WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #101, by Sophie Campbell, Ronda Pattinson and Shawn Lee, on sale now from IDW Publishing.
Jumping into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the midst of its 35th anniversary is daunting, but with a new cartoonist on the IDW series — Sophie Campbell — starting with TMNT #101 is actually really easy. IDW just released a second printing of the issue, so readers who missed it the first time around can pick it up now and dive in.
Originally created by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have become a cultural staple since they being one of the hottest selling toys of the '80s. Getting into the franchise has seemed like an impossible task because of the amount of content out there -- with issue #101, everyone can find their starting point to turtle power.
Campbell’s script and art in TMNT #101 are complemented by Ronda Pattinson’s colors and Shawn Lee’s letters. Campbell took over as the head writer in this issue after working on and off the series for some time. She is also the co-creator of Jennika, the first female turtle, with Tom Waltz. TMNT #101 opens with a family who has just suffered a major loss. There is no text on the first two pages, but Campbell's art depicts a group of characters who are struggling hard -- a family unit that was once sewn taut is now splitting at the seams.
Meanwhile, a large sector of New York City has been quarantined because of a mutagenic gene that turned ordinary humans into mutants. Officials build large walls to contain the infected, which leads to ongoing turmoils. These stories intertwine as Donatello explains what has been happening in the six months since the death of Master Splinter. He, Leonardo and Mikey struggle with the loss in their own quiet manner at home. Raphael broke off and went to the quarantine zone to help and Jenny is traveling between the turtle’s farm and the city to find somewhere she belongs. Jenny serves as the issue's POV character as she deals with the downtrodden turtles and threats in the mutant zone. TMNT #101 feels like the start of a brand new era in the Turtles' lives and the perfect place to start reading.
TMNT #101 is a great jumping-on point for new readers because it provides just enough background information from the first 100 issues while also setting up a new arc. Readers looking for a good place to get into TMNT who don't want to back-read can grab a slice of ‘za and start with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #101. Campbell’s vision for the series is apparent and it’s definitely worth checking out.