Masking So Much Rage — Reviewing ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones’ #4

Watch out world. Casey Jones is back and better than ever! In fact, he’s a bit too much better really.

Pieces are coming together as the origins, effects, and downsides of the drug Nostrum become clear in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #4. The latest in the hockey-mask vigilantes’ solo tale from Alex Paknadel, Amancay Nahuelpan, Luis Antonio Delgado, and Darran Robinson.

Action-packed beats with the Turtles or Casey and company are always great to see. What really rocks the world best, though, are the moments where we get those juicy character beats with a side of drama and tension that dig even deeper into what makes each character tick. Casey Jones is a character that seems simple from the outside, but oh brother is he a lot more complex the deeper you get.

A whole bundle of insecurities and anxieties make him way more relatable.

How Paknadel handles those beats is smooth and so intriguing. Casey knows that compared to his best pals he’s not in their league usually. No one ever voices it, but he’s felt it all this time. Infused with Nostrum though, he’s able to surpass even them. His attitude is shifting to match this overconfidence, and a real strain is beginning to show in the hero.

Watching the balance between Casey and Ludovic’s simultaneous falls, coming from very different places, is so interesting. It’s a different way to really map out and take on opposing forces within a piece, seeing where they both come from and why the drug is so important to each of them, and thus why they are destined to face off again.

Ludovic is a brand-new villain but already feels more fleshed out than some long-term entities. All the stuff we see here gives him that streak of empathy that every good villain needs to have. Not that you can cheer for them, really, but at least you can understand why they have done what they have done. You’re able to condemn their actions but have the piece of mind to see their tragic path.

I just love the work that Nahuelpan is doing here. Truly, I’ve been a fan of their art for quite some time and it keeps getting better to see. It’s rife with a rough slickness that really gives the grain and grit to the characters and their world. It hits that sweet spot of realistic but still whimsical fantasy. Details and depth of each scene are so heavy while knowing when to pull back for dramatic or tonal reasons.

Action sequences are really dynamic and fluid as they move through the page. At the same time, everything that is a more character-based moment eats as well. This keeps the emotional heights visible at all times through the well-rendered expressions and tangible body language. It feels intimate in each panel as we the audience are right there in the moment rather than standing to the side.

Adding to all that is the similarly dense color palette brought to bear by Delgado. Again, many of the color choices sit within a middle space, giving the foundation where the toned-down colors add to a familiarity within the setting and background work. More vibrant beats slide into play for the mutants and powers and other elements beyond our normal world. All of it dances with the far darker parts of the palette which match the overall story feeling.

Overall, it really nails the street-level feeling the book is meant to evoke within this bigger fantastical world.

This series has really introduced me to the lettering work of Robinson. He’s really etched out a spot in my brain since, because the work is really good. It gives characters their unique voices with their particular inflections, tones, and emotional depths, letting it all play out clearly across the panels and pages. Shifting around various bits of the lettering better enhances the feelings we’re meant to take away from any of the dialogue or sounds.

Again, it adds to the whole world and builds a bigger picture, giving everything the right weight it needs to stand out in the reader’s mind.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #4 is now available from IDW Publishing.