Casey Jones Spinoff, Annual 2025 and Peter Laird's return
 

Ok, that was unexpected.

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/scoo...c-casey-jones/

So I am curious what TMNT Journeys comic will be about

Great Scott!

My first guess is that it’s the volume 4 conclusion. Similar to how they called the Image revival “Urban Legends”.

But it seems like they would have reprinted everything before doing that. Either way I’m blown away by this news. Very exciting.

I wonder what else they can do with Casey? Ever since he was stabbed by Shredder, his character arc and goal have lost direction. Next, he become a leader of Purple Dragons and become a couple with Jennika. Everything should be going well, right? Then, like a complete loser, he lost everything and become an alcoholic like his father. He later joined Foot Clan but soon left. Now, he's been shot and hospitalized.

Thinking about this more, I think Journeys is going to be a series of one-shots or two parters from around the multiverse and they’re kicking it off with Peter writing #1 (hopefully with Jim on pencils).

This tracks with Ciro’s recent art teases on Insta. Wonder what else we could see… 1990 sequel could be fun. This could FINALLY give us the Gang Wars conclusion.

You might be right and after that all of that stories to lead to crossover event

PL is 71 years old, this is probably the last chance for Vol. 4 to get any type of conclusion.

I’m pretty bored with multiverse fiction, and I don’t think TMNT has much else to say on the topic after Turtles Forever and Odyssey. But maybe there’s a good story there somewhere.

Could be a fun way to end the IDW universe, which is becoming ancient at this point. But they’re just getting started on the new volume, so I don’t see that happening.

Do you also think it can be crossover event?

I guess it could be. I don’t really see the point.

So do you mean point of releasing this stories across different universes without it leading to crossover event? I also hope there will be some story set in TMNT 1990 movie universe, maybe after events of TMNT III movie and that Turtles to also be part of crossover comic if that happens

I would rather see an anthology series that wasn’t necessarily leading to some big event. Just random stories from around the turtle-verse.

I’d love some 1990 stuff too, but I’d rather see something that was more of a true sequel to the first film that ignored SotO and everything else.

Okay, I guess that I can quote here what Bobby teased, here: "I can also tease that, towards the end of the year, the Turtles will be going off-world for an adventure that will make Turtles fans of all types very, very happy." So this means crossover comic is likely to happen maybe, here is where he said this, here: https://www.cbr.com/idw-publishing-b...now-interview/

Maybe a Battle Nexus story? They introduced that like 10 years ago in IDW and never returned to it, per my memory. And Peter was getting into Battle Nexus stuff there at the end of Vol. 4 (fake Splinter and Oroku Yoshi).

It’s funny to imagine the current IDW turtles in a crossover event and all they do is just beat the hell out of each other lol

We will see, maybe it will be crossover event but maybe IDW Turtles will not be in it

What do you guys think about TMNT Oddysey comic? In might not be canon but from what I saw it looks really good and if crossover comic really happens it might be similar to that comic in terms how many characters will appear maybe, also if crossover comic happens it might be Renet who caused some trouble accidentally across multiverse, maybe Savanti will also be involved

It’s one of my favorite TMNT stories. You can’t call it canon officially without Peter’s blessing, but it fits perfectly so I personally do consider it in continuity. Same thing with TMNT: 2030, Image #24/25, etc.

You are right, it would be good if this crossover comic that might happen references events of TMNT Oddysey making it canon but it probably won't just to ask this about this crossover comic that might happen, here: do you think Renet and Savanti could be involved in it?

I'm veeeery curious about this Journeys thing. I hope it's a place for new contents by the old Mirage crew.

We will see, it might be stories from different TMNT universes including Mirage universe

I really hope this thing about Peter Laird doesn't turn out to be another Last Ronin scenario, you know, "Peter Laird wrote a first draft synopsis that served as the basis for a new story we made, so let's give him partial writing credit!". I mean, it was cool of them to acknowledge that he was technically the guy to come up with the concept but I've read the parts of the synopsis that IDW themselves published, the final product only vaguely resembles that early draft.

You are right, what do you think TMNT Journeys will be about? Do you think it could be TMNT stories from different maybe?

Or that 4 page story from the 40th anniversary comic, which was all just Eastman. At least Laird was involved with the front cover though.

And maybe you haven't seen the last of that #24 and #25.

Huh. With his age and past mentions of possibly having some struggles with health (but who doesn't at 70+) I really didn't have any expectations for him doing much more, if anything.

For all we know he's already written a bunch of new stuff and it's sitting in a drawer.

True, very possible there's stuff that got shelved.

Remember back in like 2014, PL said he wanted Vol. 4 to end in exactly 6 issues and had plans for those final 6 issues. And we're now in 2025 and nothing happened in over 10 years.

I always said he should just give the story beats/ideas to Jim Lawson and let him plot out the last 6 issues based on whatever Peter Laird wanted to happen. They should of done this years ago.

