Via Nerdist News, IDW Publishing have announced several Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles titles to help mark the characters’ 40th anniversary this year, and the upcoming relaunch of the main series written by Jason Aaron:
– “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, & Green,” an anthology starting May 8. Confirmed contributors consist of Declan Shalvey, Paulina Ganucheau, Javier Rodriguez, and Jock. Shalvey, who draws the Turtles with a noticeable beak, says “getting to work on [them] is an absolute dream come true. I was a total Turtles nut as a kid (had the Turtle Van, the sewer playset, the works) and have always loved the characters. It’s amazing to see the passion behind these characters, even through all the different iterations over the years.”
– “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher,” an ongoing series by writer Juni Ba and artist Fero Pe. The book follows a new vigilante protector of the mutants, based on the persona adopted by Raphael in the animated 2007 TMNT movie. “But who is the Nightwatcher in the IDW universe? That’s the big question as this new vigilante steps into the scene.” A prelude will appear in the franchise’s Free Comic Book Day issue, due out May 4.
– “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Saturday Morning Adventures,” a 40-page one-shot by writer Erik Burnham and artist Jack Lawrence. The book, which will also help celebrate 40 years of Stan Sakai’s samurai rabbit, will see the Turtles help the temporally displaced Usagi Yojimbo return to his home of Feudal Japan, “where they find a dangerous new enemy. It’s the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Usagi Yojimbo together again in a whole new dimension!” It will be released in June.
– “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation,” an ongoing series exploring the wider universe, featuring contributions from past TMNT creators like Tom Waltz and Sophie Campbell. Waltz says, “We’ve built a massively diverse and exciting ensemble cast of characters and settings over the years, and I’m ecstatic to remain a part of its continued evolution alongside fellow creators, telling more TMNT stories that we all hope will continue to entertain our amazingly enthusiastic and loyal readership.” Issue #1 releases in September.
Jason Aaron’s relaunch of the main TMNT comic, featuring art by Rafael Albuquerque, as well as Joëlle Jones, Cliff Chiang, and Chris Burnham, will launch in July. It will be preceded on June 5 by “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha,” which will include a prelude by Aaron and Burnham, as well as another story by Waltz and Gavin Smith, focusing on Jennika after the finale of the current series. The current “TMNT” run will end in the meantime with issue #150 on April 10; head on over to Nerdist to check out additional artwork and comments from the creators until then.
