The Archie TMNT Adventures continuity timeline!

[DrSpengler]

Well, I finally finished putting this together and hopefully it'll come as a useful resource to some of you, especially now that IDW is making the Archie TMNT Adventures material available in trade:

The Archie TMNT Adventures continuity timeline (http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-archie-tmnt-adventures-continuity.html)

Like my Mirage timeline, it's a chronology/reading order, putting all the Specials and miniseries in their best-fitting slot within the ongoing series.

For rationalizations on each story (basically, why I placed it where I did), click on "Review" and scroll down to "Turtle Tips". A few of my rationales are rather tenuous, I'll admit, but it's only for lack of any other solid foundation for placement (many stories could go just about anywhere).

I started reviewing the Archie series in June of 2008 when I launched TMNT Entity and my original purpose was to ONLY do the Archie comics. Quickly, though, I got distracted with a million other Turtle things and TMNT Adventures was forced to share the spotlight. So it took me just over 4 years, but I've cataloged, cross-referenced, reviewed and backlinked the entire series.

And now I've got the chronology done!

Hope some of you find it useful. I won't have to put together another one of these monsters until IDW gets a few more years-worth of issues under its belt, methinks.

[Venom]

Awesome! Congrats on accomplishing your original goal. :tgrin:

[CyberCubed]

Nice to see this timeline made. I'm glad the Archie TMNT have a better ending than the Mirage TMNT did, as the "Future Turtles" don't seem as depressed and exiled from each other as the, "Old Mirage TMNT" do. I also like how "Year of the Turtle" ended the present timeline with the defeat of Shredder.

Pretty much the only loose end the Archie series never resolved is whatever happened to Null? We knows he's pretty much the devil, but he just flies off at the end and we never see him again. All the other villains got proper closure but him.

[Andrew NDB]

Oh, I was hoping you'd do this eventually. Good work.

[Jester]

Nice work, as per usual, Doc.

[Lordmylar06]

You rock! I can read all this stuff in order now. Thanks!

[Jephael]

Awesome list, though I was hoping you'd post some dates as to what point in time each story takes place.

[ToTheNines]

Schweeeet. I never took to time to write this down, but your list corresponds with the way I have them on my shelf.

Awesome list, though I was hoping you'd post some dates as to what point in time each story takes place.

I think I'll do that upon my next read-through.

[pannoni1]

You and AndrewNDB sure have the best input into guiding learners through the series, and this list is well done. Even though many still believe that the series ran into a dead-end thanks to Forever War, it still contains not just a proper conclusion, but an epilogue. I'm also impressed that there are a total of 160 stories meaning that this is a pretty sizable series and the pacing is pretty consistent. Work like you helps to maintain and raise the value of these comics, so my hats are off to you.

[Master Splinter]

This is great. Four years of hard work. Thanks so much for doing this.

-ms

[Jester]

Hey Doc, I know you were questioning whither Murph was both Dean Clarrain and J.D. Vollman, but you seem pretty certain in the time line. Did you get confirmation it's him?

[CyberCubed]

Hey Doc, I know you were questioning whither Murph was both Dean Clarrain and J.D. Vollman, but you seem pretty certain in the time line. Did you get confirmation it's him?

Someone made a thread about JD Vollman a few threads down, Murphy confirmed it.

It's pretty mind boggling when you realize Archie made over 100 TMNT comics. Does anyone know the exact number with everything combined, excluding the collections/digests and movie adaptions?

[Jester]

Completely missed that thread. Thanks Cubed.

Dear lord, I thanked CyberCubed. We will never speak of this again... :P

[Venom]

Pretty awesome - Murph write the most Turtle stories and Jim drew the most.

Murphy and Lawson's
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

[DrSpengler]

Thanks, guys! Hopefully it'll prove a useful resource once more TMNT Adventures stuff gets reprinted.

Pretty awesome - Murph write the most Turtle stories and Jim drew the most.

Murphy and Lawson's
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

That's a funny observation. It's sort of like Lee and Kirby's X-Men vs. Claremont and Byrne's. Lee and Kirby got the ball rolling, but stopped contributing creatively after I think 12 issues. Calremont and Byrne, meanwhile, spents years on the title and shaped everything we know about the characters and their storylines.

Eastman and Laird vs. Lawson and Murphy is a bit of a similar situation, albeit Lawson and Murphy worked with other writers/artists more often than together, despite being the two most prolific creators for the brand.

[ToTheNines]

I think I'll do that upon my next read-through.

14 short years later… I’m finally doing it!

———————————

1975:

“King”

1990:

The turtles turn 15 on June 7th

Original Miniseries #1-3

#1-4

“Origin of the Species”

" 'Twas the Night Before Chistmas" from TMNT Magazine - Winter 1993 issue

1991:

“…And Deliver us from Evil” #41 flashback

The turtles turn 16

#5 (July 3rd/4th)

#6-8

#9-13

#14-19

Mighty Mutanimals #1-3 (“Cudley”)

#20-22

(Handful of shorts/specials. Autumn)

#23-25

#26

" 'Twas The Fight Before Christmas" from Lady's Home Journal #12

1992:

#27 (Spring)

#28-32 (Sumo Fest ‘92)

#33-34

TMNT Presents: April O’Neil #1-3

#35-36

#37

Mighty Mutanimals #1-5

#38/Mutanimals #6/#39

Mighty Mutanimals #7-9

#40

“Paper or Plastic?” from TMNT: 30th Anniversary Special

#41

#42-44

#45 (May 11th)

#46-47

#48-50

#51

#52

The turtles turn 17

“Fox Trap”

“A Perfect Evening”

“The Fifth Turtle”

1993:

“Megadeath” 1-5

Merdude #1-3

#53-54

“Megadeath” 6-7 (heh)

#55-57 (March)

#58-61

The turtles turn 18

#67-70 (Early winter)

#71-72

1994:

“Forever War” and “Locket”

“April”

“The Man Behind The Mask” from TMNT: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration

“Crop Circles”

The turtles turn 19

1995:

“Year of the Turtle”

1999:

“The Angel of Times Square”

~2003:

“Ninjara/Seed of Destruction”

2094:

"Dreamland"

“The Food Pyramid”

[CyberCubed]

What did they screw up, just that part where Bebop/Rocksteady are trapped before the Silent Ones rescue them?

[ToTheNines]

So far just “Origin of the Species”. To be fair, they were going off of an erroneous editor’s note from when it was reprinted in #71.

They also seem to be skipping the Archie crossover.

[CyberCubed]

Hm, doesn't sound too bad then. As long as there are no major issues. I do hope the Archie and Conservation Corps crossover come too, but it doesn't really matter where they place those I guess.

[ToTheNines]

Updated my timeline post. I’m only up to #22, but I made a rough outline for the whole series that I’m pretty confident in.

Does anyone see any issues?

[Daytona]

Is anyone else waiting until these books hit around issue #30-40 to jump in? I’m looking forward to reading this series again but that’s when I remember it really started cookin for me.

This book was a great balance between cartoon and Mirage comics. Similar but different to the 1990 film. It seems wild that it’s been such a hard line to toe in the years since for most TMNT projects. These are possibly the two least polarizing TMNT “universes” in TMNT history - almost everyone seems to agree they’re good.

[ToTheNines]

Yeah, when I was first collecting this run probably 17-18 years ago I didn’t really fall in love with it until the Slash trilogy, which was shortly followed by Allan taking over the art full time. I did always like the early issues, just didn’t think it really took off until around #25.

But I started my long overdue marathon a month or two ago, and I’ve been thrilled with the Mitchroney era. His art is so good. Cartoony, but dynamic and dramatic. He was really the perfect artist for the book and Murphy and Brown definitely hit the ground running immediately with #5.

There’s a strong ongoing narrative with some big payoffs periodically. They also get into some pretty heavy stuff early on to, which is an aspect that the later eras only get credit for. I guess the reality is that TMNT was so hot at the time that this book couldn’t fail, but you can sense the creative freedom Murphy had with this run. Dude was really doing anything and everything lol

[CyberCubed]

Issues 5-13 are fine, but it still feels like a kids book. Then 14-18 was the first preachy environment stuff with the Turtles surfing the ocean with Ray and those sea creatures, wasn't too good either. But it picks up from 19 into 20 onward, and then got consistently better and also more mature where you didn't feel like you were reading a kids comic either.

[ToTheNines]

Eh, they immediately get into Krang being a genocider. I have to change some of the dialogue when reading it to my kid. The South America arc was great, I thought.

The only real weak point to me early on is 20-22, but I think they were putting more effort into the Mutanimals mini, which was quite good. Then it’s pretty darn solid from #23 onward.

[ToTheNines]

Spengs, would you consider moving “The Return of Monsterex” (Special #7)?

#45 gives a date of May 11th and is hinted to be the next day after 42-44, so no where near Halloween.

[ToTheNines]

14 short years later… I’m finally doing it!

———————————

1975:

“King”

1990:

The turtles turn 15 on June 7th

Original Miniseries #1-3

#1-4

“Origin of the Species”

1991:

“…And Deliver us from Evil” #41 flashback

The turtles turn 16

#5 (July 3rd/4th)

#6-8

#9-13

#14-19

Mighty Mutanimals #1-3 (“Cudley”)

#20-22

(Handful of shorts/specials. Autumn)

#23-25

#26

1992:

#27 (Spring)

#28-32

#33-34

TMNT Presents: April O’Neil #1-3

#35-36

#37

Mighty Mutanimals #1-5

#38/Mutanimals #6/#39

Mighty Mutanimals #7-9

#40

“Paper or Plastic?”

#41

#42-44

#45 (May 11th)

#46-47

#48-50

#51

#52

The turtles turn 17

“Fox Trap”

“A Perfect Evening”

“The Fifth Turtle”

1993:

“Megadeath” 1-5

Merdude #1-3

#53-54

“Megadeath” 6-7 (heh)

#55-57 (March)

#58-61

The turtles turn 18

#67-70 (October)

“The Forever War”

“April”

“The Man Behind The Mask”

1994:

“Crop Circles”

The turtles turn 19

1995:

“Year of the Turtle”

1999:

“The Angel of Times Square”

2094:

#62-66

Ok, I think I’m done tweaking this. I’m pretty happy with it. Admittedly,
I’m doing a little guess work with Crop Circles/Year of the Turtle, but we’ll see how that shakes out.

Any notes?

[grizzgolf]

I miss the future Tmnt