UNDER THE SHELL: INTERVIEW WITH IDW EIC AND TMNT EDITOR JAMIE RICH

2024 marks 40 years of the indie darling turned mega-phenomenon TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and I have the great privilege of working alongside IDW to bring GateCrashers’ own Under the Shell: Road to TMNT #150 celebrating not only one of my all time favorite runs of comics but also 40 totally awesome years of TMNT!

For the first chapter of GateCrashers’ Under the Shell: Road to TMNT #150, I had the chance to catch up with IDW’s Editor-in-Chief, Jamie S Rich, who you may not know by name but you might know some of his editorial work; including modern DC megahits FAR SECTOR, MISTER MIRACLE, as well as working in the Batman office (among others) from 2017 to 2021. I specifically know of his editorial expertise from being a fan of writer Ram V, who got his first DC work from connecting with Rich.

Read on, to learn more of the background behind the massive creative team announcements for the relaunch (not a reboot) of the IDW TMNT series as well as some nice teases for what else IDW is cooking up for comics fans in 2024!

GateCrashers: Here at GateCrashers, we fancy ourselves to be hard hitting journalists and we start every interview with the heaviest of questions. What is your favorite sandwich?

Jamie Rich: Pastrami, though I can also handle turning it into a Reuben 50% of the time. 

GateCrashers: As Editor in Chief of IDW, how is this role different from your previously held editor positions?

Jamie Rich: Honestly, the similarities are probably easier to define. IDW’s slate is closer to where I started out. My first gig was at Dark Horse in the 1990s, so I worked on a healthy balance of licensed comics and creator-owned material, so this is a bit like coming home for me. In fact, my first official editor credit was working with Stan Saki on Usagi Yojimbo when it first moved from Mirage to Dark Horse, so when I got here and saw that Scott Dunbier and Nicolas Nino were helming TMNT/USAGI: WHEREWHEN, it really was like being right back to the beginning.

Of course, the cool things we get to work on here are totally different than what we worked on way back then. STAR TREK and MY LITTLE PONY and TMNT. The only real crossover is GODZILLA. I’ve got a long history with the King of Monsters.  

GateCrashers: The big news this month is the announcement of an impressive creative team that will be taking over TMNT this summer. You’ve worked with some of them in the past. Can you talk about what it was like putting this team together?

Jamie Rich: It was a group effort. The IDW team for TMNT is Maggie Howell, Thea Cheuk, and the aforementioned Mr. Nino. We all brainstormed who we wanted to get on the project. Jason Aaron signed on first, so we were looking to build a killer group of artists to support him. The sky was the limit as far as he was concerned, and then it became a bit of a race to see who could land the big game, particularly once Maggie got Cliff Chiang to draw the Leonardo issue. I got Joëlle Jones, and then Nic and I talked to Chris Burnham, and I think all of us were on the call when we asked Rafael Albuquerque. Last time I worked with Rafa he did a bunch of interlocking covers for me on BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING. He always amazes you with his speed and creativity.

The best part, though, might have been matching everyone up with their appropriate turtle. Knowing Joëlle’s penchant for bruises and brawlers, including her work on HELHEIM, it was cool to get to ask her to take on Raphael. And when Burnham started talking about the Kirby tribute in a previous Donatello story, we knew he was our dude.

GateCrashers: It’s the 40th anniversary of TMNT, what is your history with the franchise as a fan? Do you have a favorite character?

Jamie Rich: Funnily enough I am old enough to be O.G. Back at Francis Parkman Junior High in Canoga Park, CA, I used to hang out behind the dumpsters at lunch with the other comic book nerds and we’d swap our treasures. One day one of them showed up with the first issue of TMNT. I have no idea what printing it might have been, but I had only read about it, never seen it. It blew me away. Just so weird and cool.

I have a pretty big mouth and joke way too much so I tend to identify with Mikey.

GateCrashers: One of my favorite parts of TMNT is how there are so many distinct and catchy songs within the extended franchise. Do you have a favorite?

Jamie Rich: Ha, I have to plead “no comment” here. I am a music snob, and I don’t like “funny” or novelty music, my Spotify playlists are dead serious.

Oh who am I fooling. It’s “Ninja Rap.” 

GateCrashers: With the recent TMNT announcements, as well as the strength of the Star Trek line it feels like it’s going to be a big year at IDW. Is there anything you can say about 2024 as far the catalog is concerned? Is this a statement year for IDW?

Jamie Rich: We are blessed with a lot of awesome characters at our disposal. So, every year has to be bold, there are legacies to live up to.

But let me just say, it’s Godzilla’s 70th birthday this year, so don’t you dare think we’ll be caught sleeping, there’s a lot of cool Godzilla stuff to come, as well!