I have a working psychological theory that anyone’s personality in some way mirrors which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle was their favorite growing up. If you’re someone who is outgoing and always on the lookout for fun activities, you probably liked Michelangelo the most. If you think of yourself as an individual who goes their own way regardless of what the crowd is doing, you probably liked Raphael. I was a Leonardo fan myself, which I think says a lot about my good and “needs improvement” qualities!
It is inarguable to me that TMNT is the most financially successful independent American comic of all time. What Eastman and Laird were able to accomplish is truly remarkable. They blended well-known superhero and genre tropes into a fresh remix, then self-published and organically grew the series themselves, culminating in a generations-spanning merchandise empire.
IDW’s rebirth of TMNT comics has also been a major success story, starting with its debut in 2011. Headlined by the participation of original creator Kevin Eastman and positioning the narrative to evoke the aesthetics of the original comics, successive creators have greatly developed and expanded upon the TMNT mythos.
Now I need to get to work to figure out how new characters like Jennika fit into my psych theory. Since you don’t have that burden, you should take a look at some selected IDW TMNT volumes below! Pay special attention to the upcoming TMNT epic about a … Final Samurai? Penultimate Ninja? Something like that.
