Summary
IDW Publishing’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesrelaunch has firmly claimed the top spot as the year’s highest selling comic, by a wide margin, one which will be difficult for any other single issue to out-do. The excitement among readers for the newNinja Turtlesseries is IDW’s pay-off for a decade-long rebuild of the franchise, which has told some of itsmost iconic stories in recent years.
As first reported by AIPT,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 hasalready sold over three hundred thousand copies in advance of its July release date.This number is likely to continue increasing before, and after, the issue hits shelves – making it by far the biggest hit of the year.
According to a press release from IDW, the publisher “couldn’t be more grateful for the stunning amount of support” the relaunched has received. Withthe iconic franchise celebrating its 40th anniversary, this has proven to be perhaps the best year inNinja Turtleshistory.
“The Summer of Turtles” Has Begun, With The TMNT Relaunch Officially Under Way
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans, rejoice! As writer Jason Aaron officially kicks off the Summer of Turtles in style as the brand’s relaunch begins.
Sales IDW’s Ninja Turtles Relaunch’s Debut Issue Surge Past 300K
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 – Written By Jason Aaron; Art By Joëlle Jones; Color By Ronda Pattison; Lettering By Shawn Lee
The question now is how high the sales number forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 will ultimately climb, and what kind of business the next several issues will do.
At 300K sales forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1, the issue has far surpassed the170K+ sold byThundercats#1 earlier this year, in itself a phenomenal number for that series' debut. IDW’s press release acknowledgingNinja Turtles' massive achievement included a statement from writer Jason Aaron, expressed his excitement at the audience for his book. Aaron said:
“Thank you to all the retailers and fans out there for believing in what we’re cooking up with this new series and for supporting the book in such a massive way. There are so many cool covers to choose from, and this summer there’ll be loads of pizza parties and big events all over the country revolving around this launch and the 40th anniversary of the Ninja Turtles. But at the end of the day, I’m mostly just excited for people to hold the book in their hands and see Joëlle‘s incredible art and read the beginning of what should be a crazy fun ride of a story.”
Anticipation for the relaunch has been steadily building, as IDW’s firstTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesvolume steadily neared its conclusion with issue #150. Now, readers' craving for this new, exciting era forNinja Turtlescan be tangibly measured.
Jason Aaron’sNinja Turtlesis set to begin from a unique storytelling position, asthe Turtles will be re-introduced scatteredacross the globe, under a variety of different circumstances. It is evident that part ofthe thrill of the series' early run will be the “how”, “when”, and “why” of the brothers coming back together– and the advance sales for issue #1 make it clear readers are eager to learn more. The question now is how high the sales number forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 will ultimately climb, and what kind of business the next several issues will do.
IDW’s New TMNT Series Has Already Got The Audience’s Attention
Now It Has To Keep It
For the first arc, at least, many of the three hundred thousand readers who pre-orderedTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 are likely to remain hooked, as the reality of the franchise’s new era steadily reveals itself.
The rest of the comic book industry is certainly green with envy atNinja Turtles' success; this is a good thing, because it means other publishers will seek to replicate what IDW did right withitsNinja Turtlesrelaunch. That said, the potent mix of nostalgia and high-level storytelling may be difficult to recapture, makingNinja Turtlessuccess especially remarkable. As IDW Publisher Mark Doyle said in the company’s press release:
“From the comic book creatives to IDW staff and our friends at Paramount, everyone working on this series has truly gone above and beyond to make sure it’s an epic and compelling tale that adds to the incredible legacy of the characters that Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created 40 years ago. The whole team deserves this success and we couldn’t be more grateful for the stunning amount of support we’re getting from both fans and retailers. We know this is a TMNT story that’ll be one for the ages for fans everywhere, both new and old.”
In other words, in every way,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 is without a doubt the most exciting release of the year.
Fans of the franchise– and comic books in general – will be watching the relaunched series with great interest, waiting to find out how it succeeds on the creative, as well as the commercial level. With writer Jason Aaron and artist Joëlle Jones at the helm,Ninja Turtleswill certainly deliver a high-octane, drama-filled, satisfying story. For the first arc, at least, many of the three hundred thousand readers who pre-orderedTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 are likely to remain hooked, as the reality of the franchise’s new era steadily reveals itself.
Source:AIPT; IDW Comics
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 will be available June 19, 2025 from IDW Publishing.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a multi-media franchise that began with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s comics in the 1980s. Throughout the years, their comic books expanded to movies, TV shows, video games, and toys. Most notably, the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for nearly a decade and has become a nostalgic staple of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Several other movies have featured the four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael), including the trilogy of live-action films in the ‘90s and the more recent movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
