TMNT: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration features 11 stories from across the franchise’s long history and is published by IDW Publishing.
TMNT: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration is available from July 10, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turn 40! Revisit some of their greatest eras with stories told by some of the many creators of the page and screen who made each iteration of the Turtles so special! This all-new anthology takes a look all the way back to the start, celebrating that initial spark of creativity from Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, and then works its way through the next four decades, highlighting fan-favorite touchstones from comic books and beyond. Eastman leads a host of incredible talent who are contributing new stories and pinups from a gaggle of legendary TMNT contributors, including Jim Lawson, Tristan Jones and Paul Harmon, Ronda Pattison and Pablo Tunica, Tom Waltz and Michael Dialynus, Ciro Nieli, Lloyd Goldfine with Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez, Andy Suriano, Chris Allan and many more, all hearkening back to the era of TMNT they are best known for, ranging from the initial Mirage series through the 1990s and up until now, as well as the Tales of TMNT and Rise of the TMNT. Featuring a host of covers designed to celebrate individual decades, including new pieces by Eastman & Laird, Campbell, Randolph, the Escorza Brothers, Michael Dooney, Vincenzo Federici, Michael Dialynas, and the mighty Simon Bisley! Plus a special “Golden Age” cover by Michael Cho!
Review
I might have mentioned this before but 2024 is the year we celebrate forty years of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Part of that celebration is this incredible new collection of stories which reach all the way back to the beginning of the franchise. Loving curated by the series’ current publisher, IDW, the TMNT: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration makes unpredictable choices to put the spotlight on forgotten, overlooked and underrated stories which deserve their moment to shine.
Included in the collection are:
- “Mirage 1 Story” written by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, also features aspects of the poem “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe.
- “Monsters” is written, illustrated, and lettered by Jim Lawson.
- “Gang Wars” is written by Tristan Jones and illustrated by Paul Harmon.
- “Downtime” takes place in the Urban Legends era, with Gary Carlson writing, Frank Fosco illustrating, and Adam Guzowksi illustrating.
- “The Man Behind The Mask” is set in the TMNT Adventures era, with story and artwork by Chris Allan.
- “What About Tomorrow?” goes to the TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures comic, with Erik Burnham writing, Sarah Myer writing, and Luis Antonio Delgado coloring.
- “Splinter Forever” takes place during the 2003 animated series, with Lloyd Goldfine writing, Khary Randolph illustrating, and Emilio Lopez coloring.
- Ciro Nieli writes and illustrates “Kraang Among Us”, which takes place during the 2012 animated series.
- Andy Suriano writes and illustrates “Farewell”, which explores the last days of the Rise of the TMNT series.
- Finally, “Father’s Day” is written by Tom Waltz and illustrated by Michael Dialynas, while “Teen Spirit” is written by Ronda Pattinson and illustrated by Pablo Tunica.
The collection quite rightly starts back at the beginning with a story from Mirage and the early days of the TMNT. It’s the perfect introduction which encapsulates who these characters are and what they meant to creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The original art style is striking and begins a journey which takes the Heroes in a Half Shell through their many different incarnations. “Mirage Story 1” tracks the Turtles against the words of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Alone”. It strikes a tone not often found in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story and sends expectations for the rest of the collection through the roof.
TMNT: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration moves swiftly through the eras with self-contained stories from Jim Lawson’s “Monsters” which puts the spotlight on classic villain Rat King, to Tristan Jones’ “Gang Wars” and Gary Carlson’s “Downtime”, each of which puts a different spin on the pantheon of TMNT characters. The choice of these standalone stories helps to exemplify the storytelling from each of these eras. No two are alike and none is included purely to drive legacy sales.
Reaching Chris Allan’s “The Man Behind the Mask” the collection hits the era of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Allan explores the friendship between Raphael and April in a completely original way. Showing a different angle to both characters in a quiet moment between adventures. It’s a touching story which typifies why this collection exists.
Next up we hit IDW’s ongoing Saturday Morning Adventures series and a story from writer Erik Burnham. It’s the first of two stories, both styled for TMNT animated series, which also puts the focus on Splinter. The second, Lloyd Goldfine’s “Splinter Forever” picks up the design language from the 2003 TMNT animated series and is another standout amongst the collection. No supporting character is left out, much like how no era is left out in the cold.
Ciro Nieli’s “Kraang Among Us” is a long forgotten gem which shows a more experimental era of TMNT storytelling. It pairs perfectly with the next story, Andy Suriano’s “Farewell” which slots neatly in to the continuity of the more recent Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. Whilst the former takes cues from classic sci-fi storytelling, the latter is a prime example of the more-is-more storytelling of contemporary cartoons.
The final pair of stories, Tom Waltz’s “Father’s Day” and Ronda Pattinson’s “Teen Spirit”, bring us up to date with the IDW era of comics which has recently concluded with Sophie Campbell at the helm. Both are incredible examples of how far storytelling has come in the last forty years. “Father’s Day” is an gut wrenching slice of story from the heavily serialised IDW era but fits in perfectly alongside the rest of these stories.
Verdict
TMNT: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration serves as the perfect collection of B-sides and rarities from the Turtles history. A beautifully curated set of stories which exemplifies TMNT storytelling and serves as a reminder why these characters are so enduring.
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