Favorite Turtles Universe
 

Now, I know I'm not alone when I say I enjoy all versions of TMNT. That said, which is your favorite? How to they stack up in your personal opinion? Here's my list, bearing in mind that each spot was incredibly close:

1. Mirage (Volume 4 Continuation) - This is the big one. It's had its ups and downs, but it always pulls out winners. I like that the characters aren't written one-note. I like the surrealism created by the varying art styles, and stories ranging from ninja battles to alien encounters. Mostly, I like the depth it sometimes displays.

2. Mirage (Image Continuation) - I really do like Volume 3, from what I've read. I think there's a place for its balls-to-the-wall action, and I'm a sucker for high contrast art. In the end, I just prefer the calmer, yet more bitterly realistic take on the Turtles' future that we see in Mirage proper.

3. Archie - Mutants galore. I am a major supporter of other mutants in the Turtles' world (probably from my collecting the toys as a kid). The stories were great too, for what it was. Per issue, it's probably more entertaining than Mirage, but again, it never tackles anything of great depth.

4. 1987 Toon - Sure, lots of the episodes were duds, but it still holds up once you notice the self-aware camp. It's nostalgic, it has mutants, it's just damn fun.

5. 2003 Toon - I have to place it slightly below the old toon, because I'm not feeling the replay value as much. And the most I can say for it is, "That was really good for a kids' cartoon." It has some original elements that worked out well, but the problem is its so easily outclassed by the comics it takes from, and were a more faithful adaptation to come along, I'm not sure I would come back to this cartoon very often.

6. Movies - What can I say? They're very entertaining, but seem so loosely related that it'd be hard to call it a favorite universe.

7. The Next Mutation - Sweet Jesus. A live action show could have been so cool, too... I'd still buy it on DVD and watch it in my most masochistic moments, though.

Like you said Cipher, I love all of the turtles universes ( well, maybe not Next Mutation), Mirage made them hardcore and more realistic, The 87 toon was what got me into the turtles in the first place, and the 2003 toon brought back Turtle Power, but Archie found a way to tell good stories and introduce so many different characters into the turtle's mythos. Plus, they were able to stick with a complete story-line, unlike Mirage, who after Return to New York and Before City at War, were just mostly uneven one shot stories. Image did okay with trying to keep the turtle pulse beating, but mainstream super-heros have no place in the turtle's universe.

The 2k3 cartoon wins. Archie would be second.

1987 and Archie
 

I liked the 1987 cartoon, especially in the first seaons before the plot seemed to repeat when Krang, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady had to break into a power station and get energy for the Technodrome. They could have used more new stories instead of just letting the TMNT kick the butt of Krang, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady in almost every episode ("Enter the Rat King" is one of the best episodes). The Archie comics were also very good until they became too weird in the end, with Adolf Hitler's brain and that stuff. The 2003 cartoon is good, but I would like to see an ordinary human Shredder. The movies are fun but could have been better, The Next Mutation could have been much better.

I had to choose the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 movie (the other three excluded), since thats what made me a fan and the first thing I saw ever of turtles. Second would definitely be the Mirage b&w comics. They go hand in hand very well together for me.

You know I can't really say I which universe I like best...nah...I'm only kidding. Archie all the way, if only because I'm a sucker for time travel stories.

I'd have expected a separate voting option for the original trilogy and the CGI flick.

As far as I can tell, it's all one continuity, so that's how I arranged it. Nothing's stopping you from just explaining your view in a post, though.

Oh, that's totally fair. I'm not particularly disappointed, just surprised. Especially since so many people dislike the CGI flick.

As I've stated before, my favorite Turtleverse is the CGI movie's universe.

i voted for other. i'm going with the canon mirage vol 1 universe.

Guitar Raph, consider you TMNT fandom revoked!

EDIT: TMNT (IV) is loosly based on the other 3, primarily because Shredder is gone and they have items from the other movies in the trophy room....however...it also has ties to the 2k3 series, though it's really only through a kids book (which show's Raph'e shell-cycle and Silver Sentry), and the inclusion of the mouser and Triceraton mask in the a fore mentioned trophy room.

Archie all the way! Yeah I like the others in their on ways but I'll always love the Archie series.

relax Guitar_Raph, he was only joking with you.

I'm torn between the orginal toon and the 2k3 toon. I love them all equally for diffrent reasons, the new show revived my crazy turtle obsession after a long nine or eight year dormacy, and I've become quite attached to this version. And unlike alot of people have stated I think many of the new toon episode do have rewatchablety. So for me it's a tye between the old toon and new toon universes. 8)

I have to say, I'm suprised by the lack of Mirage support.

I'm surprised it's tied with NT:TNM.
Heck, as an Archie fan -boy I'm surprised it's on top....

For me it's the Archie universe: those where the comics I grew up with. I never knew about the other comics until only a few years ago.

Well, Mirage volume 1 isn't included.

So aside from that, it's between the 1987 cartoon and the Archie comics.

I'm going with the Archie comics. With the 1987 cartoon it reaches a point where the later episodes don't really interest me too much anymore. As a kid I remember thinking the Archie comics were really cool because the Turtles' adventures in them had some more variety than the cartoon. I'm not really much of a Ninjara fan, though.

Mirage comics
 

I think all Mirage comics and Image comics shall be called one TMNT universe here.