IDW will release tomorrow the first issue of its new TMNT related spin-off, titled Secret History of The Foot Clan. Looking at the book i really did not know what to expect, but boy, was i for a surprise.

From the first page, you know you are in for a different kind of story. A story of samurais and ninjas, trust and betrayal. The book opens up in feudal Japan, where a legendary killer is been betrayed by the Damiyo. In fact the assassin was so skilled that he was able to defeat a whole army, but at the cost of losing his “Foot” (see what i’m doing there). We then learn through a professor at April’s University, that this man, who through a deal with a witch and a “demon”, is the founder of the, deadly, foot clan.

Talking more about the story will only spoil the surprises of the issue, especially the last page, which i am sure it will leave a lot of you in awe. So i will stop talking story details and i will talk more about the story style.

The story is written by Mateus Santolouco and Erik Burnham, who, both, seem to master telling Japanese style stories. The book is so well written and feels like sci-fi Samurai movie or anime. Obviously, the book is set in ttwo different time periods, but jumping between these periods is so smooth that it feels so right. Very surprised by the quality of the script and writing.

In what it seems a first for Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles since Laird and Eastman days, the writer of the book,  Mateus Santalouco, is also the artist. Mateus style is perfect for the story. The way he draws action makes you feel you are looking at an anime or movie (i know i already made this comparison before). The turtles, splinter, April, and Casey are all well drawn. My only gripe would be the turtles masks, that kinda feel too random. Other than that, i would like to see more of Mateus’s work.

The coloring, done by Joao vieira, is very light, and especially lighter when the story switches to the feudal times, and quite a treat to see. a job well done.

So to sum it all up, Secret History of The foot Clan, is a surprising awesome addition to the Turtles lore that seems to answer a lot of questions about the foot clan’s mystic arts and the origins, and that give a hint to how the shredder is back from the dead.

Score: 9.5/10