There Will Be No Justice — Reviewing ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ #10

Brothers reconnected, seeking peace and a return to their roots, face one of their greatest threats: a corrupt justice system. Not just the usual corrupted one that always exists — one that has the power of mystical ninja villains giving it a boost.

Prepare for a day in court with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #10, from Jason Aaron, Juan Ferreyra, and Shawn Lee.

There is a lot going down here.

By golly, do I enjoy watching Ferreyra work on these characters and their world. Pure grittiness is present in every single page. It really leans on the back-to-the streets feeling that we were promised in this series. Emotional energy dominates at all times as we truly can feel it in our bones, bleeding into both static and dynamic sequences as the story chugs along.

There is an authority and authenticity demonstrated in these pages. Each space feels deep and heavy with such detail and depth baked into it all. The choices of color palette greatly help in this respect.

Going with a sort of washed out heavy on the saturation style works. Because, again, it gives things that grittier and dirty appearance in a good way. Flashes of vibrancy are there with the various Turtles and other elements around them. Popping against the more natural backdrops that are boosted by the colorful filters and lighting applied to some sequences.

Similarly, Lee really gets to work in some dynamic elements into the lettering, from throwing appropriate colors into some exclamations to really letting every bit of dialogue. Weight is born from the varying emotions as well as the overall volume and tone of the words. These characters are ones that Lee knows beyond well at this point. That shows every single time he’s able to bring their voices to the page.

We’re ten issues into this run now and what Aaron has managed continues to speak to me. As noted in previous reviews, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this run. To some extent, that is still true because I’m not sure what each issue will actually bring. Well, except for this fantastic character work and a heart that stands in contrast to the darker elements that are important to the overall direction.

A few moments of dark levity are added here as we witness the Hamato boys put on trial by the city. More of Hale is showcased here as we learn how much power his words have in and out of the courtroom. Does he have a secret ability that lets those words control people? Perhaps, or maybe he just understands how to stir up the worst impulses of other human beings because of how terrible he is as a person.

Either way, I’m here for whatever Aaron is doling out.

This issue ends with an awesome sight and the overall direction keeps pulling out all the stops. The turtles in a half-shell are still kicking all the comic book butt, and I’m here for it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #10 is now available from IDW Publishing.