I just received notice that IDW will be doing a TMNT exclusive for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.  It will be a special Kevin Eastman cover (labeled “Con Edition”) for TMNT #11.  Total print run for this edition is believed to be 500 but if that changes I’ll be sure to update you all.   Check it out!

The TMNT Color Classics #1 (IDW) was released today.  It’s a reprint of the original Mirage TMNT #1 with coloring added by IDW.

There was originally only a single cover solicited for this book back in March.  However, earlier this week we learned that Jetpack Comics created a Retailer Exclusive cover for this.   It will be available at the Jetpack Comics Variant Store but, as of this posting, it’s not yet listed.  I contacted them and they said it will be listed sometime this week.  Seems odd they wouldn’t have it listed on the day of release since they claim to be such huge TMNT fans.  Oh well.  :/

I’ll update my TMNT Color Classics #1 (IDW) post with the information as soon as they get it posted for sale.

A couple of months ago I posted an in-depth look at what’s behind comic book release dates.  In that post I referenced the PREVIEWS monthly publication from Diamond which is basically the comic industry’s order catalog.  The feedback I received was that many of you are either unfamiliar with the PREVIEWS publication altogether or have seen it but never purchased it or even looked inside.

In an effort to help you all get familiar with PREVIEWS (and to make it easier for you TMNT fans that already are familiar with PREVIEWS), I thought I would post this month’s IDW pages from PREVIEWS that solicit the TMNT books.

So, here they are…the 2 pages from the May issue of PREVIEWS (#284) that contain the IDW TMNT items planned for release in July.  Hope you enjoy!

• PREVIEWS #284 (May, 2012), page 170

• PREVIEWS #284 (May, 2012), page 171

PREVIEWS, May 2012 - IDW TMNT

Speaking of cover variants, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a Retailer Exclusive (RE) cover for any of the IDW TMNT releases.  You may have seen my post a while back when I broke the news about the BrettsComicPile.com Leonardo RE cover by Matt Slay.  Well, since today is the official release day, it’s time to reveal the details about this very special RE edition.

1. Matt Slay and Brett (from BrettsComicPile.com) are both huge TMNT fans and partnered on this edition.  Brett is the retailer sponsoring the edition and Matt donated the use of the cover image (but gets a commission for each sketched cover he does).
2. The cover stock for the book is extremely nice (similar to Vellum) and can take pencil and black ink very well…perfect for sketching and for Matt’s watercolor.
3. Every book sold (CGC SS excepted) will ship in 4 mil Mylar sleeves with 42 pt boards for superior protection (and this is already included in the price).
4. Each book sold will ship with a full color Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
5. Here’s how these are going to be released for sale to the public, along with the quantity of each edition that will be available…

• 100 copies - Matt Slay “Artist Proof” edition (available only via the Collector’s Society Message Boards; options and prices vary)

• 50 copies - Matt Slay hand-drawn edition (available only via eBay listing – $49.95)…once these 50 copies near sell-out then the following two editions will go on sale concurrently

• 99 copies - GOLD ink signed & numbered edition (available only via eBay listing – $19.95)

• 250 copies - SILVER ink signed edition (available only via BrettsComicPile.com – $10)

1. Regular (Steve Lavigne) - regular cover

1. Regular (Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird) - regular cover

1. Cover A (David Petersen) - regular cover shipped in a 4:1 ratio (A:B)
2. Cover B (Mike Henderson) - regular cover shipped in a 4:1 ratio (A:B)
3. Cover RI (David Petersen B&W variant) - 10 copy Retailer Incentive

1. Cover A (Dan Duncan) - regular cover shipped in a 4:1 ratio (A:B)
2. Cover B (Kevin Eastman) - regular cover shipped in a 4:1 ratio (A:B)
3. Cover RI (Ryan Ottley) - 10 copy Retailer Incentive

