The final day of SDCC saw some major news from IDW Publishing, who announced a sequel to the wildly popular THE LAST RONIN graphic novel set to debut in December 2023 — TMNT: THE LAST RONIN II – RE-EVOLUTION. The sequel will reunite the same creative team, including writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, and artists Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza, and Isaac Escorza. Also returning are colorist Edgar Delgado and letterer Shawn Lee.

Eastman spoke about the decision to continue the Last Ronin story, “The real heart and soul for me with dusting off and bringing THE LAST RONIN to life three years ago was my belief that ‘Every beginning must have an end. With all the respect in the world for my co-creator Peter Laird, I wanted to bring full circle to what we started in 1984 and set out to do in 1987. With THE LAST RONIN, with my friend Tom Waltz and an incredible gathering of brilliant artisans, we accomplished that 33 years later. A very fitting end indeed.”

IDW provided a brief synopsis on what this new story will cover:

Guided by Casey Marie Jones, the formidable and strategic daughter of April O’Neil and the late Casey Jones, the next generation of Ninja Turtles – Yi, Uno, Odyn, and Moja – will face the ultimate enemy! Will the young heroes be able to adapt to the pressure of a city at war? Featuring new foes and foils, this exhilarating and compelling next chapter in the Ronin-verse is overflowing with turtle power as THE LAST RONIN team returns to continue the stunning story.

Waltz added his own excitement on returning to the Last Ronin story, “I couldn’t be more excited and humbled to help bring the next generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the world… awesome new stories and characters that stand firmly and respectfully atop the shoulders of the beloved legacy of their original namesakes. We’re going to have our pizza and eat it, too!”

TMNT: THE LAST RONIN II – RE-EVOLUTION #1 will be released December 13, 2023.