I Dream of Volume 4

[The Shelf]

Disclaimer: This thread is for everyone who actually likes Volume 4 and wants to speculate on what might happen with all the storylines if Peter picks up the series again. Therefore, if you're just going to bash Volume 4, please, please, please go start a different thread for that, or better yet just post in one of the many threads where people already complain about it.

Now that we have that out of the way.... Here's the dealio. Take as many storylines as you can think of that haven't been resolved yet in Volume 4 or even from Volume 1 or 2 and tell everybody what you'd like to see happen with them. Go crazy with 'em, but try to keep them reasonably feasible and not too off-the-wall. For example, none of this: "Donatello changes back to normal size but at the cost of mutating into a man-sized mole-monkey that poops rainbows every time the wind blows north." Admittedly, that would be pretty funny, but let's try to stay somewhat serious.

Here's a list of the storylines I can think of off the top of my head that have either not been resolved yet or have only been briefly mentioned, just to refresh everyone's memory.

1. Leonardo's quest to find the nine (correct number?) books, and his visit to the Battle Nexus.
2. The unexpected appearance of Oroku Yoshi as a new Shredder who has never heard of the turtles and is seemingly good.
3. Karai, the remains of the Foot clan, and the Aztec warriors from an alternate dimension (or perhaps a possible future?) and their connection with the nine (?) books.
4. Mike's relationship with the Regina (I think her name was Seri?) and the fate of their babies.
5. Mike's involvement with the Triceratons.
6. Relations between the Styracodons and the Triceratons (and possibly the Utroms and Federation, though these haven't been touched on much at all)
7. Shadow's possible future recruitment into the foot clan (at Karai's invitation from issue 10, I believe).
8. Raph's mutation, his likely return to normal, and what his possibilities are afterwards.
9. The source of the vampire gang's "disease" and by implication Raph's as well.
10. Don's shrunkenness, his likely return to normal, and what his possibilities are afterwards.
11. Don clipping something from Splinter's body (fur, finger, or otherwise).
12. Baxter's fate. It's always possible that his brain was still intact within the robot head (or wherever his brain was located within the 'bot) and was able to escape the sewer to rebuild himself. Slim chance, I know, but it's always a possibility, and imagine Don's reaction when he realizes he cannot avoid explaining to his brothers what happened. Personally, though, I think I'd like to lay him to rest. His execution by Don was one of my favorite scenes in Volume 4, and I'd prefer that not be tampered with.
13. April's fate.
14. Casey's return as a masked vigilante. Was it a brief return, or will he continue to don the mask?
15. Xihad, Shadow's old boyfriend, and the evil alien toy-maker, and their future plans.
16. The disappearance of everyone in that town.
17. Leatherhead's fate.
18. I'd really rather not mention Rat King because I'm certain his appearance was meant to be symbolic and only a one-time thing, but we'll add him to the list as well.
19. The impact on Utrom technology now that the lost Utroms will be reuniting with the rest of their race and sharing their technological advances while in their unintended exile. I loved the plant suits, and I'd love to see more of that kind of technology.
20. The fate of the dino-folk. Their plotline was pretty much resolved, but they have yet to be captured so it's possible more will come of their story.

Feel free to ponder on as many or as few of those as you like and mention any that I may have left out. None of them have to be connected, but if you can think of an interesting way to connect any of them, feel free. The important thing is to be creative. Maybe if we're lucky Peter will see some of these ideas and it'll help him out of his writer's block. I don't want or expect him to actually use any of these ideas, but if he sees them it may help his creative juices to get flowing again and spark some new ideas. Regardless, it should be pretty fun to see what the possibilities are.

I'll post some of my own ideas a bit later after I've had some time to think about it a bit more.

[CyberCubed]

In the recent issues a lot of those storylines looked like they were about to be wrapped up.

- The evil alien toymaker and the Xihad group were confronted by Raph, Don, Raptaar and a bunch of police. They're all arrested as far as we've seen in issue 27 I believe.

- The Vampires were captured, we're just waiting to find out what exactly they are and a cure for Raph.

I've always figured this would happen next:

- The Triceratons go to war with the Styracodons with Mikey in tow. A huge battle breaks out with many dying in the process and Mikey eventually sees the Regenta again. I'm predicting that she'll be killed, leaving Mike to ponder what to do with his children when he gets back to Earth.

