The Mirage Chronological Order (my issue number)

[DrSpengler]

(I meant to write "BY issue number" but since I can't edit thread titles..a li'l help?)

Inspired by a discussion in another thread (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=17451), and something that could potentially by *very* handy (maybe even worthy of a sticky if we make progress).

This thread is for the discussion and construction of a chronological order for the Mirage timeline.

Important: this only includes issues established by Mirage officials as being part of the timeline. However, issues which fit into the timeline, contain no contradictory elements but were not mentioned (yet) as being canon by Mirage staffers are marked with an * and a (debated) for the time being.

Here's what we have thus far (NOTE - this top post will be constantly updated to include new information with a date of the latest alteration at the top of the thread):

Vol. 1 #9 – The Passing
Tales Vol. 2 #13 – Loops Part 1
Tales Vol. 2 #14 – Loops Part 2
Tales Vol. 2 #1 – Not Forgotten
Vol. 1 #1 – The Turtles’ Origin is Told
Vol. 1 #2 – TMNT Vs. the Mousers
Vol. 1 #3 – The Great Chase
Raphael – Me, Myself and I
Vol. 1 #4 – Rescuing Master Splinter
Fugitoid #1 – The Fugitoid’s Origin
Vol. 1 #5 – Teaming Up with Fugitoid
Vol. 1 #6 – The Triceraton Homeworld
Vol. 1 #7 – All is Revealed
Michelangelo – The Christmas Aliens
Vol. 1 #8 – Team Up with Cerebus
Donatello – Kirby and the Warp Crystal
Tales Vol. 1 #5 – Complete Carnage and Radical
Tales Vol. 1 #6 – Leatherhead
Tales Vol. 1 #7 – The Return of Savanti Romero
Tales Vol. 1 #3 – All Hallow’s Thieves
Leonardo – What Goes Around… Comes Around!
Vol. 1 #10 – Silent Partner
Vol. 1 #11 – True Stories
Tales Vol. 1 #1 – A Tale of the TMNT (side story set during #11)
Tales Vol. 1 #2 – Nobody’s Fool
Vol. 1 #12 – Survivalists
Tales Vol. 1 #4 – I, Monster
Vol. 1 #13 – The People’s Choice
Vol. 1 #14 – The Unmentionables
Vol. 1 #15 – Dome Doom
Vol. 1 #17 – Distractions
Vol. 1 #19 – Return to New York Part 1
Vol. 1 #20 – Return to New York Part 2
Vol. 1 #21 – Return to New York Part 3
Tales Vol. 2 #3 – The Worms of Madness Part 1
Tales Vol. 2 #4 – The Worms of Madness Part 2
*Vol. 1 #24 – The River Part 1 (debated)
*Vol. 1 #25 – The River Part 2 (debated)
*Vol. 1 #26 – The River Part 3 (debated)
Vol. 1 #27 – Dreams of Stone
Vol. 1 #28 – Sons of the Silent Age
Vol. 1 #29 – Men of Shadow
*Vol. 1 #42 – Juliet’s Revenge (debated)
*Vol. 1 #43 - Halls of Lost Legends (debated)
*Vol. 1 #44 – The Violent Underground (debated)
Vol. 1 #45 – Leatherhead, Too
Vol. 1 #46 – Masks Part 1
Vol. 1 #47 – Masks Part 2
Vol. 1 #48 – Shades of Grey Part 1
Vol. 1 #49 – Shades of Grey Part 2
Vol. 1 #50 – City at War Part 1
Vol. 1 #51 – City at War Part 2
Vol. 1 #52 – City at War Part 3
Vol. 1 #53 – City at War Part 4
Vol. 1 #54 – City at War Part 5
Vol. 1 #55 – City at War Part 6
Vol. 1 #56 – City at War Part 7
Vol. 1 #57 – City at War Part 8
Vol. 1 #58 – City at War Part 9
Vol. 1 #59 – City at War Part 10
Vol. 1 #60 – City at War Part 11
Vol. 1 #61 – City at War Part 12
Vol. 1 #62 – City at War Part 13

Tales Vol. 2 #20 – The Trophy – The Cure – The Rippling
Tales Vol. 2 #22 – Change of Power

