The TMNT Mirage Continuity Timeline (complete?)

[Straight-Edge]

Originally Posted by Chris

The TMNT are 15 1/2 in the space story #4-7, then you have the Mike special. The Leo special/Vol. 1 #10 is a year later (16 1/2), then return to NY is another year after that (17 1/2). This fits with them being 15 in #1 as Leo says it's been about 3 years since #1 at that point (just over 2 1/2 years rounded up). So the "15 Years Later" story would probably actually come between #1 and #2!

That's what will never work with comic time: Ages. Granted, we've got V4 telling us 15 years have passed since who knows when exactly, but if you stick to passage of time and the like, you get these huge spans of time that need to be dealt with.

I would never have thought to stick an entire year in between the Mikey One-Shot and Leo's. It just feels like Mikey story happens in early December, while Leo's happens on Christmas Day.

BTB, Spengler, I just checked out my copy of Mikey's Christmas Special, and the back-up story "A Christmas Carol" deals with Raphael cutting out on the gang for Christmas. He is visted by the ghost of Christmas Past, who shows him their last Christmas in the sewer, and the Christmas where April's Apartment is burned down. At the end of the story, Raph goes home, and the guys are living in an apartment building, so I'd assume this occurs after City At War.

[DrSpengler]

Originally Posted by Straight-Edge

BTB, Spengler, I just checked out my copy of Mikey's Christmas Special, and the back-up story "A Christmas Carol" deals with Raphael cutting out on the gang for Christmas. He is visted by the ghost of Christmas Past, who shows him their last Christmas in the sewer, and the Christmas where April's Apartment is burned down. At the end of the story, Raph goes home, and the guys are living in an apartment building, so I'd assume this occurs after City At War.

Muchas gracias!

Just one mroe question, is Donatello living in the apartment at the end, too? If so then it probably takes place some time after Vol. 2 (at the end of Vol.1, Don stayed with Splinter in the cave in Northampton).


Also, I finally got my Shell Shock collection in the mail today, so I'll start reading it and placing the stories in the next couple of days.

[Straight-Edge]

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

Muchas gracias!
Just one mroe question, is Donatello living in the apartment at the end, too? If so then it probably takes place some time after Vol. 2 (at the end of Vol.1, Don stayed with Splinter in the cave in Northampton).

It looked like all four were there. So, yeah, Best bet is post-V2.

Good luck getting everything sorted out. You're doing a great job so far!

[DrSpengler]

Awesome! The first post has now been updated to include that story. Again, thanks for the help.

I started thumbing through Shell Shock and noticed an Usagi Yojimbo crossover I didn't even know existed!

I started a thread asking if there were any Usagi crossovers besides Turtle Soup (one shot), Usagi Vol. 1 #10 and Usagi Vol. 2 #1-3 and I was told I had em all (despite Raph saying Leo and Usagi had met three times before "Shades of Green").

Looks like this one is quite obscure. Can't wait to read it.

[Spitfire]

What does "Fun With Guns" look like? I've seen the Raph one shot on Ebay and one with him and Casey and their on a rooftop with guns I figured it was a variant cover but I could be wrong.

[DrSpengler]

Originally Posted by Spitfire666xXxXx

What does "Fun With Guns" look like? I've seen the Raph one shot on Ebay and one with him and Casey and their on a rooftop with guns I figured it was a variant cover but I could be wrong.

It's the second printing which comes with the additional "Fun with Guns" back-up story. Just about the only thing of note to happen in that story is Casey expressing his talent for graffiti artwork.

Otherwise, the story's pretty bad and reeks of Kevin Eastman's occassional "I wish I was Frank Miller" syndrome.

[Spitfire]

Yeah that's the one I've seen, cool stuff. It's only a buck in most auctions maybe I'll nab it. I like the cover.

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

It's the second printing which comes with the additional "Fun with Guns" back-up story. Just about the only thing of note to happen in that story is Casey expressing his talent for graffiti artwork.

Otherwise, the story's pretty bad and reeks of Kevin Eastman's occassional "I wish I was Frank Miller" syndrome.

Wow really cause I just recently got this reprint and really enjoyed the short story allot.
I've never actully looked at millers work before but reguardless I thought the art was very nice and is something I miss allot in the world of tmnt.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Straight-Edge

That's what will never work with comic time: Ages. Granted, we've got V4 telling us 15 years have passed since who knows when exactly, but if you stick to passage of time and the like, you get these huge spans of time that need to be dealt with.

I would never have thought to stick an entire year in between the Mikey One-Shot and Leo's. It just feels like Mikey story happens in early December, while Leo's happens on Christmas Day.

Actually TMNT is one of the few comics where the ages actually work out. Granted Superman and Batman haven't really ever aged but the TMNT did throughout the course of Vol. 1 and that has continued since.

The years listed in the comics don't work out as they were attempting to keep up with the time they were published (this is probably something PL will change with his re-done versions), but the internal aging of the TMNT and how long was said to have passed all work fine.

And read the Leo special again, it says it's the TMNT's second real Christmas, the first was the Mikey special. In the year gap you have Vol. 1 #8 and the Tales Vol. 1 issues set in NY, that's not much but then there's not much "official cannon" between RTNY and City at War either and that's just under another year of time.

