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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2 Delivers IDW’s Highest Comic Print Run Ever

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Building on the success of its highly-anticipated first issue, IDW Publishing has announced that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2 has achieved an astounding new milestone: the largest print run for a single comic book in the company’s 22-year history, with over 130,000 copies printed!

Out in comic shops today, The Last Ronin #2, set in a dark possible future for the TMNT, delves deeper into the tragic history of the last surviving Turtle, and delivers one of the most heartrending scenes in TMNT history: the final moments of a beloved character! Longtime TMNT fans and newcomers to the comics alike will not want to miss this new chapter’s twists and turns as The Ronin’s mission of vengeance becomes all the more clear.

In anticipation of a rapid sell-through of issue #2’s first printing, IDW has already committed to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2 Second Printing featuring new cover artwork illustrated by the Escorza brothers. Slated for release on March 31st, the Second Printing is now listed via Diamond for retailer pre-order (Item Code: DEC209476, UPC 82771401991900212).

Three decades in the making, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is based on an unpublished 1987 story concept by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; with script by Eastman and Tom Waltz; layouts by Eastman; pencils and inks by Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza, and Ben Bishop; colors by Luis Antonio Delgado, and letters by Shawn Lee.

The Last Ronin is a five-part comic book miniseries shipping quarterly, with each oversized issue measuring 7” x 11” and 48 pages in length. The high demand for issue #1 has led to multiple printings and over 200,000 copies in the market. A special 64-page Director’s Cut edition will be released on March 17th, including the full story from issue #1 plus bonus content (character designs, script pages, and much more).

Review: Scarenthood #4

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Scarenthood #4

Scarenthood has been a fun read from the start. It takes the “ghost hunting” genre and delivers a spin. Instead of younger individuals figuring things out, the comic has focused on a group of parents brought together because their children go to the same school. Scarenthood is a horror story for daycare crowd. Scarenthood #4 wraps up the first story arc of the series and has me wanting more.

With a daughter not too much younger than the kids in the comic, the series by Nick Roche is very relatable to me. Roche not only delivers creep chills but breaks them up with those small moments that make parenting interesting and very fun at times.

Scarenthood #4 has the group confronting the ghost/demon that has been plaguing them and hints at some of the bigger themes of the comic. The haunting is tied to the lack of attention being given by the parents and there’s some solid commentary about our busy lives that have divided our parenting attention. It definitely hit me a bit reading that and then reflecting on the time spent with my daughter and wondering if it’s enough to prevent demonic interference. But that reflection is a small piece of this comic.

Scarenthood #4 ends the first “book” of the series and opens up a greater world. The series has hinted at greater forces at work and this is the issue that really begins to explore that. A simple horror/ghost story is something so much more now and where this all goes should be very interesting.

Roche’s art continues to be solid. Chris O’Halloran provides color and Shawn Lee does the lettering. The comic never quite goes full horror which might be a distraction from the attempt “ground” the series in some ways. While it deals with the supernatural, the comic also focuses on parenting and a more hardcore horror style would distract from that. As is, the comic delivers a nice balance of creep. It doesn’t go for scares, it’s more focused on building tension and unease. It succeeds in that and then some as the comic progresses.

Scarenthood #4 is a solid end to the first arc and a hell of a setup for where things go from here. Its world has expanded from a compact horror comic to something much greater. Where our group of parents fits into that should be fascinating and it’s a world I want to see more of. The team has done an excellent job of balancing the every day life and the fantastical and combination has created a comic that truly stands out.

Story: Nick Roche Art: Nick Roche
Color: Chris O’Halloran Letterer: Shawn Lee
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #113

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #113

I think one thing that’s pretty fascinating about TMNT is that the story is kinda blowing my mind. So much of what we see with the Ninja Turtles is a group fighting for survial. That’s been the same from the various cartoons and movies that my kids watch. Right now in the comics we have a variety of mutated individuals in their own community, Mutant Town. They’re pulling together to make life better. And that’s where we are with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #113.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #113, the core four plus Jennika are training younger mutants. It all gets crazy when Lita arrives from the future. Lita knows too much of what will transpireand how life will change if changes aren’t made. And there’s still the fact that Rahzar and Tokka are out there on the streets after a botched pick-up from Karai and the gang.

