WHAT IS THE LAST RONIN?
If you love the fun-loving, pizza-eating, skateboarding Ninja Turtles from your childhood, this story will tug at your heartstrings. Basically, think of this as the “Old Man Logan” of TMNT. Set in the distant future of the IDW comic-verse, this is the tale of the last Ninja Turtle. After seeing the rest of the turtles and Splinter killed, the Last Ronin is looking for revenge. In this future, the Foot Clan has defeated the Splinter Clan, and the final turtle is aiming for a last confrontation with his enemy.
What makes this comic special, aside from being TMNT’s The Dark Knight Returns, is it brought original Turtles’ creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird together for what could be their sendoff.
THE PRINTING SHORTAGE
With such fanfare behind it, there was no surprise that IDW had a major hit well before it was sent to local comic shops. Reportedly, IDW ran into a printing snafu, which caused a shortage in Last Ronin #1s. For fans and comic shops, this was a problem because it made getting first prints difficult. IDWs loss became collectors' and investors’ gains. Thanks to the printing deficit, those first prints just got a price inflation.
Take a look at current values.
ASHCAN EDITION
This is the hardest to find because it was in the most limited quantities. In recent years, it has become customary for publishers, particularly for companies like Image and IDW, to send these smaller ashcan variants as promotional art. That is why they tend to go for serious figures. On October 21, a graded 9.8 Last Ronin ashcan sold for $200. Three days later, a 9.4 matched that price, and its two other sales both broke the $100 mark.
STANDARD COVER
With these issues being so new, eBay’s sold listings are the only source for data. Once the graded copies begin flooding the market, then we will have a better view of the fair market value.
As it stands, the raw standard cover is earning between $15-$20 on average. While there are no official graded sales, the presales for “guaranteed” CGC 9.8s have fetched as much as $90.
SECOND PRINT
Of course this would have a second print. Not only is it a hit comic, but the shortage alone would have prompted an additional printing.
Although this issue will not be available until December, the presales are selling for anywhere from $9-$17 for raw copies. For another “guaranteed” 9.8 slabbed copy, they are bringing $45.
EASTMAN 1:10 VARIANT
The Eastman 1:10 variant has been one of the more popular Last Ronin covers. For the most part, these are selling for close to $50 for raw copies. The 1:10 ratio means that for every 10 copies an LCS buys, IDW will send one of these variants.
EASTMAN NYCC VARIANT
Where the bigger money lies is in Eastman’s New York Comic Con exclusive edition. This comic is harder to find, and thus brings a larger price tag. Judging by eBay sold listings, it is selling for around $120 at the moment.
MATEUS SANTOLOUCO 1:25 VARIANT
Given that the 1:25 variant (meaning for every 25 standard copies ordered, an LCS receives one variant) is harder to find, it is worth more. In this case, the Santolouco cover is generally bringing about $70-$75 with some exceptions.
THE TAKEAWAY
Sure, the Ninja Turtles had a couple of hot issues this past summer with Jennika being added to the Splinter Clan, but it was more or less a flash in the proverbial pan. This could be the lightning rod that gets fans interested in TMNT again and gives the comics new life. Depending on how popular this series becomes, we may not have seen the last of Eastman and Laird.
