If you were writing for the IDW series what would you do going forward?

[CyberCubed]

Keep in mind you have to keep continuity with what is happening in the series so far. Meaning no reboots or alt. continuity or anything, that's not what this thread is about. If you had to write for the IDW series from say issue 120 onward, what would you do with the current run?

What I would do going forward:

- Immediately return to the Krang/Leatherhead/Utrom plot. The Turtles discover strange activity coming from Burnow Island. Krang reunites with the Utroms and Ch'rell and start a war with the Triceratons on the island and try to enslave them. Fugitoid teleports back to Earth with some Neutrino commandos and the Turtles go there to help the Triceratons fight off the Utroms led by Krang/Ch'rell. Of course some of the Utroms want peace and refuse to work with Krang, so they "defect" to the Turtles/Triceratons side. The arc ends with the Triceratons finding a new home in space, the Utroms finding a new homeworld, and Krang is separated from Leatherhead's body. Many Utroms and Triceratons die and the "peaceful" Utroms agree to start their own world order with no Krang or Ch'rell in charge. Ch'rell escapes...and would later re-appear taking over the mantle of Shredder.

- Leatherhead befriends the Turtles and thanks them for saving him from Krang. He tries to work with Donatello and Mona Lisa to fix up Mutant Town

- Mutant Town has a civil war, but we eventually find a cure (either through Baxter, Old Hob or Karai), to return most of the citizens to humans. Some would prefer to stay as mutants however, and some mutants refuse to get the vaccine and either stay in mutant town or leave and go off on their own. At least 80% of mutant town return to being normal humans and the quarantine is lifted. Baxter decides to step down as mayor and is found guilty of corrupt and illegal activities. He gets arrested but then the EPF realize his brilliance and agree to let him work for them.

- The Rat King tries to corrupt Shredder and turn Kitsune back to his side. Rat King still wants to control everything and the other Pantheon members like Jagwar and Mammoth especially try to stop him. Kitsune winds up sacrificing herself to save Saki and Rat King becomes the main villain of the series going forward.

- Null is defeated in a mini-series where the Turtles banish her to Hell and stop an invasion from Maligna. Basically a loose adaption of the Archie plot.

- Karai honors her truce with the Turtles, and Clan Hamato and the Foot Clan work together to bring peace to NYC. We see the Turtles training Foot Soldiers and raising them as protectors of the city instead of assassins. Koya/Bludgeon stay friends of the Turtles, but Bebop/Rocksteady leave the Foot and go off on their own again.



There's other stuff but this is my idea of where the series should go. Man they should hire me as a writer.

[AquaParade]

- Turtles and Splinter find evidence pointing to the possibility they were not, in fact, reincarnated - It was just psychological effects from the mutagen.

- Debate from first few issues pick back up, and differing beliefs in where they came from and where they should be going opens rift in family.

- They learn this while time-traveling back to Feudal Japan. This allows for a new setting, away from Mutant Town and somewhat of a "refresh". We can easily stay here for at least 25 issues.
TMNT have always been outsiders who don't interact with society much, so this doesn't hinder the classic formula too much, just spices it up. New setting hopefully inspires interesting new foes and storylines that we haven't seen in TMNT before.

- Some members of the family stay, others may split off for a time. Heavy focus on what makes family - is it blood? is it being there for each other? Does it matter whether they were reincarnated?

- Jennika can have her own series, taking over modern day setting (if sales permit), until the TMNT return.

- Try to find balance between pacing of the first 100 issues and issues post-100.

That's my pitch, off the top of my head. Don't get me wrong - I love the reincarnation angle. It's a new and exciting angle, but now I want to take that ball and run with it in a slightly different direction.

