Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #44

By Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Cory Smith, & Ronda Pattison

The final chapter of the “Attack on Technodrome” arc is finally here! The turtles and Fugitoid work to take down Krang and the now-activated Technodrome. As they struggle to stop the terraforming of Earth, Donatello faces off with Bebop and Rocksteady and Splinter stands alone against Karai and the remaining foot. With so much going on and at stake, there was no doubt that the conclusion would be intense.

This is definitely one of the most emotionally heavy issues I’ve read in this series. Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, and Bobby Curnow know how to satisfy fans, while also not being afraid to go down a dark alley of storytelling. This book definitely calls to mind Batman #427, which had a game-changing event. I applaud this creative team for bringing such gravitas to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Despite several plots reaching a conclusion, so many more doors open that will make audience’s minds race with what direction(s) the story will go next. Needless to say, issue 45 will be a must-read as well.

Also, attention must be paid to Cory Smith and Ronda Pattison for masterfully highlighting the dramatic nature of the events in the book. Smith is able to depict force and pain eerily well, so much so that readers will cringe in certain moments. Pattison, uses silhouette against solid yellow or red backgrounds to convey the impact of the forceful attacks Cory pencils. This collaboration has been one of my favorites in this title. Let’s hope it won’t too long before these two work together again!

This is the conclusion to the storyline, so reader’s just jumping on board may want to wait for the trade, but, considering how good it has been, picking up the single issues may be better. TMNT fans will be satisfied and shocked with this issue, I can’t stress how important this particular issue is… pick it up!