"IDW's TMNT Reunites Brothers at IGN Fan Fest 2025"

IDW has been incredibly ambitious with its handling of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise. In 2024, they relaunched the flagship TMNT comic under the guidance of writer Jason Aaron, launched the sequel to the best-selling TMNT: The Last Ronin, and introduced a ninja-heavy crossover with TMNT x Naruto. As we move into 2025, the main TMNT series introduces a new regular artist and a new status quo where the four Turtles are reunited, albeit not on the best of terms.

During IGN Fan Fest 2025, we had the opportunity to delve into the future of these series with Aaron and TMNT x Naruto writer Caleb Goellner. We explored how these stories evolve, the overarching mission for the TMNT line, and the prospects of reconciliation among Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo.

The Mission Statement of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

IDW's recent flurry of new TMNT series, including the flagship monthly, has been remarkable. The launch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 in 2024 was a massive success, selling approximately 300,000 copies and ranking among the top-selling comics of the year. Aaron's vision for the series is rooted in the classic Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird TMNT comics from the Mirage days.

Aaron shared, "For me, on this book, the guiding principle was just looking back at that original series, the original Mirage Studios book. Last year was the 40th anniversary of that series, which was my first experience with these characters. Before the films or the cartoons, it was that original black and white Mirage Studios book. I wanted to recapture some of the grittiness and griminess, the big double-page spreads and action scenes of grimy turtles fighting ninjas in New York City alleyways."

He further elaborated on the direction of the series, "That's the spirit we were going for, but also to tell a story that felt new and felt like it was taking these characters forward after all they'd been through in the previous 150 issues of the IDW series. We wanted to see how they've grown up and reached a turning point in their lives where they're going in four different directions and trying to figure out how to come back together and be the heroes they used to be, the heroes they need to be to win this fight."

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The success of TMNT #1, alongside other major comic successes like Marvel's Ultimate Universe line, DC's Absolute line, and Skybound's Energon Universe, suggests a strong demand for comics that offer new entry points into established franchises. Aaron reflected on this trend, "It certainly seems like it after last year, and I'm very happy to have been a part of a couple of those. I've been doing this for 20 years and written a whole bunch of stuff for Marvel in the last few years, across many companies in comics. But when I got the call about doing Turtles, which was not a job I'd ever imagined would come my way, I was excited for that opportunity and realized I could do something cool."

Aaron emphasized his excitement for the project, "And then got to work with an incredible, ridiculous cavalcade of artists over the course of those first six issues. We were doing a book that made me really, really excited. As someone who grew up a Turtles fan and loves good comic book stories, this is a story for you if you've loved The Turtles for 40 years, or if you've never heard of them until this moment in time. Thankfully, that excitement seems to have translated to other people."

A TMNT Family Reunion

Aaron's run with TMNT began with the Turtles scattered across the globe. Raphael in prison, Michelangelo as a TV star in Japan, Leonardo as a brooding monk, and Donatello in a dire situation. By the end of the first storyline, Aaron reunites the family in New York City, though tensions are high.

"Those first four issues were really fun to write when you're seeing each of the brothers in a different situation around the globe," Aaron said. "I had a lot of fun with those - what kind of trouble they had gotten into and then what starts to bring them back together. But the real fun is what happens once they are all together, seeing how those four characters bounce off each other. At this point in time in the book, things aren't great. They're not really happy to see each other, and they're not reliving old times. They're very much rubbing each other the wrong way."

Aaron added, "None of them really want to be there, the pieces don't fit together anymore like they used to. And then in issue #6, when they finally make their way back to New York City, we see that the city has changed as well. The entire city of New York City has been weaponized against them by this new villain who's part of the Foot Clan. So the Turtles find themselves the most hated entities in the Five Boroughs, the Six Boroughs, I guess, including Mutant Town. So the odds are stacked against them in a huge way, and again, they can't even stand to be around each other, it seems like. So how are they going to come together and win this fight?"

A significant change starting with issue #6 is the introduction of Juan Ferreyra as the new regular artist. Aaron is thrilled about this collaboration, "Again, it made sense to use different artists for those first five issues because we focused on the different Turtles, and then issue #5 focused on our new bad guy who's the District Attorney of New York City. But having Juan come on with issue #6 made sense when the main bulk of the plot picks up. And Juan, even though he was following this group of titans on this book, artistic Titans, he's doing incredible work. I think anybody who sees issues #6 and #7 realized this guy was born to draw the Turtles. He was born to draw this kind of Turtle story again, jumping through alleyways, running across the rooftops of Manhattan. Juan's work on this has been absolutely killer. So I think even though he's following all those legends, he's really making this book his own in a huge way."

Merging the TMNT and Naruto Universes

Combining TMNT and Naruto into a single universe is no small feat, but Goellner and artist Hendry Prasetya have successfully done so with their crossover series. The first two issues introduce a world where the Turtles and the Uzumaki Clan coexist, though they're only now encountering each other. Goellner credits Prasetya for the Turtles' redesigns, making them feel at home in the Naruto universe.

"I couldn't be happier," Goellner said. "I only had a few basic little suggestions about how to do that. I can't take any credit for the Turtles' awesome redesigns. I was like, 'I don't know, put them in masks in the first issue, like in Naruto,' and what they came back with was unreal. I hope they get made into toys. I don't have any say or insight, but that's my wish, just so I can put them up on my shelf with my collection."

The joy of comic book crossovers often lies in the character interactions. Goellner shared his favorite pairings, "The job for me is sort of to make sure all of the characters have a moment together through the course of the book, because you don't want to leave anybody hanging. I really like seeing Kakashi with anyone because now that I'm a dad, Kakashi is my viewpoint character to the Naruto world. I'm like, 'How do you manage all these kids?' Splinter, you know, I'm not as wise and strong and as good at fighting as Splinter, so I love him, too, but Kakashi is doing a lot of internal face-palming, but he's staying profesh and he's keeping the trains moving for the youth. I'm going to cheat and just say all of them."

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Goellner also highlighted the dynamic between Raphael and Sakura, "I mean, it's funny. I write this stuff and I just kind of forget what I even did. You are trying to do a good job, and all of it's a surprise. It comes back. I'm like, 'I wrote that? That's pretty good. That's pretty funny.' Mikey's being funny with the group. I really like the heavies. I like Raph and Sakura. I like the way they bounce off each other, both kind of like the tanks of the teams, but I'm super excited to keep going. I think there'll be some even more cool surprises once the fighting with the adversary of the story heats up in #3."

As the two ninja clans head to Big Apple Village, Goellner teased a major TMNT villain's appearance, specifically requested by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto, "He had one request for this crossover. It was to have a certain villain appear and for the Naruto characters to fight that certain villain. I'm not going to say who, but I think everybody's going to be pretty stoked. I know I am, and I can't wait to see how folks react because so far the vibe on the book's super positive, and I really appreciate everybody coming on this journey."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 was released on February 26, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto #3 is set to release on March 26. Don't miss IGN's exclusive preview of the final chapter of TMNT: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution.

During IGN Fan Fest 2025, we also got an early look at IDW's new Godzilla shared universe and a sneak peek of an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog storyline.