Darkest TMNT incarnation?

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by barbecue17

Ok, I'm not familair with the Image comic- when did it come out?

I'm surprised some of you don't know this, it came out in 1997 and ended in 1999. Back then it was the only TMNT comic being put out.

[shuriken]

In terms of all out violence Image wins hands down. The way it was presented though wasn't as dark and doomy gloomy as it was in Mirage.
The entirety of Mirage wins out in terms of the dark themes and the way a lot of it was handled over Image in my opinion. City At War was waaay darker in terms of tone than the entire Image run. Splinter resorting to Cannibalism to survive was pretty damn extreme. Donnie shooting down Baxter after preserving him just to see if his life was redeemable is pretty trippy.
Image might have been pushing the envelope, but Mirage was more of a mindf*ck overall, some issues being straight up unsettling. No amount of blown faces, cut off hands, Cyborg Turtles or Dino-ass could take that away from Mirage.
Whoever chose 2k3 needs a lesson in TMNT. Seriously it's a damn kids show.

[Luigiperps]

Originally Posted by Galactus

Coming Out of Their Shells tour ; )

No way dude, it's A Very Turtle Christmas! Duh! That was so dark it makes image look like a kitten.

[Luigiperps]

Originally Posted by shuriken

Whoever chose 2k3 needs a lesson in TMNT. Seriously it's a damn kids show.

Only show to KILL 3 of the 4 turtles.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I'm surprised some of you don't know this, it came out in 1997 and ended in 1999. Back then it was the only TMNT comic being put out.

At the time, noone really knew there was TMNT anything anymore, except maybe the New Mutation. I honestly never heard of New Mutation and Red Sky til years later. Where I lived CBS cancelled the Turtles around the time Sonic started.

[pannoni1]

Mirage remains the only version where the series is still referred to as "Teenage" Mutant Ninja Turtles since in Volume 4, the Turtles are said to be in their early thirties, for all those who worry that the Nick show won't last more than five years. But in Volume 4, the Turtles started to feel more free as opposed to hiding around. Volume 3 right before represents the climax of the Turtles' darkest moment, and it remains the only version in which a Turtle actually took the role of the Shredder, and that alone gets my vote for Image!

[Candy Kappa]

Image's Volume 3 is most likely high up there with their mutilation of the turtles and the usual Image 90's flare.

Mirage as a whole isn't dark or gritty as many people (often barely read any just heard about the comic) claim. it is as dark as your usual Marvel/DC superhero comics, like Daredevil.

Now, the truly darkest version of the TMNT is not any of the comics, nor any of the TV shows. Not movies either.

It is the pen and paper role-playing game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness using palladium's Megaversal System.

Rooted in the early history of the Volume 1 comics, the story goes its own separate way to goofy, but also dark ways. not only is the story set in the hands on whoever is the Game Master, but the earlier supplement books After the Bomb sets TMNT into a Post-apocalyptic world filled with hideous monsters and 75% of the human population wiped out.

So the RPG wins, because it is not censored by any editor or concerned parents, it is entirely in your hands to create what game you wanna do.