The time is nigh for a new generation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), as the adventures of the original quartet have come to an end in TMNT: The Last Ronin. With Michelangelo embarking on a quest to seek vengeance for his fallen brothers, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael, their successors are gearing up to take centrestage.
Meet Odyn, Yi, Moja, and Uno, the new faces introduced in the first issue of TMNT: The Last Ronin — The Lost Years, which was released on 25 January. Heirs to the ninja skills and weapons of the original four turtles, they are currently in their infancy stage, and will be raised by April O’ Neil and her daughter Casey-Marie.
The new ninja siblings are the creations of original TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and The Last Ronin artist Ben Bishop, who is also returning to work on specific parts of the limited series. While the new names may come across as unrelated or random-sounding, the upcoming issue will delve into the story behind them and their connection to the original reptilian heroes, if any.
“When Kevin Eastman asks you to design new turtles, there was really no question,” shared Bishop in an interview with Gizmodo. “I came out swinging with 12 different new turtle designs, from babies to teenagers.
“Those made the rounds for a week or so while everyone picked out their favorite four. This was a crazy exciting time; Nickelodeon loved the designs, and ultimately we all settled on the four you’ll meet in Lost Years #1.“
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin — The Lost Years #2 is dropping on 15 March 2023, and will be followed up by three other issues. Covering approximately 16 years, the series toggles between the past and present / future, with half of it tracing the growth of Odyn, Yi, Moja, and Uno from three-year-old infants to full-fledged fighters, and the other half exploring the 16 missing years between the deaths of Michelangelo’s brothers and the events of the original comic.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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