Vol. 2 #1 – Memories of the Future
Vol. 2 #2 – Winds of Change
Vol. 2 #3 – Evolution
Vol. 2 #4 – Intruders
Vol. 2 #5 – Death Race
Vol. 2 #6 – Killer on the Loose
Vol. 2 #7 – Confrontations
Vol. 2 #8 – Face Off
Vol. 2 #9 – Victory?
Vol. 2 #10 – Descending into D.A.R.P.A.
Vol. 2 #11 – The Rescue
Vol. 2 #12 – The Escape
Vol. 2 #13 – The Battle

Tales Vol. 2 #19 – A Ghost Story
Tales Vol. 2 #2 – Seeds of Destruction
Tales Vol. 2 #8 – Virus
Tales Vol. 2 #9 – The Path
Tales Vol. 2 #24 – Rock of Ages
Tales Vol. 2 #26 – The Value of Gold
Tales Vol. 2 #6 – Scars
Tales Vol. 2 #7 – Darkness Weaves
Tales Vol. 2 #15 – Hell’s Blacktop
Tales Vol. 2 #10 – Kaddish
Tales Vol. 2 #11 – The Quick and the Dead

Vol. 4 #1
Vol. 4 #2
Vol. 4 #3
Vol. 4 #4
Vol. 4 #5
Vol. 4 #6
Vol. 4 #7
Vol. 4 #8
Vol. 4 #9
Vol. 4 #10
Vol. 4 #11
Tales Vol. 2 #17 – Wrong Turn
Vol. 4 #12
Vol. 4 #13
Vol. 4 #14
Vol. 4 #15
Vol. 4 #16
Vol. 4 #17
Tales Vol. 2 #18 – Altered Fates
Vol. 4 #18
Vol. 4 #19
Vol. 4 #20
Vol. 4 #21
Vol. 4 #22
Vol. 4 #23
Vol. 4 #24
Vol. 4 #25
Vol. 4 #26
Vol. 4 #27
Vol. 4 #28
Tales Vol. 2 #27 – White Horse

Tales Vol. 2 #16 – Sins of the Past



To Be Determined:

Tales Vol. 2 #5 – Blind Faith
Tales of Leo #1 – Blind Sight Part 1
Tales of Leo #2 – Blind Sight Part 2
Tales of Leo #3 – Blind Sight Part 3
Tales of Leo #4 – Blind Sight Part 4


Tales Vol. 2 #12 – Paris Nocturne
Tales Vol. 2 #21 – A (Bull) Wrinkle in Time
Tales Vol. 2 #23 – Attack of the Replicants
Tales Vol. 2 #25 – Kung Fu Theater – My Hero! – The Doors of Deception
Tales Vol. 3 #28 - Shanghaid - Channeling

Grunts #1 – The Lesson

There's also the matter of the various Turtle Soup, Plastron Cafe, Usagi Yojimbo, Anything Goes and Professor Obligado stories.

[Aztec General]

Don't forget the selected Shell Shock short stories and the Nobody short from Tales Collected. Otherwise great list!

Also I do believe that either Berger or Laird confirmed that 42-44 were not canon. In all honesty it could go either way though (I love issue 42).

[DrSpengler]

Well, to be honest, Chris did most of the work (I'm a thiiieeeeff!).

The hard parts gonna be going through Tales vol. 2 and working out where they fit in.

[Aztec General]

Well, to be honest, Chris did most of the work (I'm a thiiieeeeff!).

The hard parts gonna be going through Tales vol. 2 and working out where they fit in.

Hey still nice work. I've made a thread or two like this in the past myself. I love this kind of thing. It's especially good for those who are just getting into the comics, which seems like quite a few people on various message boards (and that's a good thing IMHO!).

[Ratchet]

If I recall, Not Forgotten is set when they're preteens, so it would come before Vol.1 #1, and Worms of Madness Part 1 shows The Shredder's funeral pyre/barge sequence, so that would come straight after Return to New York. Loops seems to focus largely on the youngest Leo - given that's who we start with, so that too would come before Vol.1 #1 AND before Not Forgotten.

