The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are skilled at hiding in the shadows, but this July the four mutant brothers are leaping directly into the spotlight as they star in one of the biggest comic book launches of the year: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 from Eisner award-winning writer Jason Aaron (Batman: Off-World, Thor: The God of Thunder) and an impressive lineup of acclaimed artists on the first four issues: Joëlle Jones, Rafael Albuquerque, Cliff Chiang, and Chris Burnham.
“When this new series begins, the Turtles have gone their separate ways and ended up in some surprising places,” Aaron teased about the plot he has in store for Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello. “First up is Raphael, the one mutant inmate in a prison full of killers, as brought to gorgeously gritty life by Joëlle. I can’t wait for folks to read it, and to see where we go from here.”
The new issue #1 features cover designs by Rafael Albuquerque, Joëlle Jones, Kevin Eastman, J Gonzo, Khary Randolph, Aaron Campbell. a 40th Anniversary variant cover comes from Eric Talbot. 1:12 variant artwork is by Danny Earls, 1:50 by Darick Robertson, 1:75 from Lee Bermejo and 1:100 by Peach Momoko. A super rare 1:250 variant cover comes from Matteo Scalera with a 1:500 variant from Sean Murphy.
Take a look at each of the cover designs below:
Launching during the 40th anniversary of the franchise is fitting because Aaron stated he’s heavily inspired by the classic work from co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. ”I just responded to this book because it seemed so completely different from anything else I read. It looked different, felt different. It felt like a book that was grungy and raw and had dirt and grime under its fingernails, and I loved all that. So, if anything, I’m just trying to make this book feel like that.”
Excitingly, IDW has also given us several preview pages from the issue #1 which you can check out below:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 leaps into shops on July 24, 2024 and is expected to be one of the most sought-after issues of the year. If fans want to guarantee getting their hands on a copy of the debut issue, they should pre-order from a local comic shop as soon as possible because retailer orders are due June 10.
