IDW Publishing has announced that its current ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles title will conclude with #150, as Sophie Campbell's acclaimed four-year run comes to an end.
"I still can't quite believe I've gotten to work on this much TMNT, I thought for sure I'd get the boot in the first year but nope – here I am four years later still here against all odds," said Campbell in a statement. "It's really been amazing, truly a dream job. I wonder what my 10-year-old self would think if she knew what she'd go on to eventually do." "The fact that this chapter is ending and I'm leaving the series is bittersweet, I'll miss it for sure, but it's time to move on and let somebody else have a shot at the Turtles, and I'll be back for more before you know it, whatever form that might take. As two great men once said, 'change is constant' and 'life at best is bittersweet.'"
Heroes in a Half-Shell fans were understandably disappointed by this development, but we do have some good news.
ComicBook.com has revealed that Eisner-award-winning writer Jason Aaron has been enlisted to relaunch the series, beginning with a 10-page prelude story in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha #1 one-shot this June, with the new ongoing title hitting shelves in July.
Notably, the new series will not be a full reboot, and will still be set in the previous IDW continuity.
"Launching a new TMNT comic series in the midst of the characters' 40th anniversary is clearly one of those dream jobs of all comic book dream jobs," Aaron says in a statement. "Especially for me, a kid who first fell in love with the Turtles all those years ago because of that original Mirage Studios series, buying those groundbreaking issues fresh off the rack, comics that kicked you in the face with their action-packed grit and gloriously raw attitude. I couldn't be more honored and thrilled to get to add to that esteemed legacy of comic book face-kicking, especially as part of an amazing IDW run that has expanded the world and timeline of the Turtles in such daring and exciting ways. In terms of what's to come, the kid in me wants you to know that you can expect some good old-fashioned grit, a sprinkle of dark, new attitude and all the bone-cracking action that four mutated ninja brothers can possibly handle."
We don't have any cover art or previews just yet, but be sure to keep an eye on CBM for updates.