From writer Alex Paknadel (Redfork, Carnage) and artist Amancay Nahuelpan comes the solo return of our favorite hockey mask-wearing vigilante in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1. Featuring color art by Luis Antonio Delgado and lettering from Darran Robinson, this first issue does a fantastic job of feeling like something straight out of the classic era of TMNT comics while still offering plenty for new readers to latch onto. With a compelling, fun script and stellar visual work, this opening issue is a must-read for both longtime TMNT fans and curious new readers alike.

“Casey Jones was shot by D.A. Hale, he’s awake, and he has a second chance at life. Instead of taking things slow and smelling the flowers, he’s jumping headfirst into the action. Casey is hitting the streets and doing everything he can to protect the people of New York City, but those closest to him think he’s pushing too hard. April O’Neil and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, especially Casey’s closest friend Raphael, are concerned. Things are only going to get worse as a new strain of mutagen starts changing the shape of New York City, and a brand-new villain threatens everything Casey believes in.”

Writing & Plot

Alex Paknadel shows his clear understanding of what makes Eastman and Laird’s world work in TMNT: Casey Jones #1. Building off of the story being told in Jason Aaron’s main Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story, Casey Jones rejoins the fight protecting the innocent people of Mutant Town after taking a bullet from a corrupt official. Now, a mysterious new threat hides in the background, capturing mutants and giving out a twisted new strain of mutagen. Every part of this comic oozes (heh) classic TMNT goodness, and Casey himself is in peak form. Paknadel’s banter fits right in with the characterizations of each classic hero, and his actual plot-progressing dialogue nails the tone as well. Every page with Jones and the Heroes in a Half-Shell is full of the exact attitude lonetime fans would expect, but the writing also stays genuinely compelling. The evil being done in the story feels like something we’ve absolutely seen before in TMNT stories or even in X-Men, but that doesn’t keep it from being tense and engaging. In fact, this entire treatment of the Turtles, their allies, and the people of Mutant Town is very X-Men-coded, but that’s probably one of the things that helps the overall plot stay so interesting. Overall, Paknadel nails this opening issue with a script that is a blast to read and will doubtless make readers hyped for the following chapters.

Art Direction

While all of the recent TMNT comics have had great visual direction, Amancay Nahuelpan‘s pencils in TMNT: Casey Jones #1 may establish this book as the best looking issue of the current era. Nahuelpan’s character designs and animations are clean and full of detail, but also have an edge and dimension to them that make this book feel like something out of the 90’s. Casey’s design under Nahuelpan’s style is still timelessly kickass, and seeing him in action beating on goons is an absolute treat in this comic. In fact, all of the characters major and minor look stellar, having designs that fit with the tone of the comic but while also feeling like people. That latter part is especially important when drawing the mutant characters in this story. Nahuelpan’s excellent character aminations help raise the stakes as we see how the people in Mutant Town are being victimized by this new enemy, and makes us root for Casey and the boys that much more. The action choreography goes hard in this comic as well, with each page of fight scenes having poster-worthy poses and making Casey as badass as possible. His pencils are given life and dimension by Luis Antonio Delgado’s excellent color art. Delgado’s work here is dense, with a focus on the darker end of the color palette that blends perfectly with Nahuelpan’s shading. Again, it’s a visual presentation that emulates the 90’s era of Turtles comics but with modern techniques, and it does a stellar job of placing readers in that classic TMNT world.

Verdict

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1 is a blast of a start to this reintroduction of a beloved vigilante. Alex Paknadel’s script nails Jones’ attitude and that of the entire TMNT cast, and his new villains offer stakes at a level that makes the wait for the next chapter especially painful. The visuals from Amancay Nahuelpan and Luis Antonio Delgado take readers right back to the 90’s with a visual style that feels like an homage to Eastman and Laird’s original run while still offering up their own visual spin on these characters. Be sure to grab this debut issue when it hits shelves on September 17th!