If you were a kid in the late 80’s or early 90’s then you likely remember the term Turtlemania. It was what the media used to describe the ultimate pop culture phenomenon as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took over the airwaves and toy stores around the globe.
Well, it certainly looks like Turtlemania is returning in 2024 as IDW Publishing has announced huge pre-sale orders for the upcoming relaunch of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book. The debut issue, which launches on July 24, has so far amassed a whopping 300,000 orders. This gargantuan number officially makes it one of the biggest comic book launches of the year.
Eisner Award-winning writer Jason Aaron (Batman: Off-World, Thor: The God of Thunder) is humbled by the enormous response to the upcoming comic and immensely appreciative. “Thank you to all the retailers and fans out there for believing in what we’re cooking up with this new series and for supporting the book in such a massive way,” stated Aaron. “There are so many cool covers to choose from, and this summer there’ll be loads of pizza parties and big events all over the country revolving around this launch and the 40th anniversary of the Ninja Turtles. But at the end of the day, I’m mostly just excited for people to hold the book in their hands and see Joëlle‘s incredible art and read the beginning of what should be a crazy fun ride of a story.”
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.
