Volume 1 (and friends): “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1984) #1-62, “One-Shot Micro-Series” [Donnatello, Raphael, Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Fugitoid], “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #1-7, “Mirage Specials TMNT” #1-3, “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 1) #1, “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #1-4, “Gizmo & the Fugitoid” #1-2, “Usagi Yojimbo” (Vol. 2) #1-3, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo” #1, “Flaming Carrot Comics” #25-27, “The Last of the Viking Heroes Summer Special” #2-3, Stories from a Host of Various Anthologies like “Grunts” #1, “Plastron Café” #1-2, “Gobbledygook” #1-2, “Mirage Mini Comics,” “Shell Shock,” & “TMNT 30th Anniversary Special”
Age rating: T for Teen. Mostly for violence. It’s fine for high schoolers and probably 13-14 year olds but if you’re coming off the cartoons, it’s a step in a darker, more mature direction. I mean, they were parodies of Frank Miller comics after all. I think there’s a whole thing about Rennett’s skimpy outfits too? These comics are weird, folks.
Start here if: you want to see where it all began, don’t mind a steep quality curve, and are OK with a long middle full of some of the weirdest, most varied comics “TMNT” has to offer.
As I noted in the prologue, the first volume from Mirage Comics aka the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” comic is the trickiest of the bunch. It’s not the order of issues that’s complex, short stories notwithstanding; it’s what got reprinted where, and in what format (color or black & white.)
These issues have gone through a number of reprintings, first by Mirage and then by IDW. The originals, both trade and singles, are long, long out of print and quite rare/expensive. This makes a straight-up, issue-by-issue reading order only partially useful to anyone reading now. Even a Mirage trade-by-trade order is worse than useless for all by the most deep-pocketed/lucky reader. Additionally, not every IDW collection is still available in print nor is every in print collection available digitally.
For example: the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Compendium” doesn’t have a digital edition, meaning anyone doing what I initially did, reading through ComiXology/ComiXology Unlimited (RIP), IDW’s online store, and Hoopla (go libraries!,) has to hope their library has this brick in their collection or shell out $150. Alternatively, the “Ultimate Collection” seems to be out of print but is widely available digitally.
To get around all this, instead of making one reading order, I’ve made three: Quick & Dirty, Color Enthusiast, and Original Completionist. Each will focus on a different type of reader and reading experience. I will be leaving off the Mirage trades except where it is of historical note i.e. the last place it exists outside of the original issue printing. You’ll see what I mean when you get there.
Another thing I wanted to mention. I took painstaking work to personally verify that each collection listed here actually contains the issues in question. There were a number of times when I checked a description of a book, only to have it not match up with what was inside. Usually it said it did not contain an issue when, in fact, it did, which is fine, but there are plenty of reading orders out there that took those descriptions at face value, which made my job a heck of a time more difficult. That said, I did not confirm the Mirage trades myself. Instead I relied on the official Mirage Group website archive.
Special thank you to Near Mint Comics on YouTube for allowing me a glimpse inside Vol. 1 of the Compendium because I would have struggled to verify its contents otherwise AND would not have known that it includes an extra short-story.
Next is the question of “Canonicity.” For the unaware, not every story featuring the Turtles is considered “Mirage Continuity Canon.” These divisions generally break down along three lines: stories that had Eastman and/or Laird direct involvement in, stories made by anyone employed by Mirage comics, and stories that feature the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” This is part of why the trades are so fractured and why there still remain some stories that are uncollected. These bounds, as with all artificial boundaries, are malleable.
Continued belowFor my purposes here, I could give a flying Krang about whether or not an issue or story is still considered “canon” relative to the rest. I’m going for as wide and inclusive as possible, no matter how weird and clearly out-of-canon a story is.
Finally, this isn’t an “internal continuity” listing. I don’t really care if story X, published in year Y, takes place in between scenes in issue Z. For that kind of granularity, I would check out the TMNT Entity list I linked in the prologue. That blog is thorough as hell and provides a detailed list of every story and issue from the pre-IDW days and how they should be read for as much internal consistency as can be found.
Sadly, the creator of the blog – which is mostly an archive of posts at this point – expresses some pretty noxious attitudes I do not support or condone towards the current creators and their choices. I only encountered it when reading the couple most recent posts but fair warning. It’s no Dave Sim tirade against women by a long shot but it’s adjacent and not something you’d want to walk into unawares.
Quick & Dirty
This list is for anyone who doesn’t want to stop mid-book to flip to a different trade. The simplest of the orders, I’ll only be listing contents and not breaking it out by specific issue order; that’s what the table of contents is for. This also favors the black & white versions – “TMNT Classics” are all in color – and if there are any “duplicate” issues, I’ll list them in italics. Finally, I did not include a full breakdown of the short-stories in this one. That’ll be for the big lists.
Note: when I was first drafting this list, the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Compendiums” were singular. They did not exist beyond the first one and there were pros & cons to having it be the “primary” on my list. Now that a second has been announced, I will be using those. However, I have yet to glimpse inside and double check the contents of the second. If it turns out that the solicited description is wildly misrepresentative, or missing a bunch of short stories like the first compendium is, I’ll be coming back and fixing it.
