A lot changed for Mikey when he lost his turtle brothers and Master splinter. Now, the ghost of his siblings haunts him back into action in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Lost Ronin Lost Years #2 by IDW Publishing!

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE: THE LAST RONIN LOST YEARS #2

Writer: Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
Artist: SL Gallant, Maria Keane, Ben Bishop, and Kevin Eastman
Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Editor: Charles Beacham
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 15th, 2023 

Previously in TMNT: The Last Ronin Lost Years: Mickey has been in self-imposed exile for the last few years after his brothers lost the war against the Foot clan. Traveling around Japan, he discovered that a group led by someone called the Death Worm was targeting Mickey. With that reminder, the ghosts of his brothers egg him to action. Meanwhile, Casey Junior trains a new generation of turtles as successors.

TMNT: The Last Ronin Lost Years #2 begins with Michelangelo in Korea in a bar fight. The comic then backtracks to inform us how he got there. After running from Death Worm, he traveled the Japanese countryside and swam to the mainland. Having no real goal, he continues to travel with the ghosts of his brothers, trying to egg him to action. This mindless travel happens for three years until Mickey finally decides to return to New York. As a fighter, he is drastically out of shape. After a brief scuffle with some of the Death Worm’s goons, he is saved by Master Yip, who trains him in hand-to-hand combat and brings him up to fighting shape.

Another year and a half have passed, and Mickey prepares to leave for New York. However, Master Yip tells him he must die with Death Worm before he can confront his past. This leads him back to the bar in the opening pages, where he finally has a location or death worm. Meanwhile, Casey teaches an essential lesson to the young turtles about doing the right thing.

I have been having a lot of thoughts on the concept of perfection lately. As a writer, I strive to create the “one true sentence” in all my writing. When I went to school for music, I struggled to think through every note I played as I improved. I believe that this dedication would lead to significant pieces of art. In TMNT: The Last Ronin Lost Years #2, Mickey goes through the same steps. There is a sense of self-awareness in his need to train. While the training montage is small, watching him develop his skills back to where they were is fascinating. I also find it interesting that he is focusing on hand-to-hand combat. Which seems a little off-brand for the turtles. But I appreciate the willingness to master new things while also trying to manage the goading of the ghost in his head.

TMNT: The Last Ronin Lost Years #2 has a ton of different artists. Some are for pencils and art, others for the past and present. Every artist brings something unique to the table. I was impressed with the level of detail in the linework and colors. But there wasn’t a standout image to me; I just enjoyed the consistency in quality. Great work here.

I don’t think of TMNT as a riveting and emotionally engaging title. However, I relate quite a bit to TMNT: The Last Ronin Lost Years #2. The call to action and the mature response are relatable, and I want to follow his journey more. TMNT: The Last Ronin Lost Years #2 is a solid 4 out of 5 stars, and I’m impatiently waiting for the next issue.