[neatoman]

Well the first thing that needs to be done is bring Mutant Town to an end. Nothing interesting has been done with the concept after... Let me check here... Yeah, one and a half years between 26 issues total. I realise some people want the other plot threads to be dealt with first but this crippling cancer of a concept needs to be carved out like the tumor of boredom it is. I know some people have fooled themselves into thinking it is a nice idea and puke up strawmen like "Don't you want the characters to something other than fight?" as if the series never took a breather before or if this low stakes anti-climax horseshit we got can be considered compelling.

How to do it is a bit of a thorny issue. We know mutations can be reversed by simply pumping the mutagen out the system, as seen with Null's goons. So it is hardly hopeless, but you also don't want them to return too easily. Simply having an anti-mutagen substance creates problems (See "Why didn't Shredder build another anti-mutation gun after season 1?" or "Mike created it by accident"), so ideally it is hard to make and generally not a good option under normal circumstances. The 4Kids show proabably had the best solution, in which the subject first needed to be cystalised for genetic repair and then injected with liquid crystal for the effect to hold. I guess you could introduce Ylyntia and just do that?

And I guess Jennika would be the ideal test subject for the reversal since they know Leo is the source of her turtle DNA. They could just compare DNA and see what should be removed and repaired. Then they could try it on... Well, I guess any former human would do but I'd go with Lita because she has many of the same problems inherent to Jennika.

Then when it proves to work... Let's see, we don't want Mutant Town to come across like it was totally pointless... Let's say some kind of skirmish happens in relation to the cure being revealed, many mutants scatter and they run out of the cure and some of the dissapeared mutants can't be cured. How about 200-300 are out there unaccounted for? That should be enough for writers to randomly introduce new mutants without the need for a particular origin for a long time (which I'm sure was the real point of this damn concept all along) but also so few there won't be a need for Mutant Town to exist anymore.

After that, I'd order the lingering plot threads from most pressing to least pressing like this:

1. Burnow Island
2. Karai's Leadership
3. Null's mystery client
4. Remaining Pantheon
5. Leatherkrang

Not too interested in trying to figure out a continuation of the lingering plotlines as much getting rid of Mutant Town. I don't really feel any of them have turned out to bad idea like Mutant Town has, so I'm not going to worry too much about it.

Also... Kill two of the weasels. The weasels suck I can't tell them apart, kill two of them and rework the remaining one into something better.

[ChosenOne]

I've keeping away from this thread all day because I just knew I'd rant on and on, and still forget most of what I'd like to do in that situation. But a couple of quick things I would absolute push for, just off the top of my head:

- Keep Mutant Town but move the focus away from it.

- Rat King kills Kitsune, pushing Saki to step forward as the Turtles' mentor and ask for their help against him.

- Utrom civil war. Krang loyalists find out he's back, decide to forego scrounging a meager living off a barren island when they could just reactivate the Technodrome and take over the planet, and murder Ma'riell for being the voice of reason. Ch'rell - who either develops into a more sympathetic, diplomatic figure or was never that bloodthirsty all along - opposes Krang and eventually decides to don a modified version of the Shredder armor to better torment him.

- Krang teaches his loyalists to control other organisms and they take over the Triceratons on Burnow.

- The Turtles, Ch'rell and the EPF join forces to stop the Technodrome from being reactivated.

- Leatherhead is freed from Krang's control, is whisked away by IDW Cherubae with the Turnstone and goes on an interdimensional adventure in his own mini. (I've been daydreaming about something like this with Slash ever since he died but LH works just as well.)

- Bring in IDW Armaggon in an arc featuring Renet and maybe Future Lita.

- Tournament arc just for kicks, bringing in the Battle Nexus and/or a return to Stump Asteroid. Throw in a bunch of 4Kids cameos.

- Bebop and Rocksteady get a third mini to cap off the trilogy, maybe pitting them against Groundchuck and Dirtbag.

- Jennika gets a third mini, which introduces IDW Chien Kahn as the newly-mutated (by Hob's bomb) leader of a gang of mystical ninjas who muscles in on the Foot's turf and has an interest in Saki's supernatural powers. He becomes a force to be reckoned with and puts Saki's new morals to the test more than once.

