IDW Publishing has finally confirmed the artist who will taking forward the new, ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. For each of the series’ first four issues a guest artist has joined writer Jason Aaron to continue the stories of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael. The series upcoming 6th issue – billed by IDW as a new jumping on point – will mark the debut of Juan Ferreyra (Batman & Robin, Green Arrow) as Aarons creative partner moving forwards.
Every issue of this thrilling story will also feature a set of covers by Ferreyra as well as Eisner-nominated artist Jorge Fornes (Batman, Rorschach) who will make his jaw-dropping TMNT cover debut with issue #6.
Issue #6 will be a pivotal and can’t-miss chapter in the fan-favorite series that sees the Heroes in a Half Shell reunite in New York City. But while the four mutant brothers were scattered around the globe, much has changed in the Big Apple. The Ninja Turtles are now being hunted on their home turf, and Ferreyra will draw and color the action-packed and emotional script by writer Jason Aaron.
For Ferreyra, leaping out of the shadows and into the world of TMNT is a childhood dream come true. “Getting to be the artist in TMNT makes me super happy and excited on so many levels. The first one is exciting for the little Juan that lives in me,” reminisced Ferreyra. “I was a big Turtles fan when I was 11-12 years old, I used to draw them all the time. In fact, when I told one of my best friends that I was going to draw the TMNT comic next, he told me that one of his first memories of me drawing was when he saw me drawing the Turtles and how amazed he was at how I was able to draw them so accurately.”
Ferreyra continued to share just how excited he is about being the new artist on TMNT. “The other level is the grown up Juan and the opportunity that I have to give my take on TMNT for a full arc and working with one of my all time favorite writers. Working with Jason for a full arc on anything would’ve been a dream come true, so when they told me Jason would be writing it I had one of the biggest smiles I’ve had in a long time. The most amazing thing is that all of that was before I started drawing anything, and now that I’m halfway through the first issue I can tell that it is way more satisfying and fun than what I could have ever anticipated!”
Aaron spent the first arc shining a spotlight on each Ninja Turtle while building up the new threat. With these upcoming issues, the award-winning writer is eager for fans to dive into his grand plan for the series. “The first arc of this new TMNT series featured issues that focused on the individual brothers in different situations, different spots around the globe, gradually bringing them back together to face a new villain who’s taken root in New York City. With issue #6, that all comes to a head, as the Ninja Turtles are back together and finally make their return to New York, only to find that much has changed in the city they used to call home,” teased Aaron. “With this issue, the real story begins, so I’m super excited to have the great Juan Ferreyra coming on board not just for this issue but for the long haul, as the Turtles get ready to face their next great challenge. “
TMNT Senior Editor Andy Khouri is no stranger to Ferreyra’s immense talent and is beyond excited for the world to witness what the artist will bring to the series. “As someone who’s had the pleasure of working with him on a long-form series in the past, I couldn’t be happier that Juan has come onboard as our new TMNT artist. ‘Dynamic’ is an overused term in comic book discourse, but this dude truly embodies the descriptor with his incredibly exciting storytelling, unmatched command of action, and beautiful color work. Juan absolutely stands beside the auspicious lineup of series launch artists, and TMNT readers are about to discover why he’s long been a favorite of comics pros everywhere.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 goes on sale January 29, 2025 and readers can use comicshoplocator.com to find a comic shop near them and pre-order the series. The third issue of the hit series, featuring art and colors by Cliff Chiang, is on sale next week (10/23/24).
