Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Caleb Goellner is no stranger to working on beloved intellectual properties with enthusiastic, sometimes avid fans, who don’t take kindly to mistreatment of their beloved heroes. Already a veteran handling cherished characters, Goellner has proven himself with readers and publishers alike, lending his talents to a wide gamut of titles, including Power Rangers, Sonic the Hedgehog, and of course, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. All of these efforts were met with wildly positive reactions, leading Goellner to this incredibly exciting cross-over event Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto, a four part mini-series bringing your favorite butt-kicking turtles into Naruto’s world, nestled carefully within that iconic story.
ComicsOnline had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with Goellner at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 to hear about how this all came together, starting with a casual text thread, and leading to one of the most explosive fan reactions to a cross-over in recent memory. Get an inside look at Goellner’s creative process, and find out how he navigated balancing nuanced brand guidelines, meeting publisher’s needs, and writing a fun and engaging story that, as a fan himself, he knew readers would be truly ecstatic about.
Special thanks to our friends at IDW Publishing for arranging this interview.
#TMNT #comics #naruto #sdcc
Caleb Goellner is no stranger to working on beloved intellectual properties with enthusiastic, sometimes avid fans, who don’t take kindly to mistreatment of their beloved heroes. Already a veteran handling cherished characters, Goellner has proven himself with readers and publishers alike, lending his talents to a wide gamut of titles, including Power Rangers, Sonic the Hedgehog, and of course, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. All of these efforts were met with wildly positive reactions, leading Goellner to this incredibly exciting cross-over event Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto, a four part mini-series bringing your favorite butt-kicking turtles into Naruto’s world, nestled carefully within that iconic story.
ComicsOnline had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with Goellner at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 to hear about how this all came together, starting with a casual text thread, and leading to one of the most explosive fan reactions to a cross-over in recent memory. Get an inside look at Goellner’s creative process, and find out how he navigated balancing nuanced brand guidelines, meeting publisher’s needs, and writing a fun and engaging story that, as a fan himself, he knew readers would be truly ecstatic about.
Special thanks to our friends at IDW Publishing for arranging this interview.
#TMNT #comics #naruto #sdcc