I’m totally digging the look of TMNT. Sophie Campbell’s art rocks on this book. It gives it a look that I feel is a lot like Kevin Eastman’s pencils, visuals that are traditional to the team that created the Ninja Turtles. Ronda Pattinson’s colors are great. I’ve started reading the early IDW issues and while the stories are good, I wasn’t impressed much with the art or colors. I’m glad that we are where we are now. Story-wise, I’m not sure what part of the creative team is more responsible for where the story is heading but I’m liking it a lot.

Right now, I am digging what’s going on in the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, at least, I’m digging the publishing side of what IDW is offering. Between this and The Last Ronin mini-series, they are putting out some high-quality stories featuring the TMNT. From this issue and the deluxe editions that I’ve picked up, this isn’t the cartoon and that’s actually a good thing because I feel these stories really do speak to more than just kids.

Story Consulting: Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz Story: Sophie Campbell Art: Sophie Campbell
Colors: Ronda Pattinson Letters: Shawn Lee Editor: Bobby Curnow
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.5

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle

Review: Scarenthood #3

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Scarenthood #3

Scarenthood has delivered a bit of a twist on the horror ghost gang concept. Instead of kids or young adults, it’s parents attempting to solve the mystery. The first two issues have upped the tension and creepy factor teasing the horror that’s just on the edge. There’s been a solid build-up and teasing of things. Scarenthood #3 twists all of that, questioning everything from the first two issues.

Writer Nick Roche, who also handles art, delivers another fantastic issue. For much of it, I was questioning what was real. Was it possible everything up to this point was a person’s mental breakdown? We thankfully get that answered within the issue. I’m not sure I could stand that dragging out much longer as I wanted to know the answer! It’s a great issue in that it had me second-guessing myself and what I thought to be “true” in the comic.

Roche delivers a lot of emotion in the issue as well. There’s a concern for Cormac and his daughter. As a father myself much of what is written is something I think about. I want to make sure I care for my daughter and that she’s healthy, happy, and safe. But at the same time, there’s a balance and that balance can easily be tipped too far one way or another. That’s what’s addressed here as Cormac’s obsession with the supernatural and its impact on his life is clear.

The issue also approaches this all in a smart way. It does a cold open in a way and I was left wondering if I’d had missed something. It focuses on the rest of the gang and their concern for Cormac and what they’ve witnessed. The approach is part of what threw me for a loop and kept me wondering what exactly was going on. Is Cormac losing his mind? Is his daughter in danger? What happened to his wife? Is this all in his head?

Roche handles art duties as well. He’s joined by Chris O’Halloran on color and Shawn Lee handles lettering. The art has a slight cartoonish quality about it all. But, even with that style, it focuses on the emotion. We can see the concern in Cormac’s friends. We can see their anger as well. Cormac himself delivers a spectrum of responses as he delivers his reality to his friends. It adds to the emotional punch of it all. It also helped keep me guessing as to what the truth of it all was.

Scarenthood #3 is a fantastic issue. For those reading the series, it’ll keep you guessing as to what the reality is. Is this all in Cormac’s head? Is this one person’s mental breakdown? Thankfully, the team delivers an answer because I’m not sure I could stand another month to find out. For those that like horror stories with a slight twist, this is one to definitely check out.

Story: Nick Roche Art: Nick Roche
Color: Chris O’Halloran Letterer: Shawn Lee
Story: 8.4 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics

Review: Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists #4

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Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists #4 wraps up the series following much of what’s expected from the genre but delivering just enough to keep the readers on their toes.

Story: Eric Palicki
Art: Wendell Cavalcanti
Color: Mark Dale
Letterer: Shawn Lee

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics
Scout Comics

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Review: Scarenthood #2

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Scarenthood #2

Is it weird that after reading the first two issues of Scarenthood I wish I had a group of ghost hunting friends? Scarenthood #2 continues the Irish ghost/horror series as the pressure of balancing the hunt and their duties as parents clash.

As a parent of a two-year-old, writer and artist Nick Roche captures so much of the life. There’s the silly conversations. There’s the difficulty of life and work balance. There are just so many small details that I appreciate as a parent.