- Leo returns from the Battle Nexus with knowledge about the Books of Nine and how to stop the Aztec warriors. Oroku Yoshi helps him along the way, returning to Earth with him and they meet Karai and Cha Ocho, and we discover why the Foot were being eliminated with one final climax to the story with the rest of the Aztec warriors.

Oroku Yoshi returns to the Battle Nexus, the Foot (what's left of them) prevail, and Leonardo is more furious with Karai than ever. This may eventually lead to Karai seducing Shadow to the Foot Clan...but who knows.

- Raph and Don return to normal by some means, and the four Turtles are reunited once again after dozens of issues apart.

The Turtles now face the mystery of why people disappeared and re-appeared unconcious in Northampton (?), and they go on their first reunited adventure after gained experience of what they went through seperately. The Turtles are a team once again, while April returns to Casey and Shadow after her (Tales) adventure as well.

[Cascadia]

I agree with all things already said. I would like to see things return to normal among the 4 turtles. Also, see the mysteries and plot-holes revealed. There are so many questions that have developed from Volume 4.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

In the recent issues a lot of those storylines looked like they were about to be wrapped up.

- The evil alien toymaker and the Xihad group were confronted by Raph, Don, Raptaar and a bunch of police. They're all arrested as far as we've seen in issue 27 I believe.

- The Vampires were captured, we're just waiting to find out what exactly they are and a cure for Raph.

I've always figured this would happen next:

- The Triceratons go to war with the Styracodons with Mikey in tow. A huge battle breaks out with many dying in the process and Mikey eventually sees the Regenta again. I'm predicting that she'll be killed, leaving Mike to ponder what to do with his children when he gets back to Earth.

- Leo returns from the Battle Nexus with knowledge about the Books of Nine and how to stop the Aztec warriors. Oroku Yoshi helps him along the way, returning to Earth with him and they meet Karai and Cha Ocho, and we discover why the Foot were being eliminated with one final climax to the story with the rest of the Aztec warriors.

Oroku Yoshi returns to the Battle Nexus, the Foot (what's left of them) prevail, and Leonardo is more furious with Karai than ever. This may eventually lead to Karai seducing Shadow to the Foot Clan...but who knows.

- Raph and Don return to normal by some means, and the four Turtles are reunited once again after dozens of issues apart.

The Turtles now face the mystery of why people disappeared and re-appeared unconcious in Northampton (?), and they go on their first reunited adventure after gained experience of what they went through seperately. The Turtles are a team once again, while April returns to Casey and Shadow after her (Tales) adventure as well.

....L-Laird?

[The Shelf]

Okay, here are some of my thoughts.

First of all, I'm certain Xihad is much larger than the small camp that was captured by the cops, and the toymaker could easily break himself out of jail using one of his toys by remote control or something. There'll probably be some kind of confrontation between Shadow and her boyfriend about why he was with them to begin with. She'll break up with her boyfriend for good, and with April off on her trip and Casey getting back into vigilante work Shadow will decide to join the Foot clan to develop her fighting skills further. Karai will take her under her wing as her favorite student.

Meanwhile, Leo finds out that Oroku Yoshi is actually from the same alternate universe as the Aztec warriors. Yoshi had left that universe's Foot clan because they became corrupted by a much more evil version of Karai (which is why the Aztecs react to Karai so violently). That version of Karai was defeated in the alternate universe, but before her death she hinted to the Aztecs that she had learned of a new magic and that she would return to defeat them all. She is, of course, referring to the Nine books, and she uses some other magic from her universe to transfer her mind to the Karai that we all know and love. Karai is unaware of it, but she is being controlled by her alternate universe counterpart. Leo figures all of this out gradually while in the Battle Nexus and through talking with Yoshi. They both return to stop Karai.

While all of this is going on, Raph, Don, Casey, and Fugitoid are still dealing with Xihad and the Toymaker because Toymaker breaks out of jail and returns to what's left of Xihad that didn't get captured. At some point during these fights, the Utroms are able to return Don back to normal, and they also offer some of their new technology that they've assimilated from the lost group of Utroms to help battle the Toymaker.

While they're fighting Xihad, Mike is quickly finding himself the hero of the Triceratons. To make a long story slightly less long, Mike becomes an honorary general of sorts to the Triceratons and they wage war on the Styracodons. The Regenta is rescued along with their children who have now hatched, and the Styracodons are defeated. Mike is finally free to contact his brothers and tell them what has been going on...

