Comic-Con 2023: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Last Ronin Sequel Revealed

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is undoubtedly one of the most popular new TMNT comics to come along in recent years, so it should come as little surprise that the series is getting a sequel. Today at San Diego Comic-Con, IDW Publishing revealed the first details about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution.

The Last Ronin II reunites the creative team from the original series, including co-writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, artists Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza and Isaac Escorza, colorist Edgar Delgado and letterer Shawn Lee.

However, the title takes on a slightly different connotation this time. The original series focuses on Michelangelo, the last surviving member of the original four Turtles, as he embarks on a final mission of vengeance against Shredder’s grandson. The new series instead follows the four new Turtles – Yi, Uno, Odyn, and Moja – introduced on the final page of The Last Ronin #5. The next generation of Turtles has come of age, and with the help of their sensei, Casey Marie Jones, they’ll rise up from the sewers to defend their wartorn city.

“The real heart and soul for me with dusting off and bringing Last Ronin to life three years ago was my belief ‘Every beginning must have an end.'” Eastman tells IGN. “With all the respect in the world for my co-creator Peter Laird, I wanted to bring full circle to what we started in 1984 and set out to do in 1987. With Last Ronin, with my friend Tom Waltz and an incredible gathering of brilliant artisans, we accomplished that 33 years later. A very fitting end indeed.

Eastman continues, “The incredible surprise on coming out of the end of that journey, was the opportunity to continue to tell stories beyond that ending. All new characters, in a whole new universe to really sink our teeth into and the best part – with all the original crew back to make sure we get it right. I can’t wait for you to see what we have in store for them.”

“When Kevin Eastman and I got together to adapt and update the future TMNT outline that he and Peter Laird had written together in 1987, our hope was always that we’d be creating an evergreen tale that longtime TMNT fans would enjoy for years to come,” Waltz says. “Little did we know — and much to our absolute pleasure — The Last Ronin would become a publishing sensation, a New York Times bestseller, far surpassing our initial hopes and expectations. And not only was it successful, it offered Kevin and I the opportunity to revisit what we’ve lovingly come to call the Roninverse in the form of prequels and sequels — first with Lost Years/Lost Day, and now with The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution. I couldn’t be more excited and humbled to help bring the next generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the world… awesome new stories and characters that stand firmly and respectfully atop the shoulders of the beloved legacy of their original namesakes. We’re gonna have our pizza and eat it too!”

”Kevin, Tom, and the rest of the team have cooked up something truly incredible for this next chapter in the Last Ronin story,” adds TMNT senior editor Charles Beachman. “Yes there’s more Turtles. Yes there are exciting new enemies, but even more than that there’s a lot of heart.  I can tell you that this book is a labor of love for ALL involved and it shows.”

IGN can also exclusively debut new sketch artwork from The Last Ronin II. Here’s Eastman’s take on the four new Turtles perched high above their city:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #1 will be released on December 13, 2023.

The Last Ronin is also being adapted as a God of War-inspired game. Here’s why we think The Last Ronin is a perfect choice to become a video game.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.