Published Jun 2003 by Dreamwave Productions
Written by: Peter David
Pencils by: Lesean Thomas
Inks: Erik Sander
Colors: Rob Ruffolo

David, LeSean, Sander, & Ruffolo

They move through the alleys and across the rooftops of the city--mysterious shadow warriors unique in the history of ninjas. In this first issue of their new adventures, tying in with the brand new animated series, learn the story of two men: Officer Ronnie Callahan, a rookie cop, and his old friend, Kenzo. Friends in their youth, they've gone their separate ways: Ronnie to the NYPD, and Kenzo to the fearsome criminal organization known as the Foot. Their paths will cross this night, intersecting with enigmatic, turtle-shelled denizens of sewers and darkness whose activities will result in the death of one of the friends...and the rise of an old menace in the heart of the city. FC, 32pg

*This issue is an adaptation of the first episode of the 4Kids TMNT animated series, “Things Change”.

*This issue was originally published with a 4-page preview of NecroWar #1.

Dust off those nunchuks and start sharpening your katanas, because the boys in green are back in four-color glory! This volume plunges the Turtles back into their dark and mysterious ninja roots. April O'Neil, the Foot Clan, and of course the deadly Shredder all return to mix it up martial-arts style.

Before going defunct, Dreamwave Comics brought us ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Things Change,’ the first graphic novel collection from 2003 following the micro-series.

A gang known as the Purple Dragons is terrorizing New York City, but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are out looking for a new hideout when they run into April O’Neal. She is working with Dr. Baxter Stockman who is building robot “mousers” that are supposed to be taking care of NYC’s rodent problem but are actually robbing banks. Thus, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michaelangelo decide to work with April to bring down her boss after he tries to kill her.

With the artwork, I miss comic book art like this. The turtles, Splinter, April, and the mousers are all drawn excellently. Kudos to Peter David who wrote and LeSean Thomas who drew this series. They brought it to life and, along with the character designs, did a good job with the New York illustrations as well.

This comic book mirrors the television series that was featured on Fox Box at the time and so it features the reveal for several key characters including Casey Jones and the Shredder. I always liked the story and felt that Dreamwave was able to nail the Ninja Turtles. Rereading it now, I feel the same way. It is a great representation of the four brothers, making it a blast.

Fifteen years ago.  Two little kids (Johnny and Frank) are getting their photos taken in a booth.  Johnny wants each of them to keep one of the pics so that they’ll always remember that they’re best buddies for life or something.  Suddenly, a nearby truck gets blindsided by a car and a canister of ooze comes rolling out.  It hits a bowl of four baby turtles and sends them careening down a storm drain.  Johnny wants to go down and steal the turtles, while Frank wants to help the guy in the truck in case he’s been hurt.  A stranger walks past and is impressed with Johnny’s self-interested attitude.  He tells the kid to look up the Purple Dragons when he’s a little bit older.

The present.  Frank is a rookie cop, enjoying his first day on the job.  Walking his beat, he’s shocked when a robot (a Mouser) appears from below ground and snatches on old lady’s dog.  Frank grabs the leash, but is dragged into the street (past his superior officer, Sarge, who thinks Frank is putting on a show).  The robot drops the dog and Frank is nearly run down by an armored car.  He glimpses into the vehicle and thinks he sees Johnny driving.  It IS Johnny, who is now a Purple Dragon, but Johnny pretends like he’s never seen Frank before.  Frank returns the dog to the old lady, unaware of four strange figures leaping across the rooftops overhead.

Later, Johnny and the Purple Dragons shake down a store owner for some cash, stuffing it into the back of the armored car (unaware they’d just locked Raphael inside).  Two Ton (one of the Dragons) asks Johnny what the guy who hired them to do the job is like.  Johnny says he’s really scary but organized and will likely take them straight to the top.  Driving off, they pass Frank and Sarge in their squad car.  Frank wants to give chase, but Sarge insists the armored car did nothing illegal.

Elsewhere, the Purple Dragons park in an alley to deliver the case.  They’re confronted by Leonardo and Michelangelo, who start beating on them while Donatello picks the lock to the armored car to free Raph.  The Purple Dragons gang up on the Turtles, but prove no match for the ninja.  A unit of Foot Soldiers arrive and the fight looks like it’s about to really get started.

Not far away, Frank is whining to Sarge when the armored car (being driven by the Turtles) comes roaring by.  Leo throws the stolen money at the cops and the Turtles disappear.

At Foot HQ, Johnny desperately tries to explain himself to his employer, Oroku Saki.  Saki tells Johnny he will never have the chance to fail him again and rises from his seat.  As the doors close, Johnny screams in agony.

Back in the alley where the Turtles fought the Foot, Frank and Sarge are doing some investigating.  Sarge thinks it’s a waste of time, as who care about a bunch of gang members, anyway?  Looking around, Frank passes over the old photo of him and Johnny as kids.  He looks at it and realizes that… things change.

‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Netflix Movie Moved to 2022

One of four major Nickelodeon movies Netflix acquired a few years ago was Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which is still in production after all this time. Here’s a guide to everything we know so far about the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coming soon to Netflix globally.

The movie was first announced back in February 2019 and is based upon the TV series which began in 2018 giving the classic franchise of the Ninja Turtles an updated 2D look.

Ant Ward and Andy Suriano who are the architects of the series are involved with the movie. Tony Gama-Lobo and Rebecca May are on board to write.

As part of Netflix’s 2021 movie lineup , Netflix revealed the plotline that the movie will follow:

“The Ninja Turtles are faced with their greatest challenge yet when a mysterious stranger arrives from the future with a dire warning. Leo is forced to rise and lead his brothers, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey in a fight to save the world from a terrifying alien species … the Krang!”

Talking to ComicBook, Curiano touched on the movie when asked a question about whether season 2 and the movie will appeal to new or old fans.

“…with the movie, you kind of have to maybe see what comes down the line. But it’s going to be a bit of both, you know? I think, if you’re watching the show and you’re a fan of the show, you’re going to get a really complete experience with the movie. But it’s also going to be a really exciting stand-alone set piece if you’re not directly familiar with the show.”

We also know that Henry Jackman has been bought on board to compose for the new movie. Jackman is perhaps best known for his work on Kingsman: The Secret Service and X-Men: First Class but also composed music for another younger skewed movie in the form of Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Who is voicing in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
Among the voice cast for the movie includes most of the TV series voice actors returning.

Ben Schwartz as Leo
Omar Benson Miller as Ralph
Brandon Mychal Smith as Mikey
Josh Brener as Donnie
Kat Graham as April
Eric Bauza as Splinter
Haley Joel Osment was also announced early in 2021 to be part of the voice cast although it’s not known what role he’ll play.

When will Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles be on Netflix?
The movie was originally part of 2021’s movie lineup alongside The Loud House Movie (which did release on Netflix in August 2021). This 2021 release window was widely reported including by the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles account.