Last year was a big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles year for me and since 2024 marks the 40th anniversary, I see no reason to stop!
In comic shops today from IDW, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha #1 kicks off the next era of the heroes in a half-shell. I’ve been really looking forward to this relaunch since I dropped off of the prior series early on and, much like me trying to participate in Double Dutch, I never really found a good place to jump back in. The 150th and final issue of the prior series came across my desk for review and I had to respectfully decline to cover it because I could not make sense of anything going on without 100+ issues of context.
Here’s the blurb for this issue!
What’s the world like without the TMNT? Since their time-spanning victory over Armaggon, the Turtles have started to pursue other interests, leaving a void in New York among humans and mutants alike. This special issue explores the effects this change has on those connected to the brothers, from Old Hob to Jennika, across the five boroughs and all the way through Mutant Island. It’s hard to tell how important someone is until they are gone. And who better to write such a story than Tom Waltz, the man who scripted the first 100 issues of IDW’s series and the co-writer of The Last Ronin, and recent TMNT artist Gavin Smith!
Also, get your first glimpse of what is coming in a special prequel to the new TMNT #1, written by superstar scribe Jason Aaron (Scalped, Batman: Off-World) and drawn by white-hot artist Chris Burnham (Batman, Inc., Die!Die!Die!). Donatello has had a hard time since he came back from the future, and he’s found himself in an unexpected place.
I’m very much looking forward to Aaron’s take on Turtles since the above-mentioned Batman: Off-World has been a ton of fun, which is also what I’m expecting from the new TMNT book. Admittedly, I was a bit confused when I picked up this book because I was under the impression that IDW was going into reboot territory as opposed to a relaunch like they had done with Transformers prior to that property going to Skybound. I’ll fully admit that’s on me for not paying close attention to the comics news in recent years.
It could be a good thing that their prior continuity isn’t being jettisoned entirely and it certainly makes sense that IDW chose now to publish the TMNT reference guides. That being said, I was a little lost reading the Old Hob story that makes up the bulk of this book. It was still very good, but I felt like I wasn’t able to fully appreciate it. As for Aaron and Burnham’s (short) story, they’re already in my good graces by featuring my favourite of the Turtles, Donatello.
There is a whole slew of new TMNT books coming from IDW this year and they all look pretty interesting to me. How about we meet back here in a month or so to check out the launch of the new title?
Until then: Pizza, radical, cowabunga, etc.
