TMNT Deviations

 By Mark Rodriguez

Here's a random one-shot comic I found at Bent Wookie back in 2016. I'm surprised I haven't covered this one here already. This takes place in an alternate version of the IDW series where the Turtles join Shredder. We turn back the clock as this takes place around the time CityFall was taking place in the regular story.

If you remember Cityfall, Shredder stabbed Casey Jones and during the commotion, Leo was captured and brainwashed by Kitsune. In this version, Casey is flat out murdered and all four Turtles were captured by Shredder and were brainwashed into working for him by Kistune.

The story opens with Old Hob, tied to a chair and beaten by the Turtles for information on how to find Splinter. He says he'll tell them how to find him if he was watch the carnage. Splinter is injured and surrounded by the Turtles. Hob, still tied to the chair, gets to watch.

Leo wants him taken down, but not killed, their master has plans for him. Splinter defends himself and tries to run for a nearby sewer hole, but is knocked down by the Turtles. Splinter says he won't fight them, but they have to fight what Kitsune has done to them. Mikey says they are not his sons and knocks him out.

The Turtles bring Splinter to Shredder and Raph is eager to kill him. Shredder says his death can wait, though Kistune suggests it's too dangerous to let him live. Shredder says noone can stop him now.

Karai and Alopex watch as the fox points out that the Turtles were promoted to Chunin where Karai is just a normal Foot Soldier since they were able to bring Splinter where she has failed. Karai knows Alopex holds no loyalty to the Shredder after he massacred her fox family in Alaska. Karai has plans to change things and asks Alopex whose side she will be on when the winds change.

Casey's dad is drinking himself to a stupor over the death of his son. He had enough and wants to gather his old boys for some payback on Shredder.

The Turtles have reported to Shredder that they have taken out all other rival gangs in the city, including the Street Phantoms, who at this point were just starting out. With the city under his control, Shredder prepares to finish things with killing Splinter.  Just then a big explosion rocks hideout, surprising Shredder and Splinter.

Slash and Hob bust in to help, as planned by Splinter. At this time Karai also reveals her betrayal and strikes Shredder with her sword. The Shredder blocks it with his own sword and orders the Turtles and the Foot to attack. Kistune says Splinter was foolish for thinking his group could save him. Splinter reveals that he is here to save his sons.

Suddenly, Casey's dad and his boys come in shooting up the place. Karai and Alopex attack the Shredder but are quickly killed by him. Hob tries to talk some sense into the Turtles, but Raph tosses a sai into the mutant cat, killing him.

Splinter and Kitsune battle it out in the astral plane, and just when it looks like Splinter would be doomed, Tang Shen arrives to help out. Shredder is surprised to see Kistune suddenly drop dead. Slash is about to kill Raph when suddenly the Turtles turn back to normal. Slash is glad to see Mikey back to normal.

Shredder wants to kill Splinter when suddenly he is hit by a shotgun, knocking his helmet clean off. Casey's dad, calling himself Hun, and wearing Casey's gear says it's time he pays. He tosses grenades at Shredder and dies in the blast as well.

The Turtles ask Splinter what's going on, as he now lays dying. He says he is off to join his wife, and the Turtles can now enjoy their freedom. He asks what they will do with it as he dies. As the scene pans out we see that everybody else, including the Foot, Hob, Shredder, Karai and Alopex are all dead.

Um... wow. If you think the Turtles suffered enough during Cityfall, this one brings it on tenfold. Just... that ending. Everyone they knew so far is dead, including Casey, whose death kicked this off. All they literally have are each other and April, who thankfully was spared death in this story. Oh and um Slash too, I guess.

It's also interesting all the things that didn't happen since it went down this way. Casey's dad never became Hun, or at least the full fledged muscular blonde Hun, no Bebop, Rocksteady, Bludgeon and Koya. Slash never got smarter. No Mutanimals. Just so much change.

Not much to really say but wow. Also the art is epic and everything is extremely dark. It adds to the pain and sadness to seeing Splinter in pain, both emotionally and mentally as his own sons hunt him down without show of remorse. Oddly enough the Turtles still maintain their basic wisecracking personalities despite being evil. Leo still leads them, Raph is the most eager to kill. And they definitely had fun with Dark Mikey. And it's a nice nod to current continuity with having Don kill off the Street Phantoms before they had a chance to start anything.

Still... quite an epic tale, which a lot of dark and painful consequences. I guess we should be glad they only managed to kidnap Leo in the main story, huh? Since this is an esleworlds tale, the IDW Turtles are allow to kill. One of the issues some people had with CityFall was that despite Leonardo being brainwashed evil, he still wasn't allowed to kill. It would have made the story have deeper consequences if he had blood on his conscious whenever he turned back to normal.

It's a pretty big book and I thought they were gonna slip in a min-story somehow, but the rest is just extra artwork, sketches and the writer given his views on why he chose this part of the story to deviate. Interesting read.

I do have to say though since the Foot wiped out all the other criminal factions it seems the rest of New York is pretty much without any major crime, except for the random muggers and whatnot. I guess when you really think about it, the only major bad guy out there is just the Rat King, and this time Kitsune wouldn't stand in his way. Hmmm. Oh.. and Krang. Let's not forget Krang. I kinda think either way, the Turtles are screwed because now they would have to somehow defeat Krang without the help of the Foot. Yep. Everybody's screwed.