Since Issue #57 suffered from a shipping delay, it felt like there was no time at all waiting for TMNT Issue #58! Keep reading to learn about the conclusion to the Leatherhead arc:

TMNT COMIC REVIEW ISSUE #58

Writer’s Note: Spoilers Ahead

In Issue #57, we learned that Leatherhead was the culprit behind the Utrom murders and Fugitoid destruction. Fugitoid is currently comatose and will hopefully survive, but the same cannot be said for some of the Utroms. With all of the commotion, the Utroms demand the reanimation of Colonel Ch’Rell, who the Utroms consider a war hero, when in reality, he is guilty of war crimes against Earth. Donatello tries to explain, but the Utroms are hearing none of it. The level-headed Utrom scientist, Larqa, agrees to speak with Donatello privately to discuss the matter.

Donatello explains the attempted Earth-genocide attempted by Ch’Rell and thwarted by the Turtles. Larqa and Ch’Rell are actually siblings, and Larqa agrees that not trusting Ch’Rell was a good move. Michelangelo soon enters, and funnily enough, one of the Utroms that was recently reanimated was one of the same Utroms from the TMNT: Turtles in Time IDW miniseries. This was a fun way to bring things full circle.

By this point, Leatherhead enters, who was recently fighting Leo, Raph, Tragg, and Granitor in the tunnels. Leatherhead is injured and covered in blood and tells Michelangelo (who has no idea Leatherhead committed the murders) that his brothers need help. Mikey quickly rushes to their aid, while Fugitoid simultaneously regains minor consciousness, and is able to tell Donatello that Leatherhead is the culprit. Mike reaches the his brothers, who explain what is going on, while Tragg and Granitor inform the Turtles that Leatherhead is seeking revenge against the Utroms.

It turns out that Leatherhead left out some key components during his backstory from Issue #56. Leatherhead was actually captured by General Krang and forced to be his captive intelligent pet. Krang’s original idea was to create an army of highly intelligent mutants, but later switched his idea to the Technodrome plan. Leatherhead was tortured and once he escaped, he began planning his revenge plan.

Flashing back to Donatello and Leatherhead, we learn Leatherhead is actually covered in blood from his previous fight, but it is not his blood. Donatello is able to hold back Leatherhead the best he can, long enough for his brothers to come to his aid. However, Leatherhead gets ahold of Donatello and forces him to activate the teleporter back to New York City. The other Turtles are forced to go with Leatherhead, and Donatello explains that Harold will be able to rescue Donatello once they are back in New York. Though the Turtles attempt to fight back, it is no use. Donatello also reminds the Turtles that Leatherhead helped saved his life back when he was still in Metalhead’s body. Leatherhead is acting like a villain, but in reality, he just seems desperate to get off of Burnow Island and start a new life.

They jump through the teleporter, leaving Donatello behind. Leatherhead is immediately overwhelmed by the smells and sounds of the city, likely due to the fact that he is used to his life of solidarity. Leatherhead quickly jumps off a nearby dock and swims away. As the Turtles walk back to home base, they notice a lack of Foot Ninja guards outside the door. They open the door to see Kitsune and a mind-controlled Alopex wreaking havoc inside.

Issue #58 brought the conclusion of what turned out to be a great short arc. Having such a strong focus on the Turtles was a really great direction for the series, as it allowed us to appreciate the Turtle family together again. Santolouco is a stellar artist, so hopefully we will continue to see more from him in future issues. With Issue #59, we are seeing a newcomer TMNT artist, Dave Wachter, and we are looking forward to a fresh take!

Lastly, we always put the main cover for our reviews, but I particularly like the Issue #58 Retail Incentive (RI) cover for this issue drawn by Paolo Villanelli: