necessarities...
 

Hey... I'm receiving a bunch of comics within this week, which is great, but I do have one question though. If you have a complete volume which you would like to read, can you just read away or do you have to have read the previous volumes ? F.X. If you have got all issues of TMNT vol. 3, would it then make more sense if you have already read the two previous vols. or can you just ready away ? I hope some of you guys can figure what I'm trying to say here, I know it sounds kinda complicated hehe...
Thx in advance :)

Start with Vol 1 then 2, Then 4.

Tales you can read in order either volume.

You can read DW or Image in order.

Hope that helps.

Volume 3 is stand alone, which I love, and I recommend you read it because it's the 2nd best run in my opinion, Archie being the first and Volume 1 being the 3rd*It has some issues I didn't like very much*. You don't need to read alot of the issues to understand volume 1 because crap sorta just happens randomly in it. As for Volume 2 it's one big story arc so for that the most you need is to just read the stories in order and know that City At War happened for the intro. Really with the series Tales fills in the holes where you go "Wtf happened here?"

Ok thanks guys... hmmm you make it sound like the TMNT comics suck, except for archie, vol 3 and some of vol 1, is that correctly understood ? makes med sad if it is :(

I don't mean to. I personally was disappointed with Volume 2. It was random, the issues were very short, and the story just wasn't good. There's some deaths in it and I don't like them simply because of how their handled. You'll see what I mean when you read it.

As for Volume 4, it's one big story arc to and while it got boring for me reading all the issues at once makes it alot better. I just can't swallow Lawson's artwork. I didn't like it in Volume 2 either.

There are alot of great things to come out of Mirage both non-TMNT and TMNT alike. Gizmo is awesome, Melting Pot is awesome, there's some really cool turtles specials that have other shorts in them.

Volume 1 is great because it mixes so many artists together, sorta like Tales Volume 2 is doing. And I loved it, some issues I didn't like as much as others but it's a great run!

The Tales series is great, 7 issues of pure turtles bad-assary along with some stellar artwork. Featuring some of Lawson's best in "I'Monster" Volume 2 od tales has it's good issues to but some of them are really bad as well. Their just not interesting.

Really the newer comics lack the flare the old ones had, the old comics were like "We don't give a crap what you think check out this ultra violent, darkly drawn and shaded comic and if you don't like it tough ****" I loved it, totally independent. But as it got more popular that sorta went away.

I love Archie so much because while it was still popular they ran with it anyways and after like 5 issues it went into originial stories and ended up being better then the old toon series.

ok cool... glad to hear, and thanks for the info... Can't wait to start reading, Hope they get here soon, it's been almost 2 weeks now, since they were shipped :(

I hope you didn't get that from what I was saying? I love most of the books.
Volume 1,2 & 4 are well worth reading.

Tales is great but like said above fills in holes.

Image is my least favorite, you may like it. I found it to be too extreme in what it had to offer, JMO!

I liked the Dreamwave stuff but it never go to run on its own.

Archie is like the old toon for me. Kinda whish it never happened. Again JMHO.

Sounds Great... ok, I've read all 7 Dreamwave issues, and liked 'em, especially the art was incredible IMO, too bad it it got cancellede, I would have like to see brand new stories except for the ones which followed the first episodes of the new toon, oh well... I don't think I'll like the archie comics either, but a lot of fans have been saying very good things about the archie comics, so maybe I'll try it out... :)

I finally got a hold of the first 11 issues, via the colorized trades. The books were a little worn, but its great to finally have them in my collection.

In regards to Image, it's pretty much stand alone save for those Savage Dragon crossovers that came before it. You kinda need to read those to get a few of the things touched upon in Vol. 3 (how the TMNT know Dragon, why Mike has a crush on Sarah, etc). They're not outrageously mandatory, but they set up the Image volume rather well. At the very least, they give you the opportunity to enjoy the "classic" Turtles running around the Image universe before getting brutaly mauled in the first couple issues of their on-going.

But it's also worth noting that at the time it was coming out it was very much "in canon" -- that Peter Laird today is telling us it's no longer in canon is a retcon (which is his call to make, but it's still a retcon). Vol. 3 is very much a direct continuation of the events of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

They even brought back Klunk. :)

Oh I know that, and I agree it's BS he dismisses it but as the series goes now if he read Volume 4 after 3 he'd be like "Wtf is going on here" I think Laird just got mad they ripped the turtles up and didn't want to continue the series with turtles with psychical handicaps.

I think he still let's some issues show elements of Image, like the Tales Volume 2 story where Mikey is trying to write his book.

Well, Mikey's love of writing actually originated from Vol. 1 #17, but I agree that Image was the first storyline to really do anything with that part of his character and I doubt if they hadn't resurrected it probably wouldn't be showing up in any recent stories.

I've got the first 12 issues, now I just need the rest... It's been about two years since I read those though, since I've had no money to order new ones, because of school and stuff like that ... hehe :)

Agreed, they should have let it continue... Too BaD :)

Which is why -- and not to rip on Laird here -- I really wonder why Laird, who was not only approving each and every Vol. 3 issue but also offered Mr. Carlson help on plotting here and there, didn't veto what was going on in the Image book if it went against what he believed the Turtles were about in his book.

That he let all these things he supposedly objects to now happen in the Image books happen back then without saying "No, don't do that" or "Do something like this instead" when it was very much his active position to do so, and then years later say that Vol. 3 never happened just doesn't seem... I don't know, "fair," I guess?

Has it ever been put in writing that that's actually what he disliked about Vol. 3? I mean, he's done essentially the same thing with the Turtles in Vol. 4.

Not to my knowledge, but it must have been something. The party line answer is generally, "Musta been the injuries to the Turtles," which is silly since he was over there personally putting his stamp on each and every creative decision on the book.

What is your theory?

There is a lot of similarities/parallels between Vol. 3 and Vol. 4, no question.

I'd like to know the same thing, like why did he approve of Venus when his rule is now no female turtles.

Well, Eastman (on Saban/Fox's behalf) kind of strongarmed him there. Laird really offered no input on any aspect of NT:TNM and from all indications kind of told Eastman (not literally): "This is your tree, Kevin, you're sitting in it" and walked away.

With Vol. 3, it was quite the opposite, with Laird actively involved in the approvals of each issue and all plot points (even offering his own, Gary claimed at several points) while Eastman had nothing to do with it at all.