Scars would come before Vol.4 #1, as would Darkness Weaves and Paris Nocturne


I would call these the "Volume 3 Issues"
Tales Vol. 2 #8 – Virus
Tales Vol. 2 #2 – Seeds of Destruction
Tales Vol. 2 #9 – The Path (They appear to be in April's appartment from either Vol. 1 or 2 but seeing as Don and Splinter are both there it would come somewhere between the gaps in Vol.2 or somewhere after if that were the case)
Tales Vol. 2 #10 – Kaddish (Given Pi's appearance at Splinter's funeral, I would put it closer to Vol. 4
Tales Vol. 2 #11 – The Quick and the Dead (I took the three foot mystics as being "loyalists" - against Karai, not necessarily for the Shredder, but for the Foot that ruled during the Shredder's reign).
Tales Vol. 2 #15 – Hell’s Blacktop (Given Shadow's age puts it towards the end of the Vol. 3 Tales)
Tales Vol. 2 #16 – Sins of the Past (Possibly POST-Vol 4)
Tales Vol. 2 #17 – Wrong Turn (During Vol 4 - after Splinter's funeral issue)
Tales Vol. 2 #18 – Altered Fates (Somewhere after - or before - Don is shrunk)
Tales Vol. 2 #19 – A Ghost Story (Anywhere between City at War and Vol 4 i suppose)
Tales Vol. 2 #20 – The Trophy – The Cure – The Rippling (With the splinter tale first, I put it post City at War - PreVol 2)

Tales Vol. 2 #22 – Change of Power (At the moment, I'm thinking post City at War, but it's hard to tell without the rest of the story)

Tales Vol. 2 #24 – Rock of Ages ("Vol 3 Tales")

Tales Vol. 2 #26 – The Value of Gold ("Vol 3 Tales")
Tales Vol. 2 #27 – White Horse (somewhere around #28 of Vol 4 - as it seems April has been gone a fair while)
Tales Vol. 3 #28 - Shanghaid - Channeling - Still not sure...

[DrSpengler]

Cool man, lotsa thanks.

I rearranged the list to accomodate your thoughts, though haven't completely organized them (soit isn't 100% precise).


Also, Tales vol. 2 "Hell's Blacktop" shares NUMEROUS similarities with Vol. 1 #30 "Sky Highway" which was written by Vietch, the guy who wrote the River and North by Downeast. Do you think Hell's Blacktop might validate Sky Highway since there's nothing totally contradictory about that story and they seem to share several similarities?

[Ratchet]

I just checked my box - I put the Blindsight 5 in before Leatherhead, Too, as there are a bunch of done-in-one stories revolving around the Foot and other villains and I figured that if the Foot are still up and around (though scattered) in Leatherhead, Too, then the blind Foot in Blindsight would be working in kind of the same way as the three in Leathehead Too. So it sort of wavers around that time frame in my mind.

Seeds of Destruction and Quick andthe Dead are also linked by the three Foot Mystics...

[Chris]

That list I gave you was a VERY abbriviated form of my TMNT timeline.

Work on it is progressing VERY slowly because of work and other commitments.

Basically I had a rough timeline worked out but I wanted an exact one so I started working through the issues in release order to give an exact timeline.

I'm still only in Volume 1 right now (though I did use Tales Vol. 2 #1 to establish the year as that sets the TMNT as 12 in October 1981 for the centinary), but hopefully I'll be able to get a lot more done soon as I have a week off work in early December.

Here's what I have so far;

