The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise turned 40 years old in 2024, going way back to that first Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comic in 1984. Since then, the totally tubular fighting team has seem a variety of iterations appearing across all forms of media, from comics to movies to toys, and, of course, to cartoons. Many fans of a certain age had their first introduction to the quartet when they appeared in their first eponymous cartoon in the late 1980s. It was our gateway to a whole new world of mutants and aliens and robot-creating fly-men. Moreover, the animated series has managed to find its way in the hearts of further generations who had their love of the green ninjas ignited by seeing them fight across the TV screen.

Last year, IDW Publishing revitalized that tradition by launching a sort of continuation of the seventh season of the cartoon with its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, written by Erik Burnham with a bevy of talented artists, colorists, and letterers creating moving the exploits of the fearsome four’s forward in a way that honors the cartoon and pushes the heroes and villains of that world to new places.

I spoke with Erik Burnham recently about where we find the Ninja Turtles in the most recent issue, heading back to the sewer and the cartoon to continue telling the foursome’s exploits, and the joy and reward of writing for this version of the heroes in a half-shell.

As someone who grew up with the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon in the 1980s and 1990s and who voraciously consumed the Archie Comics series loosely set in that universe, this comic hits all of the touchstones I’m looking for from that era, while marveling as Burnham and the rest of the creative team continue to craft stories that still offer narrative surprises and emotional depth.

 

 

FreakSugar: Before we get into the book itself, what is your personal history with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Erik Burnham: Like many people, I discovered them with the animated series—or in my case, catching a commercial for it just as I was turning on the TV after school one day. It was utterly unique and grabbed my attention, and I really connected with the mix of elements the show put together. It was another few years yet before I would see any of the original Mirage comics and get that side of the TMNT, but toys, videogames, the 1990 movie, it all worked to endear the characters to me. That said, I never expected to get to work on these characters until then TMNT editor at IDW, Bobby Curnow, reached out in 2011 and asked if I’d like to kick off the second round of Micro-Series with a Splinter one-shot. After I got my hooks in, I stuck around (and had a blast contributing to the lore).

FS: For folks who might not have read the series, where does the comic pick up in terms of a connection to the original cartoon?

EB: There was a creative shake up in the 90s, a response to Batman: The Animated Series. Seasons 8, 9, and 10 throttled back the wackier elements of comedy and pushed more of the action elements. (The humor wasn’t removed, just redistributed.) There were character redesigns, a new status quo, and, like BTAS, a lot of Red Skies. So what we’re doing is setting all of these stories BEFORE that. So this is like an extended season 7.5, technically. All post 7, pre-8.  That’s the easiest way to explain it.

FS: Where do we find the Turtles at the beginning of the upcoming issue #17?

EB: With a little down time! Mike, Don, and Leo are heading to Brooklyn for a food festival featuring an endless topping pizza stall; Splinter is off to visit an old friend, and Raphael has been grounded and is stewing at home. That’s before he gets a call for help from Mona Lisa, a mutant lizard (and fan favorite character). He rushes off to a museum where a mummy has been acting up.

FS: The original cartoon heavily influenced the Archie Comics adaptation of the Turtles. Do you take any inspiration from that series?

EB: Some! Things that stuck with the lore have shown up in every iteration of the franchise over the past 40 years, and we’re keen to keep things consistent. That said, the Archie books went their own way from the show based on the logical paths laid out by the stories they told over many years, and they followed a different audience’s needs. We may yet do the same, if we go for long enough, but right now, we’re all happy staying in the nebulous pre-Red Sky era of the characters.

FS: Aside from the core four, who’s been your favorite character to write that you hadn’t gotten to tackle in the past?

EB: I’ve gotten to write SO many of the characters via the IDWverse, But Saturday Morning Adventures allowed me to write the previously mentioned Mona Lisa, as well as Ace Duck and, in a real pinch myself moment, Usagi. Those have all been high points.

 

 

FS: How is your experience writing the Turtles for this book different than your past experiences? How do you approach your stories and characterization differently?

EB: There’s room for a wider variety of humor here, to be sure; breaking the fourth wall isn’t something I could get away with on one of the mainline books. Beyond that, I approach it in a similar way. The characters are the same at their core (one more serious, one more fun loving, one with more attitude, and one who leans more into tech) it’s the details and the tone of their worlds that have all the differences—the characters have a lot of consistency.

FS: What has been your favorite part of writing this series? What do you get from this series that you might not from your other works?

EB: I love writing humor, and this book affords me the chance to write more kinds. I can go meta or dry, I can do slapstick. It doesn’t always fit everywhere, but it does fit here.

FS: I grew up with the original cartoon so your book makes my heart sing. What has been the reception to the book so far?

EB: It’s been really positive, so far. Fans who grew up with it get something familiar (albeit with some refinements added over 30 years) and it’s still in the best way all ages, so adults get one thing, kids get another. We’ve heard from fans of all sorts and that’s been really gratifying. They all get that this is meant to be fun, and they are having fun.

FS: What are you reading right now?

EB: I have a weird mix of reading material depending on where I am… When on the treadmill, I have the recent “Voices from Krypton” oral history of Superman. I found a stash of old 90s tie-in paperbacks for a song at a used bookstore, so I keep one in my car for when I’m out and about. I read when I eat lunch or just when I want a break. Finished an Ann Nocenti X-Men novel last week and I’m currently almost through a fun Daredevil novel. Before I go to bed I’ll check out “60 Songs That Explain the 90s” and for comics? I found myself back reading the early Moon Knight comics in between the other stuff. And I know for a fact there’s things I’m forgetting, but I saw these books shortly before I sat down to answer this and will stick with ‘em!

FS: Is there any other project you’re working on that you’d like to discuss?

EK: Mateus Santolouco and I just finished a followup to Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan; forty pages of story across the first four issues of Mutant Nation (the first issue of which hits September 18!) Beyond that, the few things I’m working on aren’t yet public. I’ll have to dig up some more projects for the next time this question comes along…!

FS: If you had a final pitch for the book, what would it be?

EB: If you’re looking for some fun, lighthearted TMNT adventure with fantastic artwork by folks like Dan Schoening, Sarah Myer, Jack Lawrence, and Luis Antonio Delgado, this is the book for you. It connects to arguably the best known/longest running adaptation of the TMNT, and it has something for adults and kids. We’re proud of it. JOIN US.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #17 is on sale Wednesday, September 18, 2024, from IDW Publishing.

From the official issue description:

There are some strange shenanigans transpiring at one of New York’s top museums as a recently acquired artifact is discovered disassembled every evening, and there are never any signs of a break-in! This is the kind of weirdness that typically tends to tug at the attention of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their awesome allies. Join Raphael and Mona Lisa in the start of a new arc as they race to solve the mystery at the museum!