What if the Archie comics kept goin?

[Coola Yagami]

I kinda wish the DW or hell, even the older Archie comic stuck around. I mean... had the Archies kept goin, would they have eventually introduced Lord Dregg? Venus? Hun and the new Foot symbol once the 2K3 series hit? I mean, due to the popularity of Karai in the new series, we might have finally seen Karai in the Archie comics battling against the more 80-ish turtles... or hell, would the turtles' attitudes change to reflect the new cartoon? Would some issue have had Shredder or someone destroy the Turtle Van to give Don an excuse to make the Battle Shell? Or would they have had some kind of TMNT embargo when suddenly all the mutants and such from the old show would suddenly vanish after certain number of issues to bring in the 2K3 cast? This reminds me of the STILL ongoing Sonic comic in which it was first based on Sonic 1-3 and the cartoons aired at the time... then basically went on doing whatever it wanted during the Sonic hiatus making up ner characters galore... and then started crammin in all the newer cast once the Sonic Adventures games hit.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

I kinda wish the DW or hell, even the older Archie comic stuck around. I mean... had the Archies kept goin, would they have eventually introduced Lord Dregg? Venus? Hun and the new Foot symbol once the 2K3 series hit? I mean, due to the popularity of Karai in the new series, we might have finally seen Karai in the Archie comics battling against the more 80-ish turtles... or hell, would the turtles' attitudes change to reflect the new cartoon? Would some issue have had Shredder or someone destroy the Turtle Van to give Don an excuse to make the Battle Shell? Or would they have had some kind of TMNT embargo when suddenly all the mutants and such from the old show would suddenly vanish after certain number of issues to bring in the 2K3 cast? This reminds me of the STILL ongoing Sonic comic in which it was first based on Sonic 1-3 and the cartoons aired at the time... then basically went on doing whatever it wanted during the Sonic hiatus making up ner characters galore... and then started crammin in all the newer cast once the Sonic Adventures games hit.

I wish Archie was still on. The Archie comics rocked!

[Andrew NDB]

had the Archies kept goin, would they have eventually introduced Lord Dregg? Venus? Hun and the new Foot symbol once the 2K3 series hit?

No, probably not.

[DrSpengler]

No, probably not.

Indeed. Especially considering the plethora of Playmates toys that were never incorporated into the book (Dr. El, Scratch, Mutagen Man, Muck Man, Monty Moose, Halfcourt, Sandstorm, Antrax...the list goes on).

TMNT Adventures was pretty inconsistent about introducing characters from outside sources and after the first 30 issues or so, stopped making it apriority.

So even if the book had continued on to today, there's no guarantee Venus or Hun or anybody else from other TMNT material would have been featured.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Archie had some fantastic characters, like Ninjara, thay I would like to see in the 1987 cartoon.

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

Archie had some fantastic characters, like Ninjara, thay I would like to see in the 1987 cartoon.

I was never a big fan of Ninjara.

I liked the Mutanimals though and I thought it was pretty weird when they were killed off. Not the kind of thing I expected from the generally more kid friendly Archie comics.

[Jon]

I liked the Mutanimals though and I thought it was pretty weird when they were killed off. Not the kind of thing I expected from the generally more kid friendly Archie comics.


Yeah, the whole "Terracide" story-arc was quite a slaughterfest. With the Mutanimals, the Gang of Four, Maligna, Skul, Bean, a bunch of Malignoids, and Slash killed in the span of 3 issues.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Yeah, the whole "Terracide" story-arc was quite a slaughterfest. With the Mutanimals, the Gang of Four, Maligna, Skul, Bean, a bunch of Malignoids, and Slash killed in the span of 3 issues.

I was 12 at the time, and I thought it was something that never happened before (this is a comic book where characters are killed off!). Back then I thought all comic books had kids as main target and the Archie comics had.

[CudleyCowlick]

If they had kept going... then I would have kept buying.

The Archies were my first introduction to TMNT comics, it was in fact an issue of Mutanimals that my grandfather brought home for me at the age of about 7 or 8. I started following that, but was really peeved when it was cancelled, of course at the time I didn't know it was cancelled, just that I couldn't find it anymore. But I did start following TMNT at the same time, since it was also available on the spinner rack at the store down the road.

