Sophie Campbell has had quite the run on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, taking over writing duties with issue #101 way back in January 2020. But since all good things must end, Campbell will step away with issue #150, which is slated for release in early 2024 (per IGN).
But that end is also very much a beginning. With the newly-released issue #145 (out this week), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles begins the “Road to 150,” which is officially a new era for the butt-kicking turtle. And what a start for this celebration as issue #145 sees a fracture in the team as Donatello goes solo to battle a new foe in Armaggon. As for the rest, we’ve been promised “shocking revelations” that impact both the past and future of the Turtles. (Campbell will also reportedly be back for an undisclosed future Turtles-centric title.)
To get a better idea of Campbell’s run, and what comes next for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we spoke with IDW’s editor-in-chief Jamie S. Rich. Among other topics, Rich touches on editing the TMNT book, the grand “Road to 150” plans, the team’s lasting impact, and the most supreme Turtle.
Variant cover by Alexis Ziritt. Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: What has been the best part of being the editor on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
Jamie S. Rich: It’s becoming part of an enduring legacy. Very few characters in literature and pop culture achieve the kind of love and recognizability as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There is no mistaking them for anything else, they are totally unique. You could go anywhere wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt, I bet, and everyone would know who they are.
I read the first issue when it was still pretty new, a buzz book I had read about in Comics Buyer’s Guide. One of my friends at school had a copy of it. We spent lunch sitting behind the dumpsters and swapping comics, and it was one of the most strange and exciting things I’d ever seen. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird brought a real spark to the page. Watching over the years as they sent their creation into the world and collaborated with so many different creative people — writers, artists, comic book editors, filmmakers, animators, toy designers, video games — there’s not much else to compare. It’s a lot to live up to honestly, but it’s also thrilling to try to earn myself a footnote in the history.
AIPT: Have there been any characters that grew on you during the title’s tenure?
JSR: I’m always fascinated by villains, so I like seeing what weird antagonists everyone comes up with. Like, Sophie Campbell has this new villain Bob, who isn’t a villain to start, but has internal conflicts, and sees a road for himself where he becomes bitter and slips into the dark. I love stuff like that. Alopex is similar, a character that has to challenge herself and resist her own impulses to do what’s right when it’s necessary.
If we’re talking the core cast, it honestly shifts, whoever is going through the most stuff at the moment, that’s who I am drawn to. So, for instance, Sophie is putting Donnie through the wringer in arc that’s kicking off in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #145 so my sympathies are all with Donnie right now.
Variant cover by Kevin Eastman. Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: How does it feel to reach such a milestone with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150?
JSR: Again, this goes back to the legacy. I have only been at IDW a short while so I can only look back at all that has been done here. The level of sustained success, both from a creative standpoint and a sales standpoint, is hard to beat in this day and age. Like, Tom Waltz wrote 100 issues of this run, and laid a foundation for Sophie to do 50 issues. How often do either of those numbers pop up in most comic book series? And Ronda Pattison has colored all of them! That’s amazing!
My first editorial credit is on #145, so I am literally joining at the crescendo. In a lot of ways, I am simply basking in other people’s glory. My role is to honor that, honor all that put in the time, and do everything I can to ensure that Sophie and the team hit the mark they’ve been aiming for after all these years.
AIPT: Did you ever feel the title would last this long?
JSR: I go back to the kid in middle school, and how in awe I was of the creativity. Given the humble origins of the comic, it is wild to try to fathom how much it grew. Throughout the years, it was always amazing to see how the Turtles would come roaring back into the public consciousness, and sure, at some point, one had to acknowledge they would never go anywhere. So, again, kudos to Tom Waltz and everyone there at the start for harnessing that energy and recognizing the potential. I think this run has lasted so long because Tom took it seriously and treated it like any other ongoing comic. To see what he pulled together in “Armageddon Game,” you can really see that. Every piece mattered.
AIPT: What’s kept readers coming back?
JSR: The characters. The combination of the four, and their struggles to be heroes and just plain get along with one another, that will always be the core of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And what Tom and Sophie has done is build a world around them, one that needs the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Whether they like it or not. That in turn fuels the big adventures, that need to come back every month and see what happens next. These guys can go anywhere! One month they are in outer space, the next back in feudal Japan. Readers are never allowed to get too comfortable with the status quo.
AIPT: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continue to thrive throughout various forms of media. What would you say is the core element that’s made it such a relatable property?
JSR: Again, those characters. Everyone can relate to this team. You are one of these Turtles, and your friends are the others. Their dynamic reminds us of who we are, even as we change. I mean, in most of my personal life, I’d like to think I’m a Mikey, but when it comes down to my professional life, I always have to strive to be a Leo.
A special Dia De Los Muertos variant. Courtesy of IDW.
I think that’s what’s so intriguing about The Last Ronin, is that even when to everyone else, Mikey seems at his most alone, he still carries his brothers with him. The four have become one.
And you want to talk legacy, I have said this to and about him before, but how incredible is the career of Kevin Eastman? To have captured the lightning twice, first as co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but then decades later to come out with The Last Ronin and have it rival that original success — he may be the real core element.
AIPT: You’ve edited other books, including Justice League and Superman at DC as well as Madman at Dark Horse. What are the challenges of editing popular characters vs. indie characters, and where does Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fall on this spectrum?
JSR: Well, Madman was and is still pretty popular. I think he’s found a pretty neat spot in the pantheon of comic book heroes, personally. But I think the main difference between that and working with a character owned by a company like DC is that there is a unique vision driving the whole thing, one person is behind the wheel, and even when Mike Allred lets Madman crossover with Superman, or lends him to Donny Cates to be in Crossover, he’s still fundamentally Madman and it will always trickle back to Mike.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sits in the middle, it is a franchise that is owned by Paramount and Nickelodeon, but even there, no one has strayed too far from the course. We still have the good fortune to have Kevin Eastman and to some extent Peter Laird being part of the process, so we’re always going to have to consider, “What would Kevin think?” Again, this goes back to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feeling personal, because the original creators are still hanging around. It’s like being a Beatles cover band but Paul McCartney and John Lennon are producing the records.
AIPT: Finally I have to ask: Who’s your favorite Turtle?
JSR: I flip flop. Like I mentioned before, I gravitate to Mikey as the class clown, but I’ve also always liked the brooding fighters, so Raphael gives him a run for his money.
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