TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #112, available in comic book stores on Wednesday, December 9th, takes readers on a tour of the inner workings of Mutant Town’s community. Previous issues focused largely on action and espionage, so it’s refreshing to see a change of pace. We find that the people of Mutant Town want to take organizing action to address their grievances. And what ensues is a debate over what sort of political choices they will take going forward.
Story
Rather than jumping into a fight scene from the get-go, writer Sophie Campbell shows readers what Mutant Town has “morphed” into over the past arc: a community for the disenfranchised. The Turtles, Alopex, Sally, and other have taken it upon themselves to develop a true community for the mutants.
We then see a mutant visitor arrive in search of the support group meeting. This individual, “Jay,” is shown to be skeptical over the community’s effectiveness, but nonetheless decides to visit. 
Campbell gives Mona, Jennika, and the newcomer Jay realistic personalities, allowing readers to invest more deeply into the characters. Each character’s grievance is both personal and communal—speaking to the experience of marginalized groups in our own world. We also find their organizing efforts relatable to their real life counterparts, which includes both the comradery and sharp disagreements.
Artwork
Jodi Nishijima’s penciling and ink work, Ronda Pattison’s coloring, and Shawn Lee’s lettering crafted engaging illustrations for this issue. The personified animal styling of the mutant citizens reveal emotions, showing how characters don’t always need to be human to convey feelings. We also enjoyed the variety of colors used for each individual, showing how they each retain their own style and preferences post-mutation. And the font styles used for each character helped express their emotions through the use of bolded words to emphasize particular powerful parts of their dialogue.
Conclusion
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #112 is a great template for what community dialogue should look like. We’re excited to see how the differing groups reconcile their differences and move forward together.
Do you think the mutants will find a path forward? Let us know in the comments below!