... Which brings me back to Leo. Leo returns with Yoshi, and they meet up with the rest of the guys. It is discovered that the vampire gang got their powers from the book that the Foot have been distributing and that the only way to cure Raph is by using one of the Nine books. It is also discovered that towns around the country are having strange things happen to them such as that one town where the people disappeared and reappeared lying down in rows. The turtles discover that this is also a result of the Nine books and that Karai who is now fully possessed by the evil Karai from the alternate dimension has now found several of the books and is experimenting with the magic spells within them.

April finally returns from her trip with a renewed hope and feeling confident in herself again. April and Casey are concerned about Shadow and must help the turtles defeat Karai to get her away from the corrupted Foot. Raph, Don, and Fugitoid go off to find the rest of the Nine books before Karai does, and Leo, Shredder, Casey, and April try to keep Karai busy to buy them time.

Once again to make a long story less long, suffice it to say that Karai gets all the books and starts summoning mystical armies to do her bidding. Leo, Don, Raph (who managed to return back to normal during their quest for the remaining books before Karai got a hold of them all), Fugitoid, Shredder, Casey, and April are all reunited. About this time is when Mike's war with the Styracodons ends, and he is finally able to call his brothers. He informs them of his adventure and how he is a general for the Triceratons now. They ask him to help them, and he brings his whole friggin' armada with him.

This brings us to about issue 90. For the last 10 issues the whole reunited gang listed above unites with the Aztec warriors, Mike's armada, and various other friends (such as the superheroes, Leatherhead, and whoever else wants to help out) to wage war against Karai and her mystical army. By issue 100 they cast out evil Karai and destroy the Nine books and return everything to normal. The Aztecs and Shredder return to their own universe. And thus concludes the 100 issue story arc that is Volume 4.

Damn. I take back what I said before. Peter must use some or all of these ideas, and I give him permission to do so!

[odupianist]

Hmm the lost season anyone? :p

[The Shelf]

Yes, there are a couple similarities with the Lost Season, but if you think about it... where would the Lost Season have gone next? Everything was pretty much returned to normal. The turtles were pretty much right back where they started before it ever happened. Not to mention the whole dragon thing was pretty silly. The way Volume 4 has played out, if it had a Lost Season-esque ending, it would still be able to continue with character progressions that made sense. Mike and the Regenta would be like royalty among the Triceratons and would be raising their children. Don would likely work closely with the Utrom scientists. Leo would probably further his study of the martial arts in the Battle Nexus and become good friends with the new Shredder. Raph... well, he would do Raph things. Casey and April would likely settle down again and probably adopt a child since they are unable to have one of their own. Shadow might continue on with the Foot clan and help the healed Karai rebuild the Foot. I imagine the rest of the unresolved dream-related things from Volume 2 and Don clipping something off of Splinter would probably be taken care of in Tales.

[The Shelf]

I hate to double-post, but I desire attention, so I'm bumping.

Surely someone can think of something better than the Lost Season-esque ending that I thought up. No one ever visits the comic forum anymore.... Maybe I should have posted this in the fanfics forum.

By the way, I like your ideas, CyberCubed; and I would really like to see a Triceraton/Styracodon war. I hope it's drawn out over 10-15 issues.

Going a completely different direction than what I did with my previous posts, what if Don gets involved with the war somehow? I imagine Raph would go off to help Leo with the Foot/Aztec story since his mutation and the vampires are probably linked to the magic books somehow, but Don and the Utroms could somehow get involved with the Triceraton/Styracodon war. If this happened, Don could potentially end up on either side because the Styracodons could either complain to the Utroms and force the Utroms to aid the Triceratons, or... the Styracodons could complain to the Utroms and forcefully request that they aid them instead. That would be crazy if Don and Mike were forced to lead/aid opposing armies without even knowing it.

[Andrew NDB]

From what I understand, Laird isn't even discussing Volume 4 at this time. Take that as you will.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by The Shelf

I imagine the rest of the unresolved dream-related things from Volume 2 and Don clipping something off of Splinter would probably be taken care of in Tales.

Probably quite right. If you're imagining Don cloning Splinter from that and the Turtles having to put down what ends up being a rabid clone (i.e., the vision in Vol. 2, #1), you may not be far off the mark.

[The Shelf]

Here's another idea I had...