December 2023 Update: It appears that there are no unlisted stories in “Compendium 2” so the list stands as is. We’ll see if that holds up for the as-yet-unannounced but certain to come “Compendium,” Vol. 3
OK. On with the list!
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Compendium,” Vol. 1: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #1-7, 9-14, One Issue Micro-Series [“Raphael” #1, “Fugitoid” #1, “Michaelangelo” #1, “Donatello” #1, & “Leonardo” #1,] “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol.1) #1-5, ‘D’Ants Fever’
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection,” Book 2 OR the 2023 single issue reprint, which I won’t link to for reasons I list later: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #8, ”TMNT” (Vol. 1) #9-11, One Issue Micro-Series [“Michaelangelo” #1, “Donatello” #1, & “Leonardo” #1]
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Compendium,” Vol. 2: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #15-23, 27-29, 31-37, “Tales” #6-7, ‘The Ring’
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection,” Book 6: ‘New Comic Day,’ ‘Night Life,’ ‘49th Street Stompers,’ ‘A Splinter in the Eye of God,’ ‘O-Deed,’ ‘Bottoming Out,’ ‘Junk Man,’ ‘New York Ninja’, ‘Word Warriors,’ ‘Terror by Transmat,’ ‘Ghouls Night Out,’ ‘Crazy Man,’ ‘The Road Trip,’ ‘Don’t Judge a Book,’ ‘Fun With Guns,’ ‘The Survival Game,’ ‘Not One Word,’ ‘You Had to Be There,’ ‘Complete Carnage an’ Radical,’ ‘The Howl,’ ‘Night Life,’ ‘Technofear,’ ‘It’s a Gas,’ ‘Meanwhile…in 1,000,000 B.C.,’ ‘Turtle Dreams,’ ‘The Lesson,’ ‘Choices,’ ‘Casey Jones, Private Eye,’ ‘Untitled Nobody Story’ & ‘D’Ants Fever’
TMNT – Soul’s Winter (IDW re-release:) ‘Failed Instant’ & “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #31, 35-36, ‘A Splinter in the Eye of God,’ ‘O-Deed’
“Usagi Yojimbo/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Collection:” ‘Turtle Soup and Rabbit Stew,’ ‘The Crossing,’ ‘The Treaty,’ “Usagi Yojimbo” (Vol. 2) #1-3. Also includes the 2017 one-shot “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo.”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 5: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #38-40 & “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #34
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 6: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #42-44
Continued below“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 7: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #45-47 & ‘Crazy Man,’ ‘Technofear,’ ‘The Survival Game,’ ‘Ghouls Night Out,’ ‘The Howl,’ ‘It’s a Gas’
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection,” Book 4: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #48-55
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection,” Book 5: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #56-62
Uncollected issues: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #24-26, 30, 41
Digital Modifications
Because the compendiums are not available digitally, at least as of writing, digital readers have a different list to go off of. I know not every trade above is in print still but those are the most accessible at the moment. Only the Ultimate Collections are in black & white, “Fugitoid” #1 is not reprinted anywhere below – the compendium was the first non-Mirage trade to include it – and, yes, “Color Classics” and “Classics” are two different lines, both in color. Go figure. Anyway, here are the swaps.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection,” Book 1: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #1-7, “Micro Series Raphael.”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection,” Book 2: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #8-11, One Issue Micro-Series [“Michaelangelo” #1, “Donatello” #1, & “Leonardo” #1]
(The next two are interchangeable, as the issues were originally alternated. I’ve put my preference of which trade to read first here.)
“Tales of the TMNT Omnibus,” Vol. 1 OR “Tales of the TMNT” Vol. 1 & 2: “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #1-7. Omnibus also includes “Tales of the TMNT” (Vol. 2) #1-8.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection,” Book 3: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #12, 14-15, 17, 19, 20-21
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Classics,” Vol. 2: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #13 & #8-12, Micro-Series ““Donatello” #1, & “Leonardo” #1
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Classics,” Vol. 3: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #16, 18 & #14-15, 17, 19-21
(You can read “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6 anywhere between this point and the end of the swapped list.)
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 2: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #22-23 & #16
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 3: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #27-29
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Soul’s Winter:” “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #31, 35-36, ‘Failed Instant’ & ‘A Splinter in the Eye of God,’ ‘O-Deed’
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 4: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #32-33, 37, ‘The Ring’
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 5: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #34, 38-40
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 6: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #42-44
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 7: “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #45-47 & ‘Ghouls Night Out,’ ‘Crazy Man,’ ‘The Survival Game,’ ‘The Howl,’ ‘Technofear,’ ‘It’s a Gas’
Color Enthusiast
This list is for anyone who wants to read the whole thing (or as much as they can) in color. Good news is that, until very recently, color was the primary way of experiencing the “TMNT” comics. I’ll pepper in notes where necessary.
