After a time-travelling turtle from the future brings dire warnings of a dark timeline should Jennika not pursue her passions, Jennika challenges Bebop and Rocksteady to a Battle of the Bands. With the weight of a dark future pressing in on her, Jennika’s got a lot riding on this battle — but first, she needs to get a band together. Art and Story by Sophie Campbell, with colors by Ronda Pattison, letters by Shawn Lee and story consulting by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz.
They could have just fought evil ninja assassins. Or aliens from another dimension. Or even other mutants, because there’s certainly no shortage of them in Mutant Town right now. Instead, the big battle being built up here is a heavy metal showdown in the still and silent medium of a comic book. The creative team for this arc has set themselves a very difficult challenge, and this issue provides a glimpse as to how it’s all coming together. There are a few clever and evocative ideas, but aside from the heavy metal plot gimmick, this issue continues to be excellent TMNT storytelling, and the joy of reading a new issue every month is now mixed with the joy of being able to write about it.
While TMNT has always been at its best when focusing on themes of family, the current Sophie Campbell-led era of the IDW series has expanded that to themes of community, and the healing one finds there. It’s a natural growth for the series, but one that’s largely distanced itself from the weird science and hard-edged soap opera of ancient ninja vendettas that fans may be more familiar with. TMNT is a softer, more wholesome comic, and in the middle of this slightly sillier arc, there are moments where I miss the edginess. A few discordant notes, here and there.
I’ve always found it a little cringeworthy when cutesome characters display their enthusiasm for edgier forms of expression, like rap, or in this case, heavy metal — tonally, there are a number of moments in this issue that don’t quite line up, but in this issue, that’s more on the dialogue than anything else. The art more than makes up for this, however, selling a mood and an aesthetic that stands up entirely on its own. Campbell’s art does a lot of storytelling through little details, and the fashion choices alone are one of the biggest thrills of this comic — but let’s talk a bit about how the entire team comes together to bring the music to life.
One visual motif that’s been appearing in the past few issues is this cloud of memories that appear behind a character as they think about their past, and how it’s shaped them. I like that each of these clouds has its own unique palette, especially given how the easiest way to tell the turtles apart is the color of their masks. After convincing the porcupine Diamond to join the band as a drummer, Jennika’s having a little trouble playing music that really lands — until she takes a moment to focus on that cloud of yellow-tinted trauma she’s carrying with her, and channels it through her guitar into something sharper, more clearly defined but still amorphous and raw enough to feel like memories turned to heavy metal. It’s a simple trick, but an effective one, and not the only one the issue has to offer. Wavy little white lines for simple notes and the beat, warped lettering that gives me a sense of how beautiful April’s singing voice is, and how screechy Koya’s can be. Teases for next issue’s actual showdown, and I’m eager to see how it all comes together.
Of course, this issue isn’t just about the music. It’s a bringing-the-band-together, mixed with the ongoing time-travelling turtle plot — two kinds of stories I love no matter where they show up. I’m an especially big sucker for a story involving a time traveller bringing dire warnings of a dark future. The shadow of all that could go wrong hangs over every major choice the story’s character makes — and it’s a threat that almost never really goes away. Leonardo and Raphael’s hearts are broken by the choices their future selves have made, but for Jennika, it only adds to the pressure she’s under. She’s trapped between the weights of her history and her future, and right now, it looks like heavy metal — and the community she finds through it — are the only things keeping her spirit from being crushed completely.
The band she forms consists of the hog Tusk on guitar, the orca Jo on bass, the poisonous blue salamander Jay on keyboards, Diamond on drums, Koya on vocals, and of course, Jennika herself on lead guitar. I find it deeply interesting that every member of the band is someone who either has actually been a TMNT foe, or could have become so, if our protagonists had been just a little more stubborn, confrontational and willing to hold a grudge. These are all people the turtles have worked to extend an open hand to, potential enemies they’ve welcomed into their community, and I think that says great things about what the turtles are trying to build Mutant Town into.
This arc might feel like a silly diversion from the main plot, but it’s being used well. Elements from this will doubtless influence the story far down the line, and the themes the series has been building up are being put to excellent use. I’m now going to pump myself up for next month’s issue by scouring YouTube for heavy metal versions of the animated TMNT theme song — or even just some heavy metal in general. Readers, send me your recommendations.
