Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin Reveals Status of April O'Neil

Decades in the making, IDW Publishing has finally revealed the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja [...]

By Spencer Perry

Decades in the making, IDW Publishing has finally revealed the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, a brand new story the reunites Turtle co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Set in the far future, the story brings some earth shaking changes to the world of the turtles specifically that three of the four heroes are no longer with us and thus "The Last Ronin" is the only survivor. The first issue of the series answers the question of which Turtle is the titular Ronin, but also makes sure to key in readers as to the status of some other fan favorite characters from the long running franchise. Full spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1 below!

The closing pages of the issue reveal that, as many theorized and expected, The Last Ronin is none other than Michelangelo. His mission was also revealed as he infiltrated the now locked down, police state that was New York City which is ruled by The Foot Clan and its new leader, Master Oroku Hiroto (the son of Kirai, grandson of The Shredder). Mikey failed in his mission to kill Hiroto and was prepared to commit seppuku (a ritual suicide in Japan), he's unable to carry that through either and is saved by a spunky young girl. After he wakes up though Mikey finds he's hooked up to machines and has had his life saved....by none other than old friend April O'Neil.

Given that three of the turtles are dead before The Last Ronin even begins, it was unclear if April would still be around for this new story. Not only is she alive, she seems to be a resistance fighter working in the shadows to bring Hiroto and The Foot down for good. In fact, she has a real Sarah Connor look to her in the series. One mystery is if she's aware that the other turtles are dead, as the issue concludes with Mikey speaking to visions of his brothers and April asking him who he's talking to.

tmnt april last ronin
(Photo: IDW PUBLISHING)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2 is scheduled to be released on December 16, 2020. You canread the full solicit for the next issue below

(W) Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz (A) Esau Escorza, Issac Escorza (CA) Andy Kuhn (A/CA) Kevin Eastman

Secrets are revealed as we begin to discover what happened in the past to lead to this nightmarish future. The Ronin meets an unexpected new ally but the Foot Clan begins an exhaustive sweep of the Bottom to find the vengeful mutant. And what role does Baxter Stockman play?

In Shops: Dec 16, 2020

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