Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 20/20 review: Future Utrom war
By Alex Widen
A vision of 20 years in the future! Will the Utrom War with Earth claim Europe in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 20/20 One-Shot?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 20/20 One-Shot
Writer: Paul Allor
Artist/Inker/Colorist: Nelson Daniel
Editor: Bobby Curnow
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As new editor-in-chief John Barber says in his monthly editorial column, this is a huge year for IDW Publishing. Formed in 1999 out of the ashes of Jim Lee’s sale of Wildstorm Productions to DC Comics, one of the first major comic titles published under their banner was Steve Niles’ 30 Days Of Night. In the two decades since, the company has attained a catalog of licensed titles alongside creator-owned projects, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (with its co-creator, Kevin Eastman, involved in monthly issues). The company has eked its way into being one of the direct market’s top five (often at No. 4, behind Image Comics), supplanting Dark Horse Comics’ position.
Image by IDW Publishing
In celebration, IDW is releasing a line of “20/20” themed one-shots. It crafts a tale set within the continuity of one of their licensed titles set either 20 years in the future, or the past. In the Ninja Turtles’ case, it is a glimpse of what the year 2039 will look like for the heroes in a half shell. The series’ unofficial 4th writer Paul Allor envisions a prolonged Utrom War for planet Earth. The Turtles themselves more or less look the same, but the world around them has greatly changed.
Image by IDW Publishing
How Many Miles per Gallon Does a Flying Van Get?
The Ninja Turtles have been forced to take the Utrom War outside of New York City and into Europe. Their ally Sally Pride is leading a resistance movement of “Pride Fighters,” consisting of mutants, Triceratons, and (presumably) humans. Armies of Utroms march openly in cities around the world, supported by their advanced Dimension X technology. Michelangelo is leading his brothers via flying Turtle-Van towards a possible last stand in Italy, their namesakes’ homeland.
Image by IDW Publishing
Years earlier as teenagers, the Turtles prevented the Utrom warlord Krang from using his Technodrome to transform the Earth’s atmosphere into that of his homeworld, Utrominion. Yet now, the Utrom armies seek to raise another Technodrome in Italy. As the Pride Fighters attack a back-up elsewhere, the remaining Turtles steal into the ancient city. And while none of them bare bodily scars or cybernetics as is typical of visions of the future, all is not the same as it once was.
Image by IDW Publishing
Donatello, who once acted as an ambassador between Earth and the Utrom Empire, has been captured and may possibly be dead. As badly as his brothers want to save him, finding the Technodrome is a higher priority. And Michelangelo has been forced to assume command of their team due to Leonardo losing himself in his own mental exercises. He’s gained the ability to assume astral form at will and travel vast distances, but has become equally distant to those around him.
Image by IDW Publishing
Can the Turtles Defeat an Utrom Army?
Raphael remains as he ever was, the Turtles’ tactician and brute force. Pepperoni, his time flung pet dinosaur, has now grown to full size and can now aid them in battle. Raph suggests they begin the battle in an alley, so that they might fight the Utrom army in smaller batches at a time. As Mikey, Raph, and Pepperoni provide a diversion, Leonardo is supposed to use his astral projection to find the Technodrome. He remains torn between aiding his bros and focusing on the mission.
Image by IDW Publishing
Fortunately, what Mikey’s team lacks in strategy they make up for in luck. Donatello happens to have escaped captivity, and has assembled a small band of Utrom rebels as a cavalry. The foursome have been reunited, but not in time to prevent the Technodrome from being revealed. While Donatello had arranged for explosives to be planted within the war machine, he was captured before they could be armed. That leaves Leonardo to beam in and set them all off!
Image by IDW Publishing
For a fleeting moment, the Adult Mutant Ninja Turtles achieve a victory. The Technodrome is destroyed and the Utrom army is fleeing from Italy so fast that they’ve left their dead and wounded behind. Yet it is from one of those wounded Utrom soldiers that Michelangelo learns how fleeting their victories were. The Italian Technodrome wasn’t only one of an entire armada of Technodromes scattered across the globe. They may have won a battle, yet may lose the war.
Image by IDW Publishing
Another Allor-ing Ninja Turtles Script!