- Raph has a falling out with the others and eventually decides to don the mantle of the Shredder to bring peace to NYC. Karai dons the mantle as well, feeling it's her birthright, and the three Shredder wannabes (including Ch'rell) come into conflict with each other for the right to be the one, true Shredder. In the end, the original comes along and pulls a Drogon vs the Iron Throne moment to put an end to the whole thing, for the exact same reasons.

- Null (and Maligna) finally makes her move and it takes the combined might and skills of every single character with a stake on Earth to turn back the invasion. I think I'd have Krang and Leatherhead die together here, the first as comeuppance for trying to betray the Earthlings to Maligna, and the second as a callback to Slash's sacrifice in Archie. Hob sacrificing himself for mutantkind and finally becoming their idol might work well too.

- And last but not least, FOCUS ON THE TURTLES! Yes, their world is sprawling, yes, the supporting cast is huge, but so was, say, Invincible's and Mark was never not the focus of that, so... No excuses.

[sdp]

I would give Jennika and Lita more relevance and space in each issue for them to grow and perhaps add another female turtle so they can be a trio.
I would bring Krang into mutant town and for him to become a member of society reforming.
I'd make a new crime fighter team with Jennika, Lita, the new female turtle and have them take on hate crimes that go unnoticed, those relating to social issues, especially.
It's 2021, this comic can do a lot more for our real issues that we are facing on the planet today. By not doing it we're sending a message that we don't care and we can't do that.
I'd also dwell a bit more on different relationships that members of mutant town, they're so interesting, many mutants should get more focus on each issue and see their lives and struggles as mutants!
I'd write a ten issue story arc regarding a prom high school dance in mutant town.

[Zog The Magnificent]

Originally Posted by sdp

I would give Jennika and Lita more relevance and space in each issue for them to grow and perhaps add another female turtle so they can be a trio.
I would bring Krang into mutant town and for him to become a member of society reforming.
I'd make a new crime fighter team with Jennika, Lita, the new female turtle and have them take on hate crimes that go unnoticed, those relating to social issues, especially.
It's 2021, this comic can do a lot more for our real issues that we are facing on the planet today. By not doing it we're sending a message that we don't care and we can't do that.
I'd also dwell a bit more on different relationships that members of mutant town, they're so interesting, many mutants should get more focus on each issue and see their lives and struggles as mutants!
I'd write a ten issue story arc regarding a prom high school dance in mutant town.

I genuinely can't tell if you're doing a bit.

[MikeandRaph87]

I never imagined Mutant Town being all that important beyond an arc. First and foremost I would have commissioned a micro-series spotlighting each member of The Pantheon with the issue's focus member narrating his or her story allowing for us to see each one's perspective and gain some background on each. While this is unfolding leading to The Armageddon Game I have Baxter Stockman focused on his intentions with Mutant Town as he attempts it as a goodwill endeavor since they were mostly his supporters and look good to the public, while getting resources to rebuild what he lost from Stocktronics. Stockman would be forced to give up the resources to the government after April catches him and he gets credit for finding the retro-mutagen cure.

We would also see Leatherhead-Krang reunite with Chrell. The utroms will realize Krang's ambition and how he has caused much more harm than good and Ma'rell will contact Fugitoid for help as Krang and Chr'ell have scaped to deep space.

[CyberCubed]

Mutant town can also continue to go on in the background as a whole bunch of other main plotlines go on outside of it. Having a section of NY quarantined for mutants to live in is pretty interesting plotline, but you have to do something memorable with it.

The problem is instead of a bunch of mutants freaked out and fighting for survival for food, medicine, shelter and different factions trying to take over...it's basically just a Zootopia furry community where most animals seem to live in peace and accept their lives. Remember all these mutants were previously human beings, you'd think most of them would want to be de-mutated and be freaking out they can't get in touch with their family members.