I’m also going to try and abbreviate where I can so expect most instances of TMNT to actually be fully written out in the comic or collection titles. Any big stories or fun facts will accompany the next, most exhaustive, list.
Additionally, I did not use any versions of “The Works,” the color equivalents to the “Ultimate Collection, because I had no way of verifying that the stories they said they contained were actually in there, are long out of print and unavailable digitally, and almost exclusively overlap with the “Color Classics” and “Classics” collections. The only exception are “The Works” Vol. 4 & 5, which handle issue #48-62. Thankfully that makes for an easy substitution if you happen to find them.
Note on short story inclusion: I’ve slotted them in approximately by their original publication date, unless placed in a specific location by something like the compendiums. I’ve also opted to only place the short stories that are available in color on this list unless, like before, they’re in a collection with a B&W only story.
The only exception is if it showed up in the “TMNT: 25th Anniversary: A Quarter Century Celebration” trade. Some were colored and I could not find a copy to verify which were printed in color, be it the new colors or the old. There are just…so many of these dang things and most, if not all, have no bearing on any of the main issues. I am only one man.
Continued below“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #1-3 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 1
“One Issue Micro-Series: Raphael” #1 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #4 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 1
“Fugitoid” #1 [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #5 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 1
‘D’Ants Fever’ [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 or “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #6-7 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 1
‘Don’t Judge a Book’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘You Had to Be There’ [POTENTIALLY UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “TMNT: 25th Anniversary: A Quarter Century Celebration” or “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
“One Issue Micro-Series: Michaelangelo” #1 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #8 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 2
“One Issue Micro-Series: Donatello” #1 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #9 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 2
‘New York Ninja’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘New Comic Day’ – Mirage/First Comics trade only – “TMNT” Book I
‘Night Life’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
“One Issue Micro-Series: Leonardo” #1 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 2
‘Crazy Man’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 7
‘Technofear’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 7
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #10 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 2
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #1 – “Tales of the TMNT Omnibus,” Vol. 1 OR “Tales,” Vol. 1
‘The Survival Game’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 7
‘Word Warriors’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #11 – “TMNT Color Classics” Vol. 2
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #2 – “Tales of the TMNT Omnibus,” Vol. 1 OR “Tales,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #12 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 2
‘Turtle Soup and Rabbit Stew’ [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #3 – “Tales of the TMNT Omnibus,” Vol. 1 OR “Tales,” Vol. 1
‘The Road Trip’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘Ghouls Night Out’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 7
‘Fun With Guns’ [POTENTIALLY UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “TMNT: 25th Anniversary: A Quarter Century Celebration” or “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘49th Street Stompers’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘The Howl’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 7
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #4 – “Tales of the TMNT Omnibus,” Vol. 1 OR “Tales,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #13 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 2 OR “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #5 – “Tales of the TMNT Omnibus,” Vol. 1 OR “Tales,” Vol. 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #14 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 3
‘It’s a Gas’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 7
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #6 – “Tales of the TMNT Omnibus,” Vol. 1 OR “Tales,” Vol. 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #15 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 3
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #16 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 3 OR “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 2
‘The Crossing’ [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #17 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 3
‘Complete Carnage an’ Radical’ [POTENTIALLY UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “TMNT: 25th Anniversary: A Quarter Century Celebration” or “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Bottoming Out’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘Junk Man’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘Meanwhile…in 1,000,000 B.C.’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘The Treaty’ [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
“Usagi Yojimbo” (Vol. 2) #1-3 [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #18-19 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 3
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #7 – “Tales of the TMNT Omnibus,” Vol. 1 OR “Tales,” Vol. 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #20-21 – “TMNT Color Classics,” Vol. 3
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #22-23 – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #24-26 [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – Mirage trade only – “TMNT Collected Book,” Volume 6
Continued below
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #27-29 – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 3
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #30 [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – Single issue only
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #31 – ”TMNT: Soul’s Winter”
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #32-33 – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 4
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #34 – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 5
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #35 – ”TMNT: Soul’s Winter”
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #36 – ”TMNT: Soul’s Winter”
‘A Splinter in the Eye of God’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘O-Deed’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 1
‘Failed Instant’ – ”TMNT: Soul’s Winter”
‘The Ring’ – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 4
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #37 – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 4
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #38-40 – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 5
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #41 [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR] – Single issue only
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #42-44 – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 6
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #45-47 – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 7
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #48-55 [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR OUTSIDE “The Works”] – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 4
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #56-62 [UNCOLLECTED IN COLOR OUTSIDE “The Works”] – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 5
Original Completionist
And here we have the big boy. This list prioritizes original printing format, so if it was originally in black & white, that’s the trade that’s going to be listed.
Just as with the color list, any issues not available in B&W will be listed as such and the color trade will be included instead. If an alternate isn’t given for a compendium volume, and you’re reading solely digitally, refer to the Color Enthusiast List.
