The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles event series Armageddon Game has already brought plenty of explosive action and surprises. After a years-long absence, during which he co-wrote the smash-hit The Last Ronin, original series writer Tom Waltz returns to the main IDW Turtles timeline. Alongside new series editor Charles Beacham, Waltz is introducing new elements to the IDW TMNT Universe, planting plenty of Easter eggs for TMNT die-hards, and paying off long-simmering plot threads dating back to the earliest days of the run. The event promises to pull the turtles far outside their usual New York confines and push their ninja skills and brotherhood to the limit.
Both Waltz and Beacham took the time to speak with CBR about the process of writing such an epic event. The pair dove into the inspiration for some of the big surprises and all things Armageddon Game.
CBR: This is the first major Ninja Turtles event since the major climax of "City At War" in Issue #100. Charles, I wonder if you could elaborate on why now was the time to expand things again after such a long period of smaller, more personal stories.
Charles Beacham: While I wish I could take credit for the genesis of Armageddon Game, this was all Tom [Waltz]'s brainchild. He's been seeding this story for a LONG time, and it just made sense to tell it now. On a more macro level, TMNT is one of the most important and enduring franchises in comics history. There's always been the potential for these epic events, and it's definitely something we hope to explore more.
The Turtles are working with the Shredder! Oroku Saki's done some horrible things and been through literal hell but now seeks redemption for his many evil deeds. Is there really any chance for redemption for someone with so much blood on his hands, like The Shredder?
Beacham: Look... anything is possible. Saki is a warlord at his core but a warlord who's lived many lives. Will he fall back into his old ways? Can he ever really clean his hands? You'll have to read Armageddon Game to find out.
The last few storylines have brought major changes to the TMNT status quo, with new threats from Ch'rell (the 2003 cartoon's version of the Shredder) and Dr. Jasper Barlow, as well as a reimagined version of Venus. Were these intentional building blocks leading up to the Armageddon Game's story, or were they independent elements that Tom integrated into the story? Charles, how do you manage this kind of multi-writer collaboration?
Beacham: I LOVE coordinating big crossover events like this. For me, it's the closest thing to playing pretend on the playground as a kid. At the start of Armageddon Game, we pulled everyone into a big Zoom call and just talked about all the things we COULD do, then narrowed it down to what we SHOULD do. It's been an exciting exploration to actually have it all come together.
The supporting cast has exploded in the last few years, and the extended Hamato family has grown beyond just our original four heroes. From each of your perspectives, what kinds of challenges or opportunities does that present in your writing process or in navigating the overall arc of the series, particularly for a TMNT story?
Beacham: From an editorial standpoint, having a large supporting cast is only awesome. It means that we have a bigger sandbox to play in. That said, we also have to be mindful to bring things back to center. Fans love the wider Turtles cast, and books like Alliance are particularly fun because we get to bring in folks to tell stories that zoom in on the lives of others in the universe. I'm always looking for corners we can explore that give more context to the TMNT's struggles.
Tom Waltz: Honestly, having so many characters and needing to weed some of them out to make things less complicated has been a running joke behind the scenes for many years at IDW -- first with mighty editor Bobby Curnow, and now with the fantastic Charles in charge -- the joke being every time we thought we got one character out of the way, three more took their place (sounds a lot like Hydra, doesn't it?).
Thing is, I absolutely love every single character we've created, from the most minor to the biggest heroes and villains, so if there's any real difficulty, it's finding a way to give each of them facetime within the constraints of monthly comic-book storytelling. By placing this event at a multidimensional cosmic scale, however, with real ramifications for all of planet Earth, we do get the excuse and opportunity to touch base with the vast majority of our beloved characters, even if some of them just pop in to say "hi" on a panel or two. For me, personally, it's a chance to revisit "old friends" that I've been away from for the years I've been away from the main ongoing series.
The Turtles have been in some big battles before, but The Armageddon Game deals with enormous stakes far beyond anything they've faced before. Tom, does your approach to these characters change when you're writing a big fantasy story compared to a smaller clash with other ninjas or a fairly grounded gang war?
Waltz: You know, not really. I believe the success of the TMNT brand over the decades revolves around the fact that it's a story about family first, whether that family is fighting other ninjas on the streets, aliens in other dimensions, or each other when not agreeing on what topping to get for their pizza. My number one rule is always character first, and all the fancy-schmancy sci-fi/fantasy/superhero powers come second. That latter stuff is simply part of the setting, including the weapons they carry and the colors they wear. I know if I'm true to the characters, everything else has a way of working itself out... enormous stakes or no.
