Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 continues to chart a new path for the Heroes in Half-Shell. Jason Aaron writes Michelangelo with a maturity not often seen outside of The Last Ronin. The mystery surrounding the turtles current status as a family continues to entice whilst artist Rafael Albuquerque brings a blockbuster visual action to the action-packed story. Read Full Review

In the second installment of IDW’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle series, Michelangelo gets the focus after his broth Raph took center stage in the debut issue. It’s not a spoiler (IDW revealed it in the issue’s solicitation) to say that Mikey’s new normal includes him having become a mega TV action star in Japan. On the surface it seems like the perfect fit for Michelangelo, the most outgoing and personable of the former Hamato clan. But what we actually see is that this life couldn’t be further from the ideal life Mikey would have chosen to lead. Aaron packs emotional punches throughout the issue with Mikey’s internal dialogue revealing how he’s really feeling.

I’m really enjoying the turtle-of-the-week approach to these first four issues. Jason Aaron has been able to give unique introductory tales after the Turtles’ world was turned upside down when the previous series ended. Nobody was the left the same and one of the standout aspects of these first two issues has been Aaron’s focus on how trauma has impacted the mental health of each turtle.

For a foursome with such different personalities as the Turtles, they share a common element of experiencing their own forms of physical and social trauma that wasn’t always explored beyond the plots where they were incurred. It will be interesting to see each character deals with their own issues and hopefully they can finally reunite because even though they don’t always want to admit it, they’re mentally, and physically, stronger as a unit than they are on their own.

Rafael Albuquerque and Marcelo Maiolo step in on art and color duties after Joelle Jones and Ronda Pattison nailed the first issue. Albuquerque & Maiolo provide visuals that play of Mikey’s gilded life well, with bright lights and flashes being used to provide a juxtaposition against the darkness of night when the issue takes place. The action is fluid and the character designs look great, but it all felt a tad hollow compared to the gritty tone of the first issue. Perhaps this was a specific decision for this issue to underscore how empty Mikey currently feels, but I suppose we will see how Albuquerque approaches future issues once he takes on full-time art duties starting in issue 5.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 closes with its last few pages tying it into the debut issue & sets the stage for what’s to come. Leonardo will get the spotlight in the next issue and I’m keen to see if Aaron will continue this trend of tying the stories together or if we’ll need to wait until these first four issues are complete for our first look at the series main plot thread. Even without that immediate common thread, these first two issues are still can’t miss issues that will serve as the foundation for all that is to come. more