Smash Pages Q&A: Sophie Campbell

The writer and artist of IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles discusses what she has planned for the series and more.

Sophie Campbell has established herself as one of the great comics voices of her generation. From her dynamic artwork that redefined Jem and the Holograms and Glory, to the seven volume series Wet Moon that she wrote and drew, to the science fiction superhero saga Shadoweyes, Campbell has built a unique body of work and in 2020, she’s trying something different.

Though Campbell has previously written and drawn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics over the years, she took over writing and drawing the series with issue #101. With issue #102 out in stores this week, we spoke recently about what she has planned for the series, the new status quo she’s overseeing and her journey from fan to creator.

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Jennika, the fifth Turtle, gets a miniseries next year

‘Guerillas’ creator Brahm Revel will write and draw the miniseries.

The newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is getting her own miniseries, courtesy of Guerillas creator Brahm Revel. IDW announced a three-issue miniseries starring Jennika will kick off next year.

“Jennika has always been a fascinating character, and her story is now moving in directions none of us could have ever anticipated,” Revel said in a press release. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to revisit Jenn’s past and explore how she’s been handling the recent changes in her life, all while being tested by a world that’s changing just as rapidly as she is.”

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BOOM! + IDW team up for a Power Rangers + Ninja Turtles crossover

Ryan Parrott and Simone di Meo will team up on a five-issue miniseries starring both properties in December.

Two licensed comics will punch, kick and stab their way into a five-issue crossover miniseries this winter. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brings together two of the biggest 1990s afternoon TV icons — and two popular comics franchises currently published, respectively, by BOOM! Studios and IDW Publishing.

Writer Ryan Parrott and artist Simone di Meo will bring the two properties together. Both have worked on BOOM!’s Power Rangers comics in the past. Dan Mora drew the cover for the first issue.

“Honestly, I’m pretty certain keeping this project a secret has taken years off my life. These two iconic franchises were my TV parents, each teaching me valuable life lessons thirty minutes at a time. The Power Rangers and the Ninja Turtles are too insanely awesome not to bring together. I mean, they’re both color-coded teenage martial artists who fight monsters! It just makes too much sense!” Parrott said. “A huge thank you to Hasbro and Nickelodeon for letting me play with so many of their wonderful toys, as it is truly an honor to be a part of such an exciting crossover. I’m the luckiest kid in the world, and I cannot wait for you all to see what we’ve been putting together.”

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Holy cowabunga: Batman, Ninja Turtles team up for action figure sets

GameStop will offer these figures from DC Collectibles exclusively this fall.

Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have met many times now, both in the pages of comics and in an animated movie. So the only logical place this relationship could go next is action figures.

DC Collectibles will release a series of action figures from both universes, as the Bat family and the Turtles appear in two-packs that’ll be exclusive to GameStop starting in September, with a price of $49.99 each, or $249.99 for the whole set.

Check them out below:

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IDW and DC announce Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

James Tynion IV, Freddie Williams II, Kevin Eastman and Jeremy Colwell will work together on a story featuring Krang.

Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are practically old friends at this point, and they will meet up again this May in Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, courtesy of DC Comics and IDW Publishing.

James Tynion IV, Freddie Williams II and Jeremy Colwell will wrap up this final part of this crossover trilogy, with TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman doing variant covers and some “pivotal” interiors as well.

“I still remember the e-mail asking me if I wanted to write the first Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover,” said Tynion IV in a press release. “My brain couldn’t even process what I was reading for a few seconds, and I started having a panic attack about fitting it into my work schedule. Then, finally, I pictured Michelangelo’s reaction to seeing the T. rex in the Batcave for the first time and started laughing out loud.”

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Comics Lowdown: Eric M. Esquivel fired from ‘Nightwing,’ ‘Border Town’ cancelled

Plus: Free Comics Book Day, George Freeman, Marie Javins and more!

Although it wasn’t yet announced, DC Comics has said Eric M. Esquivel will no longer co-write Nightwing. The news that Esquivel was writing the book was to be revealed today in DC’s January solicitations.

The news follows the cancellation of Border Town, a well-reviewed series Esquivel wrote with artists Ramon Villalobos and Tamra Bonvillain. Both Villalobos and Bonvillain announced on social media they had quit the title after allegations of sexual abuse against Esquivel became public. In a piece titled “X, my experience with my abuser,” toy designer Cynthia Naugle detailed a history of abuse by a co-worker at a comic shop, who has since been identified as Esquivel.

Neither DC Comics nor Vertigo have commented directly on the abuse allegations. Esquivel, who had changed his Twitter account to private following the allegations, has now made it public again and posted several tweets in response. At Book Riot, writer S.W. Sondheimer says she will no longer cover Vertigo titles as a result of their silence on the matter.

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IDW celebrates 20 years with ‘IDW 20/20’ one-shots

Ghostbusters, My Little Pony, Star Trek and more head back to the future (or the past) in January.

At this week’s New York Comic Con, IDW announced IDW 20/20 — five one-shots featuring some of their licensed properties that will celebrate the publisher’s 20-year history.

Featuring Ghostbusters, Jem and the Holograms, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek and My Little Pony, each story will be set either 20 years in the past or 20 years in the future.

“An anniversary like the one IDW is celebrating is a cause to look to the future and the past,” said IDW Editor-in-Chief John Barber. “It gives us a moment to reflect on where came from and where we’re going, because both directions are pretty exciting. We’re lucky to have partners like Hasbro, Nickelodeon, CBS Consumer Products, and Sony to share in the celebration — and to have these five sets of characters that have helped place IDW at the center of the pop culture universe!”

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Batman and the Ninja Turtles to team up again in December

When Bane invades the TMNT universe, Donatello looks to Batman for assistance.

Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will meet again in Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, a six-issue miniseries by James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams II.

“What DC and IDW started with Batman/TMNT in 2015 continues to spark interest with fans of these characters that have worldwide recognition,” said Hank Kanalz, DC SVP Editorial Strategy & Administration. “We can’t wait to see what James and Freddie deliver this time around.”


In addition to the 2015 crossover series, the characters also met in 2016’s Batman/TMNT Adventures — although that crossover featured the animated versions of both.

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Ghostbusters + Ninja Turtles team up in second crossover

Five-issue series will be released weekly starting Nov. 1.

When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles get stuck in a ghost dimension, who ya gonna call?

At Comic-Con International, IDW answered that question the only way possible — with a second Ghostbusters/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover comic, which will come out weekly for five weeks starting Nov. 1.

“When Erik and I first broached the idea of joining the TMNT with the Ghostbusters way back when, it felt like a wonderfully impossible dream,” said co-writer Tom Waltz. “Well, that dream came true with the first volume in a big way, and now I’m absolutely ecstatic to have the opportunity to once again help bring my two favorite quartets together for another massive comic book crossover event! And, like the first go-around, the events in this story directly flow out of and affect the storylines in both ongoing series.”

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Usagi Yojimbo meets the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles again this summer

IDW will publish a one-shot featuring Stan Sakai’s famous ronin rabbit encountering the current rendition of the Turtles.

Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo will once again team with Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a new one-shot, coming from IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics this summer.

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IDW, DC Comics announce new Star Trek/Green Lantern, Batman/TMNT crossovers

Mike Johnson and Angel Hernandez return to space for Star Trek/Green Lantern, while Matthew K. Manning and Jon Sommariva mash together the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the animated series with the classic Batman: The Animated Series.

IDW announced at Comic-Con International and via press release that they will team up with DC Comics once again on two crossovers: a sequel to last year’s Star Trek/Green Lantern crossover and another pairing of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Batman, only this time based on the animated versions of both sets of characters.

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