Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was very important to the franchise. Not only was it the first collaboration in many years between TMNT creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the series also made headlines by revealing the twisted future of the TMNT universe. In this Dark Knight Returns-esque series, Michelangelo is the only surviving member of the family, a lone warrior bent on killing the Shredder's grandson.
Despite that bleak premise, The Last Ronin ends on a surprisingly uplifting note. As Mikey dies a victorious death, a new quartet of mutant turtles is being raised under the watchful eye of April O'Neil and her daughter, Casey. The series definitely left room for a sequel, and that's where TMNT: The Last Ronin - Lost Years comes in.
Meet Odyn, Yi, Moja, and Uno, the new faces introduced in the first issue of TMNT: The Last Ronin — The Lost Years, which was released on 25 January. Heirs to the ninja skills and weapons of the original four turtles, they are currently in their infancy stage, and will be raised by April O’ Neil and her daughter Casey-Marie.
The new ninja siblings are the creations of original TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and The Last Ronin artist Ben Bishop, who is also returning to work on specific parts of the limited series. While the new names may come across as unrelated or random-sounding, the upcoming issue will delve into the story behind them and their connection to the original reptilian heroes, if any.
“When Kevin Eastman asks you to design new turtles, there was really no question,” shared Bishop in an interview with Gizmodo. “I came out swinging with 12 different new turtle designs, from babies to teenagers.
“Those made the rounds for a week or so while everyone picked out their favorite four. This was a crazy exciting time; Nickelodeon loved the designs, and ultimately we all settled on the four you’ll meet in Lost Years #1.“
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