Not only is Master Splinter back from the dead, but his wife and the mother of the four brothers has returned too. However, having been gone for hundreds of years, Shen feels completely out of place, and the boys hatch a plan to give her a taste of what modern day New York has to offer. How? With a family fun day of course! This being the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, however, a fun day out doesn’t go quite as smoothly as it should…

This feels like a very old fashioned filler issue in several ways. That’s not a criticism; it’s actually quite refreshing to read a TMNT story that isn’t part of a multiple issue saga.

That said, as much as this feels like a standalone story, as well as a good introduction to Shen and her relationship with Splinter and the Turtles, seeds are planted for future storylines along the way. Gene Luen Yang seems to set up a few different things here, intriguingly, with rival gangs and the mayor keeping watch on the Turtles and family.

I really liked Fero Pe’s art in spin-off TMNT series, Nightwatcher, and it’s a good fit for this story too.

Next issue is the 300th mainline issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; knowing that, it becomes more apparent why this filler issue is here. Obviously stalling for time until the big event of next issue, I’m excited to see what IDW have in store to celebrate such a major milestone!

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