A final page twist in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher #1 reveals which of the TMNT is behind the mysterious vigilante's mask

The Nightwatcher strikes! — (Image credit: IDW)

Who is the masked vigilante known as Nightwatcher? That's the question on everybody's lips in Mutant Town. Well, with the first issue of Juni Ba and Fero Pe's brilliant new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles spin-off published today, we can finally reveal the answer...

IDW recently relaunched its core TMNT comic with a new #1 and a fresh start for the heroes in a half-shell. While that series is currently exploring the lives of the four classic turtles, this new spin-off is dedicated to Nightwatcher – a mysterious masked and armored vigilante who roams the alleys of Mutant Town, protecting those in need. In the 2007 animated film it turned out to be Raphael in disguise, but that's not the case with this version of the tale.

We'll get into exactly who the new Nightwatcher is, right after Fero Pe's main cover...

Spoilers for TMNT: Nightwatcher #1 ahead

Cover art for TMNT: Nightwatcher #1. — (Image credit: IDW)

As revealed in the final pages of the first issue, the new Nightwatcher is in fact Jennika, the fan favorite fifth Turtle created by Sophie Campbell, Tom Waltz, and Kevin Eastman. This new development makes total sense – there's been much fan speculation about Jennika's status is in this new era of TMNT comics. Now, the Nightwatcher series is set to delve deeper into her character than ever before.

"Now that the turtle is out of the bag we can finally start tackling the meat of the story!," said writer Juni Ba in an exclusive statement to Newsarama about the surprise reveal. "Why would someone like her put on a mask? What is she hiding? Does a mask help erase the person you are to the point you even forget? We'll be exploring this as well as the lives in Mutant Town."

Newsarama can also exclusively reveal a first look at some inked pages from next month's Nightwatcher #2, which give a strong hint at Jennika's motivation for donning the mask. Check them out in the gallery below.

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Inked pages from TMNT: Nightwatcher #2 — (Image credit: IDW)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher #1 is out now from IDW. It's not the only TMNT spin-off on the way – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation #1 by writer Tom Waltz and artist Vincenzo Federici follows on September 18.

Check out our in-depth interview with Juni Ba and Fero Pe about the thrilling new Nightwatcher comic.

Will Salmon is the former Streaming Editor for GamesRadar+. He has been writing about film, TV, comics, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he launched the scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for well over a decade. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places too.