• TMNT #9 (Image) error edition – For the past 15 years I’ve been unable to find a copy of the error edition of TMNT #9 from Image (May, 1997) that had the inside front and back covers switched.  About a month ago, while sifting through my TMNT comic database, I came across the entry for this issue along with the glaring notation of “NEED” (which is the descriptor I use for the few remaining TMNT comics I haven’t yet acquired).  It’s been one of those elusive comics that I’ve just never come across and I had kind of forgotten about it.  Since I’d never seen a copy I didn’t even really know what “switched inside covers” meant so I had to ask a fellow TMNT expert (thanks Roseangelo!!).  I decided to begin an active search for it.  After a few hours of searching it was clear that there weren’t many copies of the non-error TMNT #9 from Image for sale, let alone the error edition.  I also had a feeling that many people wouldn’t even know about its existence and may actually be selling the error edition and not even know it.  So, I emailed all of the stores and eBay sellers that had a TMNT #9 from Image for sale to see if they could check the inside front and back covers for me.  However, all of them (at least those that responded) stated that they did not have immediate access to the issue and would not be able to check.  So, my only possible course of action (other than to just give up) was to, one by one, begin purchasing every available copy of TMNT #9 from Image that I could find.  Maybe, by chance, one of them would turn out to be the elusive error edition.  So, since I was already ordering a few back issues with Mile High Comics and needed just a few dollars more to get free shipping, I added the one copy of TMNT #9 from Image that they had in stock (VG condition, $2.05).  You can see where this is heading…  :)  When my comics arrived a few days later, I opened up the box, took out the TMNT #9 from Image, and…THIS is what I found.  Unbelievable!!  I found it on my first attempt.  This also proves my theory that many don’t even know this error exists…even the huge internet comic book retailers.

• TMNT / Viking Heroes Limited Edition – For whatever reason, copies of this 1992 book (that collects the Viking Heroes Summer Specials #1-3 and is signed and numbered by Michael Thibodeaux) are extremely hard to come by.  I’ve only ever seen a few copies for sale but the size of the print run was 1,750 copies.  That doesn’t seem to indicate it should be too hard to find but, regardless, it is a difficult issue to track down (but typically not too expensive when it is found).  Just about a year ago I first acquired a copy of this edition.  It was numbered 878 of 1750.   You may have seen my blog post about it.  Anyway, just the other day I came across another copy of this edition for sale.  Given that it’s not seen for sale too often I decided to go ahead and buy it since the price was very low.  However, I didn’t pay any attention to the details of the item at the time of purchase (i.e., the limited edition numbering).  It wasn’t until later that day when my curiosity piqued and I wondered about the unique number assigned to it.  So, I checked to verify the number of the copy I already had (878) and then I went back and re-read the description for the one I just bought.  To my utter astonishment I read that my newly purchased edition was numbered…877 of 1750!  What are the odds?  This was only the 2nd copy I’ve even seen for sale and the first is the one I bought a year ago.  Finding two consecutively numbered copies of a 1,750 copy print run signed and numbered limited edition comic book, both of which were purchased by the same collector (me) nearly a year apart and from different sellers in different parts of the country, and all this 20 years after the issue was initially released…now THAT is truly amazing!  While I paid very little for both copies and they’re valued at only about $4 apiece, these issues definitely make the list of my top 10 favorite items within my collection…and mainly just for the cool story behind their acquisition.

It hardly seems possible that a year has passed since the Nickelodeon TMNT Fan Preview Event in Burbank, CA.  In case you missed my posts after the event last year, check them out when you have some time.

Just look at what an amazing year of TMNT comics we’ve had…

• 8 issues of the new IDW TMNT comic book series (with the first issue having nearly 20 different covers / variants)
• 3 (almost 4) issues of the new TMNT Micro-Series (with a 5th recently announced)
• 1 Ultimate Collected Book (a 2nd on the way and a 3rd announced)
• and lots more TMNT comics goodness on the way –>

In addition, let’s not forget about the new TMNT ride at The Mall of America, the new live-action TMNT movie in the works, and the fact that we’re just a few months away from a brand new TMNT cartoon from Nickelodeon (August) along with new Playmates action figures.

I hope you’ve found my blog useful over the past year and I look forward to many years of keeping all you awesome TMNT fans up to date on what IDW has in store for us on the comics front…

…and, you never know, this may be the year my official TMNT collection site will finally, FINALLY go live for all to see…stranger things have happened…I’m full of surprises.  :)