The IDW Chronological Timeline.

[DrSpengler]

I moved it because ToTheNines moved it, basically, but i felt his choice was the better one.

And looking back, I think it reads best as a prologue to Krang War (the entire story is basically a flashback and placement isn't set in stone, so it cans till go between #14 and #15, I'm just thinking in terms of how best it reads).

[Chris]

No worries. I think, thematically, it does fit better just before Krang War, but in terms of strict chronology I still think it takes place between 14 and 15. Just because the dates are really tight between Chet joining Stockgen and April joining as an intern, and the few weeks between Sins of the Father and Blood Brothers could mess that up (I know comic time, have to expect a few things like that, but if its intended release order fits then no need to mess that up by pushing it back).

Plus I kinda like having the Blood Brothers arc between Fugitoid and Krang War. Like having Sins of the Fathers between the April micro and Blood Brothers, it just makes the world feel a little more real as all the related events aren't happening at the same time, other stuff is happening in between.

[DrSpengler]

Bobby just said over at the IDW Forums that Microseries April is a better fit between TMNT #14 and TMNT #15 despite what his original editor's note on the issue's inside cover said.

So I moved it there in my timeline.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

Bobby just said over at the IDW Forums that Microseries April is a better fit between TMNT #14 and TMNT #15 despite what his original editor's note on the issue's inside cover said.

So I moved it there in my timeline.

Is that on account of Slash's role?

[DrSpengler]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Is that on account of Slash's role?

Probably.

The note inside the Micro #7 cover said it went between #12 and #13. However, Micro #6 ended right where #13 began. So in order to go there, Micro #7 would have to take place before Micro #6.

However, it actually reads better between #14 and #15, I think, as it acts as a prelude to "Blood Brothers" and doesn't require any counterintuitive chronology by having issue #7 take place before issue #6.


I love putting reading orders and chronologies together. I know it probably drives editors up the wall whenever people badger them about continuity and timelines, but I find that sort of stuff fun to work out. Like putting a puzzle together.

[ToTheNines]

Originally Posted by Chris

No worries. I think, thematically, it does fit better just before Krang War, but in terms of strict chronology I still think it takes place between 14 and 15. Just because the dates are really tight between Chet joining Stockgen and April joining as an intern, and the few weeks between Sins of the Father and Blood Brothers could mess that up (I know comic time, have to expect a few things like that, but if its intended release order fits then no need to mess that up by pushing it back).

I feel you on that. However the flashback designations aren't hard dates, so you can round them without stretching things.

"Fugitoid" placement on either side of Blood Brothers is only like a 3 days difference anyways. The bulk of it takes place within like 1 hour, then the last scene is only the very next day.

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

Bobby just said over at the IDW Forums that Microseries April is a better fit between TMNT #14 and TMNT #15 despite what his original editor's note on the issue's inside cover said.

Hm. This troubles me.

I know Bobby's the editor, but he even admitted that he didn't quite remember where "April" was supposed to take place. And since he's surely more mentally invested in City Fall and the upcoming villain micro's right now, I'm more inclined to side with his initial thinking in his editor's note on the inside cover.

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

However, it actually reads better between #14 and #15, I think, as it acts as a prelude to "Blood Brothers"

No one will argue that, but I've done multiple series readthroughs in that original order (April, Casey, 13/14, 15/16) and it flows just fine with "April" coming first. And like Chris said, it makes it feel more "true to life" when related events have other stuff going on in between them.

Plus like I said, #15 states that Slash has been free for 2 weeks. The Casey issue and "Sins of the Father" take place over the course of one night, no more than 2 hours time. They fit right in there easy peasy.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

I feel you on that. However the flashback designations aren't hard dates, so you can round them without stretching things.

"Fugitoid" placement on either side of Blood Brothers is only like a 3 days difference anyways. The bulk of it takes place within like 1 hour, then the last scene is only the very next day.

If I remember right, using the dates in Fugitoid (and those in Change is Constant) it works out that Chet joined Stockgen in the same month as April. Little hard to believe but there's nothing to say it didn't happen that way. So Fugitoid has to take place in January or you end up with Chet joining Stockgen after April.

Now this is comics and stuff like that happens but if the dates fit in January then lets go with that.

