IDW's 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' #56 Review: TMNT's Leonardo, Donatello Meet Leatherhead!

Krang's plans of terra-forming planet Earth takes a major twist in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #56, from IDW Publishing. The TMNT family, including their leader, Leonardo, and the brains of the group, Donatello, will have to decide if Leatherhead is their new enemy or ally. 

As we previously mentioned, after Master Splinter took care of Shredder once and for all, the Foot Clan were lost without a leader. With Master Splinter stepping up as the Foot Clan's leader, the Turtles now have to deal with Krang and his Utrom race after Burnow Island has been terraformed. Before their upcoming battle, they will need help from Fugitoid back at the Technodrome. 

In the current installment, writers Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, and Tom Waltz continue with the gripping drama of the Turtles taking control of the Foot. This critic personally enjoyed the dialogue-driven scenes between Master Splinter and his rebellious student, Jennika. Because he has four teenage sons, Splinter somewhat acts as a surrogate father and disciplinarian to Jennika. Is Master Splinter putting his faith and loyalty in the wrong person though?  

Not only does the narrative asks questions, the storyline also serves as an origin tale to Leatherhead. This is a new version, with flashbacks included, of the mutated, anthropomorphic alligator.  Back in issue #49, Leathered had shown up before,telling Dr. Harold and Professor Honeycutt that the mutagen could be used to help heal Donatello. It's  interesting to see how the writers have been planning Leatherhead's arc since then. 

Artist Mateus Santalouco is back in his drawing duties and the imagery is just absolutely something to love. The highlight of Santlouco's work happens to be when he groups the Turtles into one panel. Notice the attention to detail as the eyes are all looking at different directions. Though there isn't a lot of martial arts action, the panels are heavy with suspenseful atmosphere.  

RATING: BUY IT NOW

A highly entertaining read, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #56 is out in stores now.