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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
The Last Ronin
Cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1
Publication information
PublisherIDW Publishing
FormatLimited series
GenreSuperhero
Publication dateOctober 2020 – April 2022
No. of issues5
Creative team
Written by
Artist(s)
  • Esau Escorza
  • Isaac Escorza
  • Ben Bishop
  • Kevin Eastman
Letterer(s)Shawn Lee
Colorist(s)Luis Antonio Delgado
Editor(s)
  • Bobby Curnow
  • R. G. Llarena

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is a five-issue comic book miniseries published by IDW Publishing between October 2020 and April 2022. The series was written by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, based on a story conceived by Eastman and Peter Laird, with art contributions from Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, and Eastman.

The story follows characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise in an alternative future, wherein the last remaining turtle seeks to avenge the death of his brothers by killing the grandson of one of the Turtles' arch-enemies, the Shredder. Despite being published by IDW, it is unconnected to the IDW series' continuity and is set in its own universe, dubbed the "Roninverse". The story was based on an old story outline written by Eastman and Laird in 1987, before the former updated it with Tom Waltz.

The Last Ronin was both a critical and commercial success, earning widespread acclaim for its darker tone, narrative, central character arc, and use of varying art styles. It was followed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution in 2023 and 2024. A video game and a film adaptation are both in development.

Plot

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In the future, New York City is ruled by Oroku Hiroto, grandson of the Shredder and son of Karai, running the city with meticulous fascism and totalitarianism. A lone turtle, haunted by hallucinations of his deceased brothers, works to end Hiroto, whom he blames for his brothers' deaths. He traverses through the now heavily guarded New York City, fighting against synthetic ninjas (dubbed Synjas) on his way to the Foot Clan headquarters. He crashes out of the building, having failed his mission, and retreats into the sewer as a teenage girl called Jones follows. She finds the turtle attempting seppuku before passing out from blood loss, and wakes up to see an older April O'Neil, who identifies the turtle as Michelangelo.

Flashback sequences in a sepia tone and in the style of the original Mirage comics reveal the events that led up to the present. After Shredder's death, the Turtles and the Foot Clan originally made a truce, which fell apart as Karai tried to end the conflict between their families once and for all. An ambush leaves Splinter severely injured, and an enraged Raphael confronts Karai in an attempt to kill her, but Raphael is stabbed in the neck and Karai is put in a coma from the fight. Baxter H. Stockman sends an ambush to retrieve Professor Honeycutt, which kills Leonardo and Casey Jones, and a deceitful peace meeting set up by the Foot Clan has Donatello and Splinter killed as well. Mikey left New York and lived in solitude for years, accompanied by Splinter's journal, but a fight with a gang makes him realize that it is his duty as the final remaining member of the Hamato family, the Ronin, to kill Hiroto.

Mikey catches up with April and meets her daughter, Casey Marie Jones, who is part of a small resistance movement and is training herself to fight the Foot Clan. As Mikey grapples with his feelings on the resistance movement, Casey Marie's inexperience, as well as his advancing mutation, Hiroto puts the entire city under Martial Law in order to wrestle more control over it, which forces Casey Marie to gather resistance forces to stage an assault on Baxter Stockman's Fortress to disable the technology used by the Foot Clan. April, Casey Marie, and Mikey get the remains of Professor Honeycutt to kill Stockman and send a power outage throughout the entire city.

The power outage causes a flood in the sewers that threatens to drown the resistance members and April. April reveals to Casey Marie that Casey is a mutant due to the former's extended exposure to the mutagen inside the turtles. While Casey Marie tries to stop the flooding and rescue her mother, Mikey confronts Hiroto, who kills Karai and is now equipped with a special metal suit, and they both engage in a battle. They both land in the city outskirts, where Hiroto electrocutes himself to death and mortally injures Mikey, where Casey Marie and April bid farewell as he dies. While Mikey reunites with his brothers, Casey Jones, and Splinter in the afterlife, Casey Marie begins raising a new generation of mutant turtles to train them in the ways of ninjitsu.

