Following the announcement of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto comic book, IDW Publishing and Viz Media have shared an image showing off some of the character designs in the upcoming series.
On the two previously released cover variants we got to see the designs for the Heroes in the Half Shell as well as Naruto. The four turtle brothers will be donning Hidden Leaf Village-inspired outfits while covering their faces with animal-like masks.
The new artwork also shows off the designs for April O'Neil, the turtles' trusted ally and star news reporter, as well as Splinter. The most noticeable takeaway is that April O'Neil has once again been race-swapped.
This isn't the first time we've seen a Black April O'Neil. The daring reporter also had her appearance changed in the 2018 animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as the 2023 CGI film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
The character designs were provided by Hendry Prasetya, who also designed one of the cover variants for the first issue. Veteran comic artist Jorge Jimenez has also designed a cover.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is written by Caleb Goellner (Sonic the Hedgehog) and illustrated by Hendry Prasetya (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), with colors by Raúl Angulo (NYX) and letters by Ed Dukeshire (The Woods). The limited series will run for four issues, with the first arriving on November 13, 2024. IDW Publishing has already revealed the story synopsis for issue #1:
It’s the coolest ninja matchup you could have ever dreamed of, had you dared! The Heroes in a Half-Shell meet the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox in the crossover everyone will be talking about.
When teenage reporter April O’Neil has a clandestine meeting with Tsunade, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, it garners the attention of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. They aren’t the only ones who are wondering what the two women were discussing, though. The sinister Foot Clan have their own interest in April’s visit, as they think she might hold the valuable information on mutation research being conducted by the scientist Baxter Stockman. With April caught between the forces of the Hidden Leaf Village and the Foot Clan, it can’t be long before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show up to lend her a hand!
Working with acclaimed manga publisher Viz Entertainment, IDW is pulling together two of the most popular comics in the world to bring you the four-issue comic book event of 2024!
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Do you like the new design for April O'Neil? Share your thoughts in the comments below!