Just getting into the comics and all this TMNT stuff. Help me!
 

Hey everyone, I recently came upon this forum because I got into the comics recently(after having seen some of the original show), and i joined after a couple of weeks of lurking, and the community here seems pretty great. Now, as for what comics I currently own,

I have issues 5-11 of the original series
the 7 issues of the original tales of the tmnt,
the new series, and the comic of the second movie.

I've got a few questions for those of you who are experienced in the TMNT comics, and those are

A) The turtles are my first comic, (and probably only one that I could manage) ever. I like having the single issues, because maybe one day i'll be able to say I have every single issue. (I know it's silly, but collectors mentality makes me want to have each issue as opposed to collections.) What's the best way to get theses issues? Will people here be able to help me out? As for my local scene it's pretty dead. There is one comic book shop within my area that has old stuff, (TMNT is considered old apparently), and I've kind of already picked them over.
(And yes I see there is a thread that kind of answers this, but I'm also kind of asking how I can maximize my bang for my buck?)

B) What are the best series in general? Are there any that are considered bad, or that shouldn't be read?

C)What order should I read all these different series? Is there a "best" way?

Thanks in advance for the help guys!

I can answer one of your questions.

Unless someone on here can sell you a big lot of issues, your best best to get issues in bulk is to wait until you see one on eBay. Every now and then, you'll see a seller selling a bunch of issues at once. At least that's how I would get started.

I'm only collecting issues from IDW, including the reprints of Volume 1 in color. And I'm also trying to get all variants of Vol.1/Iss. 1. I have the 4th edition. Now for the rest!!

Read in the order they came out, aside from IDW which is a new universe:

Volume 1 and Tales ----> Volume 2 ----> Image (Volume 3) ----> Volume 4 and Tales of the TMNT V. 2.

There are also specials and one-shots released that you'll have to just find around.

Yah I mean I figured, but I've always hated the bidding and possibly losing aspect of ebay. I get pretty bummed when I lost out on a bid that I really wanted.

What about all the other comics? Teenage mutant ninja turtles adventures etc

The TMNT Adventure series was based on the original cartoon show, and then started its own stories not seen in the cartoon.

There are 3 continuities:

Mirage (includes all the Mirage volumes, Image, and specials/one-shots)
Archie TMNT Adventures (A comic loosely based on the original cartoon and old toy characters)
IDW (brand new continuity that just started)

So the Archie one's are kind of on their own? Are they worth reading? Where do they fit in to where it would be best read them? (if it mattered)

Also, tales of the tmnt vol.2 are also mirage?

Yep, Archie is its own thing, and it is indeed worth reading, if you ask me. Just don't expect them to be anything like Mirage, they start out as a very light-hearted kind of kiddy series, and then develops into a more sofisticated story. They've got their own continuity, and you really don't need to read or know anything about Mirage to enjoy them. I personally love Archie's TMNT for what they are.

And yes, TMNT Vol.2 was published by Mirage and takes place in the same continuity, but most of the issues can be read aside from continuity (but you'd probably enjoy them more when you know where they take place).

If you liked the original cartoon, you should like Archie. It was basically a more plot driven and less repetitive version of the old toon. Some of the best Turtle stories ever told came out of Archie.

Archie also makes better use of a lot of the old mutant characters than the old show did.

As a Mirage/IDW fan, I personally just can not get into Archie anymore, I read it as a kid and the nostalgia is there, but thats about all the enjoyment I get from the issues besides a few neat concepts like future turtles and the nicely-done penicls.

Every issue just feels so thin and empty to me.

The early issues of Archie feel rather kiddie but the series best plots are just as good as Mirage. In general its all you can ask for considering it was a comic based on the old show.

It appealed to kids but wasn't totally dumbed down. I love how they did things the original cartoon never did.

So basically the general (for the most part) consensus is that all the comics are pretty much worth reading lol.
Awesome! Makes me even more excited to dive into the world of the turtles.

Glad I found this thread. I'm also just getting into the comics, so this answers a lot of my questions too.

Do you guys know if IDW will reprint the Archie comics as well? If not, are there any trades available?

They haven't started yet. But it is on their "to do" list.

There are actually four. There was a short-lived Dreamwave series based off the 2003 cartoon.
You can get a number of the Mirage and Archie comics from the Mirage website.
http://www.miragelicensing.com/html/catalog.html

Yes! Thank you. :D