In the Great Sales Chart Desert of the 20scomics publishers are left to all their own numbers, and IDW definitely has one worth shouting from the rooftops: Teenage Mutant ninja Turtles #1 has sold 300,000 copies in pre-orders.
The first issue of the relaunch led by writer Jason Aaron and rotating artists – including #1 Joelle Jones, and then Rafael Albuquerque Cliff Chiangand Chris Burnham – received a “massive” response from retailers ahead of its July 24th launch. IDW says that “This gargantuan number officially makes it one of the biggest comic book launches of the year.” and we’d have to go look at some other charts but it might be the biggest yet touted. (Where have you gone, John Jackson Miller?)
But for one example, the first issue of Dynamite’s Thundercats had 170,000 in preorders.
As mentioned above, the first four issues of the TMNT relaunch will spotlight a different Turtle in each issue. Jones covers Raphael, Albuquerque tackles Michelangelo, Chaing takes on Leonardo, and Burnham will draw the DOnatello spotlight.
Besides Aaron, the creative team includes longtime TMNT creatives colorist Ronda Pattison and letterer Shawn Lee.
Some more reax from the team:
Eisner Award-winning writer Jason Aaron (Batman: Off-World, Thor: The God of Thunder) is humbled by the enormous response to the upcoming comic and immensely appreciative. “Thank you to all the retailers and fans out there for believing in what we’re cooking up with this new series and for supporting the book in such a massive way,” stated Aaron. “There are so many cool covers to choose from, and this summer there’ll be loads of pizza parties and big events all over the country revolving around this launch and the 40th anniversary of the Ninja Turtles. But at the end of the day, I’m mostly just excited for people to hold the book in their hands and see Joëlle’s incredible art and read the beginning of what should be a crazy fun ride of a story.”
IDW Publisher Mark Doyle couldn’t be proud of everyone involved in the series and is confident that shellheads everywhere are in for a real treat with this new series. “From the comic book creatives to IDW staff and our friends at Paramount, everyone working on this series has truly gone above and beyond to make sure it’s an epic and compelling tale that adds to the incredible legacy of the characters that Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created 40 years ago,” noted the Publisher. “The whole team deserves this success and we couldn’t be more grateful for the stunning amount of support we’re getting from both fans and retailers. “We know this is a TMNT story that’ll be one for the ages for fans everywhere, both new and old.”
For more information about the upcoming series, be sure to contact you local comic shop.
