Big things are going down in the world of IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: with issue #25, Matthew Rosenberg is picking up the nunchucks left behind by Gene Luen Yang as the new writer of the title. And not only that, The Last Ronin saga will end with a third and final chapter, Return for New York.
The news was revealed yesterday (July 24) by EW in advance of IDW’s (no relation) TMNT panel at San Diego Comic-Con. Starting with January’s TMNT #25, Rosenberg will take over as the writer of the title, with Juann Cabal as artist. And based on the scant description, it sounds like Rosenberg and Cabal are doing The Warriors, but with the Turtles, as they present “a thrilling story as the greatest roster of villains, both new and old, have assembled to hunt down the Turtles over the course of a single night.”
“Before I was even a teenager, I was spending all my time reading superhero comics. But it wasn’t until a clerk at my local comic shop told me I had to buy an issue of the Eastman and Laird run of TMNT that I actually fell in love with comics,” said Rosenberg via a press release provided to Comic Book Club. “From my first introduction to those Mirage issues, I’ve followed the Turtles the whole way. It is truly an honor to not only add to the legacy of four of New York’s greatest heroes, but to follow in the footsteps of so many creators I love like Erik Larsen, Jim Lawson, Sophie Campbell, Tom Waltz, and most recently legends like Jason Aaron, Juan Ferreyra, Gene Luen Yang, and Freddie E. Williams II. I hope I can bring even just a little bit of what I love about the Turtles to this book. We’re making a book that has everything I love about TMNT: shells-against-the-wall grittiness, laugh-out-loud humor, non-stop intensity, and some genuine family drama.”
Added Yang, “Working on TMNT has been a dream come true. I’m sad to leave, though I’m also excited about the creator-owned project that is pulling me away. And I’m super excited to continue with the Turtles as a fan! Matthew Rosenberg is going to knock it out of the park!”
What that means for Rosenberg’s current runs on Spawn and King Spawn is TBA, though the busy guy is juggling a lot of balls between this, Image’s If Destruction Be Our Lot, and the upcoming theatrical release of 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank (which will get a trailer at the Black Mask panel later today at SDCC), which he co-wrote based on his own comic book.
As for the not at all awkwardly titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin III – Return for New York, it will focus on Casey Marie Jones, the daughter of Casey Jones and April O’Neil, as she, uh, returns for New York or whatever. It will reunite the creative team from The Last Ronin and The Last Ronin II: Re-evolution: writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz; artists Isaac and Esau Escorza; colorist Luis Antonio Delgado; and Ben Bishop.
“When Kevin Eastman and I sat down to write the original TMNT: THE LAST RONIN, we had high hopes readers would love the story just as much as we loved telling it. Little did we know, that love would be exponentially returned to us and our amazing art teams,” said Waltz. “From that first volume, throughout all the subsequent prequels/sequels that have followed in what we now fondly call the Roninverse. And, here we are, capping off the main trilogy with TMNT: THE LAST RONIN III – RETURN FOR NEW YORK… and we couldn’t be happier! Our creative excitement and enthusiasm remain fully intact, and we are all striving to produce a grand finale worthy of its predecessors. But the real question is, will Casey Marie Jones, Odyn, Uno, Yi, and Moja be worthy of their TMNT predecessors in this ultimate battle for the heart and soul of New York City?”
Added Eastman, “It’s hard to believe this journey started nearly forty years ago with a simple twenty five page outline by Peter Laird and myself, finally brought to life with such an incredible creative team, the support of Nickelodeon and IDW, and most of all, the fans. We couldn’t have done it without you! We all hope this final installment of this trilogy is worthy, we’re all working hard to bring this important part of this next generation of Ninja Turtles to a place we never dreamed we’d be able to when we first started. Thanks a billion trillion!”
You can expect to return for New York next Summer. Check out several covers, below.
This article has been updated with art and quotes from IDW.
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