I’m also going to slot in all the short-stories I could find for this one, unlike the partial list above. I’m sure I’ve missed a few. Short-story placement still abides as above, though for this list there’s the added complication of backups in 2nd or 3rd printings.
If they’re uncollected, I’ve placed them below their respective issues, which are listed by 1st printing dates, rather than by the subsequent publication date; collected stories still go by the pub dates listed in the collections and the order in which they’re listed. This is important because there are a couple stories that debuted in issues with different publication dates to the story itself for reasons I could not scrounge up.
I’ll also note, or try to note, when a story was originally published in color, like all the stuff that showed up in “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2,) which was a short-lived anthology featuring “TMNT” characters. Honestly, these short-stories can be read whenever after the first 10 or so issues, even the ones I’ve slotted in earlier.
OK. Enough preamble. This list is long enough as it is.
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #1-2 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 1
‘The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (Hembeck) [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – Backup to issue #2, 2nd printing
(Despite being published BEFORE the very first First Comics trade of “TMNT,” this story is not collected in that volume. It’s a comedy retelling of the origin so it’s possible they thought it wouldn’t fit with the rest.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #3 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 1
“One Issue Micro-Series: Raphael” #1 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #4 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 1
“Fugitoid” #1 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #5 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 1
‘D’Ants Fever’ – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #6-7 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 1
“One Issue Micro-Series: Michaelangelo” #1 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 2
‘A Christmas Carol’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – backup in 2nd printing of “Michaelangelo,” which was retitled “Michaelangelo Christmas Special”
(Weird reading order note: The one-shot micro series “Michaelangelo” and “Donatello” issues were actually published in between issues 5 & 6 of the main series but in every single collected edition after, Mirage or not, they appear in the order I have them here. This was probably to keep from splitting up the Turtles’ adventures with the Fugitoid & the Triceratons. I kept it here and expanded that logic out to the short stories that were published during this time.
Continued belowYou may have also noticed that I’m spelling Mikey’s name with an “ae” instead of just an “e.” Despite everyone having their names taken directly from renaissance painters, Eastman & Laird made a bit of an oopsie when spelling Michelangelo. While that’s been corrected since, for much of the original run, Michaelangelo was the current, incorrect spelling. Thus the titles reflect this fun little mistake.)
‘Don’t Judge a Book’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘You Had to Be There’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
(Apparently ‘You Had to Be There’ was originally in color. Colored by Richard Corben no less! Every subsequent reprint was in black and white, or black and white with new greytones, except the “Quarter Century Collection,” according to the TMNT Wikia,. As a back-up in issue #7, that’s wild to me. It also seemed silly to push these too far from issue #7 so I put them here.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #8 – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 2 OR 2023 single issue reprint
(The Dave Sim Controversies section of Wikipedia is the aforementioned reason I didn’t want to link to the reprint of “TMNT” #8 and feel icky even bringing it up. I didn’t even know about the most recent entry on that list until I looked it up for this note. Gross!)
“One Issue Micro-Series: Donatello” #1 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #9 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 2
‘New York Ninja’- “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Road Hogs’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “After the Bomb: Road Hogs”
(I had initially missed ‘’Road Hogs’ because this is the only one of the Palladium Books stories not collected anywhere; being an alternate future story would do that. Palladium was the publisher of the “TMNT” RPG, a fascinating artifact of the pre-1987 cartoon era. They put out a number of sourcebooks, including the first “After the Bomb” supplement that ‘Road Hogs’ was published in.
“After the Bomb,” for the curious, was the post-apocalyptic, Mad Max-esque spin-off of the main “TMNT & Other Strangeness“ RPG, where ‘Don’t Judge a Book’ was first published. It’s also now its own thing after Palladium gave up the “TMNT” license in 2000. If you want that story, I’d track down a copy of “The Rifter” #9, Palladium’s newsletter/fanzine for a 2-page interview about it. It’s a bit of a sad story involving declining sales because of the success of the cartoon. This also means I have no idea if the official PDF linked above contains the comic but the table of contents seems to say it does.
As for placement, alternate future stories can be read at any time but I decided to put it after ‘New York Ninja’ since that one was originally published two months earlier in the previous “TMNT” RPG sourcebook: “TMNT Adventures!” No relation to the Archie series.)
‘New Comic Day!’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Night Life’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
(Both ‘New Comic Day!’ and ‘Night Life’ were also originally published in color. Kinda. See, they were made for the First Comics collection of the original three issues – “TMNT” Book I. Those collections were colorized by that publishing house so everything inside was in color, including these brand new stories that were drawn presumably with color in mind but not explicitly colored by anyone at Mirage or anyone involved with the story’s production.)
“One Issue Micro-Series: Leonardo” #1 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 2
‘Crazy Man’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Technofear’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #10 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 2
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #1 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1
‘Terror by Transmat’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘The Survival Game’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
(‘Survival Game’ was from the 2nd printing of #4.)
‘Word Warriors’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #11 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 2
(The compendium actually has #11 and “Tales” #1 swapped from the (somewhat) chronological order I have here. The short stories can be read in between them, before #11, or whenever.)
