One of my favorite recent comics to release over the last few years was The Last Ronin. The return of the original Ninja Turtles creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird to the comic book space was not only refreshing but also took the Turtles’ continuity into new places. Now the team returns once again to their universe with the Last Ronin-Lost Years five-issue miniseries, published by IDW with Eastman and collaborator Tom Waltz writing.

This storyline is unique in the sense that not only does it act as a direct sequel, but simultaneously is a prequel to The Last Ronin. Each of the first four issues follows The Ronin during his training leading up to his return to New York and his fateful encounter with Oroku Hiroto. After his self-imposed exile is interrupted by a hostile gangster ring, led by a man called Death Worm, The Ronin must find a new purpose and recover his strength.

His journey takes him across the landscape of Korea, Mongolia, and much of Europe, encountering new friends and learning new skills that will prepare him for the future. Meanwhile, in the present day, the next generation of Turtles are beginning their training under April O’Neil and her daughter Casey Jr.

Generally, I feel less positive about this story when compared to the predecessor. The Ronin’s storyline in the past feels simply like another version of the original narrative that didn’t really need to explored to the depths it is taken. Death Worm isn’t nearly as compelling an antagonist and feels simply like he exists solely to move our character where he is needed. Granted, these places are at least interesting and certainly help to further flesh out the setting with new characters and locales, but the point still stands.

The strongest issues focus less on this revenge plotline and instead dive into how The Ronin processes his grief by learning new skills. Through training, we see how The Ronin grows wiser, becoming the inspiration to Casey as she teaches the next generation.

Speaking of this new generation, they are without a doubt the highlight of this story. Each of the new Turtles feel unique with different personalities to the original four, yet still manage to fit into their established roles within the team. I especially enjoyed “The Lost Day“ special issue which places these four in the spotlight while the main conflict takes a backseat.

Though the issue is a little heavy on the exposition in order to establish the neo-futuristic tone of the new-New York, there are some powerful messages hidden within the interactions between our main cast. April’s point of view works well here to draw parallels between our new heroes and those who have been left behind.

Another strong aspect of the story is the artwork. Artwork that remains consistent, in terms of quality, while also using some stylistic changes to dictate different points of view or time periods. SL Gallant handles the past storyline while Ben Bishop draws the present day, and Kevin Eastman chips in for a few pages lending his signature grainy black and white style. Character designs remain high quality with our new heroes Yi, Odyn, Moja, and Uno being the prime example. Each one is a different species of turtle and this translates into their personality, while their ninja tools illustrate the evolution of their sensei Casey’s training philosophy.

I remained entertained while reading Last Ronin-Lost Years, but I still couldn’t shake off the feeling that it didn’t really require the full five issues to deliver the messages it sought to convey. Though I don’t hate spending more time with The Ronin, the new characters feel more compelling now. If you are a die-hard fan like myself you’ll certainly want to read this, but you could also completely skip the story and still get the full picture just by reading the predecessor. Nevertheless, I am eager to see what the universe will bring next.

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The Last Ronin: Lost Years

$29.99

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Great new characters
• Solid art and action

Cons

• Retreads ground of predecessor
• Weaker villain