Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2 Has the Highest Print Run of Any IDW Book Ever

IDW today released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2, a new tale based on an old story from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. In addition to throwing some curveballs at the audience by way of some tragic flashbacks, the issue built on the massive success of the previous issue, managing to get the highest print run in IDW's history, with over 130,000 copies printed to fulfill orders for the first printing. The last few months have been good to IDW, with orders for Rob Liefeld's Snake Eyes: Deadgame and the recent Transformers/My Little Pony crossover delivering huge sales as well.

The Last Ronin has been characterized as the Ninja Turtles universe's take on something like The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller's violent, futuristic take on Batman. Set in a dark possible future for the Ninja Turtles, The Last Ronin delves deeper into the tragic history of the last surviving Turtle, and delivers one of the most heartrending scenes in TMNT history, with #2 giving fans a glimpse at the final moments of a beloved character. The publisher promises that beginning with this issue, The Ronin's mission of vengeance becomes all the more clear.

"The surprising sales numbers for issue one blew our minds... but then, issue two was like throwing gasoline on a fire. I can't thank all our fans and retailers enough for all the love and support!" said Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and main creative force behind The Last Ronin. "The whole team set out to create something extra special with this series, and the fan reaction has made us even more committed to ensuring that The Last Ronin is not only everything you were hoping for in a tough-as-nails TMNT story, but worth the wait! We are chest deep in the next issue and can't wait for your thoughts when it hits the streets."

In anticipation of a rapid sell-through of issue #2's first printing, IDW has already committed to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2 Second Printing featuring new cover artwork illustrated by the Escorza brothers. Slated for release on March 31st, the Second Printing is already listed via Diamond for retailer pre-order.

Three decades in the making, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is based on an unpublished 1987 story concept by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; with script by Eastman and Tom Waltz; layouts by Eastman; pencils and inks by Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza, and Ben Bishop; colors by Luis Antonio Delgado, and letters by Shawn Lee.

The Last Ronin is a five-part comic book miniseries shipping quarterly, with each oversized issue measuring 7" x 11" and 48 pages in length. The high demand for issue #1 has led to multiple printings and over 200,000 copies in the market. A special 64-page Director's Cut edition will be released on March 17th, including the full story from issue #1 plus bonus content (character designs, script pages, and much more).

"The interest in this series is a wonderful testament to all the hard work that the creative team is putting into the series. Everyone is working at the peak of their abilities and have hit a great stride. Issue #2, which features several crucial flashbacks, is a perfect showcase of the creators' work melding together in a truly memorable way," said Group Editor Bobby Curnow.