CBR can exclusively reveal the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years prequel series from IDW will soon expand with a tie-in one-shot dubbed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Day Special.
Written by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz with illustrations by Ben Bishop and colors by Luis Antonio Delgado, the 40-page special hits stores in May 2023 and stars April O'Neil, her daughter Casey Marie Jones and the four mutant turtles the pair have adopted and trained. After April takes the turtles with her on a supply run into the devastated ruins of New York City, she becomes embroiled in the latest power struggle affecting the streets, and needs to race home with her four reptile friends before it's too late.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's Expanding Ronin-verse
TMNT: The Last Ronin - Lost Years is scheduled for a Jan. 25 release date, and IDW has also announced an expanded Director's Cut edition of the miniseries' first issue for April 2023. Dubbed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years #1, Director’s Cut, the book features supplementary materials from Eastman as well as artists Ben Bishop and SL Gallant. "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," Eastman said. "Buckle up, things are about to get messy!"
"The amazing success of TMNT: The Last Ronin has certainly opened doors to new and exciting storytelling opportunities within what we are now fondly calling the Ronin-verse," Waltz added. "Lost Years will expand upon some of the Last Ronin’s history that was hinted at in the first volume, while simultaneously pushing forward the new reality that was teased in its epilogue... And within Lost Years, Kevin and I are excited to have the opportunity to join artist Ben Bishop to tell a one-shot tale, Lost Day. The past, present, and future are full of surprises that we can’t wait to share with our readers!"
All of the comics composing the so-called Ronin-verse tell a dystopian story about a New York City completely controlled by the Foot Clan. Michelangelo is the only surviving turtle in this continuity, and thus far has fought against the Shredder's grandson, trained April O'Neil daughter and reminisced on the tragic deaths of his brothers.
The artwork at the top of this article is from Inhyuk Lee's TMNT: Last Ronin #2 variant cover. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years #1, Director’s Cut releases in April 2023. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Day Special follows in May 2023.
Source: IDW