Turtles have. Without seeing all of their training you can tell what Casey as a mentor emphasizes while raising them.
The ending of The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1 sets up another angle other than the gang war to follow. Odyn suddenly turning to stone gives the possibility of more mystical elements to be part of this story. That isn’t new to the TMNT universe. We already see that these Turtles have other powers their predecessors didn’t. Dealing with mystical elements opens the story up to follow a different path from the original.
The artwork by Esau and Isaac Escorza and Ben Bishop was all on point. The Escorzas did an excellent job carrying the present-day scenes with plenty of strong action sequences. They nailed how to make sure to choreograph all the action so the dialogue can complement their artwork. They also nail the enhancing the dynamic of the cast created through all of the dialogue. Bishop artwork for the flashback scenes is fitting as it gave the vibe we are listening to a story from the distance past. It’s a great way to handle having multiple artists working on the same comic book.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman do not miss a beat with their work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1. This first issue provides a strong foundation for how The Last Ronin story is being followed up on. Casey Marie Jones and the new generation of the TMNT all shine with several storylines set-up to be invested in what happens next.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10