FIRST LOOK: Eastman, Laird and others return for IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 40th anniversary celebration

After the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (TMNT) made their debut in a black-and-white comic by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984, the Heroes in a Half Shell went on to become a global phenomenon. Over the next forty years, countless talented people across the entertainment industry worked passionately with the beloved franchise, allowing adventures with new iterations of TMNT to consistently reach new audiences. Now, brilliant TMNT creatives from different eras are joining forces to present something truly special to fans: the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: 40TH ANNIVERSARY COMICS CELEBRATION.

With several new stories and pinup art pieces inspired by different eras of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this technodrome-sized issue with more than 70 pages will feature fan-favorite creatives returning to their respective eras for all-new tales. This special one-shot issue will feature new stories and pinup art from Jim Lawson, Ciro Nieli, Tristan Jones, Paul Harmon, Steve Lavigne, Andy Suriano, Ronda Pattison, Pablo Tunica, Freddie E. Williams II, Sophie Campbell, Tom Waltz, Lloyd Goldfine, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, Dan Duncan, Erik Burnham, Sarah Myer, Luis Antonio Delgado, Chris Allan and more. Plus, the one and only Kevin Eastman will be contributing a story, too!

No TMNT anniversary celebration would be complete without the two people who created it all. This oversized issue will feature a primary cover with never-before-seen pencils from Laird that have been inked by Eastman, just for this special issue! Additional eye-catching covers will be provided by acclaimed artists Sophie Campbell, Isaac and Esau Escorza, Simon Bisley, Michael Dialynas, Vincenzo Federici, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, Michael Cho, Dave Wachter, and an IDW Exclusive cover by Ben Bishop.

“Having a childhood dream – in my case to write and draw comics for a living, is one thing – to then actually spending every minute of the next 40 years doing it, is a whole other matter altogether – humbling is the first word that comes to mind,” stated Eastman. “My co-creation of TMNT with the amazing Peter Laird has been the driving force of living that dream, and working with a number of really talented writers and artists along the way has made, and still makes, the journey the greatest shared experience I never imaged and could not be more grateful for.” The iconic comic book creator added, “From the raw beginnings of a 40-page self-published black and white ‘origin of’ comic, to the 200-page full color ‘final tale’ of the original TMNT’s graphic novel, THE LAST RONIN, I want to thank the people directly responsible – our fans. Without them, I would not have had the chance to live that childhood dream.”