WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4
After being split up in their latest relaunch, the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesseries has finally brought the four brothers back together again. It’s not an entirely happy reunion, however, as something is severely wrong with Donatello.
Coming from the creative team of Jason Aaron, Chris Burnham, Brian Reber and Shawn Lee, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 continues the trend of featuring one of the four brothers in a one-off story. The latest issue focuses on Donatello, and finds the tech-obsessed Turtle in pretty dire straits.
The issue finds a weary-looking Donnie still reeling from his recent trip through time, looking very weak and emaciated. Donnie winds up getting kidnapped by a group of humans running an underground fighting ring, where captured mutants are forced to fight against other humans willing to pay top dollar for the privilege.
Donnie’s Looking the Worse for Wear in the New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Even though he’s weakened, Donnie is able to hold his own against each and every combatant who steps into the fighting ring. His mind may be shattered and his body may look frail, but Donnie proves himself to be every bit the hero he always was, as he volunteers himself for each fight so the other mutants don’t have to. Just as he organizes an escape for himself and the other captive mutants, Foot clan ninja arrive to attack, much the same way they’ve done against his brothers in the previous issues.
Leo, Mike and Raph show up just in time to see their brother standing victorious over both the Foot ninja and the humans running the mutant fighting ring, but the reunion winds up being bittersweet, at best. The other three Turtles are shocked to see Donnie in such a state, and disturbed to learn that he’s been talking to a dead rat, thinking that it’s Master Splinter come back from the dead. The issue contains an emotional gut-punch of a reunion, as it’s hard not to feel sympathy for Donnie and see his brothers have to reckon with his current state of mind.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Are Together Again, But There’s a Catch
The TMNT officially reuniting couldn’t come at a better time, as the Foot clan are revealed to be working on behalf of a new benefactor. One who wants to wipe mutants from the face of the planet, starting with the four Turtle brothers. With Donnie still picking up the pieces of his wounded psyche, the Turtle brothers have quite the fight ahead of them; not only in saving mutantkind, but also repairing their own relationship. Given the history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it’s safe to say the four brothers are more than up to the challenge.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 is on sale now from IDW Publishing
