I feel like I don’t get to say it enough, but IDW is pretty much killing it with their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. A great and engaging street war story filled with tremendous artwork from Mateus Santolouco and more, the book has been a joy to read month in and month out.
Of course, one of the things that helps make it so engaging is that IDW usually releases a second, shorter series concurrent with the main endeavor — books that detail Krang’s plot and background or that explain the history of the Foot Clan within the new Turtle-verse. And now, as a spin-off of one of the main storylines in which Old Hob (a cat who experienced the same mutagen transformation as the Turtles) builds an army of Mutanimals to take back the city from Shredder and the Foot alongside Slash (re-imagined from the original series), Mondo Gecko the skateboarding gecko, Herman the Hermit Crab who basically lives in a tank and Pigeon Pete the mentally stunted comedic relief. The series will be written by Turtle-verse regular Paul Allor, who write the Kang-based series “The Utrom Empire”, and illustrated by Andy Kuhn, who was the main series artist for some time.
Suffice it to say, this sounds like a lot of fun. It’s smart to allow the story to get this little side detour while Hob builds up his army and the main series can explore some of the other spinning plates (Kang’s army, Shredder’s army, Donatello’s split, and what the Turtles are currently up to), because IDW’s Turtle story is big and vast and obviously couldn’t possibly be contained to one book. And with Turtle regulars Allor and Kuhn, we know things are in good hand. As long as Pigeon Pete makes it out alive, I’m sold.
For the full IDW Press Release, please see below.
IDW Press Release
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have faced down everything from demons to aliens, but starting in February 2014, a new team of mutated animals will take center stage as they face off against an even greater threat! Appearing in the monthly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, the Mutanimals have been questionable allies, and now all of their secrets will be revealed in the 4-issue miniseries TMNT: Mutanimals!
When someone close to the Mutanimals goes missing, the team consisting of Old Hob, Slash, Mondo Gecko, Herman the Hermit Crab, and Pigeon Pete will be put to the ultimate test. Teamwork doesn’t exactly come easy to these outsiders, but they’ll have to find a way to work together to take on a mysterious new entity known as The Null Group…
With a number of TMNT Micro-Series one-shots, and both The Utrom Empire and Turtles In Time miniseries already under his belt, Paul Allor will again handle the scripting on this series. Returning to the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be artist Andy Kuhn, who created the new IDW design for Mutanimals leader Slash and will handle covers and interiors, with Ben Bates providing a variant cover to the first issue.
“IDW and all the creators involved have done an amazing job introducing the Mutanimals into this universe,” said Allor. “It’s very exciting to see them get their own mini-series, and an absolute honor to be the guy writing it, especially since it means working again with artist Andy Kuhn. Every TMNT tie-in and mini has offered the readers something new and awesome, and we hope to continue that streak on TMNT: Mutanimals.”
“I’m super-stoked to be a part of the team that’s bringing The Mutanimals back,” said Kuhn. “This year my Christmas is four months long!”
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series at IDW has garnered consistent acclaim for its exciting new takes on many aspects of the legendary TMNT universe. The Mutanimals starred in their own comic book series in the early ‘90s, and now they’re returning to action in this new adventure that ties in directly with the ongoing series!
Don’t miss out on the series that’s sure to have Turtles’ fans old and new clamoring for more! Pre-order with Diamond Code DEC140484.
About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY; Paramount’s Star Trek; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 2000AD’s Judge Dredd; The Rocketeer; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; V-Wars from New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry; Ragnarök from Eisner Award-winner Walter Simonson; Winterworld, created by Chuck Dixon and Jorge Zaffino; and Little Nemo from the award-winning duo of Eric Shanower and Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio, and the multiple award-winning Artist’s Edition imprint.
IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot; Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Warner Brothers are producing a film based on Ashley Wood’s Lore; Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film, Kurtzman/Orci are producing a movie based on Locke & Key at Universal.
