Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #22!Casey Joneshas been a main character inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescanon since the start of the franchise, and has appeared in nearlyevery single iteration ofTMNTacross a number of mediums. From the comics and live-action films, to the many animated series. And it’s his depiction in theclassic ‘90sTMNTcartoonthat has recently recaptured fans’ attention, asTMNTfinally reveals what that version of Casey Jones looks likeunder his iconic hockey mask.
InTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures#22 by Erik Burnham and Sarah Myer, all of New York City is excitedly awaiting a baseball game that is truly once in a generation. It’s a subway series championship between the city’s two major league baseball clubs, and everyone is excited to see it, including and especially Casey Jones, who is watching the news announcing the upcoming game in his apartment.
Of course, it’s not long before some villain comes along and ruins the fun of this championship game - in this case, that villain is Tempestra. However, the noteworthy aspect of thisTMNTadventure has nothing to do with the comic’s conflict, or even with the Ninja Turtles themselves. The main takeaway can actually be found in the comic’s very first panel, which shows Casey Jones without his hockey mask, revealing this face for the very first time (well, sort of).
Why Seeing Casey Jones’ Face is Significant in TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures
This is the First Time This Version of Casey Jones has Revealed his Face
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventurescontinues the continuity of the classic ‘90s animated series, which means anything that happens in this new, ongoing comic is a part of the original cartoon’s canon. And, in the original cartoon, Casey Jones never took off his mask. Even when he went undercover in a business suit during one of the episodes, he still didn’t take off his hockey mask, despite the fact that he’s just a regular guy underneath (which would have been better for his cover).
Casey Jones literally never took off his hockey mask on-screen, no matter the situation. While the animated series assuredly made that decision in order to maintain the character’s ‘toyetic’ aesthetic (since, without the mask, he’s just a regular guy), it was still always strange that he never took off the mask. It also made fans wonder what he looked like underneath. But now, fans don’t have to wonder anymore, as the original cartoon Casey Jones has finally been unmasked.
TMNT Fans Now Know What Casey Jones Looks Like in Every Continuity
Casey Jones Regularly Shows his Face, with ‘90s TMNT Being the Only Hold-Out (Until Now)
This moment inTMNThistory is also significant because now fans know what Casey Jones’ face looks like underneath his mask in every continuity. From the original Mirage Studios comic series and the ongoing IDW Publishing one, to the 2003TMNTcartoon and bothlive-action iterations ofTMNT, fans have been seeing Casey Jones’ real face for years - just not in the classic ‘90s cartoon. But now, that last hold-out has finally followed suit.
Forget the Turtles, Casey Jones Is Officially the Coolest TMNT Character
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are undeniably cool, perhaps the coolest characters in comic book history, but they’ve been usurped by Casey Jones.
Honestly, it’s a bit surprising that Casey Jones’ face in the classic ‘90s cartoon is the same as it is in every other continuity. One would think that his face was horribly scarred or something, given his reluctance to remove his mask under any circumstances. But, the most surprising answer to the question of whatCasey Jones’ face looks like inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ ‘90s cartoon continuity is also the most obvious.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #22by IDW Publishing is available now.
