Created on June 21, 2012 and written by TaliAdina
Category: Comic Book Reviews

Rating: 4/5
Publisher Name: IDW
Writer: Erik Burnham
Pencils: Charles Paul Wilson III
Colors: Jay Fotos
Number of Pages: 29
Price: 3.99
Color: Color
Safety Content Label: A – Appropriate for age 9 and up.

Publisher’s Blurb:
Face-to-face with the man who killed his family so many years ago, Master Splinter comes to terms with a life of assasination, love and redemption. This story takes a look back at the entire life of Splinter, including his secret life as Hamato Yoshi. This soul searching provides a startling revelation for Splinter, one that will change his and his son’s lives forever!

Reviewer’s Comments:
If you’ve been enjoying the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and have also been reading the micro series, well then are you in for a treat with is book! The fifth book in line for the micro series, this issue focuses on the father of our boys in green, Master Splinter. It’s an enjoyable book and reveals interesting details of the sensei’s former life as Hamato Yoshi.

In the main series, Splinter was kidnapped twice: first by Baxter Stockman’s mousers with his henchman Hob taking the lead; and then by the Foot who easily struck the catman down. As this book begins, Splinter faces down members of the Foot as the Shredder watches in the background. During this fight, Splinter mind wonders to his past life.

As a young member of the Foot clan, Yoshi had a temper and needed to learn how to control it before it destroyed him. Now I know where Raphael’s anger issues come from! Yoshi’s master takes him away from the Foot’s headquarters and leads him to a place by a stream where he has a heart to heart talk with Yoshi about his lack of anger management skills. The master then leaves Yoshi alone to mediate until the following day.

Yoshi doesn’t get too far in his mediation as he’s interrupted by a stranger and as a result he falls into the water below. But this interruption is the best thing that could ever happen to him for the stranger is no other than Tang Shen his future wife. It is Tang who becomes Yoshi’s anger management and controls the burning fire within in with her love, concern for others, passion, her intelligence and curiosity, and the pure joy that she took in things. And as a result, Yoshi’s focus and fighting skills improve a great deal.

Unfortunately, Yoshi’s anger gets the best of him again when he openly defies the new leader of the Foot Oroku Saki and this time it costs him the life of Tang and eventually the lives of him and his sons.

Now back in the present, Splinter decides that he must take the life of his enemy Shredder and the issue ends with a showdown that will proceed into the main storyline in issue #12…
So far, this was my favorite out of all the micro series stories. It was a great read to get into the mind of Master Splinter and learn more about him. Usually the focus is on his sons so this was a great story to learn more about the turtles’ teacher. Burnham’s writing was excellent and Charles Paul Wilson III’s artwork was great. Readers should pick this one up right away.

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Tags: comics, Hamato Yoshi, idw, ninja, Oroku Saki, shredder, Splinter, Tang Shen, teenage mutant ninja turtles, the foot clan, TMNT

About the Writer: TaliAdina (75 Posts) Tali Adina is the creator of the blog Comicmaniacs. Tali also posts her thoughts and comic scripts on her blog The Diary of a Novice Comic Book Writer. She's also a contributor on WhyNotIndie.com. Her first comic book script "Defect Light to Combat the Darkness" was accepted to the women-created comic book anthology Womanthology, created by Renae De Liz. She was paired with artist Kelly Turnbull. She also wrote a one page story for the Womanthology Holiday PDF & Valentine's Day special with artist Brenda Kirk entitled "Don't Let the Light Go Out" and "June".

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