The end of TMNT Universe?
 

So just skimming through Spengler's blog post about the recent issue of Universe, and apparently it's being cancelled? And it 'wasn't surprising?'

This might have been mentioned elsewhere, but how did this not get its own thread? So what happened?

It did:

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=60003

And the short answer to why it isn't surprising, is just the sales numbers. It sold less than 8000 copies per month, so it got canned.

Dang, I guess people didn't care much about the side characters... not that the comic ever really had some adventures with JUST the side characters. Those mini back up stories were ok, but let's see an issue about Slash doing something, or Karai, or one of Nobody and Angel's missions. Expand the universe without being forced to add one of the Turtles in it all the time.

Eh, it's not really that. The sales numbers for the minis tended to vary a lot more. I think the problem wasn't side-characters, I think the problem is that is was marketed as one series, rather than a successor to the minis.

The Turtles are actually in a good chunk of Universe issues, it has nothing to do with that. It's most likely the $5 price tag plus casual fans only following the ongoing.

Hmm... I could see "TMNT: End of the Universe" as a future mini-series title.

I hope this doesn't affect the overall sales of the main TMNT book.

I’m not too sad to see this title go. I didn’t buy any of them except the Karai’s path storyline.

The Universe stories were no different than all the mini's and micros we got, and they all progress the story.

But I never thought it necessary to get them for me to be able to enjoy the main book. I don’t even have all the micros and minis.

Did you read Secret History of the Foot Clan at least? The entire series is pretty much based around what it introduces.

You've missed out HARDCORE. The side material is often times even better than the main issues, IMO.

Yes, I’ve read and own that one.

I don't understand how some people can skip any of the tie-ins or mini-series... so much good stuff.

You're missing out, amigo! :tsmile:

Perhaps I am missing out. I waited until the TPB for the first micros for the turtles. I didn’t read villains or the second micro aside from the Splinter one. I was already spending money On one turtles book among a couple of other things.

Definitely check out the first and third TPBs for Universe; some very good and important stories in that one, involving Bishop and Karai, respectively.

You also don't want to miss Mutanimals or Bebop and Rocksteady Destroy Everything, or Turtles in Time...

Well, I guess most of them aren't that necessary to understand the main plot? Unless Renet and Savanti start showing up in the main series without explaination, it isn't that necessary to read In Time or Destroy Everything.

I would say almost all of the side stories are required reading. The micros all provided character development, and the villain micros were especially important during city fall, as they had most of the developments that actually flesh out the motivations and characters of the villains, as well as several crucial plot developments. Secret History provided a ton of background lore and set up several plot points, as did Utrom Empire. Casey and April, even if it kind sucked, set up one of the Pantheon members, Mutanimals set up Null, Dimension X set up several characters for #75, and Universe set up a ton of characters and plots that will begin to show up in the main book in the near future. The only ones I'd say you could skip are Turtles in Time and BARDE, but, as mentioned earlier, if Renet and Bebop and Rocksteady ever start to show up in the main book again, those stories are gonna be important. It may not seem necessary now, but once people like Dreadmon or evil Metalhead start showing up again, anyone who hasn't read the side stories is gonna be wondering who the heck and how the heck any of these people are.

The thing is almost everything IDW introduces returns, making almost every issue important. The only filler issue I could think of in Universe aside from those Triceraton backstory issues is probably the Wyrm issue, since Wyrm just seems like a one-shot character who won't return.

Everything else comes back into play. You can't say the Dreadmon issue is filler because it introduces those 4 human/mutant characters who work for Null, and they and Dreadmon will likely show up again for example.

Sure but when characters do come back, they tend to kind of get "new" introductions if you will. Pay attention and you'll notice it. Don't get me wrong, reading the side stuff is still a good idea, it's just not as important as it may seem on first glance.