Army Ant and the Mutant Multiverse

Comic Update!
about 1 year ago – Thu, May 29, 2025 at 07:57:08 PM

The books arrived, and they look absolutely stunning! 

However, we did notice a minor quirk called page creep, which is pretty common in thicker books. It slightly narrows the borders toward the middle pages, but doesn’t affect the artwork or the overall awesomeness of the books. That said, I want the sold-out Limited Edition books to be absolutely perfect. 

After discussing with the print house owner, they’re replacing all Limited Edition covers and a large portion of the standard ones, with a rush order expected in about 10 days. 

I was eager to start shipping this Monday, but I’d rather delay slightly to ensure you get the best quality—especially for our early supporters who snagged the Limited Editions. 

Thank you for your patience! 

Look out for the digital edition dropping Sunday/Monday. 

As always, I’m so grateful for your support and hope you have an awesome weekend!

-Jonathon

🔥May Update🔥
about 1 year ago – Sat, May 17, 2025 at 03:11:12 PM

Greetings Backers!

I'm just stopping in for the May update.

Comics:

The comics are being printed in the USA and have been in production for a little over a week now. I’ll receive the order by or before the 29th of this month, and then I’ll immediately begin shipping. I’ll also email the digital edition around the same time.

A few more notes on the comics…

The primary Mutant Multiverse comic cover seen here on Kickstarter will be a limited edition with only 250 physical copies ever to be printed! Most of those have already been purchased via Kickstarter and BackerKit.

The Dan Berger “Beach Cover” variant will also be a limited edition, with only 100 physical copies to ever be printed. So if you're a collector who likes to preserve items, you might want to keep that in mind for these two covers. Oh—and every book will be shipped with a protective sleeve and backer board.

The standard edition cover was penciled by Jim Lawson, with inks and color by Dan Berger. This version will be available very soon!

Apologies for being a little behind schedule with the comic. I attempted to speed up production, but the print house was backed up due to Phoenix Fan Fusion.

Army Ant:

The most important modification with Army Ant was ensuring a classic TMNT figure would fit properly. Normally, the factory sends a fine-cut sample from China, I provide edit requests, and the process repeats until I sign off on molds.

To speed things up, I requested the factory's modified 3D files so I could print the model myself and provide feedback faster. Below is a photo of the model I printed (which, by the way, is broken into about 45 pieces for the molds). I gave them the edits a little over a week ago, and I’m expecting their updated model any day now. Once approved, we’ll move straight into mold-making and full production!

Sledgehog:

I recently received the fine-cut sample images of Sledgehog—and man, he is stunning! I also printed his model at home and submitted a few minor edit requests to the factory. Iron molds and production are coming very soon!

Inferno:

As previously mentioned, Inferno’s molds are 100% complete. I’ve received and shared the test shots—and they turned out amazing! I’m now fine-tuning the paint deco details, then we’re off to the races!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the summer. I’ll be checking in soon with more updates. Thank you all for making this possible!

Sincerely,

Jonathon House

Treasure Monster Toys

For David
about 1 year ago – Tue, May 06, 2025 at 07:11:07 AM

With profound sadness, I share the news of David Arshawsky’s passing.

David was a rare and radiant soul, whose boundless imagination touched countless lives. His extraordinary talent as an artist, sculptor, and toy designer set a standard of creativity that will inspire generations. His work—vibrant, innovative, and deeply human—will live on as a testament to the pinnacle of artistic brilliance.

David’s warmth and generosity were as remarkable as his creations. I recently spoke with him, and his enthusiasm was infectious as we discussed upcoming projects, including the heartfelt response to Army Ant’s release. He was filled with gratitude for the community’s support and excitement for what lay ahead.

David, thank you for sharing your genius with the world, for your beautiful spirit, and for entrusting me to carry forward Army Ant and other cherished projects. We will honor your legacy with every step, keeping your vision at the heart of all we do.

My deepest condolences go to David’s family—Maria, Sam, and Fernando. His light will forever shine in our memories, and his contributions will continue to enrich our lives.

Rest in peace, David. You will be deeply missed.

🔥April Update🔥
about 1 year ago – Tue, Apr 15, 2025 at 10:03:40 AM

Greetings Backers!