Tom, you have been seeding the Pantheon in the background since almost the beginning of your time on TMNT. How exciting is it to finally have the chance to pay off these subplots and bring closure to the Rat King's chaos? Did collaborating with Charles as a new lead editor bring anything new to these long-simmering ideas?
Waltz: I LOVE that we're finally getting around to playing with the Pantheon family again. If ever a group of characters grew organically during my long time on this book, it was these eternal demigods and schemers. We only had plans for Rat King at the start, but once we decided to build a connection between that trickster and the witch Kitsune, it was easy -- and extremely fun -- to expand the family, and I like to think that they've been a popular addition to the TMNT mythos because we approached them the same way we approach all the families in our book: character first, powers second. Underneath their godlike machinations, the Pantheon family is just like any other, which makes them relatable to so many readers... and an interesting foil to the TMNT.
Having Charles so ably leading the way now has definitely given a fresh and exciting voice to the overall creative process to include the Pantheon -- not to mention some of the amazing elements the talented Sophie Campbell has brought to the series during her fantastic writing run, as well as our great publishing partners at Nickelodeon, especially Jeff Whitman, whose knowledge of all things TMNT is frightening (in a good way).
This event has already introduced quite a few more obscure elements from unexpected chapters of Ninja Turtles history. What goes into the decision, creatively or editorially, to fold in characters like the Nova Posse or Cudley the Cowlick into a story?
Waltz: When I first started plotting the high-level aspects of The Armageddon Game, I knew I wanted to include characters from the popular Archie run that I'd not been able to get into the book up to that point. So I started doing some digging, as the Archie series was the one I had the least knowledge of, and stumbled upon the Nova Posse... and it was love at first sight! My first thought was, "This is our Guardians of the Galaxy!" which means choosing them for the story was a no-brainer.
The brain strain came about when I then had to find a way to make their inclusion make sense, which got me thinking about a multi-dimensional tale, which in turn FINALLY gave me an excuse to bring in Cudley the Cowlick, a character (a SUPER WEIRD CHARACTER beloved by many, many TMNT fans) I'd been wanting to write for years but never had found a spot for him that worked. Our BIGGEST rule for IDW's TMNT stories, since day one, is that we do NOT bring in characters unless they make sense to, and serve, the story being told. Turns out, this story is perfect for Cudley and the Nova Posse because, really, they influenced the story.
Speaking of Cudley the Cowlick, that was such an unexpected reveal. He's a personal bizarre favorite of mine, and I literally cheered when I flipped to that page in Issue 2. So I have to ask another related question. We've seen this series make some major tonal shifts both between and within individual issues. The recent story introducing Venus into the IDW universe was some brutal horror, while other elements like Cudley and the Neutrinos are much sillier. The Turtles have always ridden that line between dramatic action and comedy, but how do you balance these contradictory elements while keeping the stakes and drama?
Beacham: For me, the best stories aren't afraid to be different and to be what they need to be to convey whatever emotion or message [is] meant to be conveyed. One of the things I've always loved about TMNT is that it's unafraid of being absolutely ridiculous. I think that really frees up the franchise to deliver great stories across any genre.
Waltz: Again, not to kick a deceased horse, but it's all about character. No matter how weird or normal a character is, if the reader (and the writer, for that matter) is able to find something personally relatable to them, then the drama, whether humorous or horrifying or something in between, takes care of itself. Every single person in the real world has a purpose, no matter their skin color, gender, race, religion, etc., and I feel it should be no different with the characters in the story I tell. Who they are should be more important than what they are.
I believe that approach allows me to write an interdimensional cow head as realistically as I write a New York City cop. Cudley has a purpose and a distinct personality, as does Detective Kara Lewis... They're just wrapped a little differently (well, a lot, but you get what I'm saying). Comic books just allow us to get a little visually crazy with those wrappings sometimes, and that's why I love this gig!
We've already seen the Turtles go everywhere, from the sewers to a mutant city to the afterlife and other dimensions. Is there anywhere you could put the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that wouldn't work?
Beacham: I'm going to make it my personal mission to find out.
Waltz: Well, they probably couldn't join AARP right now because, you know, teenagers.
It's hard to believe, with so many big moments already in this storyline, we're only just getting started. Is there anything you want to tease or share about things still to come in Armageddon Game or about the larger world of the TMNT before we wrap up?
Beacham: Armageddon Game is really just the beginning of all the big things we have in store with the Ninja Turtles for the next few years. Those who pay close attention will be able to pick out hints at a lot of cool things we're planning for the future. You don't want to miss this event or what comes next.
Waltz: What Charles said! And thank you -- fans, retailers, journalists -- for your continued support of our work. It means the world... and beyond!
IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game event series is available now in comic shops!