I loved all those stories, and the wealth of characters that weren't on the toon, they just had so much action. It wasn't for another few years that my older cousin would turn me onto Mirage Volume One, and although that rocked my world, I'm always gonna remember the Archies as my first TMNT comics.

[Jon]

I was 12 at the time, and I thought it was something that never happened before (this is a comic book where characters are killed off!). Back then I thought all comic books had kids as main target and the Archie comics had.


Yeah, I was rather surprised too. Though they had a character killed way back in issue 16, the "Terracide" story-arc went many steps further. With such a large amount of characters (many of them having appeared alot through the TMNT Adventures series - and the Mutanimals having their own comic too) meeting such brutal ends.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

I also recall the Japanese gods Izanagi and Izanami. I always felt sorry for Donatello and wondered how he would feel. While the 1987 cartoon was a science fiction show, with Donatello's inventions and understandings of physics as a major part of the show, the Arcie comics were more about the "mystic" with Japanese religion and other stuff with magic the Asians believed in centuries ago (at least when the TMNT visited Asia). All these things are what Donatello, as the most science-interested of the TMNT, is not supposed to belive in. I think this http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/archie/31/31.htm deals with Donatello's reaction.

[Jon]

Yes, I recall them too. As well as the demon Noi-Tai-Dar, and the demonic nature of Null.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

The 1987 cartoon would be cancelled directly if any Earthling had been killed off (some aliens were killed off, like the monster in "Splinter No More" and some of Krang's rock soldiers, even if they were living beings, they were from other plants). Shredder blew up the Channel 6 News station in the 1994 season. Imagine if Splinter didn't manage to save April and/or Irma.

[Coola Yagami]

Well it would be hard to ay either way. I mean, from another point of view, characters like Mondo Gecko and such were based off of Playmates toys, so who knows, maybe some of the 2K3 characters could have made it in. Hell, they could have done stuff with the Alien Hunter toyline and such as 3-issue storyarcs, rather than making it a whole season like Fast Forward did.

Also did it seem they knew the series was coming to an end and making preperations? I mean the massive slaughter of lots of TMNT characters in one blow, the stories like Future Shark Trilogy, Eye of Sarnath, the Forever War has yet to see print and that future story that gave closure to Verminator X.... the Raph/Ninjara break up, they were all kinda epic conclusion type stuff. I mean, I don't even know what else they could have done with Shredder after the shark trilogy. Did Null ever show off his final demonic form?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Well it would be hard to ay either way. I mean, from another point of view, characters like Mondo Gecko and such were based off of Playmates toys, so who knows, maybe some of the 2K3 characters could have made it in. Hell, they could have done stuff with the Alien Hunter toyline and such as 3-issue storyarcs, rather than making it a whole season like Fast Forward did.

Also did it seem they knew the series was coming to an end and making preperations? I mean the massive slaughter of lots of TMNT characters in one blow, the stories like Future Shark Trilogy, Eye of Sarnath, the Forever War has yet to see print and that future story that gave closure to Verminator X.... the Raph/Ninjara break up, they were all kinda epic conclusion type stuff. I mean, I don't even know what else they could have done with Shredder after the shark trilogy. Did Null ever show off his final demonic form?

I recall Null being seein in his monster form.

[Coola Yagami]

I recall Null being seein in his monster form.
Did they ever finish him off before the series ended?

[Jon]

Did they ever finish him off before the series ended?

Nope, infact Null's last appearence was during "Terracide" (escaping Maligna's doomed ship). He didn't appear after that.

[Raph's Girl]

I for one would have loved a continuation of TMNT Adventures and Steve Murphy has said that if Forever War is popular enough Mirage might continue TMNT Adventures! :D

There was a proposed Mighty Mutanimals animated series in the 90's that included Ninjara on the team. I wish it had gotten off the ground. Woulda been awesome.

