Roninverse creatives tease the conclusion to their Roninverse saga, while a new writer takes over the main TMNT comics.
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| ‘TMNT: The Last Ronin III — Return to New York’ first-look exclusive. Credit: IDW |
TMNT: The Last Ronin III will officially arrive next summer. See an exclusive first look at the cover.
Creatives Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz tease the epic conclusion to their Roninverse saga.
In other news, the flagship TMNT comic series is changing hands as a new writer takes over.
The epic finale to the Last Ronin saga is upon us.
A first look has arrived at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin III — Return for New York, the long-awaited third chapter to the main storyline of the wildly popular “Roninverse.” Entertainment Weekly has revealed the cover art featuring Casey Marie Jones, daughter of the now-deceased Casey Jones and April O’Neil.
The artwork, from Isaac and Esau Escorza and colorist Luis Antonio Delgado, is an homage to the cover from the first series.
“When [co-creator] Kevin Eastman and I sat down to write the original TMNT: The Last Ronin, we had high hopes readers would love the story just as much as we loved telling it. Little did we know, that love would be exponentially returned to us and our amazing art teams...From that first volume, throughout all the subsequent prequels/sequels that have followed in what we now fondly call the Roninverse,” co-writer Tom Waltz told EW in a statement. “And, here we are, capping off the main trilogy with TMNT: The Last Ronin III — Return for New York...and we couldn’t be happier!”
The Roninverse — the dark futuristic vision of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — began with a story of Mikey, the titular Last Ronin, losing his own life to avenge the deaths of his brothers Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello, who were killed by Shredder’s grandson and the new leader of the Foot Clan.
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| ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin III — Return for New York’ cover. Credit: IDW |
The Last Ronin: The Lost Years (2022) told the prequel of Mikey’s transformation into the Last Ronin and the origin of a new group of Turtles — Odyn, Moja, Uno, and Yi — under the guidance of their sensei, Casey.
The Last Ronin II — Re-Evolution (2024) continued the new Turtles’ tale, while The Last Ronin — Training Day (2026) told of Mikey training Casey.
The original creative team — Eastman, Waltz, the Escorza brothers, Delgado, and Ben Bishop — are now back to bring the saga home after the death of April O’Neil.
Waltz says the creative team strives “to produce a grand finale worthy of its predecessors.”
“But the real question is, will Casey Marie Jones, Odyn, Uno, Yi, and Moja be worthy of their TMNT predecessors in this ultimate battle for the heart and soul of New York City?” he adds.
As for Eastman, “It’s hard to believe this journey started nearly 40 years ago with a simple 25-page outline by Peter Laird and myself — finally brought to life with such an incredible creative team, the support of Nickelodeon and IDW, and most of all the fans,” he says. “We couldn’t have done it without you! We all hope this final installment of this trilogy is worthy, we’re all working hard to bring this important part of this next generation of Ninja Turtles to a place we never dreamed we’d be able to when we first started. Thanks a billion trillion!”
The Last Ronin III will officially arrive sometime during summer 2027.
In addition to the comic series, Paramount Games Studio is currently working on a TMNT: The Last Ronin video game adaptation in collaboration with PlatinumGames. During IDW's Publishing's TMNT: Shellebrating 300 Issues of Turtle Power & Last Ronin panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Paramount Games Studio's Senior Vice President (SVP) - and writer of the game - Shawn Kittelsen gave a few insights into the upcoming game, including:
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| TMNT: Shellebrating 300 Issues of Turtle Power & Last Ronin Panel at SDCC 2026. Credit: Paramount Games Studio |
- “This is a AAA, narrative, third-person action game. If you ever wanted to save NYC and slice some synjas, this game is for you.” -Shawn Kittelsen
- “Kevin and I can’t wait for everyone to play this game. This is going to be the video game Ronin experience we envisioned.” -Tom Waltz
- “Turtles is family.” -Waltz
- “We are trying to be good stewards of the Turtles so we can hand this story down for generations.” -SK
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| ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ #25. Credit: IDW |
Elsewhere in the larger comics TMNT universe, another major change is upon us. The flagship Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series is changing hands.
With the arrival of issue #25 this coming January, current writer Gene Luen Yang will pass duties off to award-winning writer Matthew Rosenberg (If Destruction Be Our Lot, Spawn, Uncanny X-Men) and artist Juann Cabal (Daredevil, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Elektra).
A description from IDW signals “a thrilling story as the greatest roster of villains, both new and old, have assembled to hunt down the Turtles over the course of a single night.”
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| Matthew Ronsenberg. Credit: IDW |
EW has revealed imagery from the upcoming issue, including a variant cover by Stipan Morian.
In a statement, Rosenberg recalls his first encounter with TMNT comics, purchasing an issue of Eastman and Laird’s run from a local shop as a teen. He credits that moment as the time he fell in love with comics.
“It is truly an honor to not only add to the legacy of four of New York’s greatest heroes, but to follow in the footsteps of so many creators I love like Erik Larsen, Jim Lawson, Sophie Campbell, Tom Waltz, and most recently legends like Jason Aaron, Juan Ferreyra, Gene Luen Yang, and Freddie E. Williams II,” he says. “I hope I can bring even just a little bit of what I love about the Turtles to this book.”
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| ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ #25. Credit: IDW |
He notes they’re making a book with everything he loves about TMNT, including “shells-against-the-wall grittiness, laugh-out-loud humor, non-stop intensity, and some genuine family drama.”
“Working on TMNT has been a dream come true. I’m sad to leave, though I’m also excited about the creator-owned project that is pulling me away,” Yang says. “And I’m super excited to continue with the Turtles as a fan! Matthew Rosenberg is going to knock it out of the park!”
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