Late Cretaceous Period
• The TMNT and Renet fight against Savanti Romero for a second time (for more details see Tales Vol. 1 #7 in 1986)
1406
• The TMNT and Renet fight against Savanti Romero for the first time (for more details see Vol. 1 #8 in 1985)
1957
• Splinter watches Hamato Yoshi train and slowly learns ninjitsu
• Oroku Nagi beats Tang Shen in a jealous rage. Yoshi killed Nagi in revenge
• Yoshi is exiled to America for killing another member of the Foot Clan. Shen leaves with him
• Yoshi opens a martial arts school in America
• Oroku Saki, age seven, vows revenge for his brothers death
Early 1960s (Approx. 1963/1964?)
• The Utroms come to Earth to observe the planet, but crash landed and were presumed dead by their homeworld
• Over the next few years they worked in New York, earning enough money to buy what would become the TCRI building
1968
• Oroku Saki, aged 18, has become the Foot Clan’s greatest warrior and is sent to America where he establishes the New York Foot Clan
May 1969
• The New York Foot Clan is now a strong force in the city, involved in many criminal activities
• Oroku Saki, now The Shredder, tracks down and murders Tang Shen and Hamato Yoshi. In the struggle Splinter’s cage is broken open and he flees to the streets
June 1969
• Moving the last of the materials salvaged from their crashed ship the Utroms nearly had an accident when a blind man walked out in front of them
• A canister of mutagen was jarred loose and fell into the sewers
• The Turtles and Splinter are exposed to the TCRI mutagen
• The TCRI Utroms re-established contact with their homeworld and are asked to stay and continue their observations
Approx. May/June 1970
• The Turtles reach their current size
Early 1971
• The Turtles start walking and talking, Splinter begins to train them in the ways of Ninjitsu
1979 or 1980
Vol. 1 #9 – The Passing
o Gosei Hatsumi contacts Splinter via the Astral Plane and requests the use of his body to pass the Gosei Samurai spirit to his grandson
o “Splinter” and the Turtles infiltrate the Gosei building, thwart an assassination attempt (in which corrupt Gosei Kenji dies protecting his son) and pass the Gosei Spirit on to Gosei Hattori
June 1981
• TMNT turn 12 years old
October 1981
Tales Vol. 2 #1 – Not Forgotten
o The TMNT find an old map in a book and explore underneath the city to discover the ruins of an ancient civilisation and the last of the worm people that populate it
1983
• Battling Bernice, a member of the now retired Justice Force, dies from old age
May 1984
Vol. 1 #1 – The Turtles’ Origin is Told
o Splinter tells the TMNT their origin and the reason for their training
o The TMNT face and kill The Shredder, avenging Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen’s deaths
June 1984
• TMNT turn 15
Approx. Late August/Early September 1984
• Baxter Stockman makes his initial TV announcement about the Mousers
Late November 1984
Vol. 1 #2 – TMNT Vs. the Mousers
o April discovers Baxter’s plan and runs into the sewers where she is saved by the TMNT
o Splinter tells April the story of the TMNT’s origin
o April and the TMNT stop Baxter’s plan and destroy the Mousers
Vol. 1 #3 – The Great Chase
o The TMNT return home to find Splinter missing
o The Turtles move in with April above her
o Splinter awakens in the TCRI building and sees the Utorms
Raphael – Me, Myself and I
o Raph nearly kills Mike in sparring so Leo sends him out for air
o Casey Jones takes to the streets to fight crime
o Raph stops Casey from killing some street thugs
o Raph teaches Casey that he must control his anger and the two team up to stop a mugging
December 1984
Vol. 1 #4 – Rescuing Master Splinter
o Out on an exercise run the TMNT are attacked by the Foot wanting revenge for Shredder’s death. At the end of the battle the see the TCRI building and recognised the name from the canister of ooze that mutated them
o Someone is spying on the Turtles (possibly the Foot as they later attack April’s home a year later)
o The Turtles break into the TCRI building
o The TMNT find Splinter in suspended animation
o In a misunderstanding the TMNT battle the Utroms and active the Translocation Matrix and get sent across the galaxy
Fugitoid #1 – The Fugitoid’s Origin
o Professor Honeycut is threaten by General Blanque to complete his Transmat device, but Honeycut does not want to do it as he does not wish it to be used as a weapon
