The story so far- Casey Jones is a stand alone issue taking place between issues #12 and #13 of the monthly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These micro-series are a throwback to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series of the past. This particular story opens up with Raphael and Case doing what they do best: beating up some punks.
This particular issue was written by the team of Mike Costa and Ben Epstein, Costa has previously worked on IDW’s Transformers (2009) and G.I. Joe: Cobra (2010). I have been a fan of Costa since reading his work on Transformers: All Hail Megatron, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was writing this book. He captured the witty banter between Raphael and Casey to a T. Not only does he depict their camaraderie, he also shows a depth to Casey that hasn’t been shown until recently. Fans of the current series will know the changes made to Casey and his story, and Costa does a great job of elaborating on this history. In the original stories Casey is an extremely violent character, this take however shows that he is able to control himself and his emotions, even in situations that require more restraint than many of us could ever muster.
The task of drawing this issue was given to Mike Henderson, who worked on IDW’s Ghostbusters (2011) and also on Marvel’s flagship character Spider-man in Amazing Spider-man: A Meal to Die For, a 2011 digital exclusive. While not my favorite art, it suits the issue very well. For fans of the original TMNT comics, you will enjoy the darkness and grittiness of the art. Growing up on TMNT I find myself very picky with how the Turtles are drawn, Henderson does a fantastic job with Raphael (and the other turtles later on as well). His work on the human characters is not my preferred style, but he does quite well with the expressions of the characters. The flashback scenes have the perfect tone and his use of shadows brings out the feel of the original series for me.
I feel that this story has a great sense of humanity to it. It deals with a feeling everyone has felt at some time in his or her life. Seeing the conflict inside Casey Jones as he deals with issues at home, on the streets, at school, is something many of us can identify with. This book should please fans from the original Teenage Mutant Turtles all the way to the current generation of fans who have just be introduced to the newest incarnation of these classic characters.
My Verdict: BUY IT
