*Bebop & Rocksteady's micro-series issue also came out today (review can be found here). That takes place BEFORE this issue, so read that first!*
The Good
All good things must come to an end and the penultimate issue of 'City Fall' is now upon us. Despite serving primarily as tension building for the final chapter, TMNT #27 continues the series' tradition of being quite awesome. Writer Tom Waltz has a lot of characters to address before everything explodes in the next issue, and while this chapter does jump around a lot, the moments are still engaging and never fail to loosen its grip on my attention. Just as I was certain we'd hit a cliffhanger and Waltz and company would save all of the chaos for the finale, we're stuck with a majorly exciting action scene. It's a little disappointing that Slash's frenetic methods are restricted to the background (for the most part), but they more than make up for that by having Donatello show off just how cool his gravity gauntlet really is.
Remember that time Mateus Santolouco was an amazing fit for the book, offering lively, crisp and unique artwork? Yeah, that's still here and it's still all kinds of great. All of the previous praise I've given the man still applies. The characters are wonderfully animated and sporting their own unique qualities, the environments have an excellent amount of detail, and the action is every bit as energetic as ever. This issue also gives colorist Ronda Pattison plenty to work with as the scenes jump to different locations and there's a whole slew of different characters tossed into the mix. It's all wonderfully bold and there's some brilliant use of colors as the action moves full speed ahead in the end.
Also, bonus points for having Walter White at Shredder's meeting!
The Bad
My only real gripe is the amount of characters they need to chime in on hinders the pacing a bit, especially if you're already familiar with everything going on thanks to the micro-series (which you should be reading). It's an understandable choice since they're building up to the finale and need to remind us where everyone's motivation lies, but it does take a bit of a toll on the pacing.
Minor gripe: it's kind of funny the dude would look Mikey in the eye and say two sentences before commenting on his appearance.
The Verdict
'City Fall' continues its streak of being spectacular. As a penultimate issue, there's a whole lot of story building, but what's truly great is we're not hit with a cliffhanger right when everything's about to go down. Instead, Waltz and everyone else involved make the smart decision to tease us with some epic action while still saving all of the big showdowns and conflicts for the finale. Oh, and that cliffhanger? It's sure to get you pumped. Bring on the conclusion!