Written by Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird
Art by Kevin Eastman Esau, Isaac Escorza
Published by IDW
The Last Ronin does a marvelous job of narratively and artistically exhibiting how the past and the present collide to dictate the future.
However, the one weakness of this series has been with the lead antagonist, Oroku Hiroto. Besides his relationship with Shredder and Karai, there was no apparent reason he hunted the Turtles and became the ultimate dictator in New York City.
While Oroku’s familial ties were enough of an explanation in a microsense, Tom Waltz presents the macro ideology motivating the third generation.
Oroku Hiroto was raised and trained from birth to be the leader of the Foot Clan and assumed leadership at age 16.
His peaceful intentions in the past are in stark contrast to the Oroku we see in the present. Besides being a fierce warrior, Oroku is absolutely insane. It’s not hard to imagine why he’s crazy, but the how is still a mystery.
The idea of armistice is set up too well, making the reveal extremely intriguing.
The last issue disclosed how Raphael met his end. This time, we learn how Leonardo and Casey Jones are killed.
The back and forth between Casey’s final moments in the past and his daughter, Casey Marie Jones, fighting the good fight in the present works on two levels.
Not only does it show how much Casey Marie is a chip off of the old block, but Waltz makes the emotion of it all resonate poignantly. While Casey Marie can handle herself, you can’t help but wish her father was still around to lend a helping hand. Casey Marie’s most significant attribute from a character perspective is she doesn’t have nostalgia for the past. She has no problem arguing with Michelangelo. It’s easy to think, “Don’t you know who you’re talking to?’
However, Casey Marie didn’t grow up with the turtles in her life. Many readers grew up with some incarnation of TMNT, so it’s shocking to see such defiance, but it’s also easy to understand why.
Michelangelo, the last surviving Turtle, is close to becoming damaged goods.
Seeing and constantly talking to the ghost of his brothers might mean he’s already there. Still, he’s determined to stop Oroku at any cost. However, Michelangelo has lost too much and doesn’t want to risk losing anyone else, April O’Neil in particular. Speaking of damage, April has suffered more than most since Casey and the Turtles were murdered.
The flashback scenes showing April’s life on her own are illustrated like the old Mirage Studios’ comics. This is a great creative choice that creates a nostalgic symmetry with The Last Ronin’s predecessor. It also makes perfect sense because the immediate aftermath of such tragedy would probably share the same artistic presentation if the series were still running in its previous form.
This same art style is also used to reveal what happened to Michelangelo in the immediate aftermath of losing his family. What he did and who he was looking for provides the reader a preview of two unanswered questions; what happened to Donatello and Splinter?
In the present, there is another mystery surrounding Michelangelo’s mutation. It almost sounds like a Super Soldier Serum effect. Michelangelo is not that concerned, but April is working hard to unlock the secret.
The penultimate installment of this series is scheduled for an August release. However, if the last three issues have taught us anything, we should count on some delay. Releases dates pushed back are common in comics. However, the creative team has done such an outstanding job with every aspect of this story. It shows the creative team wants the book to be just right before it’s released.
In this TMNT fan’s opinion, delay the book as long as you need to if this is the type of exquisite quality we’re going to receive. Anyone who’s been patient with this series is rewarded here as the third issue continues the trend of giving many answers while asking new questions.
Rating: A-
