Michelangelo fights with his dead brothers in the TMNT: The Last Ronin finale

TMNT: The Last Ronin #5 art
TMNT: The Last Ronin #5 art (Image credit: IDW Publishing)

18 months after launching to a huge profile in October 2020, the long-awaited fifth and final issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is finally days away from release, with IDW Publishing confirming the issue will be in stores and on digital platforms Wednesday, April 27.

And if you'd like a reminder of what the series is all about, here's a five-page fully-lettered preview of the issue that Newsarama readers get to enjoy first. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5 (Image credit: IDW Publishing)

As a reminder, The Last Ronin tells the story of the last living member of the four original Turtles, Michelangelo, as he takes up his brothers' weapons for a revenge-fueled quest against the Foot Clan, with some familiar faces such as April O'Neil in tow.

The Last Ronin is based on concepts originally conceived back in the '80s by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Eastman himself is credited as one of the creators of the current limited series, providing layouts for the interior pages.

"Thirty-five years in the making, The Last Ronin is everything I dreamed it could be and more. For the creative team, I feel the epic task of bringing this story to life has truly been our Mount Everest, and with the summit in sight, we sincerely wish to thank all the friends and fans who brought the love and support needed so we could bring this adventure all the way home," stated Eastman in the announcement of the TMNT: The Last Ronin #5 release date.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5 (Image credit: IDW Publishing)

"From my original partner on this journey, the brilliant Peter Laird, to the unparalleled skills of Tom Waltz, the incredibly gifted Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, and Luis Antonio Delgado, as well as the rock-solid IDW backbone and Nickelodeon commitment to make sure we had the time to get it right, we've given it our best shot, and I could not be prouder of everyone involved," he concludes.

IDW Publishing previously named TMNT: The Last Ronin as their highest selling comic book release ever, with "hundreds of thousands" of copies sold. Newsarama can attest reader interest was very high in the months surrounding the debut of the series.

TMNT: The Last Ronin still has one more issue to go before it qualifies for consideration for the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories of all time.

George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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