Blog

Jul 19, 2023

“These Are The TMNT Rejects”: Last Ronin Artist Explains Origin of New Ninja Turtles

During an exclusive Screen Rant interview at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, TMNT: The Last Ronin artist Ben Bishop discusses the origin of the new TMNT. Warning! This article contains spoilers for Teenage

During an exclusive Screen Rant interview at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, TMNT: The Last Ronin artist Ben Bishop discusses the origin of the new TMNT.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just introduced a team of all-new Turtle heroes within the established continuity of The Last Ronin universe. The artist behind their design, Ben Bishop, spoke exclusively with Screen Rant about the process of creating what is essentially his own iteration of one of the most iconic teams in comic book history.

The new team of Ninja Turtles consists of Yi, Uno, Moja, and Odyn, and they made their official debut in the last issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin. However, that first appearance was little more than a nebulous easter egg, a potential plot point for the future with no real plans of execution. But then, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - The Lost Years, fans finally got the payoff from that easter egg, as Uno, Yi, Odyn, and Moja are shown growing up with every passing issue of the five-issue limited series, and they’re also shown undergoing their ninja training. While the idea of an all-new team of Turtles to carry on the original TMNT legacy is extremely exciting for old and new fans alike, arguably the coolest aspect of these new characters is their design, as each one is so uniquely separate from both the original TMNT and each other - and Ben Bishop reveals exactly how those designs made the final cut.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 to discuss the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution, Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, and Ben Bishop spoke on the creative process behind the new book, as well as everything that’s led to this moment. As revealed by this all-star creative team, The Last Ronin II will continue the story of the new TMNT - Yi, Uno, Moja, and Odyn - following their origin in Lost Years. Since Ben Bishop was the artist entrusted to bring these new Turtles to life, he was asked how it felt to do so, especially now that their stories will continue in this brand new series. Ben Bishop’s response was as follows:

Kevin had some sketches, and again he piled on all these reference photos of different species of turtles because basically the agenda was to make them as different-looking as possible. Completely recognizable individually, even in their silhouettes and sizes and then later personalities of course, but I ended up drawing 12 different designs, the teenagers but also the baby versions of each which are really cool to see, like, what could have been; these are, like, the TMNT rejects or something. And they made their ways around, and everybody picked their 4, and it just so happened, like, most of us were overlapping in our favorite ones.

The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles look pretty similar to one another, and seemingly weren’t based on specific species of turtles, but rather leaned into the more cartoonish aesthetic the comic book medium allowed. With the new Ninja Turtles, however, Ben Bishop not only reveals that they are based on real species of turtles as a collective group, but that they’re each based on a different species of turtle, making them stand out as individuals even more prominently. Not only that, but the process of narrowing down which of the 12 original designs Ben Bishop came up with was apparently a group effort. The fact that there is this level of collaboration behind the scenes of the TMNT comics bodes incredibly well for the level of cohesive storytelling fans can expect from the upcoming Last Ronin sequel series.

While Ben Bishop is quoted as saying these new Turtles were kind of like the “TMNT rejects” given how different they look from the originals, the truth is, they are so much more than that. Yi, Uno, Moja, and Odyn are the perfect evolution of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with creative, unique, and collaborative designs championed by artist Ben Bishop that are worthy of their predecessors’ renowned legacy.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution #1 by IDW Publishing is available December 13, 2023.

Spencer Connolly is a Staff Writer for Screen Rant. With years of writing and journalism experience under his belt, Spencer joined Screen Rant in 2020. Prior to writing for Screen Rant, Spencer was a Photojournalist and News Producer. Throughout his career as a journalist and even his entire life, Spencer always had a deep love for comics and is now applying everything he has learned throughout his career to the fun and informative articles he writes for Screen Rant. You can follow Spencer on Twitter: @TheSpencerVerse.