Continued below“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #2 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #12 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 3
‘Turtle Dreams’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Pesticide’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 1) #1
‘Turtle Soup and Rabbit Stew’ – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
(This is the first of the “TMNT” and “Usagi Yojimbo” crossovers and can be read anytime after issue #8. My preference is to read them all together but you can split it up in whatever way you see fit. Because I’m making this list for the ridiculous among us, like myself, I’m opting to keep these stories in approximate publication order.
While the stories have been collected numerous times on the “Usagi” side, I’ve opted to only list the complete collection, even if it’s now no longer “complete” thanks to “Where/When,” due to it being the best place to read it for this list. Fans of “Usagi Yojimbo” will find all the early short stories in “Usagi Yojimbo Special Edition” via Fantagraphics. You can also find the collection in “Usagi Yojimbo Saga” Vol. 9.)
‘Showdown’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 1) #1
‘You’re in the Army Now’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 1) #1
‘Apparition’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 1) #1
John Dowling’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 1) #1
(The vast majority of the “Turtle Soup” short stories are uncollected, both from this B&W one-shot and the subsequent color “ongoing” that lasted 4 issues. This first outing fares the worst though, likely due to its more scattershot and, according to the sites and preview pages I consulted to help with this list, amateurish nature.
Also, because short-stories are the important bits here, and because some stories end up spread out in different collections, I’m breaking them out by story rather than issue. Just in case you were curious.)
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #3 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1
‘The Lesson: A Tale of the Triceraton Marines’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Grunts” #1
(Not to be confused with the ‘The Lesson’ below, this story features no Turtles but does include everyone’s favorite early villains: The Triceratons. As you can see, I’m trying to be thorough without getting too far afield.)
‘The Road Trip’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Ghouls Night Out’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Fun With Guns’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘The Lesson’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘49th Street Stompers’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘The Howl’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
(I’m just going to put the notes for all 6 stories here rather than break them up.
‘Road Trip’ & ‘Stompers’ were originally printed in color but never again since, with the latter being exclusive to the Mirage/First Comics printing of Book III, which is basically the same story as ‘Night Life’ above. ‘Ghouls’ & ‘Fun With Guns’ were backups in the 2nd printings to “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #5 and “Raphael” #1.
‘Ghouls’ & ‘Howl’ are weird for two different reasons: both have story publication dates that differ from the issue publication date. For ‘Ghouls,’ I suspect the May 1987 date of the reprint issue is a typo on the official Mirage page because everywhere else, including a cached copy of the old site, lists it as November 1987.
‘Howl,’ however, I have no explanation for. It debuted in “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 1) #1, the same as ‘Turtle Dreams’ and ‘Turtle Soup and Rabbit Stew.’ The “Ultimate Collection” Book 6 & Wikia entry both say it has an official release date of December 1987…three months AFTER “Turtle Soup’s” on-sale date but two years before the slightly copy-edited reprint in “Shell Shock.” Unlike ‘Ghouls,’ there’s no way this is a typo on the websites or a case of a discrepancy between actual on-sale date and the cover date since the other two collected stories have a September date too. A mystery! Or a screw up in the “Ultimate Collection” that’s been used for the other dates.)
Continued below“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #4 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #13 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #5 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 1
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #14
‘It’s a Gas’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
(Much like with #11 and “Tales” #1, #14 and “Tales” #5 are swapped in the compendium from the order here. You can also place ‘It’s a Gas’ in any order with “Tales” #5 and “TMNT” #14.)
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #6 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #15 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 3
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #16 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
(For the true, blue experience, read #16 then #15 because scheduling issues caused the two to be flipped in publication.)
‘The Crossing’ – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
‘Choices’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #17 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 3
‘Not One Word’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Complete Carnage an’ Radical’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
(Both ‘Complete Carnage’ & ‘Not One Word’ were backup stories for issue #3 (2nd printing) and issue #1 (5th(!) printing) respectively.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #18 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #19 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 3
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 1) #7 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
‘Spinal Tapped’ – Mirage trade only – “Tales of the TMNT” Original Vol. 1 Treasury Edition
“Tales of the TMNT” (Vol. 1) Frontispieces & Epilogue – Mirage trade only – “Tales of the TMNT” Original Vol. 1 Treasury Edition
(OK. Story time. ‘Spinal Tapped’ and the epilogue/frontispieces – a word I only recently learned has that extra I in it – were, and continue to be, exclusive to the 2007 Treasury edition of the complete volume one of “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” You can probably figure out why I put them here instead of way later.
