TMNT: The Last Ronin Announces Comic Focusing on Four New Turtles

The success of IDW’s  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin has been well documented so far, and the publisher has just confirmed an exciting new development in the franchise. As confirmed in a press release, IDW will publish a new one-shot to go alongside the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin – Lost Years comic with a tale set after the events of the flagship comic. Titled The Last Ronin – Lost Day Special, writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, illustrator Ben Bishop, and colorist Luis Antonio Delgado will deliver a tale about the four new turtles that were teased at the end of the original story.

The  40-page special, set to be published in May of this year, is described as follows: “In Lost Day, longtime resistance leader April O’Neil finds herself and her loved ones-including the four young mutant turtles she and her daughter, Casey Marie Jones, are raising and training together-once again caught up in the battle for the soul of New York City. When April takes the turtles with her on a supply run into the city, they get lost and risk becoming collateral damage in the newest power struggle overtaking the streets. Old memories mix with new realities as April and her four small charges race to get back home before it’s too late.”

“Although the main Lost Years series focuses on Michelangelo’s past and the journey that made him the unyielding warrior we saw in The Last Ronin, we realized that Lost Years was also an exciting opportunity to look ahead,” senior editor Charles Beacham said in a statement. “This action-packed Lost Day Special is going to pull at heartstrings and have readers on the edge of their seats as they get the first in-depth look at the little turtles teased at the end of The Last Ronin. It’s going to be epic!”    

“As Tom Waltz and I dig deep into the evolution of New York City post-Last Ronin, the Lost Day tale brings the future of all things TMNT up close and very personal,” adds Eastman. “Buckle up, things are about to get messy!”

In addition to this new comic, IDW has confirmed as well that an expanded Director’s Cut edition of the The Lost Years’ first issue will be published in April. Included in that edition of the comic will be an exclusive look at the concept’s evolution from a speculative draft composed by Eastman and Laird in the nascent days of TMNT’s indie comics era to a New York Times best-selling, internationally beloved phenomenon, as well as the new, expansive universe that has emerged as a result.

“Just like with TMNT: The Last Ronin, there is a ton of development work taking place on Lost Years that is just as entertaining and exciting as the story being told in the comics,” writer Tom Waltz said. “In particular, the art designs-both characters and settings-have been a joy to watch unfold, and I couldn’t be happier that our many loyal fans will get a chance to peek at the amazing work being done behind the scenes.”

The first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin – Lost Years will be released next week on Wednesday, January 25th. You can find the full cover and solicitation for it below.

TMNT LAST RONIN LOST YEARS #1
(W) Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz (A) Ben Bishop (A/CA) SL Gallant
In the smash-hit miniseries TMNT: The Last Ronin, readers witnessed the final gut-wrenching days of the Heroes in a Half Shell. For Michelangelo in particular, the march to his heartbreaking last battle was long and dangerous, taking him from New York City, to Japan, across Asia and Europe, and then back home again to administer final justice against those guilty of killing his family. But what happened during those fateful years when he had only the need for vengeance and Master Splinter’s journal to guide him? What battles did he fight? What hard lessons did he learn? The time has come to find out as original miniseries writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz join artist Ben Bishop to reveal what adventures the Last Ronin experienced during his vengeful journey. While in the present, a new master, Casey Marie Jones, prepares her young terrapin students to be the next generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
In Shops: Jan 25, 2023
SRP: $4.99