Splinter

The wise and watchful Splinter has guided generations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans, and this Modern Age incarnation — debuting in IDW's 2013 Free Comic Book Day special, brought to life by Erik Burnham and Dario Brizuela — captures that same spirit of mentorship for a new era of readers. Rooted in the animated adventures of the 2010s, he keeps distinguished company alongside Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Hamato Yoshi across titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Amazing Adventures and the delightful crossover Batman / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. Though his catalog footprint is compact, the prestige of those titles and the iconic weight of the character himself make every appearance count. For fans of the animated era who want their comics to feel like a Saturday morning brought to the page, this is exactly where to look.