3 out of 5

A somewhat distracting speedbump of a side story, these three issues give us some fodder for potential future conflict – revealing some background on Casey’s / April’s adopted daughter, Shadow – but it’s a bit clunky, outside of the usual charmingly clunky Turtles parameters.

Mike is tasked with babysitting Shadow, falls asleep, and… she’s kidnapped.  Because Mike, apparently, is a shitty ninja.  The rumble between the bros as to how to move forward is typical, with Raph stalking off solo, but writer Carlson handles it well: the argument has notes of familiarity, in that everyone knows how everyone else will respond, and so they don’t fight it too much.  Thereafter we take something of an extended route for the rescue, as we go to a location, then come back, then go there again, but issue 8 has some great, humorous, well choreographed action from Carlson and Fosco, although whoof does Fosco botch some faces here and there.

There are also some forehead-slapping non-zingers from Gary: Mike knowing he should ask his brothers for help – saying so aloud, of course – but then proclaiming that he won’t!  …Which is tantamount to putting Shadow in danger, but, pride, bro!  This goes alongside the complete lack of grief April seems to experience through this whole thing, and the blink-and-you-miss-it slide (back?) into alcoholism Casey goes through.  Adam Guzowski’s colors, meanwhile, are fantastic, juggling pop colors to flatten out highlight panels and then adding a lot of depth to the rest of the page, and to Fosco’s blocky style.

It ends with a joke about Italians eating pasta.