But, what Roche does even better is the build up of the mystery. After the first issue’s “wtf” moments, Scarenthood #2 dials things back a little using subtly creepy aspects to build the tension and weirdness. There’s lost time and the build up of dread. The way it’s all presented it creates a tension that is felt off the page. This is a horror story where I have no idea what will happen.

Scarenthood #2 takes some solid queues from past horror stories where it’s not about jump out scares but the build-up. Films like the Blair Witch Project come to mind where the visuals and especially sound delivered the scares. Here, it’s walking down a tree-lined path where you, like the characters, have no idea what’s going to happen. That creates a tense situation for both. Roche, like horror masters, is controlling that tension and doing it really well.

Roche is helped by colorist Chris O’Halloran and letterer Shawn Lee. There’s some really smart decisions for both to help build the atmosphere that Roche is going for. Colors are on the drab side of things but not in a dark sort of way. There’s lots of browns and greens with a subtle use of dark colors to shift the situation. It’s really something to pay attention to and helps command the vibe of the comic. Lee’s lettering too packs a lot into panels as the parents deliver smartass comments back and forth and every so often deliver that needed exclamation point.

Scarenthood #2 is a solid horror/mystery series but from a perspective you don’t see a ton of. This isn’t some professional group or teens being stalked. This is a story of misfit parents attempting to solve a mystery like Gen-X Scooby-Doo. It delivers characters I, as a parent, can relate to and a story whose attention to detail creates a fantastic experience.

Story: Nick Roche Art: Nick Roche
Color: Chris O’Halloran Letterer: Shawn Lee
Story: 8.35 Art: 8.35 Overall: 8.35 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1’s Second Printing Gets a 50,000 Print Run

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With more than 37,000 current preorders and climbing, IDW Publishing has announced that high anticipation for the second printing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1 has necessitated a whopping 50,000-unit print run — the largest reprint quantity in the company’s history since their debut 20 years ago! Longtime TMNT readers and curious newcomers are invited to visit their local comic book shops tomorrow, December 2nd, to snag a copy of this comic book milestone!

An epic miniseries three decades in the making from the minds of TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin takes place in a future New York City far different from the one we know today, where a lone surviving Turtle goes on a seemingly hopeless mission to obtain justice for his fallen family and friends. The debut issue hit stands on October 28th, immediately selling out and prompting a new printing that features a re-colored cover by Eastman, Esau Escorza, and Isaac Escorza.

The Last Ronin is based on an unpublished 1987 story concept by Eastman and Laird, with script by Tom Waltz, layouts by Eastman, pencils and inks by Esau and Isaac Escorza, colors by Luis Antonio Delgado, letters by Shawn Lee, and edits by Bobby Curnow. The series will run for five issues, with each issue oversized at 7” x 11” and 48 pages in length.

Fans eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the TMNT: The Last Ronin storyline will be looking forward to the January 27th release date of issue #2! Secrets of this dark future will be revealed as The Ronin meets an unexpected new ally and the Foot Clan attempts to thwart his mission of vengeance.

Cullen Bunn Announces RAZE, a New Dark Fantasy Universe

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RAZE: Mother, Maiden, Crone

Cullen Bunn is bringing a new dark fantasy world to life in RAZE: Mother, Maiden, Crone. This is the first prose novella in a series, introducing Siris and Kast, a pair of cold-blooded adventurers seeking to profit from the impending apocalypse. The world of RAZE was created by Bunn and Shawn Lee, with Bunn writing the novellas.

Blood soaks the earth. The ground is carpeted in corpses. Carrion birds feast as power-crazed warlords indulge their bloodlust in never-ending battle.

An ancient convent watches over the ceaseless struggle. A sanctuary from war, the Convent of Sacred Visitation offers care, medicine, and healing to any who seek their aid. Within these walls, no creed nor code nor fealty is recognized.

Through the haze of battle, two strangers arrive at the convent’s gates. One is a healer. The other is a warrior. They have treachery, thievery, and murder on their minds.

But lies and betrayal and corruption are not unknown to the Sisterhood of Sacred Visitation. The secrets hidden in the depths of the convent have brought death to many who have sought to bring them into the light.

And an antediluvian evil is stirring in the realm—an ancient hunger roused by the ever-growing miasma of warfare, strife, and slaughter.

The time of the Razing has dawned.

RAZE is a dark story. While it’s a fantasy world, this isn’t one of dragons, dwarves, or elves. Instead, it’s an even dark version of the Dark Ages, a heavy metal “pre-apocalypse”. This is a world driven by hatred and war where heroes aren’t present. The series focuses on Siris and Kast, a pair of “self-destructive, pitiless, malicious monsters” who aren’t “seeking redemption… They serve their own lusts and desires and all else be damned.”

RAZE: Mother, Maiden, Crone is the first in a series of prose novellas set in the world of RAZE. It is also the first publication in the Pulp Monster line.

The novella will be available on November 27 for Kindle through Amazon.

Review: Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists #3

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Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists #3 delivers some depth as we learn more about the characters and the town. It adds a lot to the story while also moving it along and a solid pace.

Story: Eric Palicki
Art: Wendell Cavalcanti
Color: Mark Dale
Letterer: Shawn Lee

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics
Scout Comics

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1

Spoiler warning: This review contains mild spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1

Sometime in the future, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are no more! Decimated by a third-generation foe, one turtle has survived and seeks his revenge. This is the tale of The Last Ronin, who travels a futuristic New York and stops at nothing and no one to avenge his fallen family. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1 is the highly-anticipated reunion of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. You might have seen this reunion hinted at on Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us. I know I was excited about this book.  I have very few complaints about The Last Ronin. Let’s get the good stuff out of the way first.

It’s an exciting story, fast-paced, gritty, and heavy on the action. We don’t know yet how Splinter and the Turtles died and it’s not necessary for the first issue to show all of its cards yet. Instead, this issue focuses on our survivor and how there are not many obstacles that will stop his justice. It’s a bit difficult to get too much into who the Ninja Turtle is but I figured it out really quick and I feel like the reader will, too. And in saying that, there’s a tiny amount of hardship in talking about this book without taking away the surprise from those experiencing it. I was very happy that the one I wanted to be the surviving Turtle was the one who stars in it and it ends up feeling like the best-case scenario. And no lie: it’s great to know that Eastman and Laird were able to both come back for another TMNT project. Eastman has always been here but both creators have history, maybe had too much, but it’s good to see them going all-out with this project.

Stories like this always run the risk of being pretty much worthless and just throwing a ton of future versions of legacy characters at the hero. I don’t know what the next few issues are going to be like but I don’t see new versions of all of the big bads being represented. Visually, I think it looks great for a TMNT book. Not knocking previous artists who have worked on the various Ninja Turtles books, but Eastman and Co.’s art style fits perfectly with the story. The colors are on-point and the lettering isn’t blocking anything critical. I liked the art more than the writing, but not by much.

My negatives would be that it’s so action-packed that it almost feels like a fight for nearly the entire issue. Having read this issue twice, I’m just not sure how to feel about it. It just seems like at some point in The Last Ronin that one issue is going to have the burden of explaining a lot about what went down. Another thing is that there’s a feeling that I’ve seen this play out before in other books. It doesn’t reek of 100% originality. The Last Ronin really feels like the Turtles are back to their original inspirations and it has a bit of a Dark Knight Returns feel to it. I’m actually trying hard to be overly critical because of how I felt about this. Maybe I’m being nit-picky.

Point blank reaction: I enjoyed the hell out of this book. I’ve started reading through IDW Publishing’s TMNT books and while I haven’t read it all, The Last Ronin reads like one hell of a sendoff. I do wonder how hard this will be to actually get. Word is the print run was cut short and some shops think their full orders won’t be filled. There are also around 70 variants out there for this book. This is definitely a read but I think it’s good enough to purchase. I feel like a lifetime of enjoying the various incarnations of the TMNT, whether it’s been comics, cartoons, or movies, has prepared me for this moment where they are down to one against all the evil in the world. Maybe it’s cliche but The Last Ronin is an absolute blast.

Story:  Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz Script: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman
Layouts: Kevin Eastman Pencils/inks: Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza Page 39 art: Ben Bishop
Colors: Luis Antonio Delgado Color Assistance: Samuel Plata Letters: Shawn Lee
Edits: Bobby Curnow Additional Editorial coordination: R.G. Llarena
Story: 8.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle

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