The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Go Back to Basics in a Preview of a New Era

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The world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is entering a new era. Jason Aaron, the writer who revitalized the series with a popular twelve-issue run (illustrated by Juan Ferreyra for the final story arc), is stepping down. He’s being succeeded by Gene Luen Yang, a two-time Eisner Award-winning writer, and artist Freddie E. Williams II. This is a significant change, as Aaron is an Eisner Award winner himself, making for a remarkably talented transition.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13

  • Written by GENE LUEN YANG
  • Art by FREDDIE E. WILLIAMS II
  • Main cover art by FREDDIE E. WILLIAMS II
  • Variant covers by KEVIN EASTMAN & BEN BISHOP; JARED CULLUM; CLAYTON CRAIN; DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON; DUSTIN NGUYEN; DAVID NAKAYAMA; NATHAN SZERDY; and RAHZZAH

Get ready for a fresh start with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang (known for works like American Born Chinese and Avatar: The Last Airbender) is now writing the adventures of the Turtles! After the dramatic events in issue #12, the Turtles find themselves in a New York City that sees them as heroes. But their celebration won’t last long, as new villains emerge to challenge them. Papa Beng, a mutant yak, is trying to expand his gang’s influence, unaware that a dangerous new assassin named Ujigami is watching him and other TMNT enemies!

The story begins with a strange man meeting the leader of a local Triad. He’s there to revisit an agreement she previously made with his secretive employer. A tense confrontation happens, but it’s cut short by the arrival of a new enemy named Ujigami. Ujigami seems to have powers similar to the Turtles, or possibly he’s a demon. He allows the mysterious man to escape, but then brutally kills the Triad leader.

Things are seriously messed up in New York ever since that whole murder case. Now all the gangs are battling it out for control of the city, and it’s chaos. Luckily, people finally realize we Turtles aren’t the bad guys anymore – we’re actually heroes! So we’re jumping into the fight to take down these gangs, who are just openly clashing everywhere. It’s cool to see that mutants are starting to be accepted too, and one of them even thanked us for everything we’ve done. Feels good to be making a difference!

While battling, Leonardo remembers how much Donatello is hurting after Master Splinter’s disappearance. Unbeknownst to the Turtles, Splinter is actually still alive, having been brought back in the last issue written by Aaron.

To find out if the Turtles discover this secret, or if they face off against Ujigami, be sure to grab a copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13 when it comes out on December 10th.

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2025-11-29 02:47