Publisher: IDW
Creative Team: Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz and Mateus Santolouco
“Just once I wish the fighting would lead to something good and not more fighting”
Shredder and Krang are missing. Donatello appears to have died. Big changes with long-lasting consequences occurred to the TMNT universe in the excellent previous arc Attack on Technodrome. Vengeance Part 1 is a slower paced volume which deals with the fallout of these shocking developments from the previous volume and the changes that have occurred as a result of these events.
The Turtles and Fugitoid are trying to save Donatello’s life after Rocksteady and BeBop attack him as vengeance for his betrayal of the Foot Clan, whilst also trying to maintain law and order in the city as it appears that new gangs are stepping up to fill the void after the Foot Clan’s apparent dismantling triggered by Shredder’s ‘death’.
By focussing on the turtles struggle to get over the guilt of failing their brother Donatello and Splinter’s feeling of helplessness over his inability to protect his sons, the importance of family seems to be the theme of this volume. There is a very well-written page where Splinter recounts how sticking to his honourable principles has repeatedly resulted in tragedy for himself and his family. It’s a surprisingly touching look at how heroes are often the ones who sacrifice so much so selflessly, and yet always appear to pay the ultimate price.
The continuous nature of series such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has one drawback, in that we never appear to get a definitive ending that timeless heroes such as these ultimately deserve. It’s in moments such as Splinter’s reflection on his sacrifices that we see the effect this has. They are the ultimate heroes in that they will always be fighting against the forces of evil. There will never be a truly happy ending for them, just the endless struggle that having selfless, heroic principles entails.
The Purple Dragons led by Hun (Casey’s father) make a big comeback in this volume. They serve as the primary antagonists, trying to take back the neighbourhoods they lost whilst the Foot Clan were still operational. Casey Jones and Hun have a fascinatingly broken relationship which is explored further. Hun believes the turtles and April are responsible for his son hating him and he is portrayed him in a slightly more sympathetic light as he tries to fix the relationship he appears to have destroyed beyond repair. Once again in choosing to focus on these relationships the volume has a slightly erratic pace to it, but it does give each character more depth rather than simple good and bad labels.
Whilst this is happening, in the background a bigger conflict is being set up and a new army is being built. Vengeance Part 1 ends on a huge cliffhanger, and as far as I’m aware the next volume could be the final one for this creative team. I for one cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next.
Grade: B
Grading System: A (Essential Purchase), B (Recommended Purchase), C (Worth A Read), D (Poor), E (Avoid)
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