o Professor Honeycut continues work on his Mentawave Helmet, discovering how to move plants with his mind and learning that he can read Sal’s, his helper robot, thoughts
o After freeing Sal from some cables Honeycut and his robot are struck by lightening and Honeycut awakens to find his mind is now in Sal’s robotic body
o General Blanque finds Honeycut’s dead body and blames the robot Sal for murder making him a Fugitoid
o Blanque learns the truth whilst searching the lab and it works to his advantage as robots have no rights so when caught the Fugitoid will have to make the Transmat
o Honeycut, with some help, flees to the city of Peblak
o General Blanque tells his assistant Lonae why the robot is so important, information she then sells to the Triceratons for a drug fix. The Triceraton kills her to insure information about the Transmat does not leak out as the Triceratons desire the weapon as well
o Honeycut is cornered by soldiers when the TMNT appear out of thin air
Vol. 1 #5 – Teaming Up with Fugitoid
o Honeycut and the TMNT escape from Blanque’s soldiers
o Honeycut tells the TMNT his origin story
o They travel to a bar looking for a pilot but end up fighting Federation troops, then Honeycut is taken by the Triceratons in the confusion
o The TMNT chase the Triceratons and stow away on one of their ships
Vol. 1 #6 – The Triceraton Homeworld
o The ship arrives at the Triceraton homeworld where the TMNT are found and given oxygen breathers
o Honeycut refuses to build a Transmat for Prime Leader Zanramon
o April worries about the missing Turtles when she hears a news report about a strange beam of light shooting from the top of the TCRI building 2 days earlier
o The Triceratons put the TMNT in the Tri-Sports arena as gladiators to convince Honeycut to build a Transmat, but the TMNT win and take Zanramon hostage to make their escape
o Zanramon is killed in the crossfire as the TMNT try and escape
o The TMNT, Honeycut and 3 Triceratons are beamed away
Vol. 1 #7 – All is Revealed
o 3 days since the first beam of light a second beam hits the TCRI building and the TMNT return
o The Triceratons attack as they want the Translocation Matrix, but the TMNT and the Utroms fight them off
o The Turtles and Splinter are reunited
o The Utroms and Honeycut rebuild the Translocation Matrix whilst Splinter and the Utroms explain their link to the TMNT
o The National Guard attacks the building
o The TMNT, Fugitoid and the Utroms escape to the Utrom homeworld, then the TMNT and Splinter are sent back to April’s apartment. What happens to the Triceratons (2 stunned, 1 dead) is unknown…
Late December 1984
Michelangelo – The Christmas Aliens
o Michelangelo discovers a stray cat whom he adopts and names Klunk
o Mike discovers thieves trying to steal L’il Orphan Alien dolls that are meant to be donated to a children’s home
o The TMNT and April deliver the toys to the children’s home
Early 1985
• April rents the front cellar office to Kirby who discovers the warp crystal
April/May 1985
Vol. 1 #8 – Team Up with Cerebus (Time Travails)
o Details on this issue to change due to removal of Cerebus
o Apprentice Timestress Renet steals Lord Simultaneous’ Time Sceptre and wishes to be taken to New York, 1985 where she meets the TMNT (was 1986 in the original comic, but at that time the TMNT were hiding in Northampton)
o Renet and the TMNT travel back to 1406 to escape Lord Simultaneous’ wrath
o Savanti Romero feels the Sceptre’s presence and sends men after it and steals it from Renet
o The TMNT and Renet raid Savanti’s castle
o Lord Simultaneous appears and stops Savanti (who had tried to over throw him eons earlier)
o Savanti is sent to the time of the dinosaurs, the TMNT are sent home and Renet is given chores in chains
Donatello – Kirby and the Warp Crystal
o Donatello meets Kirby and learns about the warp crystal he found in a pile of coal a few months earlier
o Don and Kirby travel to the world where all his creations vanish to
o After defeating the monsters Don makes it out but Kirby remains in that world
June 1985
• TMNT turn 16
July 1985
Tales Vol. 1 #5 – Complete Carnage and Radical
o The TMNT witness a battle between Radical and Complete Carnage and follow them to the industrial district.
o After Radical rips off Complete Carnage’s arm the fight moves to Central Park where he can’t use man-made materials to gain strength
o It appears that Radical sacrifices herself to defeat Complete Carnage, but Carnage (at least in some form) survives…