Development

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In December 2019, it was teased that a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles project, dubbed The Last Ronin, would begin publication in mid-2020.[1] In April 2020, the series was properly announced, Kevin Eastman revealing the story was based on an old story outline written by Eastman and Peter Laird back in 1987, before he updated it with Tom Waltz. While Laird did not write the series, he is credited with the story behind it along with Eastman and Waltz. Andy Kuhn was set to be the original artist for the series, before being replaced with Esau and Isaac Escorza, with Ben Bishop joining the project to illustrate the flashback sequences.[2][3]

The decision to make Michelangelo the last of the surviving turtles was made by Eastman and Waltz.[4] When asked why Michelangelo was chosen by the writers, Waltz stated:[5]

The simplest answer is that Mikey was the brother we figured nobody would expect. The happy-go-lucky party dude is now Rambo? What?! Raph seemed too obvious, Leo wasn't too far behind on the obvious scale, and Donnie seemed like someone who would've gone more tech than conventional in his revenge, and we really wanted this to be a grunt's story. [...] Plus, Kevin really liked the idea that Mikey, who was the first TMNT ever drawn, was also the last to be alive. Thematically, Mikey gave us the opportunity to explore the irony of the one person in the family who never truly bought into the clan-war aspect that exists at the foundation of their lives – being the only one left alive and stuck with the mission of ultimately winning said war, or dying trying.

Release and reception

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Upon its release in October 2020, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin quickly became a popular title.[6][7][8] The initial 60,000-unit print run of the hardcover collection sold out within the first six weeks of release and landed on the New York Times best-seller list.[6] ICv2 calculated that the collection was the second best selling adult graphic novel of 2023 and the best selling graphic novel of 2024.[9][10] Notably for 2023, it was the only non-manga title to make ICv2's list.[11]

According to ComicBookRoundup.com, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin received an average rating of 8.9 out of 10 based on 61 reviews.[12] Rory Wilding of AIPT gave the miniseries a 9.5 out of 10 rating. Favorably comparing it to Frank Miller's 1986 book, The Dark Knight Returns, he praised the variety of art styles, dystopian take on the Turtles mythos, and the initial mystery and journey of the titular ronin.[13] In a review of the hardcover release, Gregg Katzman of CBR similarly praised the range of styles, in addition to the lettering, action, coloring, and heartfelt story.[14] Reviewing the first issue, Evan Mullicane of Screen Rant commended the miniseries for its sense of mystery and intrigue, handling of its serious tone, and art style.[15] Reviewing the fifth and final issue, Grant DeArmitt of GamesRadar+ praised Michelangelo's arc, the pacing and lettering, and Ben Bishop and Esau and Isaac Escorza's art contributions. Critcism was directed towards the inconsistency of the main villain, Oroku Hiroto.[16]

Follow-ups

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The continuity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin and its follow-up projects has been officially dubbed the "Roninverse".[17][18]

In July 2022, it was announced that a prequel/sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years would release in 2023,[19] and follow Michelangelo's training leading up to his confrontation with Hiroto interspliced with Casey Marie Jones mentoring the next generation of Turtles (Odyn, Moja, Uno, and Yi).[20][21] Eastman and Waltz returned to write, with S.L. Gallant serving as the primary illustrator and Ben Bishop drawing the flashfowards with Casey Marie. The series consisted of five issues and began publication in January 2023, later concluding in August that same year.[19][20]

In July 2023, a sequel was announced, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution, which follows the events of The Last Ronin and The Lost Years as Odyn, Moja, Uno, and Yi protect the streets of New York with their sensei, Casey Marie Jones.[22] Eastman and Waltz return as writers, along with the Escorza brothers and Ben Bishop drawing the series. The series consisted of five issues and began publication in March 2024, later concluding in April 2025.[22][23][24]

Adaptations

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Video game

[edit]

A third-person action-RPG video game adaptation of The Last Ronin is in development by Black Forest Games, with THQ Nordic set to publish it for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.[25][26][27]

Film

[edit]

A film adaptation of the graphic novel was announced to be in development by Paramount Pictures in April 2024. The film, produced by Walter Hamada and written by Tyler Burton Smith, will receive an R-rating and be live action.[28]

