In some ways, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 will be a full-circle moment for Darick Robertson.
The early success of Heroes in a Half Shell inspired Robertson to try his hand at writing and drawing comics, starting with the lesser-known indie title Space Beaver. From there, he moved on to comics like the highly underrated Justice League: Midsummer Nightmare (co-written with Mark Waid) and Wolverine, written by Greg Rucka, most famously starring Garth・He co-wrote “The Boys” with Ennis. TMNT #5 continues Robertson’s penchant for collaborating with legendary writers, pairing him with the equally famous Jason Aaron, although we don’t expect him to draw this particular comic just yet. did.
Variant cover by Darick Robertson. Courtesy of IDW.
“I liked comics a little bit, but I wasn’t a super fan. I didn’t like comics at all,” Robertson laughed in a recent interview. “But I was happy to see this independent book grow so much, because it was so promising for young creators like me, and[Turtles creator]) Kevin Eastman is a great guy and I wish him the best. It took me a long time to get used to it.”
Robertson also said that he was hoping to “catch lightning in a bottle” with Space Beaver after the success of TMNT, and until Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was released. , said that he thought of Space Beaver as some kind of competition, and that he eventually fell in love. With the Turtles.
Robertson also talked about his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5. This work sheds more light on District Attorney Hale, who appears in the first issue of Aaron’s run and becomes the Turtles’ new antagonist.
“This is kind of his backstory and why he is the way he is,” Robertson added. This issue will also feature longtime Turtle ally Casey Jones, which prompted me to ask Robertson who his favorite Turtle is.
“I love Leo,” he said. “My favorite color is blue and I love swords, so I’ve always liked him.”
Darick Robertson Connecting Cover. Courtesy of IDW.
Robertson also talked about how drawing the Turtles helped him understand their appeal. In addition to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5, he has drawn variant covers for the first four issues leading up to one issue. (The cover is above, and is very poster-worthy in my opinion.) After the TMNT issue, Robertson has two creator-owned projects in the works. He gave few details, but did let slip that he would be working with two top writers.
This led to a discussion about what it was like to work with Aaron, with Robertson calling him “amazing.”
Robertson further added, “He’s very concise and knows what he wants, but his scripts are open to interpretation. He’s not very demanding and he’s very concise and knows what he wants. It just gives me encouragement for what I’ve done…I hope I can do another unlicensed project with Jason in the future.”Given Aaron’s recent lineup of comics. The potential project would certainly be worth reading.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 will be available everywhere comics are sold starting December 18, 2025. (And don’t forget, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 is available November 27th with art by Chris Burnham).
Below, check out some special inked pages by Darick Robertson (courtesy of IDW).