[Chris]

August/September 1985
Tales Vol. 1 #6 – Leatherhead
o Game hunter Mr. Marlin travels to New York to hunt for giant alligators in the sewers, but he is followed by an animal protector
o After a battle with The Foot the TMNT also end up in the sewers as they attempt to avoid a Foot ambush
o The TMNT find Leatherhead’s home but are about to be shot by Marlin when Leatherhead intervenes
o Leatherhead explains his origin to the TMNT, his connection to the Utroms, and his desire to reunite with them
o Marlin attempts to escape the animal protector and falls to his death
o The TMNT offer Leatherhead their old sewer home since his was discovered
Tales Vol. 1 #7 – The Return of Savanti Romero
o In a museum with April, Don and Mike are confronted the image of Savanti Romero who plans to change history and wipe them out, allowing them the chance to challenge him at the Ring of Fire
o With Renet’s help (it’s her final exam) the TMNT travel back in time to the end of the age of the dinosaurs
o Renet and the Time Sceptre are taken captive by Savanti but the TMNT are able to defeat him and free Renet before Savanti can alter the course of history
o Struck by the same bolt of cosmic energy that he hoped to use to change history it is believed Savanti Romero is destroyed, but the Time Sceptre is lost
o 3 months later the TMNT and Renet discover the Sceptre inside a giant fish and return home as if no time has passed
31st October 1985
Tales Vol. 1 #3 – All Hallow’s Thieves
o The TMNT are getting ready to go out for Halloween when thieves break into the antique store to steal an ancient idol
o The TMNT confront the thieves leader only to be attacked by demons and then by the idol itself brought to life
o The TMNT push the idol off a building to destroy it whilst the police arrest the thieves leader
24th December 1985
Leonardo – What Goes Around… Comes Around!
o Leonardo is out on a training run when he is attacked by the Foot and Foot Elite
o The other Turtles, April and Splinter are at home preparing for Christmas
o As the Turtles get ready to go looking for Leonardo he comes crashing through the window saying that Shredder is back
Vol. 1 #10 – Silent Partner
o The Foot follow Leo through the window into April’s apartment. The other Turtles hold them off whilst Splinter and April try to get Leo away from the battle
o They escape down to the Second Time Around store to be confronted by Shredder and more Foot
o Casey Jones joins the fight with the Turtles
o The TMNT and their friends escape out the back whilst the building burns to the ground
o They retreat to Northampton
Tales Vol. 1 #1 – A Tale of the TMNT
o Casey’s cousin Sid comes to the farm house looking for the money their Grandfather stole in the Hoosic Tunnel Train Job
o The Turtles take out Sid’s goons whilst Casey beats Sid
o Casey and Sid find the place where the money was hidden (his dog’s grave) only to find that their Grandmother donated all the money to charity
15th January – 2nd May 1986
Vol. 1 #11 – True Stories
o April still has nightmares about Shredder and the Foot
o The four Turtles try to heal their spirits – Leonardo spends his time hunting in the forests, Donatello fixes everything he can around the farm, Michelangelo trains constantly, Raphael keeps watch every night and spends time with Casey
o Leo saves April after ice cracks and she falls into a frozen lake
o Splinter takes the TMNT training to rebuild their group spirit
June 1986
• TMNT turn 17
Summer – Fall 1986
Tales Vol. 1 #2 – Nobody’s Fool
o Still hiding out in Northampton the TMNT hear reports of a vigilante in the city of Springfield
o The TMNT head to Springfield where they meet Nobody, a police officer acting as a vigilante
o The TMNT help Nobody to stop an illegal arms sale
Vol. 1 #12 – Survivalists
o The TMNT, Splinter, April and Casey have their picnic interrupted by a man running from a group of survivalists who used him to build a nuclear bomb so they could start a US/USSR war
o The TMNT take out the survivalists whilst Splinter fights their leader, Skonk
o Donatello takes the Plutonium core from the bomb, so when Skonk detonates it he only destroys himself and the survivalists base
Tales Vol. 1 #4 – I, Monster
o The TMNT and Casey are investigating an old abandoned factory outside Northampton to see what’s really “haunting” it
o Mike separates from the group and is caught by the Monster (who was the Ghost last year)
o As the sun sets the rats come out, Mike manages to break free just before they come to eat him
o The other Turtles hear his calls, find him and help him fight off the rats
o The Turtles and Casey chase the Monster who traps them in an arena and lets the rats in to feed on them
o Mike breaks a whole in the wall and they escape, Leo then kills the Monster with a shuriken and he falls into the arena
o The Monster is reborn as the Rat King
Vol. 1 #13 – The People’s Choice
o The TMNT go camping and end up helping Jhanna fight a political election against the oppressive Moriah for rule of Slandon
Vol. 1 #14 – The Unmentionables
o Casey and the TMNT help to solve the stealing of the golden cow from Louie’s Variety sweet shop and end up fighting against international thieves
Vol. 1 #15 – Dome Doom
o At the comic shop Raph, Mike and Casey are when it’s attacked by Domebots. Here they meet Stainless Steve Steel and Metalhead of the Justice Force
o The TMNT and Casey team up with the Justice Force (Stainless Steve Steel, Metalhead,, Zippy Lad and Joey Lastic) to fight Dr. Dome and his Domebots
o Dome is stopped by Ananda, daughter of Battling Bernice, and accepts Steve’s offer to stay with him and Metalhead and start a new life
Vol. 1 #17 – Distractions
o Michelangelo writes a story set in Feudal Japan of his search for his brothers and his adventure alongside Princess Tai against the evil Tachi and Daimyo Orkai
19th-25th December 1986
Vol. 1 #19 – Return to New York Part 1
Vol. 1 #20 – Return to New York Part 2
Vol. 1 #21 – Return to New York Part 3

