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

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CBR senior staff writer Brian Cronin has been writing professionally about comic books for over fifteen years now at CBR (primarily with his “Comics Should Be Good” series of columns, including Comic Book Legends Revealed). He has written two books about comics for Penguin-Random House – Was Superman a Spy? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed and Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And Other Amazing Comic Book Trivia! and one book, 100 Things X-Men Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, from Triumph Books. His writing has been featured at ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times, About.com, the Huffington Post, Vulture and Gizmodo. He features legends about entertainment and sports at his website, Legends Revealed and other pop culture features at Pop Culture References. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Cronin and feel free to e-mail him suggestions for stories about comic books that you'd like to see featured at brianc@cbr.com!

It's a major turning point in the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as Jason Aaron, the writer who redefined the Turtles with a best-selling twelve issue run on the book (with the last arc drawn by Juan Ferreyra), has left the series, and is being replaced by award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang (it's not very often you can lose a Best Writer Eisner Award winner on your series, and have his replacement be a TWO-time Best Writer Eisner Award winner) and artist Freddie E. Williams II.

IDW Publishing has given CBR eight preview pages of the upcoming debut issue of Yang and Williams II's run on the book, starting in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13. We already know the story will be debuting a new villain, but we get to see the villain in action, as well as seeing the Turtles return to their classic selves now that they've had their names cleared at the end of Aaron's run.

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

A new era of TMNT begins! Acclaimed Eisner-winning writer Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Superman Smashes the Klan) takes on writing duties for TMNT! Following the stunning events of TMNT #12, the Turtles face a different New York... one where they are viewed as heroes! The celebration will be short-lived as new threats vie for control. The mutant yak Papa Beng is determined to widen the power base for his gang. Yet little does he know that he and other TMNT villains are being stalked by a powerful new assassin... Ujigami!"

The issue opens with a mysterious man visiting the head of a local Triad gang. He is there to re-negotiate a deal she made with his mysterious boss. They have a quick standoff that is interrupted when a new villain shows up, Ujigami, who appears to be a mutant, like the Turtles, but might be a demon. He let the mystery man run off, but he kills the head of the gang.

Now, due to her murder, the gangs are at war with each other for control of New York. The Turtles have now had their reptuations cleared after initially being seen as criminals, so they head off to take down the gangs, who are openly fighting each other throughout New York. Mutants have also become more integrated into the city, and one mutant thanks the Turtles for their heroism.

During the fight, though, Leonardo thinks back to how much Donatello is struggling with the absence of their "father," Master Splinter. What the Turtles don't know is that Splinter is actually ALIVE, having been resurrected in the final issue of Aaron's run.

If you want to see whether the Turtles find out this fact, or if they takcle with Ujigami in this issue, you'll just have to pick up a copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13 when it is released on December 10.

Source: IDW Publishing

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