Writers: Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell
Artists: Mateus Santolouco, Mike Henderson, Sophie Campbell, Pablo Tunica, Zach Howard, Cory Smith & Joylon Yates
Colorist: Ronda Pattison
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Cover Artist: James Biggie
Editors: Maggie Howell & Nicolas Niño
Design & Production: Sandy Tanaka
Publisher: IDW
Price: $6.99
Release Date: September 4, 2024
TMNT (2011) #24: Story
In City Fall: Part III, Oroku Karai yearns to prove herself. Shredder promises his granddaughter that she will bathe her katana in blood today. On a rooftop, Old Hob, Donatello, Splinter, and Rafael gaze down on a warehouse. Donatello and Rafael aren't sure they can trust Old Hob, but Splinter believes Old Hob knows where Leonardo is. After Michelangelo befriends the hulking turtle Slash, Rafael and Donatello's instincts prove correct when Old Hob leads them into the dark warehouse and locks them inside.
This first story in TMNT Best Of Dark Leo #1 shows Shredder consumed by the past. Angry with his rival, he turns Leonardo against Splinter and his family. Shredder fails to live up to his promise to his granddaughter. City Fall: Part III puts Splinter and the turtles through an emotional meatgrinder as Leonardo disowns his family and declares that Shredder is his master.
TMNT (2011) #24: Art
In City Fall: Part III, Karai fights through time-lapse photos. She stands beside Shredder while Alopex takes her grandfather's opposite side. A metal helmet and black mask obscure Shredder's features, while Karai and Alopex wear masks of anger. Rafael and Donatello’s faces reveal their pain and uncertainty, while Michelangelo’s expression shines with his belief in the transformative power of kindness. Dark Leo reveals the soul-robbing power of anger and revenge with his frown and the blue mask he tosses to Splinter.
TMNT (2011) #29: Story
In Northampton: Part 1, April O'Neil takes Casey Jones to meet her parents. Recent events in New York have left everyone reeling, so she's bringing the turtles and Splinter along. She sets Splinter and the turtles up in the barn. Then, Alopex appears. She claims that she fled New York after a fight with Shredder and is no longer a member of the Foot Clan. This shift in loyalties is something she shares with Leonardo, as he still struggles to separate memories of his family from Shredder's programming.
This second story in TMNT Best Of Dark Leo #1 navigates the difficulties in family and relationships. As Casey speaks with his mother in a dream in TMNT #24, Leo seeks harmony with his mother in TMNT #29. But fathers loom larger in Northampton: Part 1. Casey feels estranged from his father. Leonardo still disowns Splinter as his father, and Alopex no longer views Shredder as her master. While April's mother wears a brave face, her husband recovers from a stroke. April worries that the turtles will disturb the harmonious environment her parents sought to facilitate her dad's recovery. Still, recent events at Stockgen and something April says arouse her mother's concerns.
TMNT (2011) #29: Art
The art in Northampton: Part 1 gives the Turtles' idyll in the woods a homespun appearance. April looks young and innocent, her tousled hair restrained by a ponytail. Black cloth covers Leonardo's arms and legs. A black utility belt adorns his waist. Green turtle faces frame a yellowed depiction of the subsequent fight, while the orange and green foliage give the woods an autumnal glow. After Alopex shares her departure from the Foot Clan in a blue and white montage, Leonardo's memories unfold in beige tones while he kneels beside a dark lake and gazes at the moon in the purple sky.
TMNT (2011) #132: Story
The Turtles miss Splinter. In his absence, Shredder leads them. The overturning of their longstanding feud with the leader of the Foot Clan fills the Turtles with uncertainty. But no one struggles more than Leonardo. Dark Leo inhabits his mind and makes him doubt his leadership skills. The Turtles have mastered martial arts. Now, Shredder instructs them in the spiritual aspects of being a ninja. Their journey is an inward one. Donatello, Michelangelo, Rafael, and Jennika need an altered perspective. But Leonardo must utilize what he learns to battle Dark Leo for mastery of his soul.
TMNT (2011) #132: Art
Leonardo walks through the woods in this third story in TMNT Best Of Dark Leo #1. Dark Leo perches in the branches of a barren tree. Then he leaps down and battles Leonardo. Shredder left his costume behind. He sinches his black hair into a ponytail. Clad in a purple robe, Shredder follows Yoda's example and guides the Turtles through the jungle. While Porgs gently glide around the Turtles, these otherworldly spirits help the Turtles create glowing statues. Shredder instructs them amid a purple haze of darkness and the greenery of Northampton. As the cover promises, an evening communing around a campfire turns the fire blue and summons the spirit of their former master.
TMNT Deviations #1: Story
In this final story in TMNT Best Of Dark Leo #1, darkness falls on the Turtles. Under Kitsune's spell, they seek out their former master. Old Hob helps them capture Splinter. This alternate-world story probes the darker nature of ourselves. Without Splinter's restraint, Dark Leo, Rafael, Donatello, and Michelangelo have accomplished what Shredder's other ninjas could not. The Turtles have subdued all the gangs of New York. Shredder controls the city. But the Turtles' rise means others fall, and loyal soldiers like Karai and Alopex have something to say about that. A surprising turn for Casey's father and Old Hob and Slash’s return forms a satisfying conclusion to this four-part collection.
TMNT Deviations #1: Art
The Turtles crouch in darkness. Black masks and red bandanas obscure their features as they fight. Only their weapons signal their identities. Splinter has never appeared more vulnerable than in this brutal street fight where his sons wear Shredder's emblem. Dark reds, blues, and purples accompany the highly detailed penciling as the Turtles punish their former master. Shredder sits on a golden throne borrowed from Ming The Merciless. Kitsune frowns beside him, but Shredder lifts his clawed hand to silence her concerns as Karai and Alopex observe the confrontation in the blued distance within a green wood panel hall.
Shawn Lee casts large uppercase letters into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes in TMNT Best Of Dark Leo #1. The font size and line spacing make for easy reading. The lettering master also heightens the action with sound effects. Thanks to my compadres at IDW for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Leonardo confronts the darker side of his nature in TMNT Best Of Dark Leo #1. The stories contemplate the role of fatherhood in our lives and reveal Master Splinter's centrality to the TMNT Universe.
Rating 9.8/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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