Notes

• The dates in the new comics (Vol. 4 and Tales Vol. 2) were to take precedence over the old comics as these are (I believe) based upon Peter Laird’s own timeline of events.
• I Wanted TMNT Vol. 1 #1 to take place in May 1984. This was possible as the TMNT grew to their current size in a year, then an unknown amount of time passed before they started walking and talking, then they trained for 13 years. Assuming that this unknown amount of time was almost a year, it allowed the TMNT to fight Shredder for the first time in May 1984 without upsetting the fact that the TMNT were 12 in 1981 and 15.5 before X-Mas 1984
• TMNT Vol. 1 #4-7 must happen in December given the TMNT have a birthday in June. It’s been one week since Splinter disappeared so therefore Vol. #2-3 and Raphael must happen either early December or late November
• April/May was chosen for Vol. 1 #8 and Donatello as #8 looks to be set in Spring and in Donatello April notes that she’s been renting the from cellar office to Kirby, Don says the TMNT are nearly 16 and Kirby says he found the crystal a few months ago. This means April started renting the room to him roughly at the start of the year and that’s when he found the crystal
• Vol. 1 #9 is set at 1979 or 1980 as this would make the TMNT at oldest 11 and at youngest 9. Tales Vol. 2 #14 revealed that Leo received his first real katana at 8 years old (I’m assuming he was probably the first to receive a real weapon) and Tales Vol. 2 #1 reveals that by the end of 1981 the TMNT had their final weapons, so 79/80 felt like the best fit for this story
• Whilst the dating in Vol. 1 #11 makes it clear that the events of Leo/Vol. 1 #10 happened Winter 1986, this is ignored as it was just an attempt to keep the series in real-time (like the events of Return to New York one year later being set in December 1988 )
• Tales Vol. 1 #1 is clearly set after TMNT #10, for Tales Vol. 1 #2 and 4 I have put them in release order with the other comics set in the one year retreat to Northampton. Tales Vol. 1 #3 and 5 give clear dates (October and July respectively) and as they are set in New York and not Northampton I’ve put them the year before between Donatello and Leonardo. Tales Vol. 1 #6 and 7 are also set in the city so I’ve placed them in release order on the timeline between the July date in #5 and the October date in #3.

Sorry about the double post, that's the first time I've ever been told my post is too long!

[Ratchet]

Does anyone else kind of find the use of specific YEAR dates a little... dating? I know most comics do this now, but I prefer thinking of things/events/issues being so many days/weeks/months/years apart so that the issue isn't locked in a specific time that might contradict the current times being reflected.

[Chris]

Trist, that was a problem in Volume 1.

When it was written the dates in the comic were done to reflect the real world. For example; Vol. 1 #11 had the TMNT's recovery in Northampton set Jan-May 1987 after the defeat by Shredder X-Mas 1986, but Return to New York, set one year after that defeat, had the date as December 1988. Also Tales Vol. 1 #1 supported the ROTY date by saying "remember the winter of 1987" when talking about the defeat on its opening page.

