Posted in: Comics, IDW | Tagged: rick veitch, teenage mutant ninja turtles, tmnt

The Return Of Rick Veitch's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles As Well?

The Return Of Rick Veitch's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles As Well?

Rick Veitch has had quite the weekend, as DC Comics committed to publishing his cancelled Swamp Thing series from 1989, finishing and finally publishing his final arc on the series from 1989. After Rick Veitch walked off the book, he was offered work by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird at Mirage Studios on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which he took, alongside his Swamp Thing collaborator Steve Bissette, creating a number of characters for the series in the process, just as the animated series and Turtlemania hit. That didn't end too well either.

In 1995, Rick Veitch told The Comics Journal, "I had just gotten an after-the-fact work-for-hire contract [laughs] from Mirage. Some crazy maniac at Mirage I'd never met, in some strange position of power down there, was calling me up and threatening that if I didn't sign over work I'd done years before, I would never see any more royalties… Worse, the contract is more wretched than anything even DC had ever done to me."

In response, in a separate interview in 1998, Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman said "There was a 500-page book printed in Italy that Veitch's three stories were a part of, that now had to be divided out of this 500-page book, figure out what was owed him, as well as every single other person in that collection down to the letterer, and pay them those amounts. So we tried to create a simpler system. So a lot of these people were sent work-for-hire contracts, and if they didn't sign the work-for-hire contract, it was their option, then we would not reprint their work ever again in any territories: so, no money for anyone because it was just too hard to track."

In 2023, Rick Veitch told me, "That's another mess I would love to clean up before I croak! After Kevin and Peter reneged on our original agreement, I was never able to get a new deal with Mirage to move forward. Now they've sold to Nickelodeon and I haven't yet been able to connect with those folks. I hope someday to have that conversation and come to reasonable terms on my 200 pages of work. My first Turtle issues originally appeared just as the movie and Turtlemania hit, so there are a lot of kids who got into reading comics through them. Right now is a very good time for fans to let Nickelodeon know they want these stories!"

And then this weekend, in the light of the Swamp Thing news, Edelweiss added a new book to their catalogues:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: River Tales Rick Veitch
Nov 17, 2026 Hardcover $29.99 USD, $39.99 216 pages 11×7
This is your chance to reconnect with a piece of Mirage-era TMNT comics history that hasn't been available since they were first published in the late '80s and early '90s!For the first time since they were published, a new edition of Rick Veitch's TMNT stories are being reprinted! The four issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are presented in their original black-and-white, while the two-issue Casey Jones miniseries features the original colors.This oversize (7×11-inch) hardcover collects: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24 "Down the River," #25 "River Hymn," and #26 "Old Man River" from 1988 and 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #30 "Sky Highway" from 1990, Casey Jones "North by Downeast" from 1994
Richard "Rick" Veitch is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics. His work includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Swamp Thing, Nexus, Scout, and Miracleman. He also created the series Brat Pack and The Maximortal, both of which were nominated for Eisner Awards.In 2016, Rick launched Sun Comics, utilizing print-on-demand publishing to release new issues of Maximortal and Rare Bit Fiends. In 2020, Rick was named Vermont's fourth official Cartoonist Laureate.Author Residence: West Townshend, VT Author Hometown: Bellows Falls, VT
Marketing: Advance review mailing to key retailers
Promotion through IDW social media channels (350K followers, 30M+ impressions), Inclusion in IDW's direct-to-consumer newsletter (100K unique and engaged fans), In-house print ad (circulation ~250K), Feature in IDW Monthly Title Catalog (circulation ~50K), Targeted online advertising campaign, including search and display advertising, NetGalley and Edelweiss campaigns, Convention and trade show promotion: San Diego Comic-Con 2026, New York Comic Con 2026, Emerald City Comic Con 2026, C2E2, etc. Amazon advertising for pre-order, Homepage graphic, Custom social media assets for retailer usage
Publicity: Digital review copy made available to 3K industry press contacts. Advance review coverage in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, School Library Journal, and more, Interviews with the creative team prior to the on-sale date in media and at major events, Interior art and cover reveals with media
Advance author and media pull quotes, Designed retailer sell sheet, Regional and national author signings
Key Selling Points: OUT OF THE ARCHIVES: The Mirage issues of Rick Veitch's work have not been reprinted since the early 1990s. Thankfully, this collection gives readers a chance to collect the Mirage Studios canon that started it all. BEST-SELLING SERIES WITH POP-CULTURE TIES: TMNT is one of IDW's best-selling comic book and graphic novel series, with over 2M copies sold. As an entertainment franchise, TMNT continues to hold fans' imaginations through film, television, merchandise, and more. TEENS LOVE TURTLES: This collection is action-packed with all the grit that drew fans in at the beginning and exciting enough for teens and adults alike. COLLECTIBLE HARDCOVER: This oversize hardcover collects the Mirage-era Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24-30 and Casey Jones #1-2. MEDIA RATING: Rated T+ (TP)

But then posted to Facebook, Rick Veitch said, "I'm in discussions with IDW and Paramount, but there's no contract yet." And the listing now seems to have been taken off the Edelweiss website. Is it possible this listing was a little premature? Well, that might at least assist Rick Veitch's discussions, since it's on the system somewhere…

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