New Hardcore TMNT Release Announced, Unmissable For 90s Kids

Published Oct 19, 2026, 1:08 PM EDT

Ambrose Tardive is an editor on ScreenRant's Comics team. Over the past two years, he has developed into the internet's foremost authority on The Far Side. Outside of his work for ScreenRant, Ambrose works as an Adjunct English Instructor.

It is about to be the dawn of a hardcore new era for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The streets of New York are about to be engulfed in "War," and it might be more than the Turtles can handle. The franchise is hyping the "biggest fight in [TMNT] history," but whether they will be up to the task remains TBD for now.

The "War All the Time" storyline launches in just a few months. It is a passing of the torch moment, as a new creative team takes over the Ninja Turtles, and immediately promises to take the series in an intense, fast-paced new direction. Stick around for more on what to expect from the story, as well as some insight into where it might have gotten its title.

The team currently behind IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ongoing series, Gene Leun Yang and Fero Peniche, are finishing up their tenure with the franchise in November with TMNT #24. Then the Turtles are taking a month off, before returning with the debut from Matthew Rosenberg and Juann Cabal, which is set to crank the dial up to eleven right from the jump.

The Ninja Turtles Will Face "Countless Villains" In Their Explosive New "War All The Time" Arc

Here's the synopsis, from IDW, for the upcoming "War All the Time" arc, which will kick off 2027 with a bang, and then some, for the Ninja Turtles:

It’s all-out war as New York’s own Matthew Rosenberg takes over the TMNT!

After “The City That Never Dies,” it’s been quiet in New York City... a little too quiet. But a newly resurrected old enemy is determined to make some noise for our Heroes in a Half-Shell. One city. Countless villains. The biggest fight in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles history starts here, as our Turtles fight “War All the Time.”

One big resurrection has already changed the current landscape of TMNT canon since the start of this series, and "The City that Never Dies," the final arc before the Rosenberg-Cabral era begins, is all about raising the dead. Presumably, the lasting repercussion of this plotline will be the return of the "old enemy" teased by IDW, who is going to throw New York, and the Turtles' lives, into chaos once more.

Whoever this villain is, they won't be alone, because they are going to rally "countless villains" to go after their shared foe, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That and the promise of "the biggest fight in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle history" suggest non-stop action once the "War All the Time" arc gets under way.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #25, By Matthew Rosenberg & Juann Cabal

It is unclear how long "War All the Time" will last, because TMNT is only solicited through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #25 right now. Meaning the storyline is still tightly under wraps. Until there is more info, though, we can take a moment to dig into the pop culture influences that might have inspired the storyline. At least its title, anyway.

Where The Title "War All The Time" Comes From & What It Might Mean For TMNT

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If the title of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arc sounds familiar, that's because it is. "War All the Time" has a pop culture pedigree. It boasts both a literary lineage and punk rock cred. It traces back to Charles Bukowski's War All the Time: Poems 1981-1984, published in '84. Just a few years later, in 1987, it lent its title to the second LP from hardcore punk band Poison Idea. 17 years later, post-hardcore band Thursday were also inspired by Bukowski (and likely Poison Idea) to name their third album War All the Time.

Upcoming TMNT author Matthew Rosenberg is no stranger to punk and hardcore. In fact, his first few comic book credits were collaborations with Patrick Kindlon, frontman of the bands Self Defense Family and Drug Church. The name of his 2025 indie hit series, We're Taking Everyone Down With Us, evokes an Against Me! lyric.

All that is to say, it sounds like Rosenberg is planning to bring some punk creative energy to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, combining it with his experience writing big franchises like X-Men, Punisher, and Batman to create the most hardcore TMNT era yet.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles #25 and "War All the Time" launch on January 13, 2027 from IDW Publishing.