This is why there isn't really a specific date set for Vol. 4. There was a mention of "last September" in one of the early issues (#3 I think) which could be used to set the start of the series in early 2002 (it was still winter when the series started), but since then all we've had is "six months later" in #5 and a few references to the passage of time in subsequent issues. It seems Peter Laird has learnt from the problems in volume 1 and doesn't want to repeat them. Which is nice as most modern comics still act like Vol. 1 did with the year dates contradicting what is being said in story.

Tales Vol. 2 does this with a lot of issues (#1 being a prime example), but there are also a lot of issues in that series that could go anywhere in the gap between Vol. 2 and Vol. 4 (though I'm sure Peter Laird and Steve Murphy have got most of them marked at specific points on the TMNT timeline).

I don't think it stops them looking at current issues, Tales Vol. 2 has done that quite well on many occasions. Plus many issues that we would call modern issues aren't exclusive to the modern day and can easily be looked at in a comic set in the 90s and start of this decade.

[discordiatookie]

hooooooollllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeee crap!

chris, you kick ass! i started to do a mirage timeline, but decided against it as it seemed to big a task for me. but this, wow! its awesome! and its gonna be even cooler when you hit on stuff like 'masks' and april's origin and all :D

[Raph's Girl]

I'd just like to point out that there's no way Splinter is a normal rat. If these timelines are right then he would have been about 13 when mutated and rats only live for 2 - 4 years. The guiness record is 7!

So he was probably a freak of nature to begin with... a rat living WAAAY past the normal rat age and learning martial arts?!

Those are nice timelines and all but where do the Usagi, Flaming Carrott, and Savage Dragon crossovers fit? I don't think there'll ever be a 100% accurate timeline due to all the crossovers and such.

As for dates: In Tales of the TMNT Volume 2 issue 15, Shadow writes in her diary. The date given in her diary is May 10th, 2001.

[Chris]

Good point about rat's ages! I don't think that was really being considered when they wrote the origin. All the flashback dates are based on what Splinter said in Vol. 1 #1 so the amount of years are right even if the specific years don't match Peter Laird's timeline (if he ever reveals it). So yeah Splinter was a super rat even before he mutated!

I don't believe the official counts the cross-overs as cannon, so that means you don't have to worry about fitting those in (makes accuracy easier too!).

Shadow's age/diary dates have popped up in a few issues of Tales, and I'll use that to adjust the timeline when I reach to them as they will influence her year of birth and therefore the setting of "City at War" which in turn would influence just about everything else! Since I've worked from the TMNT are 12 in 1981 from Tales Vol. 2, the Shadow dates in Tales Vol. 2 should match up with where I place "City at War" as I go through Vol. 1... of course things could go wrong...

[Ratchet]

It's also worth looking at how much Shadow actually grows from the end of CAW to the end of Vol. 2, as there seems to be a time jump that can be best ascertained by Shadow's growth in Vol. 2. Might help re-establish some things...

[Chris]

Yes there is a gap between Vol.2 #1 and the rest of Vol. 2

Vol. 2 #1 seems to be set soon after "City at War" as Shadow is still a baby and Don still has a broken arm. But the rest of the series seems to take place a good time later, maybe even a year or two, as Shadow has grown a lot and can even be seen playing a computer game in one panel (so she'd have to be at least 3 or 4!).

I'll worry about that when I come to it.:o

[discordiatookie]

i've always wondered if the powers that be see raphael as being the inspiration of the foot clan, in the year of 1373, in mike dooney's Masks issues (#s 46 and 47) or if its not seen as 'cannon' by them or what...

"We must never again mention the strange shelled creatures," Oshi begins, "In time, others will join us and we will become a force to be reckoned with. So just as every journey begins with a single step... we shall call ourselves The Foot."

that there quote is from the official mirage site, by the by...

[Ratchet]

Alright, going on Shadow's growth, I'd say that there's just under a year between Vol.1 #62 and Vol.2 #1, then I'd say come issue 6 (the first time we really see her properly) she looks around 16-18 months old (and is capable of simple speech). It looks as though there's another gap in time between #5 and #6, in which I assume Baxter would formulate his moves regarding April, and hunt her down, and everything from #2-#5 seems to take place over about a week - with the latter issues (from when the giant turtle and merwoman are encountered) taking place in a much more condensed timeframe at the end of that week...


I'm also pretty sure that Change of Power comes in that time between Return to New York and City at War...