IDW Publishing is expanding the Ronin-verse this November. Following on the heels of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, co-writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz will team up with artists SL Gallant and Ben Bishop for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin – The Lost Years, a five-issue limited series that digs deeper into its world.
"Continuing to expand on an idea Peter Laird and I had 35 years ago with this incredible creative team has been the adventure of a lifetime," says Eastman in the announcement.
"To continue exploring and telling stories within the Last Ronin universe couldn't possibly be more exciting for me. I'm so thrilled we get to stay and play here for a while and I can't wait to share everything we have planned. Buckle up, TMNT fans! We've got two turtle universes that are both about to get seriously awesome!"
Eastman is referring to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, a four-issue limited series debuting in September that finally brings the classic '80s cartoon aesthetic to comics. To say the Ronin-verse is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum is an understatement, but this just means there's a little TMNT for everyone.
Also in the Lost Years announcement, Waltz notes that the series will be the first "expansion" of the Ronin-verse. He teases a more detailed look at the Ronin's past and a glimpse at the future of his allies, which may indicate even more stories to come.
Bishop adds, "It’s all very top secret at the moment, but I will say this – believe it or not, even more so than in the original Last Ronin series, the stuff I get to draw in Lost Years is an old-school TMNT kid's wildest dream come true! I'm so excited to get the gang back together again so we can expand even more on this world we've been building – not only in Last Ronin, but in the TMNT universe as a whole."
Check out covers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin – The Lost Years #1 by Eastman and Bishop, Gallant, and Mike Deodato below.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin – The Lost Years #1 will be available in November.
The Last Ronin may go down in history as one of the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories.
