Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1 Review

 

Writer: Alex Paknadel

Artist: Amancay Nahuelpan

Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado

Letterer: Darran Robinson

Cover Artists: Amancay Nahuelpan & Louis Antonio Delgado; Danny Earls & Jão Canola; Mike Henderson & Adam Guzowski

Editors: Andy Khouri & Dave Wielgosz

Publisher: IDW

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 10, 2025

 

As the moon shines down on Bear Mountain State Park, a man whistles, and his dogs charge. Each dog races to reach their target first. But when they find it and sink their teeth into its scaly hide, another whistle calls them off. The dogs move aside as their masters approach. As he instructs Simon to kill their quarry, the man assures the boy that there's nothing wrong with ending another person's life. What does this man have against mutants? And why does he equate murder with mercy? Let's grab our masks and clubs, leap into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1, and see!

 

Story

Every time Casey goes to sleep, the nightmare returns. District Attorney Hieronymus Hale smiles as he shoots him. Tonight, Casey awakens in a sweat. But it’s not just the recurring dream. The temperature has risen in the city. Even at night, it doesn’t cool down. And as temperatures rise, tempers fray. The heat wave gives Casey the determination to do what he’s yearned to do for the last few weeks. His city needs him. So, Casey grabs his gear and heads out to protect people from aggressors in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1.

 

Alex Paknadel switches perspectives amid scenes as he relates his story about a “merciful” hunter. But like the full moon, the spotlight shines on Casey through most of the debut issue. Members of Casey's former gang recognize his mask. Casey feels good enough to patrol. But he hasn’t recovered physically or psychologically from being shot. Now, as Casey seeks to protect a mutant from members of the Purple Dragons, he must also deal with their anger for abandoning them.

 

While Casey fights to protect a young mutant from the gang, he must once again decide where he belongs. Casey has found a new family with the Turtles and April O'Neil. But April has been mothering him while he recovers. He only escaped her clutches because she had fallen asleep on his couch. Casey wants to be with Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael. But he doesn't want his friends to limit him. Hieronymus Hale's attack has wounded and traumatized him. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1, Casey needs to prove to himself that he can get past that and resume the life he loves.

 

Art

Spindly, scaly fingers stretch for the shore amid white streaks. Silhouettes of hounds watch with glowing white eyes beneath the stars in the green night sky. The hounds bare their teeth as they race toward their muzzled prey.

 

When Amancay Nahuelpan transports us to an apartment, pigeons scatter outside as Casey rises. A grid of pink squares behind Casey suggests a skylight. Buildings glow yellow beyond his window. Casey clutches the white tape circling his torso as he perches on the edge of his bed. He eyes his clubs and mask leaning against the grey-blue wall. Then, Casey switches off a TV reporter interviewing a woman in a black dress attending a red-carpet premiere.

 

Luis Antonio Delgado shows Casey battling villains in the green and blue park beneath a starry black sky. Yellow, orange, and red overtake panels as weapons slash and crash, and Casey delivers flying kicks. Lights glow behind Casey as he kneels before a young mutant. She has large yellow eyes like the mutant hunted in Bear Mountain State Park. Her jaw opens wide, and her ears stand erect, as a villain delivers a savage blow that creates an orange starburst in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1.

 

Darran Robinson fills balloons and colored narrative boxes with uppercase letters of varying sizes. Sound effects heighten every moment of the chase, Casey’s awakening, his battle in the park, and weapons hooking chains and spilling blood. Yet the repeated scene of Hieronimus Hale smiling and pointing a pistol between Casey's gloved, upraised hands requires no words to communicate its intent. Thanks to IDW for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Casey Jones has taken a beating. But he wants to prove that he's not broken. As Casey attempts a comeback by promising to help a young mutant, he faces gangs with enhanced abilities, and The Most Dangerous Game: Mutant Edition in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.