No real issue. I'd originally used the narrative gap and the "2 weeks" thing to put the annual and Blood Brothers in February since January was looking a little crowded. But pretty much everything up to 13/14 is early January, so the annual, Blood Brothers and Fugitoid could just as easily take place in late Jan.

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

Hm. This troubles me.

I know Bobby's the editor, but he even admitted that he didn't quite remember where "April" was supposed to take place. And since he's surely more mentally invested in City Fall and the upcoming villain micro's right now, I'm more inclined to side with his initial thinking in his editor's note on the inside cover.

I know what you mean. My gut says to go with his editorial notes from when he was working on the issue. Having looked through the issue again tonight it does work either way. Leave this one up to personal preference and whichever editors note you choose to go with I guess!

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

No one will argue that, but I've done multiple series readthroughs in that original order (April, Casey, 13/14, 15/16) and it flows just fine with "April" coming first. And like Chris said, it makes it feel more "true to life" when related events have other stuff going on in between them.

Plus like I said, #15 states that Slash has been free for 2 weeks. The Casey issue and "Sins of the Father" take place over the course of one night, no more than 2 hours time. They fit right in there easy peasy.

The more I think about it, the more I think there's a "best reading order" (where Casey leads into Sins of the Fathers, April leads into Blood Brothers and Fugitoid leads into Krang War) which from the latest comments on the IDW boards seems to be the "official" order, and the originally intended chronological order (April before Casey, Fugitoid in release order between 14/15, etc).

Not sure which approach I'm going to go with to be honest. The new official order doesn't really create any problems as a chronological order, but the thematic groupings does detract a little from the sense of this being a living world for me. I was planning on re-reading everything when Krang War and Secret History were finished, so I'll probably decide then.

[DrSpengler]

I suppose it really does boil down to preference, as neither placement necessarily contradicts the overall story structure anywhere.

But personally, I like keeping thematic stories together where it's possible, so moving Fugitoid to just before Krang War and April O'Neil to just before Blood Brothers works that out for me. And in the case of April O'Neil, it cleans up the counter intuitiveness of having #7 take place before #6.

But it's up to interpretation and it keeps our different chronologies unique in a way.

[RaphaelsIsolation]

So the SHofFC 4 issues are always going to be by themself, separate?

[Chris]

The only difference between Secret History and any other arc is that Secret History is a mini series (and therefore has a different writer). It's still part of the on going narrative.

Chronologically it takes place between Krang War and City Fall.

[ToTheNines]

Originally Posted by RaphaelsIsolation

So the SHofFC 4 issues are always going to be by themself, separate?

What do you mean? I gave them their own "paragraph" but that doesn't really mean anything. I just do it to make the list easier to read.

[RaphaelsIsolation]

I just didn't know where those would fit into the normal story, are they basically before #1?

since they are back in time? i haven't read them yet. i have 1, 2, 3 just been busy to read them.

thanks

[Powder]

Try reading them before being concerned about this sort of thing.

[ianke_2002]

Originally Posted by Powder

Try reading them before being concerned about this sort of thing.

Or he just wants to be sure that he reads them in the correct order when he does get around to them. Perfectly understandable in my opinion.

[ToTheNines]

Originally Posted by RaphaelsIsolation

I just didn't know where those would fit into the normal story, are they basically before #1?

since they are back in time? i haven't read them yet. i have 1, 2, 3 just been busy to read them.

thanks

If they were before #1, I'd have put them before #1

The issues go back and forth between "present day" and feudal Japan.

[RaphaelsIsolation]

yeah, sorry for asking... i'll know better next time.

[Chris]

Updated the timeline with both reading orders. Added the Secret History flashbacks to Feudal Japan and the ending (in spoiler tags) just before the "18 months ago" flashback from #1. The placement of that last one is conjecture but I think it fits and the event deserves to be on the timeline.

[corvus]

Shouldn't you guys wait til 21 to come out before assuming shotfc takes place before or after Krang wars? Cause they're supposed to be all like "yay we just kicked Krangs ass at the beginning of issue 21". I personally think secret history is before Krang wars.

[Chris]

Bobby said a few weeks ago that City Fall is approximately a month or two after Krang War and the modern day parts of Secret History takes place during that gap.

[RaphaelsIsolation]

i'm still wondering why micro 7 comes before 6 and it even says between 12-13 inside the cover.

bobby even said it should be 14-15 between

Could you guys update this wonderful thread?