Chris Cooper reviews the third issue of IDW’s four-part miniseries Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secret History of the Foot Clan…
“In the present day, Dr. Miller has discovered information about the Foot Clan that both the TMNT and Shredder have taken an interest in. The TMNT race to intercept Miller before he divulges information to Shredder, and the result is a massive fight with the Foot! In the past, a frustrated Oroku Saki has been led to the secrets of the Foot Clan origin by the witch Kitsune…“
Prepare for much gushing and many superlatives…
What an amazing title this. I honestly don’t think that anything my little brain can conjure will do it justice. But I will try!
The story itself has turned out to be extremely well paced. It has worked its way between the present and past time periods without skipping a beat. As much as I love seeing the Turtles in action I’m just as intrigued with what is happening with Oroku Saki in the past, as everything is coming together to show us the Shredder we love to hate. In addition, each Turtle is written amazingly well. Their voices are so clear! Mateus really does nail it.
He also continues to smash the ball out of the park on the art front too. My God, his designs for the Turtles are just brilliant. They have to my favourite designs. The familial look is present but does nothing to get in the way of each Turtle’s individuality. Michelangelo in particular fares well, with his empathy and naivety shining through. Leonardo looks assured and serious, whilst Raphael looks badass (a particular vehicle helps) and Donatello’s design is imbued with agility and thoughtfulness.
Not only are the character designs pretty much flawless, but the layout of each page and the ideas behind each panel are inspiring. An image of a Turtles fist hitting an enemy as Casey and April look on is particular striking.
I could easily wax lyrical about this issue. But instead of rambling on for another 1000 words, I’ll just say this. This is the best TMNT story I’ve read. When it comes out as hardback (I really hope so) I will buy it, even though I already have it in digital form. It deserves it nothing less.
News is that Mateus Santolouco will be making his way onto the main TMNT title soon, so whilst I’ll be sad to see SHOTFC end next month, TMNT has a very bright future indeed.
Chris Cooper
Originally published February 26, 2013. Updated November 6, 2019.
