Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13 is published by IDW and produced by writer Gene Luen Yang, artist Freddie E. Williams II, and color artist Andrew Dalhouse, with lettering by Shawn Lee.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13 kicks off a new jumping-on point and storyline for the Turtles, backed by a fresh creative team. Following in the footsteps of the recent Jason Aaron run, the issue establishes a new status quo where the Turtles are no longer hunted fugitives but are instead treated like local celebrities, openly loved and supported by the city. At the same time, a gang war is brewing with the emergence of the Ghost Boys, led by Papa Beng, alongside the introduction of a mysterious new ally in Ujigami.
Gene Luen Yang launches this new chapter of the ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, and while I’m admittedly not deeply familiar with much of his other work, his reputation precedes him. I also think it’s genuinely refreshing to see an Asian American writer take a crack at the Turtles rather than defaulting once again to the same familiar voices. While there’s no shortage of classic TMNT stories, the franchise benefits from new perspectives and creative energy, and IDW deserves credit for making that choice.
On the art side, Freddie Williams II continues to prove why I’ve long considered him the best TMNT artist of the modern era. His take on the Turtles is fluid, dynamic, and unapologetically badass, capturing both their individual personalities and their collective spirit in a way that feels true to the characters while still feeling fresh.
Gang Warfare Baby! Talking About The Plot
Unfortunately, that’s about as far as my praise for issue #13 goes. Outside of the creative team assembled and the promise of a gang war arc that feels fresh and full of potential, I didn’t really enjoy this issue much at all. The writing and dialogue felt clunky, as if Gene Luen Yang was still figuring out how to write these characters and this world in real time while the issue was being produced. Very little of it felt natural or genuine to me. At times, the Turtles’ dialogue even came off like a parody, almost as if it were pulled from a Newgrounds animation rather than a mainline TMNT comic.
That said, I’ll give Yang some leeway here. Stepping in to write such iconic, deeply beloved characters for the first time would be intimidating for anyone, especially with a fanbase that is famously vocal about portrayals they don’t like. That pressure alone could easily lead to overly cautious or awkward dialogue choices.
One of the biggest examples of this clunkiness is how quickly the issue jumps from scene to scene without giving the characters or the moments any real space to breathe. Actions happen, plot points are introduced, and then the story immediately rushes ahead. It feels like Yang has an abundance of ideas, plot threads, and future conflicts he wants to set up all at once, resulting in an issue that feels hyperactive and scattershot. I think the story would have benefited greatly from slowing down, allowing key moments to land, and saving some of these ideas for later issues. As it stands, the breakneck pace makes it difficult to get invested in what’s happening on the page.
Adding To The Core Characters
We’re introduced to two new characters in this issue: Papa Beng and Ujigami. Papa Beng, the leader of the Ghost Boys, gets a fairly fun introduction, particularly in the way he deceives Donatello. While that moment works on a surface level, it doesn’t really pay off in a satisfying way by the end of the issue. Still, he comes across as an interesting new addition to the TMNT rogues gallery, and I’m genuinely curious to see how his motivations and his relationship with the Turtles develop over time.
Ujigami, on the other hand, did very little for me. Despite having a striking and genuinely cool character design, he makes almost no meaningful impact in the story. The late-issue reveal that Ujigami is actually Master Splinter feels contrived and, frankly, a bit silly. I have a hard time imagining any version of Splinter behaving in this way, especially without any meaningful groundwork laid beforehand. I’m hopeful that future issues will provide clearer context and justification for how and why Splinter has arrived at this point, but as it stands, it’s a creative decision I’m not on board with at all.
Heroes of New York: Discussing The Art
Now, onto the art. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve enjoyed Freddie Williams II’s past work on the Turtles and generally feel that he understands how to capture their personalities and movement. That said, some of the art in this issue just didn’t work for me. I’m not entirely sure where the disconnect lies, but there were several moments where characters looked off, and the page composition felt cramped and oddly flat. Whether that comes down to the coloring, the layouts, or Williams himself, something in the execution felt misaligned. At its worst, a few character expressions and designs genuinely reminded me of some of the more infamous Ken Penders-era Archie Sonic the Hedgehog art, which unfortunately pulled me out of the story more than once.
That said, the background work was a definite highlight. The depiction of New York was strong and evoked the atmosphere of the classic original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series in a way that really worked for me. The book also carries a subtle watercolor-esque quality that occasionally brought Peach Momoko’s style to mind. If that aesthetic continues and is refined going forward, it’s something I could see myself really appreciating, because those elements were easily the strongest visual aspects of the issue.
I hope the art improves as the run continues, because I have really liked Freddie Williams II's past work and it's a shame to dislike some of his work as much as I do, although, maybe it's just a me problem and another reader may enjoy it more?
The Final Verdict
In conclusion, it's been hard for me to write this review as I don't really enjoy being negative, but I don't want to recommend something I don't enjoy. I'm hopeful this run will improve, as one issue feels way too soon to write something off. Here's hoping for a stronger issue 14.