Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios): Difference between revisions

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After the unexpected success of their first issue, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird continued expanding their universe in a somewhat haphazard manner, both in the regular series and complementary books such as ''Tales of the TMNT'' and various one-shots and specials. Over time, an overall arc emerged, dealing with the turtles' enmity with the Foot, which is at the heart of the book's four major stories: the initial issue, which featured the Shredder's death; a two-parter which featured his return and the turtles' exile from New York; "Return to New York", in which the Shredder is killed off for real, and "City at War", which dealt with the aftermath. In between those stories, the book would focus on mostly stand-alone stories created either by Mirage employees themselves or guest creators. These stories would fluctuate wildly in tone and content. Several, particularly those by guest creators, now have dubious canonicity. This first series concluded with the aforementioned "City at War", which ended the Foot/Turtle conflict, introduced regular characters Karai and Shadow, and is considered by many to be the definitive TMNT story.

 

 

 

 

 

In 2006, the regular ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' book ceased regular publication, thanks to Peter Laird's other duties, creative burn-out and the economic disincentives of publishing a money-losing book. While new issues are still being released online once in a blue moon, ''Tales'' become the de facto main book until the series' cancellation and the sale of the TMNT property.

Amazingly, even after this, new issues of ''TMNT'' volume 4 have continued to be published, albeit [[Schedule Slip|''very'' intermittently]] and electronically for free on [http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot.com/ Peter Laird's blog].

 

 

* [[Action Girl]]: Shadow Jones.

* [[A Day in the Limelight]]

* [[Animal Nemesis]]: The feud between Oroku Nagi and Hamato Yoshi is taken up by Nagi's brother and Yoshi's pet rat, respectively. The Turtles themselves also become part of this, of course.

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Type III

* [[Arms Dealer]]: Ruffington.

* [[Art Initiates Life]]: Kirby's crystal. April O'Neil is the result of this.

* [[Artifact Title]]: As of vol. 4, the mutant ninja turtles are no longer teenagers. But eventually, even the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' title was dropped altogether, and it became simply ''TMNT''. [[Fridge Brilliance|Since they are now thirtysomething mutant ninja turtles, the acronym still works]].

* [[Baleful Polymorph]]: In Rick Veitch's "The River", Raphael is forcibly devolved into a normal turtle.

* [[Beneath the Earth]]

* [[Canon Discontinuity]]: Volume 3.

* [[Canon Immigrant]]: Hun, the Battle Nexus, Bishop via [[Word of God]] cameo (4Kids Cartoon); Cudley the Cowlick ([[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures|Archie comics]]) and Charles Pennington ([[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)|first movie]]) make up the short list.

* [[Chew Toy]]/[[Fallen Hero]]: Michelangelo became this in volume 4. Since his fateful [[Love Makes You Evil|fling]] with Seri, the Regenta of the Styracodons, and his subsequent abduction by her bodyguards, prolonged extrajudicial imprisonment on their homeworld, torture and starvation, as well as the tragic death of his Triceraton friend Azokk, Michelangelo has developed a fierce hatred for Seri and for all Styracodons, and was instrumental in convincing the Triceratons to declare a ''[[Final Solution|war of genocide]]'' against them. Needless to say, he is darker and less [[Boisterous Bruiser|fun-loving]] than he used to be.

* [[The Commissioner Gordon]]: Lt. Gordon Miller, in recent issues of Tales.

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: The comic is very much this compared with the 80's cartoon and the 2000's cartoon. Though it's really more accurate to say that the cartoon adaptations (which were made later) are [[Lighter and Softer]] than Mirage's.

** Lampshaded in the movie Turtles Forever where the 80's turtles and the 2000's turtles were scared of the Mirage turtles.

* [[Deus Ex Machina]]: Employed surprisingly often.

* [[Discontinuity Nod]]: The appearance of an Utrom called "Dr. X" in issues of ''Tales''; the name had been used by an Utrom in the discarded volume 3.

* [[Dumb Blonde]]: Renet.

* [[Dying Alone]]: In Volume 4 Issue 10, Splinter dies of old age (presumably of heart failure, as he clutches his chest) while preparing a drink for himself. He is later found by Leonardo.

* [[Elseworld]]: The Michael Zulli three-parter in the first series.

* [[Enigmatic Minion]]: Lin, a member of the Foot Clan who has been seen helping out other parties for unknown reasons in recent issues of ''Tales''.

* [[First Law of Resurrection]]: Eastman and Laird, not figuring that their comic would last past the first issue, killed off the Shredder by having his own grenade explode on him. Once they realized that they wanted him back, they had to resort to worm-based cloning to do so.

* [[Fish People]]: Several.

* [[Flying Brick]]: Nobody/The Herald.

* [[From Nobody to Nightmare]]: Complete Carnage.

* [[Happily Adopted]]: Shadow, technically, since neither Casey nor April are her biological parents.

* [[Interspecies Romance]]: Michelangelo/Serilicus (Mutant Turtle/Styracodon); Leonardo/Radical (Mutant Turtle/Human)

* [[Intrepid Reporter]]: Lauren Stanton in recent issues of ''Tales''.

* [[Killed Off for Real]]: Oroku Saki and Baxter Stockman. {{spoiler|Splinter appeared to have been killed off as well, but it turned out to be a [[Cloning Blues|clone of the original]], and the real Splinter has actually lived elsewhere for years.}}

* [[Laser-Guided Amnesia]]: Mr. Braunze does this to the turtles at the tail end of volume 2.

* [[Meaningful Funeral]]: Splinter [[Tear Jerker|receives one]] after his death.

* [[Medieval Japan]]

* [[The Mole]]: Lin, who {{spoiler|was a Foot ninja under orders to infiltrate the NYPD as a detective.}}

* [[Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate]]: Dr. Dome.

* [[Opening Monologue]]: Every issue of ''Tales'' begins with one, ending with the line "Let me tell you a story..."

* [[Out of Focus]]: The Turtles themselves, especially in Volume 1, often take a back seat to their various guest characters.

* [[Pin-Pulling Teeth]]: Raphael does this a few times in the story arc "Body Count".

* [[Right-Wing Militia Fanatic]]: The antagonists from the volume 1 story "Survivalists".

* [[Scars Are Forever]]: The turtles' mutilations in volume 3. Foot Ninja Cha Ocho sports a scar left by Leonardo.

* [[Schedule Slip]]: All the time; during the first series the creators joked that you could tell it was a Mirage book if it was running late.

* [[Story Arc]]

** Presumably also a [[Shout-Out]] to the [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]]'s headquarters.

** Several issues in, the series jumps another six months ahead to show how things have changed since the Utroms unveiled themselves to humanity.

* [[Timey-Wimey Ball]]

* [[Volleying Insults]]: Casey and Raph do this in issue #11 of the original book, in a scene that was later adapted to the movie.

* [[What Could Have Been]]: Tatsu was suppose to show up in the comics after "City at War".

* [[Winged Humanoid]]: Raptarr.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Better Than It Sounds/Comic Books]]

[[Category:The Eighties]]

[[Category:Image]]

[[Category:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]