‘Spinal Tapped’ is a Savanti Romero story, apparently, and the bespoke frontispieces formed the first seven pages of a new story, concluded in the epilogue, while also acting as custom lead-ins to the original issues, leaving out the original splash pages. There are a ton of these kinds of little changes from the first volume of “TMNT” that have been lost as new editions drop them. I’m not sure if the “TMNT Omnibus” has either version, actually. I’m pretty sure the compendium doesn’t. I should double check that.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #20-21 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2 OR “Ultimate Collection,” Book 3
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #22 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
“Gizmo & the Fugitoid” #1 [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #23 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
“Gizmo & the Fugitoid” #2 [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only
(This is a weird mini. A crossover with a different Michael Dooney character, Gizmo, who had a backup in the first printing of the “Michaelangelo” micro-series, featuring only the infrequently used & titular Fugitoid: Dr. Honeycut. You can read these together at any point after issue #7 really.)
‘Lasagna Love in My Dinner With Don’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Mirage Mini-Comics’
(I wasn’t sure if I would note this story but it’s too buckwild not to. First off, it’s structured like a romance comic from an anthology, hence the title structure of X in X. Second, while “Donnie” is there, this is about as tangential as you can get. Third, Lasagna is a supporting character, I think, of Gnatrat, who appeared in issue #23 and is a totally different parody character owned by Mark Martin, artist on that and this issue. Finally, it’s from “Mirage Mini Comics” which was a bundle of 13 bespoke short comics from Mirage artists & friends, most non-Turtles related. ‘Casey Jones, Private Eye’ below was also part of this and came out at the same time.
I moved this story up because all notes on the set itself say “1989” rather than “November 1989” like ‘Private Eye,’ though the wiki has the story as Nov 1989, likely taking a cue from the “Ultimate Collection” date for ‘Private Eye.’ I prefer to go by 1989. That’s the kind of wiggle room I can use! The bigger reason is it plays better with issue #23.)
Continued below“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #24-26 – Mirage trade only – “TMNT Collected Book,” Volume 6
‘Casey Jones, Private Eye’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #27 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
‘Bottoming Out’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘The Treaty’ – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
‘Junk Man’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Meanwhile…in 1,000,000 B.C.’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Untitled Nobody Story’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #28-29 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #30 [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only
“The Last of the Viking Heroes Summer Special” #2 – Trade Only – “The Last of the Viking Heroes” Limited Edition
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #4
“The Last of the Viking Heroes Summer Special” #3 – Trade Only – “The Last of the Viking Heroes” Limited Edition
(So. This crossover is a weird one. “Viking Heroes” is a series from Genesis West Comics and they had three summer specials. With issue #2, they crossed over with “TMNT.” Technically.
See, “Summer Special” #2 doesn’t have an actual member of the TMNT, or their universe, show up in the issue but does have one of the characters getting turned into a Turtle. Issue #3, which came out a year later and pub-wise sits after “TMNT” (Vol. 1) #35, is the actual crossover and both of these were collected in the trade, which was rare even when brand new (only 1750 copies in existence.) Basically, treat these as Single Issue Only.
But I’m not done yet with the weirdness! The short-story that bridges the events of #2 & 3 – ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ – was NOT published as you see it here. In fact, it was published at least a year AFTER issue #3 and not collected in the aforementioned trade. Additionally, that story has one-page drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby.
Why did I put them altogether here instead of in their respective publication locations? Mostly to keep them in logical order. If I’m already moving one story up, I may as well move them all.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #31-34 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
“TMNT: Challenges” [UNCOLLECTED] – Trade Only
(It’s a real shame “Challenges” has never been recollected. It’s the first real “TMNT” graphic novel, composed entirely of vignettes. It’s probably one of the few uncollected pieces here that I hope makes its way into one of the compendiums or is re-released on its own.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #35-36 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
‘A Splinter in the Eye of God’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘O-Deed’ – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 6
‘Failed Instant’ [MIRAGE B&W ONLY] – ”TMNT: Soul’s Winter”
‘The Ring’ – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
(Another batch where two of the stories – ‘Failed Instant’ and ‘The Ring’/‘Donatello: The Ring’ – were published way later but I bunched them with their related stories. The first to be with the Michael Zulli stories, the second because it’s the direct lead-in to “TMNT” #37 and is probably going to be there in the compendium order. This is also another case where the two stories were originally in color thanks to “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2.))
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #37 – “TMNT Compendium,” Vol. 2
(Once again, for the true, blue experience, read #37 then #36 because scheduling issues caused the two to be flipped in publication. Though maybe also take ‘The Ring’ with it.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #38-40 [COLOR ONLY] – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 5
‘Rockin Rollin Miner Ants (feat. The TMNT)’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – Backup in #40
“Flaming Carrot Comics” #25-27 – “Flaming Carrot Omnibus”
(These crossovers are going to be the death of me. Another instance where I prioritized groupings over publication order.
#25 came out between “TMNT” #35 & 37 while #26 came out between #37 and #36. Things are already so borked in this area that I just moved the two earlier issues to when the final issue – #27 – of the Flaming Carrot crossover was published. And no, I won’t be getting into the Flaming Carrot’s ridiculous publishing and collection schedule.)
