Summary

• The Last Ronin artwork by Kode Abdo captures the dark and tragic essence of Michelangelo's story in TMNT.
• The Last Ronin miniseries by IDW has rejuvenated the TMNT franchise with its mature and emotional storyline.
• Michelangelo's evolution from goofball to ruthless avenger has resonated with fans, leading to sequels and adaptations.

an relaunch later this year. But their most praised and well-known storyline in modern times has to be TMNT: The Last Ronin and its main character, Michelangelo.

In a recent Instagram post, Kode Abdo (@bosslogic) shared his beautiful artwork of the Last Ronin himself, Michelangelo. The art shows the older and weathered Mikey drenched in the rain while wrapped in the three ninja masks of his late brothers and his orange mask.

There is so much to unpack about this image, with how The Last Ronin portrays not only Michelangelo but the entire city of New York in the future. Mikey tries to wash away the pain he has endured for the past few decades and wearing his brothers’ masks makes him feel closer to them.

TMNT: The Last Ronin Has Been Making A Resurgence

2020’s TMNT: The Last Ronin is a five-issue IDW miniseries by the original TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird with artwork by Ben Bishop and Esau and Isaac Escorza. The story takes place 25 years in a dystopian futuristic New York City ruled by the Foot Clan and Shredder’s grandson, Oroku Hiroto. It’s here where the last surviving ninja turtle, Michelangelo aka The Last Ronin, returns after an extended self-exile to avenge his dead family and friends. With almost every hero and villain from the original series dead, Michelangelo works with April O’Neil-Jones and her daughter Casey Marie to kill the new Shredder before his time runs out. But this miniseries has done more than just serve as a great “What If” story.

Since it ended in 2022, The Last Ronin has received universal praise from critics and fans alike, who were drawn in by the mature and emotional storyline. IDW saw the success of this dark love letter to TMNT, and a sequel comic series was released in 2024 with Casey Marie raising and training a new generation of Ninja Turtles named Odyn, Moja, Uno, and Yi. Most recently, a Black Forest Games/THQ Nordic video game adaption and an R-rated live-action movie of The Last Ronin have been greenlit. There’s no stopping the money train with this incredible story that has reached so many old and new fans.

Michelangelo’s Revenge Story Rejuvenated The TMNT Franchise

The tale of Michelangelo, the former goofball and comedy relief of the Turtles, becoming a ruthless avenger is certainly a story worth sharing. With this series becoming a bestseller overnight, the success of The Last Ronin shows that fans are more than ready for more dark and twisted adaptations of the Ninja Turtles. This five-part epic shows that fans of the TMNT have grown up, especially the characters with Mikey serving as a sensei/mentor to young Casey Marie, similar to Splinter. TMNT: The Last Ronin, once an alternative one-off story, has now “mutated” into a full-blown franchise and the artwork from Kode Abdo is a solid reminder of its popularity.

Source: Kode Abdo via Instagram