Warning: this text incorporates spoilers for TMNT: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #5!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin has all the time been a very darkish and tragic tackle the TMNT franchise. In spite of everything, this saga began in a futuristic world the place Michelangelo was the sole surviving member of the Turtle household, a lone hero pursuing one closing quest of revenge. The authentic sequence ended on a hopeful word, with the delivery of a brand new technology of Turtles, however even that delivery was countered by Michelangelo’s loss of life.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution (Hardcover)
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As the sequel, TMNT: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution, involves an in depth, it’s clear that darkness and tragedy are nonetheless at the forefront of this universe. No sooner do the new Turtles come out of hiding to avoid wasting their metropolis than they’re compelled to grapple with the loss of life of a beloved mentor and grandmother determine. That’s proper, the sequence ends with the loss of life of the one and solely April O’Neil.
It’s fairly clear from studying The Last Ronin II finale that this story isn’t achieved but. To search out out extra about the tragic however heroic sacrifice of April and what may lie in retailer in The Last Ronin III, IGN spoke with writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz. Learn on to be taught extra about the grim new route for this fashionable TMNT spinoff.
Pushing The Ronin-Verse Ahead
Earlier than we get to difficulty #5’s large loss of life, it’s price taking a step again to take a look at The Last Ronin II as a complete. There’s been a noticeable tonal and stylistic shift in this sequel. The authentic sequence depicted its futuristic model of New York as a basic cyberpunk dystopia straight out of Blade Runner or Akira. However with the loss of life of Oroku Hiroto and the daybreak of a extra hopeful period, the sequence has shifted to a extra grounded tackle the Massive Apple. The Last Ronin II reveals us extra of what it’s like to really stay in this uneasy future setting, and that was undoubtedly intentional.
“I assumed it was somewhat Star Wars-esque, in the sense that in case you go from the New Hope period to the Abrams period, this concept that at the finish of Return of the Jedi we really feel like there’s been a victory. And to a sure extent there was a victory. However in case you do not deal with issues, issues can fall uncontrolled once more,” Waltz tells IGN. “And I believe that was sort of our story right here. Yeah, they’d overwhelmed the Foot Clan they usually had overwhelmed Hiroto, however what was the plan after that? It nearly felt like issues will return to regular, however what’s regular? The police had been corrupt earlier than, they are going to be in all probability corrupt now. There have been three gangs earlier than, now they’re in all probability going to really feel extra empowered, the Foot Clan’s out of the method.”
And I all the time assume, energy, when there’s no person in cost that invitations, it creates a vacuum of energy. Anyone’s going to fill that vacuum. And that was sort of the overarching story we had been making an attempt to inform was, who was going to be the first one to take management of the metropolis?
“Once we designed The Last Ronin I, it was the finish,” Eastmas says. “It was like, the closing triumph, the closing battle, the blood feud has ended, all this stuff which have been achieved by these extremely insurmountable epic phrases that is like, ‘Okay, right here is an ending, increase.’ Tom and I each beloved the Ronin-verse, so when it got here time individuals mentioned, ‘Nicely, what would you do with a continuation of the sequence?’ And so we had a whole lot of conversations. And we dug deep and mentioned, ‘Nicely, alright, we have to discover, most significantly, what’s that function?’ And that was the driving pressure for Last Ronin Re-Evolution, for positive, discovering that function.”
There’s an apparent query many followers ask themselves when studying The Last Ronin – in what universe is that this story going down? Is The Last Ronin meant to be a continuation of the authentic Mirage Comics TMNT universe, or perhaps the present IDW TMNT-verse? Is it a sequel to the cartoon sequence?
The Last Ronin II solely additional highlights that query as a result of one difficulty delivers a particular callback to a difficulty from the authentic Mirage run, as April recounts her ordeal when she and the authentic Turtles fled New York for the security of her father’s nation home. Ought to followers take that as affirmation that The Last Ronin is a Mirage-verse story? Not essentially. Waltz and Eastman make it clear that the Ronin-verse remains to be its personal factor, and it’s deliberately left as much as the reader so far as how the continuity works.
“Once we approached Last Ronin, we each mentioned, ‘Look, we now have all these Turtle universes, let’s make this our Darkish Knight universe. Let’s contact on just a few of the different universes, however primarily lean closely into the Mirage universe.’” Eastman says. “So we dismissed Bebop, and Rocksteady, and Mutants, and that sort of stuff. So this story was one unto itself, and it created a contented area that we did not have to stay with storylines, or logic, or historical past, or simply various things that Tom had arrange. Once more, we’re speaking about, when he wrote 100 points, that is like 10 years, nearly 11 years of stuff.”
“Yeah, I name it Mirage-adjacent. It is the dimension proper subsequent door to the venture,” Waltz provides. “I believe what Kevin and I noticed early on, I believe early on we had been taking a look at Mirage, particularly. And we knew we had been veering off that course when Karai grew to become Shredder’s daughter, as a part of this story. Nevertheless it labored higher for the story. And so in the Mirage universe, that wasn’t the case. And so we mentioned, ‘Nicely, that is completely different. That is somewhat little bit of a retcon proper right here.’”
Waltz continues, “After which at that time, we began saying the time period Ronin-verse. I believe we’re creating our personal universe right here, however I name it very Mirage-adjacent. The Darkish Knight Returns, for me, works so properly, as a result of if anyone actually needs to say, ‘It is Adam West’s future,’ it may very well be Adam West’s future, as a result of all the primary components are there for a Batman story… I believe it really works so properly in a generic sense, as a result of there’s simply sure components of Turtles that you must hit, and everyone is aware of these issues by now. Most individuals know what these issues are, the place they arrive from, that you could write this type of story and let individuals fill in the blanks as they need.”
April’s Heroic Sacrifice
The Last Ronin II has definitely added new layers to April O’Neil as a personality. She’s grow to be the figurehead of an underground resistance motion and a grandmother determine to the new Turtles. At the identical time, the sequence has forged April in a considerably darker gentle, revealing her hidden intentions in creating the new technology of Turtles and the way she successfully performed god by giving them every superhuman skills.
Finally, although, April is given a heroic loss of life in difficulty #5, as she goes out in a blaze of glory preventing the Purple Dragons gang. As Eastman and Waltz clarify, April’s whirlwind journey in the sequel was all about serving their bigger objectives with The Last Ronin saga. This sequence wanted to finish with the final bastion of the authentic TMNT technology handing the baton to the new technology.
“What we needed to say in The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution coated nearly this crucial, I wish to say chaotic, but additionally very making an attempt time for the household,” Eastmas says. “April’s resolution to create these characters, was it vital? Was it necessary? Was it particular? Was it one thing that she missed about the authentic Turtles? Was one thing that she was making an attempt to create one thing that was the potential future protectors of New York Metropolis? As the basis of the superhero idea that we love a lot, not solely with the authentic Turtles, however then discovering their function.”
Eastman continues, “So what occurs in The Last Ronin II is, after all, the unlucky, however very essential, story idea of April passing. It truly is handing the torch to a brand new technology that we needed to make very particular. So she’s sort of the final of the authentic sequence, final of Casey, final of Turtles, final of Splinter, final of every little thing. So that’s formally handing the torch to the new Turtles, very like we did with Last Ronin I, which was having every of the Turtles have a particular, and really important, and crucial demise in that sequence, that transitions right into a a lot greater image.”
“It is not solely the finish of the household aspect of issues, if you consider Casey, and April, and Michelangelo, and the remainder of the Turtles, and Splinter, but it surely’s additionally finish of the outdated enemies, as a result of that is actually the demise of the Purple Dragons,” Waltz says. “And so I felt like April settled some unfinished enterprise, in a way, in her closing act, by taking out a risk that, all the method again to The Misplaced Years, she knew was posed to her household with Jigsaw and the Purple Dragons.”
Waltz continues, “This second grew to become even greater than I assumed it will be, earlier than we acquired to it, as a result of all the items had been there, and it got here collectively, and it was only a matter of placing phrases in their mouths and actions in their fingers. And I had a tough time writing it. It was exhausting to jot down that with April. I like April, as a personality throughout all iterations, very a lot. She’s one among my favourite characters. However like Kevin mentioned, it was time. All this work she’s achieved, and the Turtles earlier than, now what’s the payoff? Will these youngsters have the ability to proceed ahead efficiently? Was it price it or wasn’t it? And that is the story that is but to be advised.”
The Last Ronin III and Past
As Waltz alludes above, this clearly isn’t the finish of the overarching Last Ronin storyline, provided that this sequence successfully ends on a cliffhanger. No sooner do the Turtles and Casey Marie mourn April’s loss of life than we be taught the Resistance was betrayed by one among its personal. Their ally Jiro is secretly allied with the Foot Clan, a corporation that has survived the deaths of each Shredder and his grandson and is now searching for to reclaim its maintain on New York.
IGN can affirm that one other The Last Ronin sequel is in early growth, with extra to be revealed down the highway. However Eastman and Waltz clearly have concepts about the place their story is headed from right here.
“What you see, the revelation of their powers in Re-Evolution, is a stepping stone in the direction of what we wish to do in Half 3. I mentioned to [Tom] from the very starting, ‘That is going to be our Empire Strikes Again/The Two Towers.’ That is the center stage of the place they are going. And people two had been crucial films.”
Eastman continues, “So we lean in all probability very closely in the direction of The Empire Strikes Again, in that there’s a darkness of the ending, there’s a particular ending to the ending. Nevertheless it very additionally, particularly says, that is going to proceed, there’s extra to be advised right here. And that was with an amazing function. However that was with Half 2, we mentioned, ‘We do not wish to seem to be it is a full cliffhanger, however we additionally made it as a cliffhanger.’ It’s a full story, it has a finale, and we needed it to proceed to a Half 3.”