Continued below“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #41 [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only
‘The Name is Lucindra’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #1
‘Turtle Power!’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #1
(The entirety of the short-lived anthology “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) was in color but anytime the stories got reprinted – maybe about half of every issue were – they were rendered in B&W.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #42 [COLOR ONLY] – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 6
‘Mid-Afternoon of the Living Dead’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #2
‘Raphael: Snapper’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #2
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #43 [COLOR ONLY] – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 6
‘Bearing the Burden’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #3
‘Sweat, Sweat, Sweet Rennet’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #3
‘The Ring of Death’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #3
‘Crack in a Hard Heart’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #3
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #44 [COLOR ONLY] – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 6
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Attack!!!’ Parts 1-4 [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #1-4
(I know it’s strange to not have each part of “Attack!!!” with their respective issues, especially with all the bopping around. I felt that it would be far stranger to have a four-part serial that’s never been collected listed four times rather than as the single comic-book length story that it is.)
‘Thoughts on Paper’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #4
‘Fifteen Years Later…’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Turtle Soup” (Vol. 2) #4
(Because ‘Fifteen Years Later’ is a bit of an epilogue to Turtles’ origins, I figured it’s the best story to cap off this run of short stories and basically the entirety of the guest era. There are a couple more issues and stories left but the bulk are done. I mention this because I was trying my best to not only keep the issues in order but the stories within the issues too. And to keep this one as the last, I had to move the others up.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #45-47 [COLOR ONLY] – “TMNT Classics,” Vol. 7
“TMNT Special: “Times” Pipeline” [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only
“TMNT Special: The Haunted Pizza” [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only
“TMNT Special: The Maltese Turtle” [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only
(These stories are all from later in the run (late 1992-early 1993) so why these stories here? Despite my (mostly consistent) attempt to place each story in this order by publication date, breaking up the final two arcs of Volume 1 felt…wrong. Doubly wrong because the whole reason they’re specials and not regularly numbered issues is BECAUSE of what the team wanted to do with these last two arcs. The specials are firmly part of the guest era, and the goofier parts at that, which is why they precede #48 instead of following #62 on my list. It’s a last gasp for the weird and the wacky leading into the final hurrah of Eastman & Laird together.
If you really want to be a stickler, ““Times” Pipeline” is between #51 & 52, “Haunted Pizza” is between #52 & 53, and “Maltese Turtle” is between #55 & 56.)
‘Ready Set Go!’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “TMNT 30th Anniversary Special”
(‘Ready Set Go!’ is another short-story that was drawn by Eastman but because it debuted in 2014, I had no idea where to slot it. I could’ve left it at the end of volume 4 but it’s set in this era, so on this list it goes. It’s a quiet little adventure and I ultimately decided that right after the last of the guest era but before the end run by the original duo – with Jim Lawson on pencils & Keith Aiken on inks for most of it – was the best place for it to go.)
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #48-55 – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 4
Continued below
“TMNT” (Vol. 1) #56-62 – “Ultimate Collection,” Book 5
‘Old Times’ [UNCOLLECTED] – Single issue only – “Plastron Café” #1
(Of all the stories & issues that interrupt ‘City at War,’ ‘Old Times’ was the one I struggled the most to place; for the curious, this story dropped in between #54 & 55.
To put it before #48 really didn’t feel right, and having it be the chaser to the end of the main series also felt off. While it’s set in the future, it’s a real downer of a tale. Yet I ultimately went with after because it is more of a signal for what’s to come, whereas ‘Ready, Set, Go!’ was looking back, an exercise in nostalgia.
More saliently, the former is Eastman’s story and this is Laird’s (with Mary Kelleher.) Doing it in that order, seeing as how Eastman pretty much stepped away until the IDW series, bookends their final collaboration in a way that’s too perfect not to do.)
“Usagi Yojimbo” (Vol. 2) #1-3 – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo” #1 – “Usagi Yojimbo/TMNT: The Complete Collection”
(Last note! The “Usagi” (Vol. 2) issues in question came out between #57 & 58, #59 & 60, and #61 & 62 respectively. As above, so below regarding placement. Why after though? Mostly because it acts as a nice bridge between this volume and the next.
For posterity and completion, these two modern series/one-shots were published in color originally. For Volume 2 #1-3 specifically, this is apparently another instance of the issues originally being in color and then collected in black and white every time after. The Wikia says it was in color and has a color splash that looks way older than the modern IDW recolorings. I could believe it. I’ve yet to corroborate this fully however. Tom Luth or Stan Sakai would have to be asked or one of those original issues would have to be shown to me in print.
Additionally, as I mentioned way earlier, these stories can slot in wherever after ‘The Treaty.’ The same is true of the 2017 one-shot “TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo,” which I’ve put here because there really is no other better place to put them. For those reading this after the completion of “TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo: Where/When,” just place that here as well.)
[Future Elias’ note: The one-shot and “Where/When” actually features the IDW continuity turtles, not the Mirage versions of the rest. Complicating matters is that Usagi remembers both sets. Thus, while this is a great place to read the one-shot, see Part 5 for a more appropriate location.]
And with that, you’ve read your way through the original run of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” both “canon” and guest. Congratulations! Now only *counts on fingers and toes* way too many to go.