Instead of Don possibly trying to clone Splinter with the thing he clipped from him, what if Don clipped that thing (fur or finger?) off of Splinter to try to determine the true cause of death. Maybe he wasn't convinced that it was a heart attack. They did have that image of the Rat King standing behind Splinter when he died, and I know that was originally meant to just be symbolic, but what if the Rat King or someone related to him (not necessarily biologically, but perhaps an old friend of his that we didn't know about) was actually responsible for Splinter's death? Don could perhaps discover this and investigate.

If this happened, then whatever Don took would most likely have to be a finger rather than fur because I don't see any way that he could determine a cause of death from examining fur. It could be Splinter's finger because in the drawing that shows Splinter lying down in the bier, you can clearly see all of his fingers except one of his thumbs which is hidden by his little beard thing. It might still be there, or it might not.

[Scandia]

At the simplest level, Donnie may have clipped Splinter's fur to have a reminder of him to comfort Mikey and Raph when they get upset and miss Splinter too much. Leo would be trying to channel Splinter by meditation, but Raph and Mikey are not so good at it. I think Splinter appeared to Raph mainly to console him because Raph had mutated so badly and needed him the most. Also to reassure him that he loves him no matter how much trouble he gets into.

At the more advanced level, Donnie may be trying to either clone Splinter, analyze his DNA more to learn more about the Utroms, or even investigate exactly what happened. I wonder which Turtle would try to bring Splinter back the most.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I think Raph's mutation and the vampire virus is somehow tied in to the jungle Utroms' mutant dinos. GameraRaph and the Deinycho... never mind, I'm not gonna try spelling it, the dinosaurs look really similiar. Although that could just be coincidence.

As for Splinter's death, I wonder if that's going to lead in to the Turtles' final fates: where Mike is an author, Raph lives in the swamp, Leo wearing a Foot Elite hat and watching over the city, and Don was (I think) living in Japan. (I think these fates were shown in the opening pages of the original Tales of the TMNT.)

[odupianist]

What about the Vol 2 Issue 1 where a turtle is seen standing over a bloodied Splinter?

[The Shelf]

Hmm, everyone always talks about Splinter's dream where one of the turtles stands over him all bloodied up, and I know that Casey's dream has already been touched upon in Tales, but has anything ever come from the other dreams? I just sent in my order form for the 13 Volume 2 issues, so hopefully I'll understand things a little better once those come in. I'm just curious about some of the other dreams.

Oh, also, don't forget that Mike had a dream about one of his eggs hatching into a giant three-headed monster. I can't remember what each head was, but one was a rat and I think another was a turtle. Although, he was chained to the monster, so my guess is that the dream was only supposed to represent how he's tied down to everyone he loves, and they're perceived as one big monster since they take up all of his time.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Leo dreamed of being captured and studied by aliens, which sorta happened to Raph later. (He was captured by DARPA, not aliens.)

April dreamed of being attacked by Baxter, which happened later.

Raph dreamed of fighting a giant rat, which seems to point to his conflict with Splinter. This, though, was (to my knowledge) never dealt with in Volume II.

[odupianist]

This, though, was (to my knowledge) never dealt with in Volume II.

You could say he battled Splinter in Vol 3, but Splinter was more bat like in that fight.

I thought of something today. I have not read any of Vol 4 yet, just read the synopsi on the main site. This whole vampire and Shadow thing. We don't know anything about Shadow's real father do we? I know there's an issue where Casey has a dream about Gabrielle and some lobster creatures (or did I totally make that up). What about Shadow's biological father?

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Yeah, the only thing I thought was subpar of Volume III was the bat mutations.

The lobster stuff ("North by Downeast") involved a woman named Gabrielle, but this was NOT Casey's wife. The two-issue story sounds pretty moronic to me, but I've only read synopses.

In Volume III, Shadow's biological father was Albert Puzorelli (who was only mentioned). However, Volume III is not considered canon. Which is too bad; Shadow being related to a mafia warlord was really, really sweet writing.

[odupianist]

That's right, I forgot about the mafia dad. Duh lol

[Shellsweet]

It took me awhile to get some of the TMNT vol.4 issues im missing I have #2 12-11 ...23-28 so im missing a handful, but Im getting back on track with tales of the tmnt vol 2 so yea, I really like how each of the turtles do there own solo act with there own problems its just to bad Splinter died it was sad.

Hopefully My. Laird will get back to it and continue the seris once more.