The first issue of The Last Ronin is getting a new edition for fans of the hard-hitting story. IDW has announced that they are publishing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1 Director’s Cut.

The newly detailed 64-page comic provides a behind the scenes look at the creation of the book. It contains special features like character designs, story notes, and more details on the Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird TMNT story. It has Eastman’s layouts, story notes from decades ago, script pages, and more.

The Director’s Cut gets into the world of The Last Ronin’s future New York City where only one Turtle has survived and is seeking justice for his fallen family. It was originally an unpublished story concept by Eastman and Laird conceived in 1987. The miniseries began in 2020 with a script by Tom Waltz, layouts by Eastman, pencils and inks by Esau Escorz, Isaac Escorz, and Ben Bishop, and colors by Luis Antonio Delgado.

“The creation of The Last Ronin has been – and continues to be – an excitingly collaborative experience, with tons of creative designs and decisions happening behind the scenes and during production. The Director’s Cut gives us a cool opportunity to intimately share with our many wonderful readers the creative process that’s been driving this newest TMNT tale, all the cool extras that happen before we even get to the printer and into stores,” Waltz said.

“We expected this to be a popular book, given its history and concept. Nonetheless, the fan reaction to The Last Ronin has far exceeded our expectations. This Director’s Cut Edition is a great way to give back to those fans and give them a behind the curtain look at what went into making this monumental issue,” TMNT Group Editor Bobby Curnow said.

The Director’s Cut will be in stores in March 2021 and TMNT: The Last Ronin #2 will be out on February 17.