Volume 2: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1993) #1-13, “Casey Jones” #1-2, “Savage Dragon” #2, “The Savage Dragon/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “TMNT/The Flaming Carrot” #1-4
Age rating: T for Teen, with an eye towards older teen. Slightly more violent than before and with more visceral gore; moving to color will do that. If you were OK with the last batch, you’ll probably be OK with this. Funnily enough, the trades come with a disclaimer that the first volume didn’t. Likely because the 90s edge is far more noticeable.
Start here if: you want approximately 2 Turtles adventures and a couple tie-ins from long-time contributors but not original creators. Honestly, you’re better off reading it after volume 1.
At this point, Eastman and Laird have left the building, figuratively speaking. They’re still very involved with Mirage comics, the publishing house, but are no longer truly involved in the day-to-day of the property. Collaborating on the covers for this next volume is the closest we get. Instead, long time collaborator Jim Lawson steps into the writing and penciling chair, with Mary Kelleher on letters and Jason Temujin Minor on inks for three issues before Eric Talbot comes back for the rest.
It’s also in color! In fact, everything on this list was originally in color, which is notable for the “TMNT” main series. Eric Vincent is credited as the colorist on most of the “TMNT” issues, with Mary Woodring credited for the first issue and Romel Sanchez on the third (maybe! I think this is a misattribution on the wiki.) Sadly this coloring was not retained in the new printing.
Continued belowThere are four bits of miscellany in this era as well. I’m putting them all here instead of in the middle of the reading order for reasons that will become clear in a few paragraphs.
The first is a crossover with Erik Larson’s “Savage Dragon.” Because it’s referenced in the pages of “TMNT” (Vol. 2) #3, I felt compelled to include it in this breakdown instead of with the Image era. If you’re wondering why you’re seeing it duplicated in that list, know that 1) it made sense to include it in both places and 2) there is a SECOND different crossover special with the same naming convention as “Batman/Grendel” and “Grendel/Batman.” Frustratingly, those specials have not been collected, only the main issues of “Savage Dragon.” Come on! Just read the two together.
The second is the second “TMNT/Flaming Carrot” crossover. Like “The Savage Dragon/TMNT,” it was published by Mirage and thus uncollected with the other “Flaming Carrot” comics/crossover. Unlike “Savage Dragon” it isn’t referenced anywhere in these issues so it can really be read at anytime.
The third is a two issue “Casey Jones” mini-series that was originally serialized as ‘Down by Downeast’ in “Plastiron Café,” a short-lived anthology. It never finished, hence the mini. Even though the original serialization was during the end of volume 1, the actual issues came out during volume 2’s tenure, which is why I’m including it here, though it’s never been collected since Rick Veitch has the rights.
The last is a pair of short stories about a bit character created by Jim Lawson whose name is so fun to say, I couldn’t in good conscience leave it off: Guzzi LeMans. She is not, as far I know, a TMNT character but did cameo in an issue. This is by far the most tenuous inclusion on this list and for sure a stretch. As such, it’s at the bottom with no regard for pub release. Disregard at your leisure.
Below is the reading order. Unlike volume 1, there’s no need to split it up into trades and single issues. The issues have only ever been collected the once, and only in color, and frankly the order is so straightforward, it felt like a waste of space to include two times.
Annoyingly though, there is a discrepancy in the publication dates for the first two issues of the series! I presume this is a mismatch between the cover dates & the actual release dates because issue #1 was delayed by two months, thus pushing issue #2 forward a month. However the cover dates, and perhaps original solicitations, retained the Oct 1993/Dec 1993 dates and so the Mirage website reflected that.
Whatever the case, I erred on the side of simplicity and bumped “TMNT/Flaming Carrot” up to join “Savage Dragon” as the start of this short-lived era. As for “Casey Jones,” it’s at the end because that makes the most sense for it and keeps the reading order smooth. If you really care to go by cover dates, “TMNT/Flaming Carrot” #1-2 slots in between “TMNT (Vol. 2) #1 & 2 and “TMNT/Flaming Carrot” #3-4 slots in between “TMNT” (Vol. 2) #2 & 3.
Quick & Dirty, Color Enthusiast, and (sadly) Original Completionist
“Savage Dragon” (Ongoing) #2 – “Savage Dragon: The Ultimate Collection” Vol. 1
“The Savage Dragon/TMNT” #1 – Single issue only
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Flaming Carrot” #1-4 – Single issue only
“TMNT” (Vol. 2) #1-5 – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 8
“TMNT” (Vol. 2) #6-9 – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 9
“TMNT” (Vol. 2) #10-13 – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics,” Vol. 10
“Casey Jones” #1-2 – Single issue only
‘The Origins of Guzzi LeMans’ – Single issue only – “Plastron Café” #1-2
‘Guzzi LeMans’ – Single issue only – “Casey Jones & Raphael #1”
Next time, we herald in peak-90s with guns, pouches, and gratuitous everything.
