WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #111 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell, Jodi Nishijima, Ronda Pattison and Shawn Lee, on sale now.
One of the biggest problems with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Mutant Town is that months after this area of New York was quarantined off after a mutagen bomb, many folks haven't been able to reach their families. People don't know if their loved ones mutated or died, and the government isn't doing much to help.
It's why the Heroes in a Half-Shell are trying to instill a sense of warmth and family for everyone via the Splinter Dojo. But in Issue #111, Donatello's crush suffers a heartbreaking rejection that foreshadows big problems to come.
Mona's smitten with Donnie as they want to start a school together and better the youths running around Mutant Town. However, unlike the Turtle, she doesn't have her kin with her, as she's partly ashamed that she's turned into a mutated salamander. Finally, she works up the courage to call her parents, but they bombard her with questions over the phone, clearly hoping she's not a freak or monster.
Frustrated, she just wants to video call as she wants to show them she's still human, but as she hits the button, their reaction is the worst possible. Her mom screams and they end the call, causing her to smash her cellphone and break down. Luckily, Sally drops by and Mona has a shoulder to cry on, but this is atypical of the hurt many mutants are going through in the zone.
This depression isn't easy to get over as they feel alone, which could harm the ambition of Mona and others like her who want to do good. Seeing as they may have to live like this permanently, they need acceptance and if family, as well as society, shun or abandon them like this, it's bad news. It derails the Turtles' mission of unity as well, as it could turn mutants against humanity.
We know Karai's back with the Foot Clan, looking for mutant recruits, especially as her deal with the likes of Old Hob and Koya isn't going according to plan. Rejected and dejected mutants could rally to her cause, and worse yet, those who are vulnerable and become isolated are at greater risk of being kidnapped by Baxter Stockman for the secret experiments he's running.
April wants to help the Turtles build a utopia but this sort of mental stress won't help their plans. Admittedly, you really can't expect people to stay positive when they're being treated like this by the people they love. Hob's already interested in taking them into his gang, as are many other gang leaders, so hopefully, Mona lets Donnie know what transpired so he can keep an eye on her and others suffering these tragic circumstances.