To me it doesn't seem fair. The Archie Sonic comics started at the same time as TMNT Adventures and THAT's still going strong! WTF?! Stupid hedgehog...*mumbles*

[Coola Yagami]

And like I said... Sonic kept going even after that huge haitus after Soni & Knuckles and Knuckles Chaotix ended the older series. During the 5 or so year gap before they released Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast or whatever, the comic kept going strong with all new characters and villians so they wouldn't have to use Robotnik all the time. And we all know the Archie TMNT comics had more than enough villians than just the Shredder to throw around.

[Cipher]

Am I the only one that doesn't want to see the TMNT: Adventures continue after Forever War? I just want to see it have a conclusion, and get re-released in trade paperbacks.

Leave it with a strong ending and be done, I say. That's something that American comics have never really seemed to be in the habit of, though.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Some people who were the Mutanimals in the Archie comics were bad guys in the 1987 cartoon. If they all ahd been good guys, it would maybe be a Mutanimals cartoon.

[Jon]

Some people who were the Mutanimals in the Archie comics were bad guys in the 1987 cartoon. If they all ahd been good guys, it would maybe be a Mutanimals cartoon.


Well, yes. Ray (even though he had such a different appearence from Man Ray/Ray Fillet), Leatherhead and Wingnut & Screwloose in this case (for the toon versions of the Mutanimals characters being villains instead in Classic TMNT cartoon). With Mondo Gecko starting off as a villain, too. While Jagwar and Dreadmon were exclusive to Archie.
But I have also read about what Raph's Girl mentioned, and there apparently was going to be a Mighty Mutanimals cartoon series (but it ended up being scrapped).

[Scandia]

How do I wish that Archie had continued. It is my second fave TMNT version after 2k3.

Anyhow, I think Karai would have been introduced. And she would have probably been the head of the Foot. She may have had a different relationship with this Oroku Saki, but she would still be Karai and have her overall essence.

Don't think Dregg would have been there. I do not like him. TMNT jumped the shark with him.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

How do I wish that Archie had continued. It is my second fave TMNT version after 2k3.

Anyhow, I think Karai would have been introduced. And she would have probably been the head of the Foot. She may have had a different relationship with this Oroku Saki, but she would still be Karai and have her overall essence.

Don't think Dregg would have been there. I do not like him. TMNT jumped the shark with him.

Dregg is more a cartoon character, so I don't think he would fit in Archie. Archie jumped the shark when Armaggon appeared (but I liked it) :lol:

[Coola Yagami]

Now that I think about it, the comic (since Forever War was never finished) kinda ended with Shredder stuck in the future right? I can kinda see him somehow finding a way to the present but now wearing the 2K3 armor and the 2K3 Foot Ninja. Maybe for more numbers, they can say the Purple Dragons were the ones running things in New York so Shredder takes them over and forces Hun to be his second in command. But yeah, they can totally explain the 2K3 armor as future armor, maybe include the Sword of Tengu as a futuristic weapon.

I don't know how they'd incorporate 2K3 Baxter though.

[neatoman]

Hm... Well, I know the Archie Sonic comics started out as more or less a copy of the SatAM cartoon but kept introducing elements of the newer games as that cartoon became more of a thing of the past, even though it did create some oddities like trying to explain how humans in a 20th century style city could exist. So it's not hard to imagine the Archie TMNT comics doing something similar, and it's not quite as hard to imagine the world of those comics morphing into something more similar to the 4Kids cartoon.

Of course, aside from the first few issues directly using plots from the cartoon, the Archie series wasn't that similar to the Fred Wolf cartoon for very long. It's mostly just the fact that they were used to market the toyline that any similarity remained. So in this hypothetical 4Kids-esque continuation, I don't really imagine it doing much that wasn't in the toyline. So for example, Shredder would start to dress like Ch'rell but he wouldn't be an Utrom since he's literally just the same character as the Archie Shredder. Though it would likely mean Hun, Karai, Casey Jones, several named Triceratons, Drako, Fugitoid, Silver Sentry, Ultimate Ninja, Savanti Romero, Nobody and Quarry would all be characters at some point (or at least some of them). Which would still make it more similar to the 4Kids cartoon than the Fred Wolf cartoon.