[DrSpengler]

Originally Posted by Putrescent

Wow really cause I just recently got this reprint and really enjoyed the short story allot.
I've never actully looked at millers work before but reguardless I thought the art was very nice and is something I miss allot in the world of tmnt.

I just have a problem with the TMNT using guns, even Raph. Eastman, as much as I love him, sometimes had a tendency to lay on the grit really REALLY thick to the point where it just came off as a bad Frank Miller parody (yeah yeah yeah, TMNT were born as a Frank Miller parody, but you know what I mean).

Bodycount was one of the worst TMNT stories I've ever read.


I guess "Fun With Guns" wasn't that bad, I just think firearms should be left to the villains and not put in the hands of the Turtles.

[DrSpengler]

Okay, the timeline and notes posts have been updated with all the stories from Shell Shock.

Several of the stories in Shell Shock were reprinted from previous TMNT or Mirage anthology books, back-up stories etc. A few took place within Zulli's "Soul's Winter" universe and one was a wacky fun goofy story (so I omitted those).

As noted in the Notes post, nearly all the stories in Shell Shock take place during the Living With April era, so unless they had something indicating a very specific placement, I lumped them together.

For example, "100,000,000 BC" took place while the TMNT were still stuck in the past after "Return of Savanti Romero". "The Treaty" was the third crossover with Usagi Yojimbo. "Don't Judge a Book" was a Halloween story. "Rick's Dive" takes place during TMNT #5. "Terror by Transmat" has to take place after "Gizmo & the Fugitoid", as Honeycutt has finally made it to the Utrom homeworld. And "Junk Man" features the TMNT living in the sewers, so it would have to take place Post Return to New York.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

Bodycount was one of the worst TMNT stories I've ever read.

You must not read Tales Volume 2 much then, those Cowboy Of Moo Mesa crossovers are horrid. Rock Of Ages is crap to. And Volume 4 is one long story arc of non-stop suck.

I also found the very early "Turtles In Space" story arc to be rather boring. But that could be because I didn't like the episodes that much either.

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by Spitfire666xXxXx

You must not read Tales Volume 2 much then, those Cowboy Of Moo Mesa crossovers are horrid. Rock Of Ages is crap to. And Volume 4 is one long story arc of non-stop suck.

I also found the very early "Turtles In Space" story arc to be rather boring. But that could be because I didn't like the episodes that much either.

I say it's all a matter of opinion personally I don't have a problem with anything either of you guys listed.
Why? cause it's all differnt things in all differnt tmnt universes.
Image TMNT was pretty violent so I don't see why bodycount should be any differnt.
Kevin & the Bizz for the most part do storys of that nature allot it's really nothing new for either of them to do a violent story like that.

[DrSpengler]

Alright, I added Tales Vol. 2 #s 33 and 34 to the list.

Both are fantastic issues, BTW, and follow up on some very important unresolved arcs.

Also interesting is that in the back-up story, "Credo", when Don mentions friends they show Gizmo and Fluffi! Does that mean the TMNT had an encounter with the two of them which hasn't been seen yet? Man, I hope so.

[discordiatookie]

HOLY CRAP this is some list! That's a helluva lot of homework you guys have done here! You all get an A+ each, and DrSpengler, you also get a gold star, for even attempting this thing on your own! I tried once and just couldn't hack it. Too much research, ya dig? I'm seriously thinking about rearranging my comics into chronological order now...

Oh, and where's the sticky? Surely this deserves one!!!

[DrSpengler]

Originally Posted by tookie

Oh, and where's the sticky? Surely this deserves one!!!

That's what *I* wanna know!


The only reason I was able to pull this off is because I spent two years painstakingly amassing a complete collection, while simultaneously refusing to read *any* of it until my collection was complete.

Then, once all the hard work was done, I sat down to read every issue and construct this list at the same time.

Twas a fun project, it twas. But alas, I fear I have run out of material to add to it.

[TristanHuwJones]

One thing I just noticed about your timeline there Spengs is that you've placed the three Berger stories (Virus, it's sequel and Splinter Cell all together). While I can totally understand your P.O.V., I've placed them a little further apart, as Splinter Cell tells us that Hana had been staking out the Turtles for six or so months, which could (only a could!) mean that other stories have happened between each. Just thought you might be interested in another P.O.V., no need to alter it though

[DrSpengler]

Originally Posted by TristanHuwJones

One thing I just noticed about your timeline there Spengs is that you've placed the three Berger stories (Virus, it's sequel and Splinter Cell all together). While I can totally understand your P.O.V., I've placed them a little further apart, as Splinter Cell tells us that Hana had been staking out the Turtles for six or so months, which could (only a could!) mean that other stories have happened between each. Just thought you might be interested in another P.O.V., no need to alter it though

That's very true!

I mostly put them together because the "Leatherhead Trilogy" (as I call it) plus "Splinter Cell" read extremely well together.

I did a similar thing with the Usagi stories. There's a good chance plenty of other "Living with April" tales could happen in-between each Usagi encounter, but they all read well together and there isn't any contradictions to that placement (unless I missed something, in which case, I need to know!).

[Fledermaus]

Wow...

I didn't think twice about this thread because I didn't need it before, but this is great. Thanks so much for going to the trouble for the rest of us.

[Scandia]

I just wanted to tell you, like many other users have already, that your timeline is extremely helpful. I have enjoyed it very much. It is very beneficial when it comes to collecting and reading the comics. Kudos to you!