At New York Comic Con, IDW is offering fans an Ashkamp preview of teenage mutant Ninja Turtles #13. I was fortunate to see the ink and lettering early. It’s only six pages long, but it was enough to get me excited about what’s coming to this new era for the turtle.
First impression (no spoilers)
Freddie E. Williams II, who debuted as an interior artist in the main TMNT series, is not disappointed. His crowd scenes are packed with details, and the nuances of each turtle’s appearance are truly pop. Raphael’s mask has an attractive, pointy edge that adds a character to add to it, making it stand out from others. The story itself feels like a seamless continuation of Jason Aaron’s acclaimed run, with the team working more cohesively, needling each other like siblings.
The design of Ujigami, a deadly new assassin who enters mythology, also passes through strongly on these early pages. From what I have seen, there is a hopeful undercurrent in the brotherhood at the heart of the book, balanced with the more difficult edge of violence that moves forward from Aaron’s tone. This isn’t just for kids.
Maggots of meat!
Courtesy IDW
On page 6, I’m already keen on the complete problem. The promise of “war in New York” is looming heavily at least at the moment when some cities are learning to love turtles again.
What fans need to know
Creative Team: Eisner-winning author Jean Lun Yang (Shanchi, American-born Chinese, Superman destroys the clan) team is a hit artist Freddie E. Williams II (Batman/TMNT, he, Master of the Universe)
Launch: TMNT #13 will start this December and will be picked up after Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreira’s bestselling runs ended in October with TMNT #12.
Story Setup: Turtles are back together and have hope for the future of the city, but their celebrations go short when Ujigami makes their fatal debut.
Variations: To mark this new era, IDW offers a special blind bag variant program that includes covers from top creators such as Daniel Warren Johnson, David Nakayama, and Clayton Crane.
The creator speaks
Jean Luen Yang: “I admired the turtles for a long time. I’m so happy to be able to tell their story with IDW.”
Freddie E. Williams II: “In the end, I’m really hurting my tmnt itch! …My goal is to draw at least 450 ninja turtles per page in each issue!”
Why check out Ashkan?
If you’re in the NYCC, Ashkan is worth grabs. It not only previews Williams’ art and Yang’s setup, but also includes design insights and extra materials to dig into. This is the perfect appetizer for what is being formed to become a bold new chapter in TMNT comics. It’s safe to combine this with Shredder and Casey Jones to say that TMNT fans are being fed.
