‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Co-Creator Kevin Eastman Teases ‘The Last Ronin 2’
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The ninja turtles are dead — long live the ninja turtles. Following the end of 2020’s massively successful mini-series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, the heroes in a half shell are officially gone — at least, in one continuity dubbed the “Ronin-verse.” In their absence, a new generation is ready to pick up the mantle.
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Built on an idea originally dating back to 1987, at the zenith of the TMNT’s popularity, The Last Ronin, from IDW Publishing, functions as a formal endgame for the famous quartet. Co-written by Tom Waltz and TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, the series is set in a near-future where three of the four turtles are dead with the survivor on quest for vengeance. It harkens back to the poignant, mature tone of the original indie comic run that began nearly 40 years ago, in 1984. An instant critical and commercial hit, The Last Ronin has helped reinvigorate interest in the property, which has seen peaks and valleys throughout the decades in the form of multiple animated series, live-action films, and a popular ongoing comic from IDW since 2011.
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Most importantly, it has both evoked the melancholic spirit of the original series, brainchild of Eastman and now retired co-creator Peter Laird, as well as created a new world rife with storytelling potential. That leads to the sequel/prequel series, The Lost Years, which follows two timelines: one chronicling the last years of the Michelangelo searching for purpose after the loss of his family, and the other following a new generation of mutant turtles who symbolize hope for a grim cyberpunk future. Eastman recently appeared on our Twitch daily show for a career-spanning discussion, including how he approached the TMNT’s untimely demise.
Speaking about the decision to kill the turtles, he said, “You wanted their end, their moments, which are an important part of this story to be poignant and perfect and not wasted. That it was all with the same heart and soul that you put into that character’s creation.”
On the series’ biggest reveal — that the mysterious lone survivor of the brothers is in fact the least likely of the bunch, the once-lighthearted Michelangelo — he noted, “It was the firstborn, and it was the one who had the longest path to travel from the laid back, kind of comedic one, to become this character that ultimately has to resolve this issue.”
But with an end comes a new beginning, and the major cliffhanger from the first mini-series that leads into The Lost Years was a glimmer of hope amid the darkness in the form of four new baby turtles that would be destined to take up the mantle. As seen in Issue #1 of The Lost Years, they’re a very different breed. Two male, two female, and all very different shapes and sizes, they’re much more individualized that the original siblings who were physiologically identical (and didn’t even have color-coded identifiers in the black and white comics). Even their names are a far cry from the Renaissance-inspired originals: Odyn, Yi, Moja, and Uno.
Eastman joked, “The evolution of the new characters — the new turtles — it was the same heart and soul. It would be easy to say, ‘Oh here’s more turtles and they’re named after four scientists.’”
Teasing the the future of the franchise following the new turtles, Eastman said, “The story and how you’re introduced to them and as you see them grow, and what they’re going to become in The Lost Years, you’re seeing the tip of the iceberg, the fingernail if you will, of what we’re going to do with them.”
The co-writer also revealed that this sub-series will continue to evolve, stating that, “The Lost Years [will] run five issues, with a one-shot called Lost Day, which is part of that five-issue thing, which will lead into The Last Ronin 2, which we’ve got some really awesome ideas for that.”
Lost Day was formally announced just prior to Lost Years #1 in January 2023, but this is the first time the author has publicly teased an official numbered sequel to the Ronin-verse, specifically one starring the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
To learn about the near 40-year trajectory of the TMNT and where the series is heading next, check out the full interview with Kevin Eastman below.
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