The '80s are back in a totally tubular way, dude! In a new wave (no pun intended?) of '80s-centric nostalgia and comics making a serious comeback, IDW publishing is merging the two in a brand-new miniseries titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures. The comics, which will be available in September, will revisit the original animated series that first aired in 1987, popularizing NYC's resident superhero Ninja-Turtles Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo.
With the resurgence of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill," an announcement for the sequel of Dirty Dancing and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial returning to theaters this summer, Marty McFly would be really confused in 2022. Now IDW is bringing back Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the all-new four-issue collection of stand-alone stories, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures. Inspired by the '87 animated series, Saturday Morning Adventures is written by Erik Burnham (Transformers: Beast Wars) and illustrated by Tim Lattie who's done previous work with IDW, Boom! Studios and Dark Horse Comics. The monthly issues, debuting in September this year, offer fans of all ages completely original stories that find our favorite Half-Shell heroes trapped in a VR simulator, one of General Krang's stone soldiers pursuing hair-metal superstardom, and more outrageous scenarios never-before seen.
Editor Charles Beacham speaks on the effect TMNT had on the zeitgeist of the '80s saying, “Toys, comics, character-laden graphic tees—my love of pop culture runs deep, and it all started with the original TMNT cartoon." There are countless reboots, films, video games and merchandise, and picking your favorite Turtle is on par with zodiac signs. (You're no longer a Hufflepuff, you're a Donatello now.) In fact, it seems everyone involved with Saturday Morning Adventures grew up with TMNT, making the experience of creating these new stories for fans extra special. Illustrator Lattie said, "Growing up in the late ’80s, nothing was like the experience of discovering TMNT," and IDW is offering that chance to a whole new generation.
Writer Burnham said:
“I’m no stranger to writing the TMNT for IDW, but this is different. The version of the Turtles that exploded onto TV screens in 1987 was the version that I first met, and it brought me a lot of joy…and getting to play in this particular corner of the sandbox has built upon that joy! Humor, action, and plenty of high concepts were packed into each episode, and we’re following that path. I’m not sure if anyone in comics is having as much fun as Tim Lattie and I are with these done-in-one stories!”
Based off the original characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984, the pivotal animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first aired in 1987. The cartoon series was about four turtles who were exposed to a mysterious ooze, which naturally caused them to become humanoids, and their adoptive ninja master caretaker Yoshi, a rat that they lovingly called Splinter. The brothers trained for years with Splinter in order to enact justice on their enemies, The Shredder and, by default, Krang, and along the way formed an alliance with a news reporter, April O'Neil. The Turtles became crime-fighting vigilantes wielding katana, bo staffs and the latest '80s tech, while wolfing down slices of pizza.
"Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines! / Raphael is cool but rude! / Michelangelo is a party dude! / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!"
This September Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #1 will be available to order and will ship out monthly. IDW is offering fans multiple unique cover variants including covers by series artist Lattie, one by TMNT co-creator Eastman and another option by Tony Gregori (Deuce of Hearts).
For any additional information, fans can check out IDW's site and check out an image from the comic below:
