TMNT Announces New Special, And It's Only 1 Month Away

Published Oct 24, 2026, 8:30 PM EDT

An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.

His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has been enjoying a stellar year in 2026, and as winter approaches, it has a special treat for everyone following so far. Despite already being confirmed for a December 9 release date, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Holiday Special #1 has a surprisingly heartwarming glimpse for fans ahead of its release granted to ScreenRant by IDW Publishing. It seems that despite an incredibly tense situation yet to resolve in IDW's current continuity with "The City That Never Dies", friends and foes alike are ready to share a great holiday feast together.

The TMNT holiday special issue will be helmed by writer Pallie Paul Allor (Power Rangers: Green), Enid Balám (Hawkeye: Kate Bishop), and returning colorist Luis Antonio Delgado. It acts as a nice detour from the action and drama of the most recent storyline in which the lands of the living and the dead suddenly lost the barrier which separated them. Ahead of its release just in time for Christmas and the holiday season, a selection of early-glimpse preview pages are now available, showing some truly surprising dinner guests hosted by the Hamato Clan.

TMNT's Holiday Special Gives New Glimpse Of Dinner With Friends & Adversaries

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A concise preview with no dialogue, this latest reveal shows the surprising extent of their ceasefire, at least momentarily able to join for a meal. Characters joining the Ninja Turtles and their friends include Rocksteady, Bebop, Shredder, Baxter Stockman, and Old Dob. Teased by the initial synopsis, this moment of calm and unity is inspired by Michelangelo's love of the holiday season, with Tang Shen bringing everyone together. As seen in the glimpse, it's a messy gathering, with Anchovy being treated like a spoiled dog being given food from the table, while Pepperoni is visibly being both adorable and a menace during the feast.

Other characters to feature, of course, include key allies like Professor Zayton Honeycutt, Jennika, Shinigami, Oroku Karai, and of course, Splinter, alongside others teased in the original cover. It's an interesting moment of peace, with everybody, friends and foes alike, having to check their weapons at the door. Balám sets these scenes up surprisingly well, setting up the visual storytelling necessary for such an odd gathering, complete with each character's implicit dietary preferences, with pizza of course being part of the offerings. Allor's story will take off from here, with their World War I Christmas Truce-style moment soon to be disrupted by another, bigger surprise yet to be revealed.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Will Have Another Unexpected Guest

Beyond some cover art featuring the likes of Alopex and Slash, the synopsis also teases "external forces waiting outside the meal to break the group's bones." It's uncertain just how this will play out, and whether it fractures the already strained peace at the table. Whether it devolves into a brawl, or if some true healing takes place and they can keep one night free of conflict, appears to be the prevailing question remaining from this preview.

As current mainline TMNT writer Gene Luen Yang wraps "The City That Never Dies," writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Juann Cabal will carry the series into the future, teasing one newly-resurrected old enemy clearly dropping this truce soon, to the surprise of no one.