by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
It might be hard to believe, but it’s time to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of those heroes in a half shell: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Our friends at IDW Publishing are kicking off this special event in style with a new anthology celebrating 40 years of comics with the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration #1. From the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics at Mirage to the more recent incarnation of Rise of the TMNT, there is something for everyone in this special.
Creative Teams
“Mirage 1 Story”
Story, Art by Kevin Eastman
Poetry by Edgar Alan Poe
Letters by Tom Napolitano
“Monsters”
Story, Art, and Letter by Jim Lawson
Colors by Steve Lavigne
“Gang Wars”
Story by Tristan Jones
Art by Paul Harmon
Letters by Tom Napolitano
“Downtime”
Story by Gary Carlson
Art by Frank Fosco
Colors by Adam Guzowski
Letters by Tom Napolitano
“The Man Behind the Mask”
Story, Art, and Letters by Chris Allan
“What About Tomorrow?”
Story by Erik Burnham
Art by Sarah Myer
Colors by Luis Antonio Delgado
Letters by Shawn Lee
“Kraang Among Us”
Story and Art by Circo Nieli
Letters by Shawn Lee
“Farewell”
Story and Art by Andy Suriano
Letters by Tom Napolitano
“Father’s Day”
Story by Tom Waltz
Art by Michael Dialynas
Letters by Tom Napolitano
“Teen Spirit”
Story by Ronda Pattison
Art by Pablo Tunica
Letters by Tom Napolitano
Art Pinups
Art by Freddie E. Williams II, David Petersen, Ken Mitchroney with colors by Aaron Hazouri, Dan Duncan with colors by Ronda Pattison, Ronda Pattison, Sophie Campbell, Jodi Nishkima, and Stan Sakai with colors by Emi Fujii.
If there is one thing that IDW understands, it’s how to curate collections for TMNT! (They do a lot more than this, but the point stands). This team has been on a roll with their recent Turtles releases, but this set of stories really captures just how unique and versatile the characters have been over their decades of existence. I absolutely loved the TMNT Adventures throwback (TMNT Adventures #34 was my first comic that I ever purchased), and the Saturday Morning Adventures made me feel like I was a kid again.
With so many talented writers, artists, colorists, and letterers involved in the franchise, it is amazing to see how each of them put their unique spin on our beloved heroes. This release is the perfect addition to your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection, and would surely be loved by fans new and old. We know that IDW has a lot in store for fans for this anniversary, and this was a pretty radical way to start the event.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration #1 – 4/5 reasons to yell TURTLE POWER!
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