“Kevin mentioned, ‘Let Lucas and Tolkien be our guides, so far as construction is anxious.’ So it was undoubtedly The Empire Strikes Again and The Two Towers,” Waltz says. “And it was humorous, as a result of once we had been achieved, I mentioned, ‘Some followers are going to be ecstatic that we’re persevering with, and different followers are going to return after us with pitchforks and torches as a result of they needed to come again for some extra.’ However hopefully, it is one thing that folks will look ahead to. And we have a giant story deliberate for the third quantity. And perhaps another surprises in between.”
Waltz continues, “Nevertheless it felt proper. It felt like this was the story we would have liked to inform for this centerpiece, and the bookends will probably be bombastic. We acquired the centerpiece that basically simply units the tables for a whole lot of issues that have to be mentioned. And once more, it sort of tells its personal story typically, we’re simply following alongside, these characters have minds of their very own.”
With The Last Ronin III shaping as much as ship a brand new tackle the seemingly unending feud between Clan Hamato and the Foot Clan, it’s clear that the extra issues change in this universe, the extra they keep the identical. As Eastman explains, as a lot as the authentic Last Ronin sequence was about ending the blood feud between the Turtles and Shredder as soon as and for all, the actuality is that these feuds have a method of persisting.
“At the finish of The Last Ronin I, we needed the blood feud to finish, with Michelangelo killing the, quote unquote, the final of Shredder’s bloodline, ending his personal life in the identical time,” Eastman says. “So we needed that finish, but it surely’s like, you’d wish to assume that must be the finish. However in case you’ve learn something about Japanese historical past, definitely feudal Japan, there have been all the time completely different warlords, and shoguns, and various things that will stand up and create completely different conditions.”
Eastman continues, “We got here up with a worldwide image. And one thing we’ll discover extra in Half 3 is there’s a part of a dynasty and company enterprise infrastructure in Japan, and Europe, primarily England, with our characters and New York Metropolis, that is creating this triad that might management the world financial powers, and create a really completely different universe. However what wasn’t anticipated was having individuals that will cease the management of a few of these issues that will have an effect on… It is like having a insurgent base arise in opposition to the powers that be, to have an effect on the change that everyone thought can be.”
In the finish, the objective with The Last Ronin II was to introduce a transparent set of Resistance characters who can oppose the Foot Clan, the Crusader Knights, and the different world powers in The Last Ronin III. The new Turtles and their sensei have been examined, however the actual problem remains to be forward of them.
“That is going to be very private for our heroes, whereas, it is enterprise for the powers that be proper now. And I additionally assume, a personality that I actually look ahead to exploring extra is Jiro, as a result of he has had a relationship with Casey. And perhaps that was extra real proper now than it seems to be,” Waltz says. “And in order that’s a dynamic I look ahead to exploring. However I additionally assume, in terms of the household side, it is time for Casey Marie to step up and be that household chief. And we have thrown components of the Hamato Clan into the combine too. So there’s cool issues taking place behind the scenes that I believe are going to make for some actually, actually thrilling drama in the third quantity.”
Lastly, we couldn’t speak to Eastman and Waltz with out mentioning the varied variations of The Last Ronin which have been introduced in current years. We all know that each a live-action Last Ronin film and a Last Ronin online game are in growth proper now, although there have been few updates about both venture recently. However Eastman needs to reassure followers that this isn’t essentially as a result of work has stalled on the initiatives.
“The online game was one thing that has been developed early on. Tom and I had been introduced in initially for taking a look at a few of the ideas, taking a look at a few of the growth points, and the issues that had been probably taking place there,” Eastman says. “There was a resting interval, I believe, or restructuring interval. With the main developer, however I perceive that, the final I heard from Nickelodeon, it is again on monitor. So we hope to all share information in the future. We have got nothing definitive. We hope to all share information on the progress on the online game.”
As for the film, Eastman notes that the want is to get the story proper reasonably than rush one thing out to grab on the hype of the comedian.
“I’ve had conversations and shared some particulars with Tom on the discussions on a Last Ronin film,” Eastman says. “Hollywood is a really magical, complicated, difficult place as issues develop. However a few of the conversations I’ve had early on have been splendidly constructive, they usually love what Tom and I’ve achieved. And I really feel like, to cite the author that I talked to a few occasions, he simply beloved what we did in The Last Ronin I, and mentioned, ‘I simply do not wish to be the man that messes it up.’”
Eastman continues, “So that they’re very honest. They’re being attentive to what’s been achieved earlier than, however we have nothing particularly we might share. I want we might. And I believe we’ll hear stuff extra in the future as issues go alongside, however there’s undoubtedly a want from Nickelodeon and Paramount to do, not solely a online game, however a live-action film, and I have been advised in the R-rated area.”
TMNT: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution #5 is in shops now. You can too preorder the collected The Last Ronin II hardcover on Amazon.
For extra on the TMNT franchise, see what TMNT author Jason Aaron needed to say about the way forward for his sequence, and be taught extra about the newly introduced TMNT: Shredder spinoff.
Jesse is a mild-mannered employees author for IGN. Enable him to lend a machete to your mental thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.