Author Jean Luen Yang’s creative team and artist Freddie E. Williams II, released last July, will take over the ongoing title of IDW’s ongoing teenage mutant ninja turtles in issue 13 in December. The renewed title was a huge success for the publisher, and it is no exaggeration that the initial issue sold over 300,000 copies. However, you wouldn’t be surprised if the initial issue exceeded previous sales. In fact, IDW announced that order forecasts are up from one week to one week because they are higher than expected.
Ahead of the deadline for new pre-orders next week, Beat had the pleasure of interviewing via email writer Gene Luen Yang about his work on TMNT’s ongoing title. Yang and IDW have maintained quite a bit of what’s close to the best, but the prolific writers have been able to uncover some secrets, including the introduction of new mutants into the franchise.
Taimur Dar: It’s a bit surreal to me that TMNT is now a generational franchise. You said you grew up with the original TMNT comics and comics. I’m curious whether your own kids have joined TMNT or if you’re keeping up with the various adaptations and interpretations of heroes in half shells such as cartoon/animation. The past 10 years?
Gene Luen Yang: My kids weren’t TMNT fans until the 2023 Mutant Mayhem movie. They were actually reluctant to see it, but I was able to convince them. They told me it was one of their favourite films for a long time. And I understand why. The film was beautifully written and beautifully animated. It also captured the heart of a turtle. It really leaned against the “teen” part of the teenage mutant ninja turtle.
In my opinion, the teenage mutant ninja turtle has such a lasting power, as it fully embodies the archetype. I was teaching writing at St. Paul’s Hamline University, and we talked about how turtles map to the four humors of Greek philosophy. We know these characters, right? We encounter them in our daily lives. Everyone has a friend of Leonardo, but a little brother, who is well-intentioned. We all know someone who has a short fuse like Raphael. We party with a guy from a party like Michelangelo. We were in a research group with a man with an introspective gadget like Donatello. Turtles are familiar to us.
Beyond this, they are flexible. You can throw them into any genre, including fantasy, science fiction, martial arts action, horror and more. it doesn’t matter. They can still work. The teenage mutant Ninja Turtles are very strange characters, and that’s why they’ve been so loved for so long.
Taimur Dar: The challenge to working in a shared universe is that it is accessible to both old and potentially new fans. Your first problem features an appearance by Ghost Boys leader Xiang Fei Tong. Can’t help but wonder if this means that Dogstar Clans play a role, or if readers can expect IDW’s other TMNT book events and characters to do your own run?
Gene Luen Yang: Over the past few years, IDW has built a wealth of continuity around turtles. Our execution is certainly part of that continuity, so what happened in the previous IDW TMNT comics affects what happens in our book.
That said, we have created a book that new readers can access. You don’t need to know the backstory of Xiang Fei Tong or Ghost Boys to enjoy our stories. If you haven’t picked up a turtle comic in years, #13 is the perfect jump with points. I love the Star Dog Family. See if they’ll be coming soon.
Taimur Dar: Batman has Batcave. Superman has a Fortress of Solitary. Turtles always have some sort of hideout, whether it’s a sewerage, a metro station or an abandoned church. What will happen to the living situation at TMNT during the course of operation?
Gene Luen Yang: At least at first it’s classic. After a long time apart, the four brothers returned together. They were back in New York too, so it felt natural to go back to where they started and back into the sewer system.
Taimur Dar: Apparently your favorite ninja turtle is Donatello. I think it’s fair to say Donnie went through a very dramatic change in his previous run, but he appears to be returning to his traditional self. What can fans expect from Donatello during your run? Is he still a “machine” turtle?
Jean Luen Yang: I loved what Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreira did at Donatello while they were running. It was definitely a different take, but it still fits Donnie’s character. He became so introspective that he almost lost his heart.
In our run, Donatello returns to his baseline. He still loves machines. He is still the most thoughtful of the four. However, the aspects of his neuroticism seen between the arcs of Jason and Juan’s story will sometimes peer in.
Taimur Dar: Perhaps there’s not much to say about the mysterious new villain Ujigami. But hopefully you can discuss Papaben, the mutant yak. How did the development of this character come about? Apparently artist Ben Bates designed him.
Jean Lun Yang: Freddie and I are extremely excited about Ujigami. TMNT #13 will explode. Papaben is a member of the Ghost Boy Triad. It took some iterations to reach his final form. We had some interactions with editors Bobby Koelner and Jake Thomas before we landed on him as a mutant yak. I love the way Freddie draws him. Papaben is scary and impressive, but still has many personalities.
Taimur Dar: Finally, will this TMNT run alongside Freddie E. Williams?
Gene Luen Yang: 12 issues in Story are planned. I hope to pass the turtle through the ringer and show how important the family is. We’ll see what happens after that.
Freddie and I can’t wait for fans to see what we have in the store!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13 arrives at the store on Wednesday, December 10th, 2025
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