Venus, The Female Turtle, Returns in TMNT #127 From IDW

Announced at ComicsPRO’s Annual Conference, which is taking place virtually around the world for a second year in a row Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series from IDW is reintroducing a controversial character not seen in 24 years, and announced to retailers at ComicsPRO. Venus,

First introduced as a live-action character in the 1990s, Venus was the first female Turtle, preceding Jennika (introduced in IDW’s best-selling issue #95) by over two decades. She first appeared in the television series, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. There, she was portrayed by Nicole Parker and voiced by Lalainia Lindbjerg.

While Venus proved a polarizing figure at the time, IDW wants fans to trust that Sophie Campbell, who has written Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series for the past two years, will reintroduce the character in ways both shocking and mesmerizing. “I’d been trying to make a Venus comeback happen for a while, and I almost can’t believe it’s finally happening!” says Campbell.

In the current storyline, the Turtles have their hands full navigating the factions of Mutant Town, a quarantined neighborhood in Manhattan’s East Side populated entirely of victims of a mutagen bomb detonation. Amid gang tension from the territorial Punk Frogs and drama unfolding between the extradimensional Utroms and Triceratons, the Turtles delve into the laboratory of the mysterious Dr. Barlow… And what they discover will change the course of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles forever.

Venus will make her debut in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #127, by Sophie Campbell and illustrated by Pablo Tunica, on sale March 16th, as part of a story arc that concludes in issue #130. Her story will continue in this year’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Free Comic Book Day issue (and she appears in a cameo appearance on the released cover artwork, bottom left), available for free at participating comic shops on May 7th. The FCBD release will also serve as a precursor to Armageddon Game, the TMNT comic book event of 2022.

“It’s been amazing to watch Sophie Campbell continue our long-running TMNT series with such careful consideration and commitment to the kind of character-driven storylines that have always been the foundation for what makes all things Turtles so beloved and eternal,” says editor Tom Waltz, a longtime TMNT scribe himself. “And now she’s crafted a clever plan to introduce a character from the past that many thought would never see the light of day again. She’s doing it in fine fashion, continuing the IDW tradition of making the old feel both familiar and refreshing all at once…just in time for our big Armageddon Game event, no less!”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #127 will be available with three cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy: Cover A by series artist Pablo Tunica, Cover B by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, and a Retailer Incentive edition by Jared Cullum, the Reuben Award–winning creator of Kodi.V.