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IDW TMNT # 45

By Mark Rodriguez

It's been a while since I've read this series, so it's time to jump back in an catch up with the Turtles as they head for the road of the big 100.

Donatello just had his shell busted open by Rocksteady's sledgehammer on Shredder's orders. The rest of the gang are on Burnow Island in the cross fire of all our war between Shredder and Krang's forces. Even if they survive the battle... have the Turtles really lost one of the brothers?


The issue opens with Donatello waking up and seeing his human mother Tang Shen in the afterlife. Elsewhere, Fugitoid returns from Dimension X to tell everyone about how Krang was safely locked away, and sees the gang gathered around Donatello. Raph tells him that the Foot killed him, but Fugitoid could sense minor vital signs. He tells the turtles to take Donnie in Harold's cooling unit to slow his metabolism down. Fugitoid has an idea and tells Harold he needs him to teleport him to Burnow Island for something he needs right away. He tells him that Don isn't dead yet. Harold calls this insanity. Splinter overhears this and begins to meditate, trying to reach Donnie in the astral plane where he encounters a big maze.


Bebop and Rocksteady tell Karai that they can't find Hun anywhere. Karai tells them she won't know  tell Shredder whether he was killed or he deserted them. Koya and Bludgeon appear and tell her that Shredder is gone after the battle against Krang in Burnow Island. Karai says they will assume Shredder is dead for the time being and she will take over the Foot. She says they paid a big price for trusting outsiders, in this case Donatello, and will now check throughout their ranks to weed out any traitors and cowards.

Meanwhile the Purple Dragons are attacking people, until suddenly Casey Jones appears, hockey mask, weapons and all, and brutally takes them down. The Dragons run off, threatening to return and Casey tells them he'll be glad to kick their asses again. The store owner thanks him and Casey reminds him that the neighborhood belongs to them, not the gangs. The man warns Casey that they were with a larger guy, and Casey turns to see Hun about to rob The Second Time Around store.

In the astral plane, Don is confused by his new surroundings and asks where he is. Tang Shen tells him that the real question is where is he going. Fugitoid and Harold work on a device connected to Donatello, and despite Harold's usual grumpy and rude behavior, he shows concern for the fallen turtle.

The Turtles, Alopex and Angel wait outside and Raph loses his patience, assuming the worst. Raph says that Splinter was right and they should have just gone after Shredder. The Technodrome is destroyed but Krang is still alive and the Shredder's whereabouts are unknown and Donnie is dying. Mikey snaps at Raph and tells him that his attitude is making things worse. They saved the world and stopped the Technodrome the way Donnie wanted them to. Raph storms off, and Leo says he agrees and they have to deal with Shredder and if he's still alive they'll make him wish he wasn't.


Speaking of which, Shredder wakes up in Baxter's penthouse. He grabs the scientist and demands answers and Baxter reminds him of the business arrangement they agreed to before he passed out. If Shredder refuses, Baxter will have his flyborgs knock him off the top of the penthouse. Shredder agrees to listen to his terms as long as their first order of business is to take out Splinter and the Turtles.

Tang Shen tells Donnie that he has to choose between the comforting and reassuring light (death) or the mysterious unknown of the dark (life). Splinter arrives and tells Donnie that his family still needs him. Don suddenly wakes up to find out that Fugitoid and Harold have put his consciousness into the body of Metalhead!


My Opinions-

This is a pretty good issue as the character get to deal with the violent aftermath of their battle. I expected Raph to lash out in anger but I was surprised Mikey stepped up to shut him up. I will always love this version of Mikey since he always speaks up for himself and helps to keep his brothers in line when they're overcome with emotion. While other version do this, they still try so hard to keep the 'party dude' angle and play it off as 'the comedic character is trying so hard to sound serious for this serious moment but is still like, comedic dude', while in IDW, Mikey's outbursts are played completely straight.

Donatello lives on in Metalhead, though it's never made clear exactly what is being transferred into the machine. His soul? His consciousness? His brain waves? Seeing that Donnie got to see Tang Shen in the afterlife, I'm betting it's the soul, but surely Fugitoid and Harold aren't working on a soul-transfer device? One point worth mentioning is that of the Turtles, Donnie was the one that mostly rejected the idea that they were reincarnated children from 16th century Japan, but now he got to see his mother. I wonder if that experience will stay with him in future issues.

It's always cool to see Casey back in action as he still has unfinished business with his father. I remember the fanbase being happy to see Casey back to his hockey mask and sports weapons, kicking ass and taking names. He reminds us that while the Turtles are facing alien threats and ninja organizations, common thugs and regular street crime are still a problem.


Baxter is extremely brave to not just rescue Shredder but remind him that in his wounded state, he's the one in charge. I wonder what plans Baxter has for him and if he has anything set up to be prepared whenever he eventually tried to kill him. It's not above previous versions of Baxter to act high and mighty upon someone they're superior too, but this version just has this strong level of confidence even in the face of someone that will not hesitate to cut you down.

For those that still haven't read this series, we'll see what happens next together as I re-read these issues. I have to credit to IDW for somehow making Shredder look so adorable while sleeping.


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