Though I wonder if it would alter certain existing characters if possible? Like, would April reveal she has a masters' in software engineering and that the reporter thing was just a gig she kind of fell into, so she quits because it was never really her passion in the first place?

I don't know how they'd incorporate 2K3 Baxter though.

Oh that's easy, the white guy was an impostor who stole a MOUSER and tried to pass it off as his own creation, the real Baxter used them covertly as bank robbing tools.

[Coola Yagami]

Like, would April reveal she has a masters' in software engineering and that the reporter thing was just a gig she kind of fell into, so she quits because it was never really her passion in the first place?



Oh that's easy, the white guy was an impostor who stole a MOUSER and tried to pass it off as his own creation, the real Baxter used them covertly as bank robbing tools.

That's a genius move for Baxter, especially since in the Archie comics he was barely in it and never mutated into a fly and all that. That's actually perfect.

As for April, I mean, to be honest her technical skills only mattered because she was introduced as Baxter's assistant. Without that angle they could just say she's good with computers which works well as her being a reporter, looking up articles and whatnot and then take a page from the 90's movie and say her dad owned the antique shop.


If they want to go full Archie style like they did with Sonic, they can have April suddenly style her hair red and just... look like her 2K3 self cause.... reasons... she did ditch the yellow jumpsuit early on in the series except for the odd story or so, so the idea of April wearing regular clothes wouldn't be a big deal.

And then maybe after a big storyline, have Cherubae turn Shredder into an Utrom, which one would assume would now be a harmless form, except he'd eventually come back with the 2K3 Shredder armor, since evil always finds a way to come back.

I'm thinking the remaining beats from the 80's show wouldn't matter too much since the Sonic comics also had Sonic Adventure characters running alongside Sally, Rotor, Bunnie and Antoine.

[oldmanwinters]

That time Dan Slott gave an interview about his work on Year of the Turtle and potential future ideas... and then actually registered for the Forums, commented a few times... and was never seen again.
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=57845
(Did he get out while the gettin' was good?)

[Coola Yagami]

That time Dan Slott gave an interview about his work on Year of the Turtle and potential future ideas... and then actually registered for the Forums, commented a few times... and was never seen again.
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=57845
(Did he get out while the gettin' was good?)

He must have not run into Cybercubed.

[serpentnight]

It was probably the right time to call it quits honestly but I would have liked to see a better executed conclusion to it.

[Coola Yagami]

It was probably the right time to call it quits honestly but I would have liked to see a better executed conclusion to it.

I know, but one can't help but wonder.

I mean with Sonic, they could have called it quits when they defeated Robotnik permanently and there was that period of no new Sonic games coming out after I believe Knuckle Chaotix and Sonic 3D Blast? Somehow they stayed afloat for years with made up villains until the Adventure games came out that gave them new material to work with.

The old show ended in 96 so that woulda been 7 years before the 2003 show. Hmmmm yeah, 7 would have been a long time for them to be facing Null and Chien Khan and any other made up villain until the new cartoon would come out to give more characters to work with.

[ZariusTwo]

He must have not run into Cybercubed.

If it weren't Cubed, it'd have been me:P

[oldmanwinters]

I know, but one can't help but wonder.

I mean with Sonic, they could have called it quits when they defeated Robotnik permanently and there was that period of no new Sonic games coming out after I believe Knuckle Chaotix and Sonic 3D Blast? Somehow they stayed afloat for years with made up villains until the Adventure games came out that gave them new material to work with.

The old show ended in 96 so that woulda been 7 years before the 2003 show. Hmmmm yeah, 7 would have been a long time for them to be facing Null and Chien Khan and any other made up villain until the new cartoon would come out to give more characters to work with.

Interesting to wonder if they would have relaunched numbering for new show tie-ins like Next Mutation or 4Kids or gone the Sonic route and just changed look of characters with convenient plot devices and retcons to match the new shows.