References

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  1. ^ Hilgenberg, Josh (December 16, 2019). "THE LAST RONIN brings Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman together for the first time in 25 years". The Beat. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  2. ^ McMillan, Graeme (April 27, 2020). "The Future of 'Ninja Turtles' to Be Told in 'The Last Ronin'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  3. ^ VanHooker, Brian (July 22, 2022). "The oral history of 'The Last Ronin,' the biggest TMNT comic since 1984". Inverse. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  4. ^ DeArmitt, Grant (December 7, 2020). "TMNT: Last Ronin writer on how they found the right R-Rated tone for this hit series". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  5. ^ Rooney, Tim (May 30, 2022). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Writer Tom Waltz Looks Back on The Last Ronin". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Perry, Spencer (August 19, 2022). "TMNT: The Last Ronin Collection Becomes NYT Bestseller With First Print Selling Out". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  7. ^ Dominguez, Noah (February 18, 2021). "TMNT: The Last Ronin #2 Is IDW's Highest-Printed Single Issue Ever". CBR. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  8. ^ Jennings, Collier (December 2, 2020). "TMNT: The Last Ronin #1's Second Print Run Is Absolutely Massive". CBR. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  9. ^ "Full Year 2023 Circana BookScan - Top 20 Adult and Kids Graphic Novels". ICv2. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  10. ^ "Top 20 Graphic Novels - Full Year 2024". ICv2. Archived from the original on March 8, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  11. ^ Brooke, David (February 2, 2024). "'TMNT: The Last Ronin' only non-manga best selling graphic novel of 2023". AIPT. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  12. ^ "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin Collected". ComicBookRoundUp.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  13. ^ Wilding, Rory (July 5, 2022). "'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin' is an emotional coda to the Mirage years". AIPT. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  14. ^ Katzman, Gregg (July 6, 2022). "REVIEW: IDW Publishing's TMNT: The Last Ronin Hardcover". CBR. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  15. ^ Mullicane, Evan D. (November 2, 2020). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin Review". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  16. ^ DeArmitt, Grant (April 22, 2022). "TMNT: The Last Ronin #5 first impressions - finale concludes Michelangelo's story brilliantly". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  17. ^ "The Ronin-verse Expands in Upcoming IDW Miniseries Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin—The Lost Years" (Press release). IDW Publishing. July 24, 2022. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  18. ^ Rooney, Tim (May 30, 2022). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Writer Tom Waltz Looks Back on The Last Ronin". CBR. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  19. ^ a b Brooke, David (July 23, 2022). "SDCC '22: IDW announces TMNT 'The Last Ronin–The Lost Years' • AIPT". AIPT. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Schedeen, Jesse (January 25, 2023). "TMNT: The Last Ronin - Lost Years Introduces a New Generation of Turtles". IGN. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  21. ^ Matadeen, Renaldo (January 30, 2023). "TMNT: The Last Ronin: Who are the Lost Years' New Generation of Ninja Turtles?". CBR. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  22. ^ a b Schedeen, Jesse (July 24, 2023). "Comic-Con 2023: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The Last Ronin Sequel Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  23. ^ McMillan, Graeme (March 5, 2024). "Inside the TMNT rebirth - a spoiler-filled look at The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution #1". Popverse. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  24. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (April 30, 2025). "TMNT: The Last Ronin II Ends in Major Tragedy for the New Turtles". IGN. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  25. ^ McWhertor, Michael (March 23, 2023). "Beloved TMNT graphic novel The Last Ronin is becoming a video game". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  26. ^ Lyles, Taylor (August 11, 2023). "Destroy All Humans! Studio Announced As TMNT: The Last Ronin Developer". IGN. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  27. ^ Shea, Brian (March 5, 2024). "TMNT Co-creator Kevin Eastman On Why The Last Ronin Is Being Made Into A Game". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  28. ^ Kit, Borys (April 11, 2024). "Live-Action, R-Rated 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Movie in the Works From Producer Walter Hamada (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
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