Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is story by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Tom Waltz. The graphic novel is a post-apocalyptic revenge thriller. The story is full of action and heartache. This is not your average Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles graphic novel. First off there are no turtles but just one Ninja turtle, that is a grown up not a teenager. The Last Ronin is a mature version of the TMNT you see in the cartoons. The comics have always been more mature but this book is dark and haunting. The plot is about one ninja turtle who has survived a war with Shredder’s grandson. The lone ninja turtle wears a black mask for mourning. It also keeps the audience from knowing which ninja turtle has survived. He is haunted by his brothers who did not make it and urge him on. He finds friends along the way who survive and help him take down Shredder’s grandson. The story is told with a mix of flashbacks and an occasional time jump in the story. I loved the flashbacks, which are a mix of color and black and white. Kevin Eastman draws the black-and-white flashbacks. They take me back to when I read the original comic that started it all. The story had a lot of twists and turns that I was not expecting. The ending fight is great and I loved the way the book ended. I was let down by the villain because he was not that memorable. Baxter Stockman, the second villain, seemed more of a threat than Shredder’s Grandson. Paramount is setting up TMNT: The Last Ronin as a 2026 live-action R-rated film. I can not wait for it. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was published on July 5, 2022, by IDW Comics. The Last Ronin graphic novel contains 5 issues of The Last Ronin comics.

Plot Summary: A lone ninja turtle swims across the water to the island of a futuristic New York. He is followed by visions of his brothers who give advice and fight with him. He breaks in through the sewer and is immediately caught by robotic police that he fights. In the heart of this futuristic New York, there is a tall tower. It resembles a hybrid old Japanese mountain building and a skyscraper. That is where the turtle is heading. He makes it halfway there, fighting the whole time. Eventually, he falls and is found by a friend. The turtle and the friend work together to heal old wounds and build an army to fight Shredder’s Grandson.

What I Liked: The grittiness of the city and the location. We get to see Splinter pissed off and fighting. Splinter cuts the heads off three guys at once and it is awesome. I liked that the lone ninja turtle’s identity was hidden. And it doesn’t take too long (the end of the first issue) to reveal which ninja turtle it was. I was shocked at the reveal because I heard it was one ninja turtle, but I love the twist. I liked the ninja turtle family that was left behind. I felt like this novel was an extension of the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. I like what was done with Baxter Stockman, he was scary, and he reminded me of Brainiac a little. The two guards of Shredder’s Grandson were the best fights, in my opinion, it was my favorite moment.

What I Disliked: Shredder’s grandson is horrible and often forgettable. I read the graphic novel yesterday and couldn’t tell you the bad guy’s name. I will say he has a moment while fighting Splinter but the fight with the turtle was just okay. I wish the fight was just in New York, not Japan too.

Recommendation: I have been a big fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My interest started with the 1987 cartoon. I was 7 at that time. For the first live movie, I wore out the VHS tape. The Last Ronin is the Ninja Turtles comic that 44-year-old me loves. It is a great ending to 38 years of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It also marks a new beginning for another generation. This comic is the Old Man Logan for the Ninja Turtles and it is great. If you are a fan of the ninja turtles, you will enjoy this. You will also appreciate it if you want a mature story. This story is going to get turned into a movie. If you want to get an idea of what that movie will look like, then you need to read this.

Rating: I rated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Tom Waltz 4.4 out of 5 stars.