[CyberCubed]

If Archie held onto the TMNT license in general they probably would have ended the run and just rebooted it when the 2003 cartoon came out. Instead of the Dreamwave series, Archie would have just made a comic loosely based on the 2k3 cartoon, and then probably done its own thing as continuity would be hard to keep with the show as it went on.

I assume Murphy would have given the Archie series an ending even if continued after the Forever War, probably around 1998/1999 at the latest, as TMNT was pretty much dead by then and Next Mutation bombed, so there would be no reason for the Archie run to still be going.

[Andrew NDB]

If it had kept going there's a high likelihood they would have canned "Dean Clarrain" and brought in a new team. In fact, that's kind of what they had planned.

[oldmanwinters]

If it had kept going there's a high likelihood they would have canned "Dean Clarrain" and brought in a new team. In fact, that's kind of what they had planned.

Mirage might have pitched them “Cain Darren.”

[member_removed]

If it had kept going there's a high likelihood they would have canned "Dean Clarrain" and brought in a new team. In fact, that's kind of what they had planned.

Was this with Dan Slott and Year of the Turtle? Would that have been the rebranding Archie would have done?

[Andrew NDB]

Was this with Dan Slott and Year of the Turtle? Would that have been the rebranding Archie would have done?

Probably if it'd done well there would have been a new ongoing with a new #1, in the style of Year of the Turtle. That was almost undoubtedly the plan.

[AquaParade]

Year of the turtle was actually kind of awesome.

[oldmanwinters]

I would loved if Slott got at least 2 or 3 more arcs in the Archie-verse, if for no other reason than to see where he would go with existing characters or introduce new ones that fit his stories.

[Andrew NDB]

So a more precise question might be, "What if the Archie comics kept going, and if 'Dean Clarrain' never ran afoul of Archie?"

Well, then we'd have gotten the original Forever War and onward. Who can imagine. I don't think -- and having worked on the Forever War that you'll actually get myself from everything that was recovered and pieced together -- that it was ever intended as a series finale. It could've served as that, vs. the "How the Turtles got their first wet dream" or whatever they settled on instead, but it just seems like a cool one off event that cleans up a bit of Shredder continuity.

[oldmanwinters]

I think Murphy admitted as much in an old interview… just the next story arc in the ongoing. I have read the first four issues of TFW and it seems to be that sort of storyline.

[Cowabung-Gal]

If Archie TMNT kept going?

Let’s see…I’m making a prediction…fast forward to the 2020’s…

Ah, yes, I can see the alternate future…

Jennika (or some other female ninja turtle) would make her appearance, steal the spotlight from the turtles, and marry Ninjara. The end.

[oldmanwinters]

Can you imagine if Ken Penders got assigned the Turtles book? Hoo… boy!

[IMJ]

More like "if Archie kept going" we'd get a series of stories were the Turtles were routinely shamed by April for her perceived slights by them as American Teenage boys, doing this mind-you inbetween takes for her "OnlyFans News Broadcast". And Splinter is accused of appropriating the ninja arts by the book's villains, forcing him to change the name of the team to "Young Ambiguous Fighting Turtles".

And it would be selling 10 copies a month but Archie would swear it's a success out of fear of cancellation initiating a blue-hair mob-action.

[neatoman]

For whatever reason, I thought of this thread again.

[ToTheNines]

vs. the "How the Turtles got their first wet dream" or whatever they settled on instead.

Heh, this made me laugh.

For whatever reason, I thought of this thread again.

TMNTA #80 should be out April-May. I’m pumped!

[Coola Yagami]

I guess in a way we're kinda/sorta getting an example of this seeing as Hun made an appearance in the 80's TMNT comic. Maybe he would have been introduced in a similar way had the Archie comics kept going in 2003 and beyond.

I mean similar to what they did to Robotnik/Eggman I can easily see some battle that ends in Shredder losing his armor (maybe at the end of Forever War) and come back with new armor fashioned after the 2003 look. Bebop and Rocksteady were on that paradise island anyway with zero intentions of returning to be basic henchmen, so it wouldn't be too difficult to have Shredder recruit Hun and the Purple Dragons and possibly Karai.