Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Last Ronin #1 brandishes 71 covers (and counting) for R-rated mega debut

TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 cover
(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

IDW Publishing has released all 71 covers for its upcoming TMNT: The Last Ronin #1, which showcases one lone Turtle fighting for justice in a dystopian future, the last of his brothers left.

"It's the TMNT event of 2020!" reads the official solicitation for TMNT: The Last Ronin #1. "Springing from the minds of TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comes an epic like you've never seen before!"

"In a future NYC far different than the one we know today, a lone surviving Turtle goes on a seemingly hopeless mission to obtain justice for his fallen family and friends," it continues. "Kinetic layouts from Eastman, inks from Esau and Isaac Escorza, and a thrilling script full of surprises from longtime TMNT scribe Tom Waltz all combine to make this one of the most memorable TMNT stories you will ever read! Oversized in both format and page count, this is a perennial TMNT tale that can't be missed!"

The Last Ronin was originally planned as a story to follow up the very first long-form Ninja Turtles arc from their late '80s Mirage Comics heyday – but plans were scrapped when the franchise took off as one of the best selling and best-loved toylines and animated series of the '90s.

"I stored this particular set of notes in an old brown elastic-bound folder with a bunch of other TMNT ideas for 20 years before rediscovering it about 10 years ago in a massive file reorganization," Eastman tells Newsarama of the genesis of The Last Ronin. "When I re-re-discovered the files in late 2018, the ongoing IDW TMNT series was racing towards issue 100, which, after nine years of work it would wrap up a massive storyline... that's when I thought of this story again, but it struck me in a completely different way this time."

Here's the gallery of all 71 covers:

Here's a list of all 71 covers, including which retailers will carry store exclusive variants:

  • Cover A: Art by Kevin Eastman, Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza; colors by Luis Antonio Delgado
  • Cover RI-A: Art by Kevin Eastman, colors by Brittany Pezzillo
  • Cover RI-B: Art by Mateus Santolouco
  • Convention Exclusive: Art by Kevin Eastman, colors by Fahriza Kamaputra
  • Second Printing: Art by Kevin Eastman, Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza; colors by Luis Antonio Delgado
  • Thank You: Art by Kevin Eastman, Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza

Retailer variants

  • El Ray Comics: Chris Callahan
  • Collector's Cave: Raymond Gay
  • Blank Exclusive
  • Very Gary Comics: Ryan Browne
  • Comic Kingdom of Canada: Sajah Shah (2 versions)
  • Surprise Comics: Eric Henson
  • The 616: Hal Laren (2 versions)
  • Hanahan Comics: Bob Tkacick
  • Gotham City Limit: Jason Metcalf
  • Epikos Comics: Raymond Gay & Jeremy Clark
  • Epikos Comics: Jason Flowers
  • AOD Collectibles: Dennis Calero
  • Cyn City Comics: Ben Bishop
  • Jolzar Collectibles / Wicked Gator: Alan Quah
  • Jolzar Collectibles / Bullet Proof: Lucio Parrillo
  • Jolzar Collectibles / Bullet Proof: Johnny Desjardins
  • Artgerm Collectibles: Kendrik "Kunkka" Lim (2 versions)
  • Big Time Collectibles: John Giang
  • Frankie's Comics: Peach Momoko (3 versions)
  • KRS Comics / Black Flag: Raymond Bermudez
  • Linebreaker Comics: Aaron Bartling
  • InHyuk Lee
  • InHyuk Lee Independence Day Variant
  • Toy Whiz: Ben Harvey
  • Toy Whiz: Sean Anderson
  • Sanctum Sanctorum: Skan Srisuwan
  • Slab City: Emil Cabaltierra
  • Slab City: Camillo Di Pietrantonio
  • Big Country Comics: Mike Rooth
  • Unknown Comics: Mico Suayan (3 versions)
  • Comics Vault: Khoi Pham (2 versions)
  • Comics and Ponies: Justin Roiland/Kevin Eastman (2 versions)
  • Comics and Ponies: Justin Roiland
  • Comics and Ponies: Kenneth Rocafort
  • Trinity Comics: Crees HyungSung Lee
  • The Nerd Store: Kael Ngu (2 versions)
  • The Nerd Store: Stan Yak
  • Jetpack / Forbidden Planet: Rich Woodall (2 versions)
  • Jetpack Comics: Steve Lavigne
  • Bishart Kids: Noah Sult
  • Split Decision: Ben Bishop
  • Evolve: Freddie Williams II (2 versions)
  • One Stop Shop: Ben Bishop/Jean-Francois Beaulieu
  • One Stop Shop: Francesco Mattina (3 versions)
  • One Stop Shop: Joseph Schmalke
  • One Stop Shop: Justin Mason (2 versions)
  • One Stop Shop: Scott McFarland
  • Jak's: Tessa Rose (2 versions)
  • Obscurity

 Catch up on the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories of all time. 

George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)