The wait is almost over for Turtle fans, and we know this because IDW has finally (FINALLY!) released a preview and release date for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5. The upcoming last issue in the mini-series from writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz and artist Ben Bishop will debut in stores on April 27th with two variant covers for fans. In their announcement of its release IDW also confirmed that The Last Ronin is officially “the best-selling IDW comic book series of all time,” with the first issue of the series going back to print five times. Check out the covers for #5 below!
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“Thirty-five years in the making, The Last Ronin is everything I dreamed it could be and more,” Eastman said in a statement. “For the creative team, I feel the epic task of bringing this story to life has truly been our Mount Everest, and with the summit in sight, we sincerely wish to thank all the friends and fans who brought the love and support needed so we could bring this adventure all the way home. From my original partner on this journey, the brilliant Peter Laird, to the unparalleled skills of Tom Waltz, the incredibly gifted Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, and Luis Antonio Delgado, as well as the rock-solid IDW backbone and Nickelodeon commitment to make sure we had the time to get it right, we’ve given it our best shot, and I could not be prouder of everyone involved.”
“As far back as I can remember, two things were always there: drawing and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Often they went hand in hand,” artist Ben Bishop added. “What Kevin and Pete did as a couple of crazy self-publishing comic kids shaped the kind of comic creator that I wanted to be and showed me just how much is possible in this medium. The reality now, all these years later, that I’m working with these creators and drawing these characters, absolutely feels like a dream come true. I’d like to thank the fans and retailers for making this one of the biggest TMNT comics since issue #1.”
To make things even more interesting, IDW confirmed that despite The Last Ronin being a standalone tale it will “pass the torch” of epic storytelling within this franchise to their next big event with the Turtles, a new storyline called The Armageddon Game. Set within the continuity of the ongoing IDW comic series, Last Ronin co-writer Tom Waltz and has developed the narrative alongside ongoing series writer Sophie Campbell with the first preview of it coming in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Free Comic Book Day” Special.
“Being invited to be a part of The Last Ronin has, by far, been one of the most exciting creative experiences that I have ever had, both during my long run on TMNT at IDW and in my overall writing career,” Waltz said. “Everyone helping to bring this project together has been amazing, including so many unsung heroes working their shells off behind the scenes. I couldn’t be more thankful to all of them, nor more appreciative of Kevin and Peter for allowing me to add my own personal mark to this particular TMNT tale that they laid the foundation for decades ago. It’s been a humbling experience, and I fully plan to take everything I’ve learned about epic storytelling and incorporate it into my own opus of sorts, TMNT: The Armageddon Game… Coming soon!”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5 will debut in stores this April!
