IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic has been incredibly successful. Following a difficult and challenging storyline by Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra, award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang and Freddie E. Williams II launched a new era for the Turtles, filled with big problems, a dangerous enemy, and a surprising discovery. While the reveal that Splinter was once the assassin Ujigami was shocking, things are about to get even more unexpected – and ComicBook has an exclusive preview.
The return of Splinter was huge for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but there’s another incredible reunion on the way! In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #19, hitting shelves June 10th, the Turtles will experience something that hasn’t happened in centuries: they’ll be reunited with their mother, Tang Shen. This is a monumental moment for the Hamato Clan, though it may not be entirely joyful. According to the official description, after the end of the Ujigami saga, the family is complete for the first time in centuries. While the Turtles are excited to show their parents around, there’s a hidden darkness to this reunion – something has come back with Tang Shen and Splinter.
The Return of the Turtles’ Mom is a Major Status Quo Shift
Tang Shen’s return is significant for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Over the years, the Turtles’ backstory has been reimagined – sometimes they were simply mutated turtles who learned kung fu from movies and were raised by a mutated rat. But the IDW comics have given them a deeper history, revealing they are the reincarnated Hamato brothers from feudal Japan, with Splinter as the reincarnation of their father, Hamato Yoshi. Though Tang Shen, their mother, hadn’t been reincarnated with the family and remained deceased, her love has always been a powerful and cherished memory for them, demonstrating the enduring nature of a mother’s love.
Now that Tang Shen has been resurrected and reunited with her family, we’ll finally see her motherly love firsthand. This family dynamic is important – not just for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but for the story’s audience as well.
Family is central to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story, but one family member has remained distant. Tang Shen, the mother of the Turtles reincarnated as the TMNT, has only appeared briefly when the Turtles have touched the spiritual world. Now, following the dramatic ending of the Ujigami arc, both she and Splinter are back, according to IDW senior group editor Jake Thomas.
The Hamato clan is whole again, having brought family members back from the afterlife! Now that they’ve reunited, things should be calm and cheerful, right? Hopefully, disturbing the boundary between life and death won’t cause any serious problems. And definitely none of this will affect the upcoming TMNT story, ‘The City That Never Dies’! Congratulations on getting the family back together, Turtles! You’re going to need all the luck you can get…
The latest issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, #19, arrives on June 10th! It’s written by Gene Luen Yang and features artwork by Freddie E. Williams II and colors by Andrew Dalhouse. You can reserve your copy at your local comic book store.
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2026-03-12 17:12