Chris Cooper reviews Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #68…
“Desperate Measures” Part 2! The Mutanimals have been defeated and the Turtles are next in line! Which mutant will turn on his friends to survive, and which will risk everything to help another?
For the first time ever, I dislike Leonardo. As someone who has held him in high regard since…forever…I hate to say it. But Leonardo is a jerk in TMNT #68. A complete and utter jerk.
Usually when Leo and Raph are at loggerheads I can understand both sides but will come down on the more reasonable and level-headed leader’s side. Not this time! Not only is Leonardo wrong, but I can’t even see where he’s coming from. Each turtle is growing, and whilst Raph’s relationship with Pepperoni is part of his personal growth, Leo is struggling. Raph might still be a bit of a prat when it comes shutting his mouth (or not) but at least we know where he stands on things.
Before I get too caught up on the intricacies of the TMNT’s brotherly bonds, there is a lot more to this issue. Namely Black Water and their mission against all mutants. We get some peaks into the backgrounds of the bad guys here and I hope we get more in the future. I can’t see these guys being beaten anytime soon so fingers crossed.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect is how the Mutanimals react to their treatment. The way their held against their will, vilified, and treated as somehow ‘less than’, feels particularly poignant at the moment. It’s all very eloquently voiced through Ray.
Couple of things on the art. Has Mateus made Raph’s build more muscular month? His muscles do seem more pronounced than the others; easily comparable when their doing the same moves. I do rather like the use of Agent Bishop’s sunglasses and the reflection being used to show us things. Also…he’s meant to look like Agent Smith isn’t he? Surely!
One last thing. Check out the covers to this arc properly. I didn’t really take it in last month so I was pleasantly surprised just now when I took it all in.
We’re left in several very interesting spots at the end of this issue. It’s exciting! I’m a big fan of where things are going at the moment. I just hope Leo can step up.
Rating 8/10
Chris Cooper
Originally published March 23, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
