Published Jun 22, 2026, 2:01 PM EDT
Growing up in rural Iowa as a reluctant reader, it all changed when he started reading the original Fantastic Four by Lee/Kirby. Now Austin can't stop reading. He has written about comics for Comic Book Yeti and he has also written tons of indie comics, best known for Big Guns Stupid Rednecks.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have had many different designs over their storied history. None have been more horrifying than in an upcoming variant cover.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23 features a variant cover by artist Damien Worm showcasing a zombified version of Raphael. In celebration of IDW's Dark Imprint's second anniversary, several different IDW comics are getting horror-inspired covers, including Godzilla and Star Trek.
Worm's cover shows a zombie-like Raphael digging his way out of a grave at night. His teeth are razor-sharp fangs, and he appears to have blood in his mouth. It's taking place on a dark and stormy night, and the turtle has never looked more terrifying.
Zombie Raphael is Pure Nightmare Fuel
Image via IDW PublishingMany Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' character designs lend themselves to horror, especially characters like Leatherhead, The Rat King, and Slash. This leaves fans to speculate on whether fans will be getting more horror-inspired TMNT covers and which characters will be featured. One would have to assume we would at least get zombie versions of the other three turtles, but only time will tell.
It has never been a better time to be a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. This July, the comic will hit landmark issue #300. It will feature variant covers from all-star creators like Frank Miller, J. Scott Campbell, Stan Sakai, original creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Ito, Freddie E. Williams II, and several other artists. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #300 will also feature a blind bag.
This variant will hit the shelves in October, just in time for Halloween, and it is perfect for both Turtles and horror fans alike. This isn't the first time we have seen zombies in the pages of an IDW comic. In the 2011 IDW Multi-franchise crossover event, Infestation, we saw the brothers battle the undead. Infestation saw Star Trek, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Ghostbusters, and several other comic properties battle an undead apocalypse.
The IDW Dark Imprint, Explained
The IDW Dark Imprint has been extremely successful. The imprint has brought us comic versions of A Quiet Place, Smile, The Twilight Zone, and The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace, as well as new/existing darker original titles like Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, 30 Days Night, and Locke and Key. IDW has recently grown closer to being profitable this year, and the Dark Imprint has been a huge part of that.
With The Twilight Zone, each issue has been a self-contained story with a new creative team. The creators have all done very different, but fitting stories in the style of the original television show. The comic features stories from creators like Tony Fleecs, Nate Powell, Juni Ba, Nicole Goux, and more.
A Quiet Place: Storm Warning by Phil Hester and Ryan Kelly is still coming out with another new series, A Quiet Place: Rising Tides already announced. Another Smile series, Any Given Smile, launches this September. The Dark Imprint doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing down.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23 will be available this October wherever comic books are sold.
First TV Show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Created by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird
English (US) · 