This Is The End, My Only Friend, The End: Reviewing ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ #150

Goodbye Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’m gonna miss you. But then again, all good things must come to an end.

These words, with some clear notable changes and omissions, were among the final resonating words (and title inspiration) for the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It seemed very fitting to bring those words into play for the final adventure of another nerdy institution. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150 takes a tremendous bow for the thirteen-year-old series.

While this is not the final IDW TMNT issue (a new series launches in July, which I will also cover), it is the final issue of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series that launched in 2011. Concurrently it’s the end of the fifty-issue run that has been held down by Sophie Campbell, Ronda Pattison, Shawn Lee, and a bevy of amazing artists.

Among those artists are Vicenzo Federici and Fero Pe who both have tackled various portions of the series recently, Federici having drawn this final arc. Original series artist Dan Duncan returns to tackle a couple important pages (more on that later) and Campbell picks up her artistic tools once more to finish her run as it began, as writer and artist.

Before we go any further, as the final issue of this series, naturally there will be spoilers to follow. If you have yet to read the issue, turn back now, crack it open and enjoy the hell out of it. Maybe read it twice, or three times.

<<<Warning: Spoilers follow>>>

What a way to go out.

Final issues can span a whole range. They can be huge action pieces, or quiet contemplative pieces. Maybe something massive happens where characters die, are born, erased from time, get married, become the villain, or any manner of thing. Campbell looked at the buffet of ideas and said “Yes.”

Focusing on Donatello, and Venus, was the best way to go out. Look, naturally, I love all the Turtles. Leonardo has been my favorite forever, now tied with Jennika thanks to this run and the minis. But so much of the final storylines revolved around Donatello and his relentless quest to understand magic, QNA, and his desire to ‘save’ his family. His jaunt through time ends where it naturally should, at the beginning of this series and the moment where the Hamato’s original lives ended before their reincarnation.

No lie, I welled up a bit seeing Donnie get to speak to his mother, and see her role in all of this. Similarly, it was emotional to see Venus seemingly sacrifice herself, finding a purpose and mission along the way.

Even with the fight against Armaggon (and Bob) alongside all the magic and science talk, the tale remains a character focused one. Donatello’s concerns and worries, and fixations, are relatable for so many. We witness his despair at seeing how far his future self has fallen, and makes the choice in that moment to change his path and do better. To stop the suffering and loss, and instead find a way to make sure that the clan doesn’t have to end up in their separated and suffering states.

It’s this focus on the characters, the who and what of them, which has enamored so many during this prodigious run. Keeping things at a simple level so that all the elevated out there things don’t feel so overwhelming. Because at the core of everything, these characters were the focal point and we got to witness their continued growth (emotional and physical). Building on the foundation created almost thirteen years ago with those first IDW issues. Taking a concept, we all knew so well and finding a way to run with it in new, amazing, spectacular ways.

At the end, one of the massive moves I loved was not to make any massive moves.

By that I mean this was not a series finale that felt the need to majorly rock the boat. Outside of a few cases, characters were left intact and in the spaces, they inhabited previously. At the end the clan is reunited, even if the emotional weight is still resting heavily on Donnie’s shoulders. There is no massive status quo shift that leads into what comes next. Instead, this moment just stands as an ending of this chapter of the Turtles tale and our viewing of their lives.

In July, a new chapter will begin, built on the foundation laid by this run and the one that came before it. A comic relaunch actually centered around the idea of building on what those before you did, rather than ignoring or overwriting it. We love to see it.

Currently the credits beyond the writer (Jason Aaron) and a handful of rotating artists (Rafael Albuquerque, Joëlle Jones, Cliff Chiang, and Chris Burnham) are not known for the relaunch. All I know is that I really hope that Pattison and Lee’s time with the Turtles is far from over.

As much as Campbell and Tom Waltz have been a presence on this series over its existence, Pattison and Lee have been here all along. Doing what they do best month after month, being among the individuals that have helped me understand and appreciate coloring and lettering so much more since I became a professional reviewer.

Through all these issues, it’s easy to become enamored and astonished by what Pattison does. Taking her color work and creating a signature style that morphs and changes to perfectly compliment whatever artist’s work is on the page. Yet, never once losing any of that signature style feeling. From smooth to rough to anywhere in between, letting shadows drop into place to compliment any of the more vibrant tones.

One of the chief things is how well she allows each space to have its own personal unique feeling. From spots in the city to the forest to the sewers, the lighting and palette choices differ perfectly while also seamlessly blending into one another.

Similarly, Lee finds all the ways to bring a major spark to the letters on the page. Pulling every single bit of emotional weight from words, letting voices ring clear and true in our minds. Captions and dialogue that spryly dance across the page, flowing around the rest of the artwork. Creating a framing effect to keep our eyes moving through the page as they are meant to. Dropping in modifiers like bolds or colors in order to convey some emotion or tone but also create dynamic visuals for the words.

There is a reason that he’s one of the go-to letterers for so many of the TMNT related projects. It creates a tonal connection between the books, a sense of continuity if you will, but it does more than that. Lee’s lettering work creates another sense of realism in many respects, defining these voices no matter who is writing the script or guiding the way.

It’s been a delight to see Federici’s work through this story arc. So textured with mighty detail and depth, achieving just the right amount of roughness. Paneling choices help the story move organically, keeping the audience right smack dab in the middle of the action. Speaking of action, those scenes have great energy and feel truly in motion. Next to them the quieter character moments are just as loud, as character’s every emotion and thought is depicted clearly upon the page.

Where Vicentini’s artwork finds the rougher edge of things, Pe’s comes in with a smoother touch. What they share in common though are the great amount of depth and weight that comes through on the page. Creating spaces that feel authentically deep and lived within. Pe’s choices for paneling keep our visuals in the middle of things, letting the character’s move and breathe and emote with such freedom. It takes everything that Campbell tees up character wise and knocks it out of the park.

It was a delight to see Duncan return to tackle a different view of some of the inciting moments of the start of this series. A very whimsical style that comes with some strong roughness, playing greatly with shadows and character placement. It tickles that nostalgia bone in just the right way, capturing an old feeling while offering something new. Seeing Donnie and Venus as they are now in that style brings a fun element into play, as they figuratively and literally step back into time.

It’s beyond fitting that Campbell returned to her artistic side for this final issue. Art is where she began working on TMNT related stuff, and how she began this run fifty issues ago. There is just such a warmth and earnestness to what she delivers on the page. Feeling soft yet quite hard at the same time, allowing characters true selves to really shine through.

Those final pages with the clan, where everything is silent, it all falls upon her artistic skill to tell us things and sell us on the moment. From sadness to a quiet happiness, it’s right there on the page. Characters doing all their talking with their faces and body language.

That group hug…it broke me. In the best sad way possible. Because I love these characters and the world that this team crafted so much.

While I’m not ready to let it go, I’m so happy they took us on this ride. From start to finish, there hasn’t been a single moment where this book has not been a top favorite. It has been an absolute pleasure to read it, review it, and share my love of this series with so many out there every month.

I’m sad to see it end, but I’m also ready to see what is next for everyone involved.

It’s a great time to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150 is now available from IDW Publishing.