After the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their debut in a black-and-white comic by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984, the Heroes in a Half Shell went on to become a global phenomenon. Over the next forty years, countless talented people across the entertainment industry worked passionately with the beloved franchise, allowing adventures with new iterations of TMNT to consistently reach new audiences. Now, brilliant TMNT creatives from different eras are joining forces to present something truly special to fans: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration.
With several new stories and pinup art pieces inspired by different eras of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this technodrome-sized issue with more than 70 pages will feature fan-favorite creatives returning to their respective eras for all-new tales. This special one-shot issue will feature new stories and pinup art from Jim Lawson, Ciro Nieli, Tristan Jones, Paul Harmon, Steve Lavigne, Andy Suriano, Ronda Pattison, Pablo Tunica, Freddie E. Williams II, Sophie Campbell, Tom Waltz, Lloyd Goldfine, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, Dan Duncan, Erik Burnham, Sarah Myer, Luis Antonio Delgado, Chris Allan and more. Plus, the one and only Kevin Eastman will be contributing a story to the collection.
Today we’re taking a look at the covers for this special celebratory issue which were unveiled recently by IDW:
No TMNT anniversary celebration would be complete without the two people who created it all. This oversized issue will feature a primary cover with never-before-seen pencils from Laird that have been inked by Eastman, just for this special issue! Additional eye-catching covers will be provided by acclaimed artists Sophie Campbell, Isaac and Esau Escorza, Simon Bisley, Michael Dialynas, Vincenzo Federici, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, Michael Cho, Dave Wachter, and an IDW Exclusive cover by Ben Bishop.
“Having a childhood dream – in my case to write and draw comics for a living, is one thing – to then actually spending every minute of the next 40 years doing it, is a whole other matter altogether – humbling is the first word that comes to mind,” stated Eastman. “My co-creation of TMNT with the amazing Peter Laird has been the driving force of living that dream, and working with a number of really talented writers and artists along the way has made, and still makes, the journey the greatest shared experience I never imaged and could not be more grateful for.” The iconic comic book creator added, “From the raw beginnings of a 40-page self-published black and white ‘origin of’ comic, to the 200-page full color ‘final tale’ of the original TMNT’s graphic novel, THE LAST RONIN, I want to thank the people directly responsible – our fans. Without them, I would not have had the chance to live that childhood dream.”
“What’s amazing about the TMNT comics is just looking back over the breadth of the stories, how many creators have tapped in, and all the energy and excitement that has gone into the last four decades,” added Editor-in-Chief Jamie S. Rich. “It proves how great the original concept by Eastman & Laird was that it endures across media, across time, and the characters consistently find a new audience. This book tries to tap into as much of that as possible and bring back fan favorite creators to celebrate their contributions to the lore.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration will leap into comic shops on July 10, 2024 for $11.99. Fans have until June 3 to pre-order at their local comic shop.