Despite this, the tone of the piece ends on a high note. As Michelangelo boldly proclaims, they’ve been fighting impossible odds their entire lives. And they’re not alone, with the Pride Fighters and even Harold Lilja’s robot soldiers backing them up. Donatello was rescued and Leonardo has managed to focus on aiding his brothers more than finding his Zen, at least for now. With one famous European city liberated, it’s time to take others back one at a time. Next stop — Paris!
Image by IDW Publishing
Paul Allor has written tons of TMNT material under IDW’s main continuity, from one-shots and mini’s to multiple arcs in TMNT Universe. Aside for Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman, no one has written more TMNT for IDW than Allor. In fact, he’s an easy pick to take over the main TMNT series if and when Waltz and Eastman decide to call it a run. He’s added tons of characters and story-lines to their canon, including the origin of Krang and new creations like Zodi the mutant scorpion.
Image by IDW Publishing
Allor’s challenge here is to present a glimpse at the future which ties into the main TMNT stories without emulating what has been done before. The most famous “dark future” episode of an animated Ninja Turtles cartoon was “Same As It Never Was,” which aired in the third season of the 2003 era cartoon. Yet even the original 1987 animated series offered at least two episodes centered around a glimpse at the Turtles’ future. Often times the titular Turtles were shown as scarred, mutilated, embittered, or just plain old (and played for laughs). Allor does none of this.
Image by IDW Publishing
Can Leonardo Become Too Zen?
Instead he expands a bit on his last arc for TMNT Universe which saw Donatello attempting to broker peace between the Utroms and Triceratons on Burnow Island. In addition, it follows up on the Turtles’ meddling with the Utrom Empire and Dimension X politics, which came to a head in 2017. It led directly to the Triceratons “invading” New York and Agent Bishop manipulating them into war. This future envisions such intergalactic efforts backfiring on the Earth greatly.
Image by IDW Publishing
Yet despite the high stakes, the Turtles themselves haven’t drastically changed, just grown older. While Michelangelo has become a tad more mature and pragmatic in his role as leader, he still has the best sense of humor of the bunch. Raphael remains eager to fight, and Donatello is still the big brain. If any of the Turtles see a “dark” side, it is Leonardo. The sight of him losing sight of everything around him for the sake of the astral plane certainly makes for some dramatic scenes!
Image by IDW Publishing
In some ways, this incarnation of Leonardo reminds me a little bit of Marvel’s Doctor Strange, who at times was similarly disconnected with “the real world.” Out of all of the Turtles, Leo has been the most eager to explore psychic powers in the name of combating the Pantheon. Yet here we see that his innate mastery of it comes with a heavy price. If existing in the physical plane becomes optional, it can be easy to lose focus on nearly everything. As always, however, Leonardo’s bond to his brothers remains his anchor.
Image by IDW Publishing
Pepperoni Is Still Adorable, Even at Volkswagen Size!
Nelson Daniel provides the solo art chores for his extra sized issue. His work last graced this franchise in TMNT Universe‘s final issue in August. That issue dealt heavily with Leonardo’s astral training, so it is a tad poetic that he’d get to draw a glimpse of its consequences. By and large Allor gives him an action spectacular to work with, and Daniel doesn’t disappoint. The Italian setting gives Daniel something different to work with, and he draws Pepperoni almost as well as Sophie Campbell, her creator. Seeing her get to wear a mask and charge into battle was a treat!
Image by IDW Publishing
Daniel doesn’t drastically alter the Turtles’ here. Donnie’s gained some shoulder pads and Leo has a hooded cloak, and Raph looks slightly more muscular. That is likely a visual way of enforcing Allor’s primary message here — that the Turtles are timeless. It doesn’t matter what challenges they face, or even how hopeless the fight may seem on a grander scale. They may change, but their foundation isn’t broken. Their bond between them will be their greatest strength, and no matter what, they’ll find each other. And so long as they have that, no odds seem impossible.
Image by IDW Publishing
Next. See a Splinter Christmas Carol in TMNT No. 89!. dark
In fact if there was one demerit, it is that there was no grand villain of the peace. It might have been interesting to see Ch’Rell as the new leader of the Utrom Empire. Or even if the hordes are being led or manipulated by other forces, such as Maligna or even Kitsune. On the other hand, this is a one-shot which ultimately triumphs without such a trope. The artwork is spectacular, with vibrant colors. And the overall message of the Turtles eagerly facing any situation so long as they’re together it gets to the heart of the franchise. A great way to celebrate 20 years of IDW!