This Issue contains two stories the continuation of the 'Deep Below' story and a festive Christmas story. I love this book, the stories feel like scripts that could of been used for the television show. The characters feel the same, not forced into being something necessary for the story. The show has done a good job of presenting individual episodes but crafting an overall arc for each season as well. Because of this it's hard to decide where these comic stories take place in the continuity. Most of them seem well self-contained so you could read them out of order and not have watched much of the show and still enjoy them.
The first story opens with the turtles stuck under the see in a Kraang facility facing off against Tiger Claw, Rahzar and Baxter Stockman-Fly. After a short brawl they all realize that the facility is flooding. They form an uneasy truce (what could, and always does, go wrong?). Donnie and Baxter discuss fixing some Kraang tech to teleport before they all drown. Then they get attacked and escape from a new mutant (or mutants?) which Mikey names 'Tentaclops'. Once Donnie fixes the Kraang machine Tiger Claw turns on him (curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal). I won't say what happens at the end, but it's a kids comic and they're the turtles so I'm sure you can guess.
The second story involves the turtles trying to buy gifts for a secret Santa. Mikey draws Raph and tries desperately to swap as Raph is notoriously hard to buy a gift for. He ends up finding something totally perfect for Raph. Actually they all get perfect gifts for each other (see they're brothers so they totally get each other)
Both stories in this issue are fun, quick reads that fit perfectly in the canon of TMNT. I usually hate shoe-horned festive issues, but this one was fun and if anything actually added the characters.
Score: 3/5
Writers: Landry Q. Walker and Matthew K. Manning Artists: Dario Brizuela and Paulina Ganucheau Colorist: Heather Breckel Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/17/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital