Tag Archives: maria keane

Preview: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2025 Annual #1

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2025 Annual #1

(W) Kenny Porter (A) Maria Keane

After a year apart and a brutal war fought against D.A. Hale and his Foot Patrol, the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back together and finally reforming their bonds. But… there are shadows hanging over them from their year apart, and Donnie is still struggling to get back on his feet. Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael will need to pull together, train, and share details of their lost year in order to help their fourth brother get his second wind as they reflect on the past and begin to reforge their brotherly bonds. From the team of Kenny Porter (Superboy: Man of Tomorrow, DC Mech) and Michael Shelfer (Action Comics, NYX)!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2025 Annual #1

Preview: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2025 Annual #1

Posted on by

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2025 Annual #1

(W) Kenny Porter (A) Maria Keane

After a year apart and a brutal war fought against D.A. Hale and his Foot Patrol, the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back together and finally reforming their bonds. But… there are shadows hanging over them from their year apart, and Donnie is still struggling to get back on his feet. Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael will need to pull together, train, and share details of their lost year in order to help their fourth brother get his second wind as they reflect on the past and begin to reforge their brotherly bonds. From the team of Kenny Porter (Superboy: Man of Tomorrow, DC Mech) and Michael Shelfer (Action Comics, NYX)!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2025 Annual #1

SDCC 2025: IDW reveals the next era of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics

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​During San Diego Comic-Con 2025, IDW Publishing announced the ambitious and fan-focused plans for the future of the acclaimed and best-selling line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) comic books.

After an incredible ongoing series run from Jason Aaron and Juan Ferrerya, the high-quality, heartfelt and exciting storytelling that fans deserve won’t miss a beat with the arrival of an all-star duo: Eisner-winning writer Gene Luen Yang and blockbuster artist Freddie E. Williams II. Also joining the line is Group Editor Jake Thomas, formerly of Marvel. Starting their run with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13 in December, this all-new story arc will provide fans with a fresh jumping on point as the Heroes in a Half-Shell are back together and hopeful about the future of the city, but there’s a dark and personal danger lurking in the shadows as a deadly new assassin makes their debut.

To celebrate the new era with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13, there will be a special blind bag variant for collectors, featuring exciting variants by amazing creators like Daniel Warren Johnson, David Nakayama, Clayton Crain, and more. Additionally, an annual issue, from writer Kenny Porter and artists Michael Shelfer and Maria Keane, will be released in October to bridge the gap between both runs. The special annual issue will also kick off the TMNT holiday-themed variant line, with festive and fun covers by Jared Cullum across various TMNT titles, with this first one celebrating Halloween!

Before the Turtles begin their new mission in the ongoing series, they’re stepping into a multidimensional tournament! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus is an action-packed five-week event kicking off in November.

Featuring beloved characters from various incarnations of the franchise – including the classic Shredder from Mirage Studios, Metalhead from the 2012 animated series, Slash returning from the dead and the IDW debut of Ninjara – this adrenaline-filled adventure is crafted by fan-favorite TMNT creatives, including writers Tom Waltz, Paul Allor, Sophie Campbell, Caleb Goellner, and Erik Burnham with art from the Escorza brothers, Ben Bishop, Vitor Cafaggi, Omar Francia, and Hendry Prasetya.

Stomping its way into comic shops this November is a crossover even bigger than the Technodrome itself: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Godzilla! From the innovative minds of writer Tim Seeley and artist Fero Pe comes a jaw-dropping blend of the two pop culture franchises as it’s revealed the Foot Clan exists to stop the onslaught of kaiju attacks, but Shredder and General Krang have different plans to give mutagen a giant upgrade.

Creed: The Next Round #2 dives deeper into the world

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Creed: The Next Round #2

There are those family members that people just don’t like.  They find themselves either hated or not talked about at all. Whatever slight occurred lives on for years. The ones whom are not talked about at all simply do not exist.

Sometimes fractures in families just don’t mend. It becomes a sticking point that endures . The crazy thing is sometimes those rifts are deeper than political rivals. It eventually makes strangers of the people that you share common blood with. In the 2nd issue of Creed: The Next Round, we find Adonis’s daughter and Apollo’s granddaughter, Amara as she finds that one relative.

We’re taken back to Artemis house, where Amara is trying to convince her distant aunt to train her. Artemis’ reputation has preceded her and Amara wants to learn from someone just like her. As Artemis recounts her journey. We learn about her career as a boxer and how good she was and what lead her to leave the sport altogether. Meanwhile, Adonis meets a new technology company, one that may change all their lives. He also finds out that Amara went to meet with Artemis, which leads to a heated standoff between the two half siblings. By the issue’s end, Artemis starts training Amara in secret and a mysterious competitor steals the company Adonis was trying to buy from him.

Overall, Creed: The Next Round #2 is a story that fans will love as it dives deeper into this world. The story by Latoya Morgan and Jai Jamison is electrifying. The art by the creative team is beautiful. Altogether, a story that more than satisifies fans of boxing movies

Creative Director: Michael B. Jordan Story: Latoya Morgan, Jai Jamison Art: Wilton Santos, Joe Jaro
Ink: Wilton Santos, Maria Keane Color: DJ Chavis, Joana Lafuente Letterer: Andworld Design
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Creed: The Next Round #2 continues to expand the Creed family

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Creed: The Next Round #2

Amara will fight by any means necessary, even if it means going to someone forbidden-someone who lived in the shadow of her grandfather, Apollo Creed. Will she have what it takes to pass the rigorous test of her new trainer, and navigate the wounds of her family’s past? Creed: The Next Round #2 expands the world, and family, of Creed and hints it might be even bigger than we know.

Written by Latoya Morgan and Jai Jamison, Creed: The Next Round #2 delivers what has made the film series solid. It’s strongest when it’s about more than boxing. The first focused on legacy and ghosts of the past while the second took on toxic masculinity.

Creed: The Next Round #2 delivers more hints and this series focus, familial trauma. Adonis must not only figure out how to be a father to a daughter but also there are hints at the division between him and his half-sister, a character we know little about up to this point. A boxer on her own, she too was a champion but her last name didn’t give her fame and fortune like Adonis. You can feel the clash as to who is the real heir to the name Creed.

And name seems to be key. While Adonis feels like he’s attempting to protect and shield his daughter, the first issue teased it’s his own brand he’s truly protecting. That expands in this issue as Adonis and Bianca’s investment plans are squashed by a mysterious competitor who is buying up the companies the two are looking to invest in. A tease towards the end of the comic hints there may be a third Creed in the mix.

Wilton Santos and Joe Jaro provide the art with ink by Santos and Maria Keane and color by DJ Chavis and Joana Lafuente. The comic does a fantastic job of balancing the boxing action and family drama with so much driven by a characters expression, body language, or action. The visuals continue to do an amazing job of adding in sign language, something I’ve never seen in a comic. While there isn’t flashy sports action, there is far more than enough tension and drama to make you want to get in on the action.

Creed: The Next Round #2 balances the concept of charting one’s own path while also balancing one’s family history. It shows who we are is complicated and it’s a fight for one’s individuality. Beyond the family drama, we also get some entertaining boxing moments, delivering action. Overall, it’s a solid continuation of the franchise that shows there’s a lot of ways for this world to expand.

Creative Director: Michael B. Jordan Story: Latoya Morgan, Jai Jamison Art: Wilton Santos, Joe Jaro
Ink: Wilton Santos, Maria Keane Color: DJ Chavis, Joana Lafuente Letterer: Andworld Design
Story: 8.35 Art: 8.15 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

IDW salutes and celebrates Larry Hama with G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #300

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IDW Publishing will bid farewell to its long-running series of G.I. JOE comic books with the publication of G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #300, written by indispensable visionary Larry Hama with art by SL Gallant, inks by Maria Keane, colors by J. Brown, and letters by Neil Uyetake. The final, overlength issue of the IDW comic will be published in November, and one of its sensational cover variants—illustrated by Jamie Sullivan—sets a new world record for the most characters featured on a comic book cover! 

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #300 marks the culmination of a culture-shifting 40-year franchise helmed throughout by industry legend Hama. Nearly every issue of the original 155-issue run was written by Hama until Marvel Comics ended publication in 1994, and when IDW acquired the license 15 years later, Hama was welcomed with open arms to continue the storyline right where he left off! Hama, was recently recognized for his lifetime of achievements as an inductee of the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame.

In the bombastic conclusion to IDW’s G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero, Cobra is on the verge of creating its deadliest army ever by resurrecting both dangerous villains and heroes. Will the warriors of G.I. JOE foil their archenemy’s evil machinations before it’s too late? Or will the devious Revanche robots have the last word over both the Joes and Cobra?

In honor of the final issue, A Real American Hero #300 will feature a record-shattering cover image by artist Jamie Sullivan that pays tribute to the scope and impact of the 40-year-old franchise. Sullivan’s cover sets a new world record, featuring a total of 313 unique, named G.I. JOE characters together in a single image.

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #300, the final issue of IDW’s G.I. Joe series, will be available with six cover variants, including Covers A and B by Jamie Sullivan; Cover C by Netho Diaz; Cover D by Kieran McKeown; two retailer incentive covers by John Royle and Ron Joseph, respectively; and a special retailer incentive wraparound of Sullivan’s world record-setting cover without trade dress, so every single detail and character can be seen in its full glory.

Review: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #275

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G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #275

Who doesn’t love G.I. Joe? Well, I guess some people probably don’t but G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #275 is a big deal and I’ve been reading the series off and on for the last bunch of years. Last issue, COBRA kidnapped a man named Sean Collins, who they think might be the original Snake Eyes and they want to brainwash him to work for them. It sounds like something that might have happened in one of the old cartoons.

But wait, there’s a big twist with the issue that I didn’t see. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #275 calls back to another issue from many years ago, issue 21, or, “Silent Interlude”, in that there are no words. No dialogue. No caption boxes. That means we, the readers, have to piece it together from the art. In removing the dialogue and taking out of my mind the voices of these characters that have been ingrained in it, it actually makes for a rather pleasant read…or viewing.

I think one of the most interesting things about this is that series writer Larry Hama continues to do innovative things with these characters. When I picked up this issue, I had no idea it would be silent. But what is lost in words, this issue certainly makes up with in action. Non-stop, no-holds-barred, all guns blazing. You pick it, it’s what it is. All the big Joes and Cobra guys and gals just blasting each other all throughout a hospital. And it was something you could follow. Does it bug me there’s no dialogue? Eh, not really. I do feel that it would add something substantial to the experience, but having this issue be a silent one does also make for a memorable issue.

The art team on this issue of G.I. Joe had to do a lot of work. Tony Atkins and Netho Diaz create a great action sequence of an issue. I think they do satisfying work on the title. But on a silent issue, the art has to do so much more work to keep the reader invested in what they see and I feel it was mission accomplished in that category. And what’s more, I love seeing their renditions of so many classic characters that I grew up with.

Overall, an issue like this can hit a few different ways. I thought G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #275 was one of the better issues with no words I’ve read. It got me from point A to B and sometimes, or in this case, part 9 to part 10, and what a way to wrap a story. It’s not a perfect issue, but it’s a good one that, I think, pays off for those who have followed Hama’s G.I. Joe comic. It’s not one I’d recommend to a new reader.

Story: Larry Hama Art: Robert Atkins and Netho Diaz
Ink: Brian Atkins and Maria Keane Color: J. Brown Letterer: Neil Uyetake
Story: 6.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Good for those who follow the series but not for new readers

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics