Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher Volume 1

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher #1-5

by Juni Ba, Fero Pe (Illustrator)

Who is the Nightwatcher? Spinning out of the new ongoing TMNT comic series, delve into the grim reality of New York City after the mutagen bomb and unveil the secrets behind the mask.
Violence and discrimination against mutants are running wild, and a new vigilante will rise up to combat it…but who is this fearsome armored fighter standing bravely against the criminals who wish to harm mutants? As life in New York City marches on, with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles scattered, the mutant population is more vulnerable than ever. The community needs a defender, and as the police struggle to address rising crime rates against mutants, someone else has to step up. A new symbol of safety and justice is born in the shadows, but even the best intentions can lead to unforeseen consequences…
Collects issues #1–5 of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher comic series.

Genres: Graphic Novels

184 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2025

About the author

Juni is an illustrator and writer hailing from Senegal and France. His current works include the Kayin and Abeni mini series and the Monkey Meat stories both published by Kugali. He’s also a cover artist with works for Skybound and IDW. His artistic fuel is mostly based on orange juice.

Reviews

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely mature character study / story from a side character from a TMNT movie.

[Larakaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh wow I thought this was just gonna be a Raphael as Batman kinda thing but it wasn't that at all! anything more would be a spoiler.

Also, Juni Ba's covers in the backmatter are so, so good.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the Turtles are away, Nightwatcher will play. What I thought was going to be a straightforward vigilante story evolved into something so much more than that - a tale about coping mechanisms, about how your own mistakes can shape others, and how it's never too late to recognise the problems that you're causing for yourself and and do something to fix them.

Ba's script is great, and covers a lot of ground in just seven issues. Even though this might have been cut short, it still feels like a complete story, with just some more stuff to pick up on later on when the character returns to the main series.

Fero Pe's artwork somehow gets better across the seven issues, which is almost unheard of - I think it's issue 6 that has a battle in the rain that just looks spectacular. I hope this isn't the last we see of him with the Turtles, I know he's worked on the main book before.

Surprisingly good. I had high hopes for both writing and art, and both were exceeded.

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

As stated in the introduction, in the 2007 TMNT animated movie the Nightwatcher was introduced. A vigilante more brutal than the "Hero Turtles". It was no surprise who the Nightwatcher was in that movie. The movie was not canon to the comics, even though many elements of that movie are used in the current comic arc.

Since the mutation bomb went off the mutants/mutations have faced a number of racial attacks. In the absence of the TMNT, many of these attacks have been thwarted by the new vigilante the Nightwatcher. However, people are divided about what they think of Nightwatcher. What is the mission and origin?

A good story and good artwork work with lots of action as well as plot points for later in the TMNT series. The book finishes with a varian cover gallery.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult one to review, it's fairly well written, has nice looking art and has a clear, understandable arc, I just don't like what they've chosen to do with the character.
Instead of Nightwatcher being an identity Raph has taken on to do things he can't as a TMNT, they've turned it into, essentially, Venom.
It isn't a suit of armour, or disguise, it's an entity.
I think TMNT is one of the most adaptable franchises there is, evolving with each new iteration, and I may not love all versions, but I usually find plenty to like and enjoy in each (except Rize of..., that's just not for me), I don't even mind it being Jennika, in fact it makes sense, I just don't like what they've done with Nightwatcher itself.
The book is a well produced piece of entertainment, which is what elevated it to 3 stars from me, but the path they've chosen to take with Nightwatcher is only a 1 star, 2 at the very most, development in my personal opinion.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of the TMNT's for 30 years, but I have read very little since the first series ended. I buy the new stuff, but never get around to reading it. I kind of feel bad about that. So, since this was a new TMNT adjacent series, I figured I should read it now. I'm glad I did. I feel more motivated to get my books together and read some newer TMNT stories.
I liked the art. It is too cartoony for a regular Superhero book, but it fit this story well.
This story was more than just beating up bad guys, it had a purpose, and it had heart. It asks the question, "Does a vigilante fight for the people, or for himself?", and the Nightwatcher has to answer that question to be truly effective.
That is kind of a piss-poor review, but this is a pretty good book.

[Luca Ruocco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il fumetto segue la nascita, l’evoluzione, la caduta e la risalita di questa nuova vigilante: una ragazza tartaruga giovanissima; innamorata di una mutante coetanea a cui ha deciso di nascondere la sua doppia vita; combattuta nel riconoscere chiaramente fino a che punto, a livello etico, possano spingersi le sue azioni da vendicatrice e quanto questa nuova identità debba sovrastare la sua vita. I suoi poteri sono, inoltre, non solo dovuti a proprie capacità ingigantite dalla mutazione, ma sono figliate dal patto di mutuo soccorso fatto con una sorta di armatura senziente, che la rende ancora più potente e resistente.

[Continua qui: https://www.ingenerecinema.com/2025/1... ]

[MannyLikesPie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic, wish it was a little longer but in love. Batman meets X-men meets mecha woman protagonist, can’t wait to see the future releases

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artstyle is great. But I don’t really see where this is supposed to lead to. And it was cancelled after issue 7, so I don’t know. Expected a bit more.