Summary: A lone mutant ninja turtle crosses the East River to Foot controlled Manhattan to seek his revenge.
Plot: This is it, after a series of delays the long awaited return of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is finally out and before diving into the hows and why fors of it all I will say that all the hype around this book...well it's definitely well founded. I've read this issue twice now, once in the parkling lot outside the mall directly after picking it up and again just now when I got home and I can easily see myself reading it again and again not only in the time between now and when the second issue comes out but possibly in the years to come as well. It's just that solid of a read. As is fitting for a TMNT book there is a ton of action crammed into this issue and the pacing runs tight and fast but don't be fooled into thinking that means its a pure popcorn munching adventure book because despite all that the book has a very strong and deeply emotional core and is just packed with characterization. 
   On top of all that though, I think that what will give this book its real staying power is the fact that it truly stands alone on its own. Like any franchise that has been continuously published for more than three decades now, keeping up with the twists and turns of can be a struggle for even the most ardent of fans let alone your casual reader. Eastman, Laird and Waltz however craft The Last Ronin in such a way that the story assumes next to nothing about its readers aside from a basic familiarity with the Turtles which sidesteps any and all confusion on continuity.  The story isn't beholden to any particular past storyline so whether you've only read the first dozen or so original black and white issues, watched the cartoon or the movies you'll be able to easily jump onto this dark look at the Turtles future with out it feeling out of sync. 
   All that said, I do have one, tiny, niggling criticism: the plot leans heavily into doing the Dark Knight Returns only with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The story of a past his prime hero coming out of retirement for one last ride to right all the wrongs once and for all has been done to death at this point so yet another take on that seems a little redundant. Usually a book that played that heavily on those tropes would be more than a slight red flag for me, but despite the reservations I have about that kind of plot line it is kind of justified with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as their whole genesis was an homage to the work of Frank Miller so it makes sense that to do their ending of the Turtles they'd go back to that same well. On top of that the structure plays homage to the very first issue of the Turtles as well, with the plot focusing on the now lone turtle going after the descendant of the Shredder on a quest for vengeance and lost honor. It's an ending that like all good conclusions really brings things full circle and I'm sure that if the subsequent issues are as good as this one then this book will be fondly remembered for years to come.  
   
Art: I was initially disappointed when I heard that this book wouldn't really feature the artwork of Laird and Eastman, and then I was disappointed again at the news over the summer that Andy Kuhn was off of art duties on the book as I absolutely loved the look he brought to the Turtles during the early stages of the IDW reboot and while I certainly would have loved to have seen more work from him between Eastman's layouts and the work of Esau and Isaac Escorza (whose previous work was stunning in Tarna) it's still a visual treat to behold. Eastman's lay outs move the story from wide screen scenes focused on some seriously energetic butt-kicking to tightly focused moments of somber reflection as the Ronin talks with his dead brothers with out ever missing a beat and the scratchy look provided by the finishes of Esau and Isaac Escorza feel incredibly unique and so at home with the world of the Ninja Turtles. Very rarely does a book's art match the story so perfectly but this is one of those rare moments where both halves are married together perfectly. It's just amazing to see from start to finish.
Grade: 10/10

As an aside I also picked up the Raphael special that came out a few weeks ago and it was well worth the five bucks even though I have all the books it collected: the original Mirage micro series, and both the Raphael micro by IDW and the more recent Macro as well. It's not as new reader friendly as Ronin but the cover is awesome and the stories are all fun.

Summary: It's the Leader controlled Green Scar Hulk versus the Devil Hulk in a no holds barred smack down for the ages.
Plot: This is the kind of issue that is less about plot and more about showcasing the artists talents; the summary above is literally all that happens in the span of this issue. No real characterization, no real plot development or movement forward...just a big brawl that ends with the Devil Hulk getting taken down and the leader leaving the Hulk's mindspace with Banner in his clutches which should make for a very interesting story next issue. Banner keeps the Hulk in check so a Hulk with out Banner seems like a bad call for the Leader but I guess we'll be seeing that soon enough.
Art: This king of plot-lite issue would normally feel like a total waste of pages and come off as extremely unsatisfying...but Bennett's art is just so beautiful n its absolute grotesqueness that it keeps your interest from start to finish. The story's still a giant place holder, a pause before the storm but it doesn't feel dull because Bennet is so amazing making this a plot trick that Ewing probably shouldn't go to again to build tension in his story as I can name the number of artists currently working in comics with the chops to pull it off on only one hand.
Grade:7/10