A Special Thanks Goes To IDW Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC, and the opportunity to review this title.
While we prepare for the new relaunch of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles main book coming up in July, we’re taking a step back with this trade paperback focusing on the fifth turtle, Jennika. Fun fact about this TP, it collects issues 93-95 (City at War Part One, Two, and Three), Teenage Mutant Ninja Jennika #1–3, and Teenage Mutant Jennika II. Focusing on Jennika’s character development milestones and her adventures in her own stand-alone stories. Also, if you want to read my other reviews, click here to read more.
Trying to acclimate to life as a mutant, the newest mutant turtle, Jennika, must come to terms with her troubled past and the conflicted present. She was in search of a way to reverse her mutation, which led her to a dangerous procedure after facing temptation by the call of her old life, but how far would Jennika go to save the ones who abandoned her in a past life? Then our attention turns to a mysterious incident in Mutant Town, where the mutant residents begin to transform into monsters and spread fear all over town. Our heroine ventures into the Underworld to get to the bottom of this mystery, she quickly learns that old and new enemies await her as she gets pulled deeper into the mystery forces her to work with a former enemy, and reveals that the threat is more complicated and dangerous than she thought!
Jumping into this book, I was a first-time reader of IDW’s approach to TMNT, but luckily it was a title that was an easier approach for newer readers but was also difficult to follow amongst learning about Mutant Town, and how large the IDW’s TMNT Universe has gotten. As most collections go, we’re jumping around the timeline (knowing certain backstories would be useful, but I digress), overall each story had a good script consisting of various writers. Being able to watch Jennika grow as a hero and in character was a fun experience to read. The Cure For You arc was one of my favorite stories in this collection, it showed Jennika’s character the most, a punk rocker turned assassin, then the road to redemption as a hero.
Speaking of various writers, it also included a variety of different artists that illustrated each story, each style fitted Jennika’s journey as a hero and the emotions she felt in each tale. What I enjoyed the most in this story was the mutant designs and the concept of Mutant Town. As a new reader, it intrigued me to see what kind of species of animals were used in creating a new character and mutant, this also includes whether it be a hero, ally, or simply a villain. This was in full display in Redemption when we saw Jennika having to face her past and fight her inner demons, and introducing one of the people responsible for her struggle, the human-born mutant and crime boss, Lucia Rosetti. In terms of a creative team, this was a great combination, for writers you had Brahm Revel, Ronda Pattison (Also an Artist), Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, and Bobby Curnow. For Artists, you had Jodi Nishijima, Dave Wachter, and Meghan Huang.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Jennika, The Fifth Turtle is a great collection and a good book to add to a TMNT collection or a way to bring in a new fan. It’s available now at your local comic book store or e-retailer.
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Final Grade:
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