[miru]

My idea for Mutant Town was that the bomb, due to mutagen physics, simply turned the humans into Utrom-like zombies that are normally docile and loyal to an unknown force, but when they detect a mutant become extremely aggressive to them. Meanwhile, Old Hob has been experimenting with mutating humans out of a sadistic, vengeful pleasure, including Mona Lisa. Soon, these two overlap, as Mona Lisa, as well as Dreadmon, are at the speech of Old Hob, and Dreadmon tries to prevent the bomb from going off, knowing Hob has no idea how the bomb actually works and is doing this out of blind anger. He fails… horrifically. The mutagen has an odd effect on human-born mutants, turning them into much more bizarre horrors that barely resemble the animals they had previously became. Mona Lisa becomes the Oni-like, acid-spitting Quarry. Dreadmon becomes the sharp-clawed Razorfist. Meanwhile, Rocksteady, who was just getting a shawarma the hard way, is turned into Stonebiter. Now the other mutants are forced by Stockman to help clean up this mess, with the “Underground Monsters” providing more complexity to the situation, as they have more control over themselves than the other zombies, but are still dealing with monstrous impulses! Meanwhile Hob continues his experiments, yet feels no satisfaction with what he’s done in his blind rage, trying to save his own sanity and life, trying to take his mind off of things, hoping perhaps one day someone could truly look up to him.

[TheLabRat]

Originally Posted by miru

My idea for Mutant Town was that the bomb, due to mutagen physics, simply turned the humans into Utrom-like zombies that are normally docile and loyal to an unknown force, but when they detect a mutant become extremely aggressive to them. Meanwhile, Old Hob has been experimenting with mutating humans out of a sadistic, vengeful pleasure, including Mona Lisa. Soon, these two overlap, as Mona Lisa, as well as Dreadmon, are at the speech of Old Hob, and Dreadmon tries to prevent the bomb from going off, knowing Hob has no idea how the bomb actually works and is doing this out of blind anger. He fails… horrifically. The mutagen has an odd effect on human-born mutants, turning them into much more bizarre horrors that barely resemble the animals they had previously became. Mona Lisa becomes the Oni-like, acid-spitting Quarry. Dreadmon becomes the sharp-clawed Razorfist. Meanwhile, Rocksteady, who was just getting a shawarma the hard way, is turned into Stonebiter. Now the other mutants are forced by Stockman to help clean up this mess, with the “Underground Monsters” providing more complexity to the situation, as they have more control over themselves than the other zombies, but are still dealing with monstrous impulses! Meanwhile Hob continues his experiments, yet feels no satisfaction with what he’s done in his blind rage, trying to save his own sanity and life, trying to take his mind off of things, hoping perhaps one day someone could truly look up to him.

I like this because I don't like the IDW writer try to pretend to Hob is secretly a noble, virtuous hero. I also thought of a plot where Woody was also mutagen bomb's victim and he turn into a twisted monster but soon died a painful death in front of Mikey. This finally made Mikey angry and even goes into TLR Mikey mode. If it weren't for the other minions cover Hob and help him escape, Mikey would have killed him, and this was the first time that he didn't regret kill an enemy.

[miru]

Originally Posted by TheLabRat

I like this because I don't like the IDW writer try to pretend to Hob is secretly a noble, virtuous hero. I also thought of a plot where Woody was also mutagen bomb's victim and he turn into a twisted monster but soon died a painful death in front of Mikey. This finally made Mikey angry and even goes into TLR Mikey mode. If it weren't for the other minions cover Hob and help him escape, Mikey would have killed him, and this was the first time that he didn't regret kill an enemy.

Yeah, I prefer that Hob had his chance to be a noble hero but that chance is over and now he has to live with being a villain. The longer he survives as a villain, the more he’s gonna like to thrive as a villain, he just doesn’t know it yet, which makes it more tragic. Having some Utrom zombie hybrids not even surviving it would be another nice twist. Splitting up Bebop and Rocksteady provides some drama even for Chaotic Evil villains like them.