It's update time, and we have a lot to cover here! Let's break it down 😎

The Comic: 

I'm thrilled to announce that award winning letterer Taylor Esposito has finished lettering the comic and Dan Berger is now formatting and prepping for print! 🔥

I'll be printing the comic in the USA and personally shipping each order. The estimated ship date from the start of the Kickstarter was April 2025. We're now halfway into April so depending on the print house turnaround time we might be looking at the first or second week of May for the comic ship date. (I'm optimistic for an end of April shipment but I'll most definitely keep everyone updated 😉)

More on the comic! So....the comic was originally going to be titled Mutant Multiverse - Shadow Line. However, it was recently brought to my attention that Image Comics has a publishing imprint called Shadowline. What's that mean? Well, for the toy line it's a completely different category so no lines crossed there, but it's a little more nuanced for printed material. I reached out to Jim Valentino from Image Comics to get his thoughts on the situation, super nice guy by the way. We came to the mutual conclusion that for the comic it might be best not to use Shadow Line on the cover to avoid any potential confusion. So...instead of Mutant Multiverse - Shadow Line, we're calling the comic "Mutant Multiverse"....which by the way I think the logo looks far more stunning than the Shadow Line logo we were originally going to use. 

But wait, there's more! The two Dan Berger covers seen above will be a Special Limited Edition cover! The retail sticker price for those two covers will be $19.99. Jim Lawson is wrapping up pencils for the standard "News Stand" released cover which Dan Berger will be inking and coloring. Look forward to that reveal on our Instagram and Facebook socials!

But what about Army Ant, Inferno, and the Backerkit addition of Sledgehog? What about the Tarrifs 😱😱😱

Ahhh, peace be unto you. One major advantage of going through an international broker is that situations like these are nothing new, this isn't their first rodeo! Enseng has a network of factories that spans multiple territories and countries so they're in a unique position to move final production around to mitigate any unforseen obstacles. So, with that said...all is well 😎

Further updates:

Army Ant: I received a photo of fine cut sample number one for Army Ant About a week ago with a classic 90s figure on the seat. A few more tweaks were needed for proper fitment of the rider and that fine cut sample is being made this very moment. (I'll wait to show you that photo once it's better balanced). This is what you might call the phase 2 fine tuning engineering stage before the iron molds are milled. This is also probably the most important stage because you want to make sure everything is just right as molds are crazy expensive! 

Inferno:

I recently received the injection molded test shots for Inferno after the factory finished those molds, and they are magnificent! I shared those photos from the factory in the last update. Once in hand I did a thorough inspection and for the most part everything was spot on! I did submit one fairly minor adjustment request for how the head was centered on the torso and they're adjusting that now! 

Sledgehog:

As you know, we didn't meet our funding goal to raise the necessary funds it would have taken to produce Sledgehog during the Kickstarter campaign, but...our investor gave the green flag and provided the needed funding for us to make it happen and it was included on Backerkit as an add-on option. That said, Sledgehog's 3d files underwent a lot of modifications in preparation for the molds. He has a lot of depth to his sculpt like the head spikes, beard, satchels, etc. and all of those things have to be separated for the various types of plastics used in the injection process. I recently received those revised files, gave my few edit requests, and the factory is now off to the races making that fine cut sample!

Phew...that was a lot! I think that just about sums everything up for now. Everything is moving along marvelously. The comic will ship very soon, and I'll keep everyone updated on the factory advancements.

As always...thank you for being the most amazing community of collectors and backers! This is all only possible because of YOU!

Sincerely,

Jonathon House 

Treasure Monster Toys 

🔥🔥March Update🔥🔥
about 1 year ago – Mon, Mar 17, 2025 at 08:37:06 AM

Hello to all of our amazing backers!

First, let me express how excited I am to share this update as it marks a major milestones in the journey and mission of Treasure Monster Toys!

1. The iron molds for Inferno are complete! This is a major breakthrough for our company and it's all thanks to this amazing community! Enseng shared photos of the first injection molded testshots which I've attached below! 

2. Enseng is currently working on the fine cut sample for Army Ant and Sledgehog! We'll be able to behold these beauties in all their glory very soon and I absolutely cannot wait!

3. Award winning letterer Taylor Esposito is currently working to finalize Shadow Line #1 which will be ready for print very soon! 

Thank you all for being the best community of backers and supporters as Treasure Monster Toys marches forward in our mission to create worlds that preserve the treasures of our past, the inspirations of our youth, and the stories that shaped us!

Cowabunga! 

Jonathon