Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is bringing back the very first female turtle: Venus di Milo.
IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #127, written by Sophie Campbell and illustrated by Pablo Tunica, sees Venus return to the fold after a 24-year hiatus from the franchise. "I’d been trying to make a Venus comeback happen for a while, and I almost can’t believe it’s finally happening!" Campbell said."
"It’s been amazing to watch Sophie Campbell continue our long-running TMNT series with such careful consideration and commitment to the kind of character-driven storylines that have always been the foundation for what makes all things Turtles so beloved and eternal," editor Tom Waltz added. "And now she’s crafted a clever plan to introduce a character from the past that many thought would never see the light of day again. She’s doing it in fine fashion, continuing the IDW tradition of making the old feel both familiar and refreshing all at once…just in time for our big Armageddon Game event, no less!"
Venus debuted in the first episode of the 1997-1998 live-action series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation and was retconned as one of five turtles exposed to the mutagen that transformed Donatello, Michaelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo. As part of the retcon, she was mistakenly left behind by Splinter and wouldn't encounter the TMNT until years later. The character proved controversial among fans, with franchise co-creator Peter Laird taking issue with the notion of a fifth turtle, and she was swiftly phased out with no explanation. April O'Neil was briefly mutated into a turtle in a 1994 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Special, technically making her the first female turtle, though unlike Venus, she was a human-born. In 2019, Jennika became the second human-born mutant turtle and third female turtle overall.
Venus' return is part of a four-issue story arc culminating with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #130. However, the character is also slated to appear in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Free Comic Book Day issue that arrives on May 7. That issue serves as a prelude to the 2022 event Armageddon Game.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #127 is written by Sophie Campbell and illustrated by Pablo Tunica, with covers by Tunica, Kevin Eastman and Jared Cullum. The issue goes on sale March 16 from IDW Publishing.
Source: IDW Publishing