Our story got pretty heavy last month, and it wasn’t a surprise that none of it got resolved. These Turtles are always getting themselves into something and the trouble just seems to mount up with every new issue. I think IDW ditched the whole “crazy teenager” thing with this comic. This dark turn makes for great storytelling. Tom Waltz really excels at throwing us mature stories with all sorts of action. Even the most recent story of Shredder and Krang all revolves around power yet these empires still get their hands dirty with some hand to hand fighting. I rarely talk about how boring the series is and wish it would become more juvenile. I don’t even view the Turtles as children anymore but more like 20 or 30 year olds. Again, I think dealing with the more emotional side of things gives the comic this mature value that TMNT universe elsewhere hasn’t accomplished. The look of the Turtles mirrors this too. The Turtles look tired. They look like they have been to hell and back. It helps create the story and adds to its appeal. I will be upfront about it all though and say that I love the cutesy version of Turtles. Cory Smith does some good work for the style of this story. You don’t really think that the artist and the writer are separate people because it flows so nicely together. I especially love the villains. Shredder comes across just so badass yet old. Most times he is in full gear, or at least lately he has been, so it must be tough to get his look just without facial expressions, so Smith makes Shredder’s moves the most precise. His whole body must tell the story instead of just his face. This is why I favor the art of Shredder, as well as, Krang who both have these lavish movements. The Turtles, having facial expressions, seems to lose me a bit. I find small annoyances in their face when their eyes are shown. In battle, the eyes become this focused white out, which is cool. But when the eyes become more focused, they don’t seem to fit right. Plus some moments, I noticed with Donnie this week, his face looked proportioned then all of sudden his mask is almost as big as his head and their head is misshapen. It took away from the Bebop and Rocksteady showdown. As a whole, the art is great. The action is balanced, the characters come across crisp, and I enjoying watching it unfold.

But going back to the story, this latest issue has tons of emotion. You know even when Leo was changing into a soldier for Shredder it didn’t bring out as much emotion as this last scene. This just happens all of sudden, so it made it more clear just what could happen in the TMNT universe that could change the comic forever. I love how the comic focuses on one to two characters for a bit and we see their life unfold. This storyline has definitely been about Donnie. The characters first just ignored him, then listened to him, followed his plan to take down two villains, and by the end of this issue, the gang realizes just how important he is to them.

You’ll see for yourself when you pick this issue up. This storyline has been very actioned packed, and I promise #44 will have all the same goodies you love about TMNT with an ending that will leave you wanting more... I’d expect nothing less.

Score: 4/5

TMNT #44 Writer: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow Artist: Cory Smith Colorist: Ronda Pattison Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/18/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital