Just when we thought we saw the end of The Last Ronin, the crew from the five-issue miniseries announces The Lost Years at the San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle “Ronin-verse.”
The Last Ronin – The Lost Years expands on the smash-hit The Last Ronin over a five-issue miniseries with the first issue scheduled to be out in November 2022 January 2023. Kevin Eastman (TMNT, Drawing Blood), Tom Waltz (TMNT, Silent Hill), Ben Bishop (The Aggregate, Drawing Blood), and Luis Antonio Delgado (TMNT, Ghostbusters) return from the original series with S.L. Gallant (G.I. Joe) joining the fray.
“Continuing to expand on an idea Peter Laird and I had 35 years ago with this incredible creative team has been the adventure of a lifetime,” Eastman said in a quote obtained from io9. “To continue exploring and telling stories within the Last Ronin universe couldn’t possibly be more exciting for me. I’m so thrilled we get to stay and play here for a while and I can’t wait to share everything we have planned. Buckle up, TMNT fans! We’ve got two turtle universes that are both about to get seriously awesome!”
The Last Ronin series followed a lone surviving Turtle in a future NYC far different than the one we know today. The Last Ronin goes on a seemingly hopeless mission to obtain justice for his fallen family and friends. Layouts were done by Eastman with inks by Esau and Isaac Escorza, along with Bishop. Eastman, Laird and Waltz were responsible for the story.
Although the ending of the original series was fairly concrete, Eastman and his creative team have found a way in The Lost Years to examine more of the Ronin-verse. “As time passed, we began to realize that Last Ronin’s story was so much bigger than we had originally anticipated–past, present, and future,” Waltz explained in a statement obtained from io9. “There’s so much more about this world that we still want to share with our fans.”
This team-up between Eastman and Bishop is not the first time. As stated already the two worked together on The Last Ronin, but also have teamed up on Eastman’s Kickstarter released comic “Drawing Blood” where Bishop is the main artist. Now, the amazing creative team returns for The Last Ronin – The Lost Years.
During the announcement, the panel showed a cover of The Lost Years with lines done by Bishop and painted over by Eastman in a winter scene. The artwork on The Last Ronin has been spectacular and it will continue in The Lost Years.
Due to the pandemic and a number of other factors, it took almost 18 months to release the five issue of The Last Ronin with fans having to wait 3-4 months in-between issues. It will be interesting to see what the timeframe of releasing The Lost Years is after the first issue hits shelves in November.
