Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #46

 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #46
Written by Tom Waltz
Art by Mateus Santoluco
Colors by Ronda Pattison

They tried to keep things quiet and cool, they really did, but trouble always finds the turtles, no matter how hard they try to avoid it.  The theme of this issue is definitely non-violence, with most of the cast spending time reconnecting with each other and picking up the pieces left over from the attack on the technodrome. They spent last issue recovering too, but here, they’re not even really regrouping. They just want to relax, worry about Donnie and eat pizza. Michelangelo spells it all out for the readers with his meeting with Woody the pizza boy. “It’s just that we beat Krang, and we’re pretty sure Shredder too, and still the first thing our dad’s got us doin’ is lookin for where the next’s trouble’s gonna come from. It’s like, what’s the point, dude?”

That’s superhero comics for ya, Mikey. Hate to break it to ya, but your own superhero comic is set to end in four issues, so there’s bound to be trouble galore in your future. The troubles are only hinted at in this issue, but with a slow burn like this, things are bound to explode by the end.

The sense of dread has grown stronger this issue. While issue #45 was chiefly concerned with the fate of Donatello, this one devotes an ample amount of page space to catching up with all the villains. Karai is getting ready to rebrand the Foot Clan as her own, Shredder and Stockman are furthering their partnership, and even Hun reappears to reform his old gang, now that he’s no longer part of Shredder’s empire.

The bits of Hun this issue might be my favorite part of the story.  Hun has long been the scummiest, lowliest character in this series, and this issue finds him drunk again, trying to reconnect with Casey, because now that there’s no longer a hit out on him, they can be a family again. Obviously, Casey is not into the idea, and they send Hun packing.

After the technodrome affair, a creep like Hun just seems kind of pitiful. I didn’t think I’d ever see abusive, alcoholic parents played for laughs, but this comic pulls it off because it also shows us the power Casey gains from his new family unit. It’s not particularly nuanced, but it is very smart. It’s not common to see protagonist and antagonist agree to disagree and walk away without a fight. However, this issue’s finale promises at least one fight of epic proportions next month. The peace and quiet was fun while it lasted, but now it’s time for the mayhem.