Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5

Santolouco's cover for this 2011 IDW series entry frames the story beautifully: a cloaked Splinter stands at the center, staff in hand, while a ghostly samurai elder looms large in the background and the four Turtles appear in a panel to the right — worlds ancient and modern colliding in warm amber and deep purple tones. The title "Enemies Old, Enemies New: Prologue" promises exactly the kind of layered conflict the imagery hints at, with glimpses of both a feudal Japanese setting and a contemporary cityscape woven into the composition. With Eastman, Waltz, Duncan, and Santolouco all on board, this fifth issue feels like the series hitting its stride.