The pessimistic side of me also thought this immediately. I’m also still feeling a little burned by that debacle. ****ers.

https://media.tenor.com/IxdUslcWb40A...ki-tell-me.gif

Man, if you’re hinting at that script being used for Journeys… not to take anything away from Arsiney because I loved his work on those books, but the idea of Fosco penciling that story all these years later has me ready to blast a nut.

TMNT: Journeys will be Vol.4 reprint.

https://comicbook.com/comics/news/tm...dw-publishing/

That article writer seems obsessed with Image's state of non-canon.

Oh... Well, I guess it's more than logical to credit Laird with writing that one. Even if I was hoping for something brand new, this does mean that those particular comics will finally be easily obtained internationally and I can finally get a trade to put on my shelf. Not really seeing him finish the story just because IDW decided to reprint it though, but we can always hope.

I mean... It is though. Considering that not only was it declared non-canon when volume 4 started but IDW reprinted it with a new ending that makes no sense in the context of volume 4, so it's probably for the best to make it clear that Image's book isn't canon.

It was literally written (and then rewritten a little) so as to be compatible with Volume 4.

It's good Vol. 4 will finally be collected, it seems they're doing the same thing as with the Image series and releasing single issues before collecting it though. But with Image they made sure to have a conclusion to the series before it ended, here Vol. 4 will just end on a random issue.

I hope this is a hint a Vol. 4 conclusion is planned when they release issue #32. Also does IDW even have the rights to print the last two issues or so? I remember PL printed them independently or something.

Yeah that pissed me off too lol.

Yeah and even before the 2011 books or the new Urban Legends issues existed, Peter purposefully called his book volume FOUR and had it take place like 10 years after volume 3 took place.

He never referenced those stories, but he also never contradicted them either. It’s basically no different than saying the Gang Wars arc isn’t canon because Peter didn’t reference it at all. Or any other Tales story that doesn’t fit that criteria.

I think they’ll reprint the last couple of issues too. This seems to be a special deal they’ve struck with Peter. I just yesterday was reading one of his old blog posts from 2017 and he told someone that IDW wasn’t authorized to reprint volume 4 at all.

Also I’m positive this will lead to the conclusion just like Urban Legends if sales are good enough.

They do not, but this is almost assuredly being done above board with him and his blessing, so I'm sure he'd OK 32 and so on.

I must admit, it may seem like a small thing, but Kevin doing new covers for Vol. 4 is pretty wild. And cool.

I'm excited. Even if we don't get a conclusion at the end (although I'm hopeful that we will!), I'll finally by able to have a physical copy of those last couple volume 4 issues! The completionist in me is very happy indeed.

EDIT: And for the record, I'm firmly in the "Volume 3 was never directly contradicted, and also it's awesome, So I'm Taking it as Canon" camp.

I guess I misremembered exact details and the discussion about how it related to continuity then, but I do maintain that it's a bit weird to insist that the Image should be considered canon or at least as being compatible enough to the point where it might as well be. Yeah, they could have met up with Shadow's biological gangster family, an alleged daughter of Shredder, a Komodo mutant and a seemingly living version of Karai's daughter but it sure as hell is weird that none of it is mentioned or comes back if it actually did happen. Setting aside the official non-canon status it has anyway, just because it doesn't necessarily contradict what came afterwards it's still ignored, by definition the story of the Image run is irrelevant to volume 4 and other Mirage stories that came afterwards so it doesn't add anything important trying squeeze it in there.

If it just comes down to you liking the story and wanting to assume that happened, sure, you can do that if you want to. I like the Mark Martin issues but I'm not going to sit here and claim that the time travel adventures of toddler and Splinter getting up Looney Tunes shenanigans with another humanoid rat should be treated as if it happened just because it technically could fit.

I have doubts we'll get a conclusion to this series via new issues from Peter and Jim. IDW would've said this by now. Urban Legends/vol. 3 reprints they said right from the start it'd lead to all new concluding issues. We've not heard this regarding Journeys reprints. But in that it article also states a new TMNT series coming up too. Could this be it by chance possibly? A separate series to conclude vol 4 instead? Maybe not either. I can only see Peter doing this if he had maybe less workload. Before on vol 4., he was writer, inker, then lettered and toned it too. Later on Eric Talbot took over on the inks. Maybe if he hands the plots to Jim would also make sense. Then let Jim do that work. Just my thoughts.

Taking into account the Original Vol. 3 conclusion (which I maintain is better than the Official one), Vol. 3 adds a lot to the overall tapestry of the story. It's chock full of character development, especially for Raphael, and it pays off a bunch of threads set up by Volume 2, which otherwise go unfulfilled. Also, it's just a darn good story.

Beyond that, I think the standard of how much later stories reference it is somewhat less relevant, because applying that standard, there's a LOT of stories from volume 1, 2, and Tales that we shouldn't bother with, because the Turtle's whole schtick, beside the ninja and cycle of revenge thing, is randomly getting swept up into random fantasitc adventures that come and go and then no one talks about. But it's still something that happened, and it's still something that can inform about the characters. Not every day in anyone's life is always relevent to the overall course, but it's still experience that's a part of it.