Writer: Alex Paknadel
Artist: Amancay Nahuelpan
Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado
Letterer: Darran Robinson
Cover Artists: Amancay Nahuelpan & Louis Antonio Delgado; Nikola Čižmešija; Jared Cullum
Editor: Dave Wielgosz
Publisher: IDW
Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 19, 2025
Casey Jones is tired of being coddled. So what if he nearly died? He wants to resume his patrols, protect people, and combat crime. But April O’Neil won’t let him. So, one hot night, while she sleeps on his couch, Casey slips his shirt over his bandaged waist and heads out to prove he still has what it takes. Unfortunately, when Casey runs into Link and Chun from the Purple Dragons, he needs his friends to rescue him.
Like April, Raphael worries that Casey is trying to run before he can walk. And when Casey asks little Annabel why Chun and Link attacked her, he shouts and demands. How will April react to his defiance? And can Casey find Annabel's father? Let's grab our masks and clubs, leap into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #2, and see!
Story
When April awakens, she follows a trail of blood to the bathroom. There she finds her worst fear realized. Casey is stitching up his side. He is so traumatized by the shooting that he is going out and finishing the job that District Attorney Hieronymus Hale started. Casey begs for her to understand he needs this. But April can’t face another vigil in the ICU, let alone a worse eventuality.
Unfortunately, walking out of his life frees Casey to pursue his investigation. When Casey doesn't return her calls, April turns to Raphael. Casey gave the Turtle a piece of his mind when Raph tried to help him see sense. Perhaps more than April, Raphael understands the powerlessness Casey feels, and his desperation to reclaim his self-confidence.
As Casey searches for Annabel’s father, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #2 explains events surrounding the night hunt at Bear Mountain State Park. While revealing the fate of Annabel's father, it also shows how Becky and Yuri fare following their abduction. Alex Paknadel’s story reinforces April and the Turtles’ belief that Casey is trying too hard. But Casey senses a greater danger underlying the missing mutants. And after Chun used a new drug to slam him into a tree, Casey knows that such wonders come with a heavy price.
Art
April’s eyes widen when she finds Casey on the blood-splattered tile floor. The cotton balls near a bottle of isopropyl alcohol evoke dislodged eyeballs. Electricity surges through Yuri as the Avian Mutant gets the forked end of his captor’s cattle prod. The metal enclosure in the larger warehouse reinforces how their abductor views his captives. A three-piece suit and wide-brimmed hat complete the image of a gentleman hunter.
Luis Antonio Delgado lavishes a nuanced palette on Amancay Nahuelpan’s art in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #2. Casey’s orange sleeveless hoodie links him with April’s yellow-orange hair. A yellow glow fills the background as Casey searches for answers, while sepia spectators cheer him on. The red sky over an abandoned church presages the red soda can and pepperoni pizza as green fingers clutch a red mask. While a white informant with rainbow hair responds to Casey's questions, another furry white Mutant preys on his community to gain the acceptance of his Human peers.
Darran Robinson fills white balloons and colored narrative boxes with uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. Raised voices swell letters and make balloons spiky. Sound effects highlight April’s concern, Casey giving as good as he gets, and a Mutant crushing his master’s gift in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #2. Thanks to IDW for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
When police fail to protect endangered Mutants, the lines between right and wrong blur. Raphael believes he knows where to stand. But Casey senses a danger threatening the community he strives to protect. So, he ignores conventional boundaries and aligns himself with specters of his past in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #2.
Rating 9.4/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
For how this series began see my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones #1.
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