Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Archie Comics)
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''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'' is an
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
series that was published from August 1988 to October 1995 by
Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jug ...
. The series, which was aimed at a younger audience than other ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...
'' comics at the time, ran for 72 issues. In addition, there were numerous annuals, specials, and miniseries.


Publication History

''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'' debuted in August 1988 as a three-part miniseries and was aimed at a younger audience than
Mirage Studios Mirage Studios was an American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in Dover, New Hampshire. The company was best known for the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') comic book series and the subsequent fra ...
' ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...
'' comic book series. It initially adapted episodes from the 1987 animated television series, but by issue #5,
Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book writer and artist best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine ''Heavy Metal ...
and
Peter Laird Peter Alan Laird (born January 27, 1954) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman. Early life and career Laird was born on January 27, 1 ...
handed the comic over to Mirage artists Ryan Brown and Stephen Murphy. Under their guidance, the series moved to original storylines, often incorporating social and environmentalist themes, and introduced several new characters. The main series ran for 72 issues, ending in October 1995; in addition, there were numerous annuals, specials and, miniseries. An ongoing spinoff series, ''
Mighty Mutanimals ''Mighty Mutanimals'', a superhero group within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, emerged in the comic-book series ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures''. Composed of various mutated animals, the team collaborated with the ...
,'' features a team of supporting characters.


Major story arcs

Heroes in a Half Shell: Mini-series #1–3 :This mini-series adapts the first five episodes of the 1987 TV series: " Turtle Tracks", " Enter the Shredder", " A Thing About Rats", "
Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X The following is an episode list for the animated television series ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' which premiered in 1987. In total, 193 episodes aired between 1987 and 1996. The first three seasons were aired in syndication. CBS aired the r ...
", and " Shredder & Splintered". The Turtles team up with
April O'Neil April O'Neil is a fictional Character (arts), character from the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics. She is the first human ally of the Ninja Turtles. April made her first appearance in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios), Mir ...
and confront Shredder,
Krang Krang (also spelled Kraang) is a supervillain appearing in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''-related media, most frequently in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series), 1987 animated series and its associated merchandise, such as the ''Te ...
,
Bebop and Rocksteady Bebop and Rocksteady are a fictional duo of mutant warthog and rhinoceros that have made appearances in various media releases of the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise. The two characters are henchmen who follow the orders of the franch ...
for the first time. Issues #1–4 :Adapts the second season episodes of the animated series: " Return of the Shredder" and " The Incredible Shrinking Turtles". The Eye of Sarnath plot thread is developed in future issues, taking a different path than the animated cartoon. Issues #5–11 :Introduces fellow mutants, Man-Ray, Leatherhead, Wingnut and Screwloose (who later form the
Mighty Mutanimals ''Mighty Mutanimals'', a superhero group within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, emerged in the comic-book series ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures''. Composed of various mutated animals, the team collaborated with the ...
). Also introduces concepts such as Cudley the Cowlick, Stump Asteroid and its intergalactic wrestling, the Turtles' wrestling costumes, and the polluted Earth in the future. After returning from Stump Asteroid, the Turtles meet Wingnut and Screwloose who seek revenge on Krang for destroying their home planet Huanu, and later confront the
Rat King A rat king is a collection of rats or mice whose tails are intertwined and bound together in some way. This could be a result of an entangling material like hair, a sticky substance such as sap or gum, or the tails being tied together. A sim ...
for the first time. The Turtles battle the mutant villains, Wyrm and Scumbug, as well as the spy-turned-mutant, Chameleon. These issues offer decidedly different character origins and interpretations than the animated cartoon series. Issues #12–13 :The Turtles are recruited by Cherubae to the planet of Hirobyl to battle the Malignoids, an alien, bug-like army sent out by
Maligna Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse; the term is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not ...
. The battle is exploited by Stump Asteroid television. The Turtles are joined by Leatherhead, Wingnut and Screwloose, and other intergalactic wrestlers. Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady are connected with the alien threat, and Cherubae banishes them across the universe as punishment (Shredder to an Earth prison, Krang to the landfill planet Morbus, and Bebop and Rocksteady to an Eden World planet). Cherubae is revealed to be the sorceress who mutated Leatherhead as ''Mary Bones'' (her Earth disguise, Cherubae is her true form) and Leatherhead renounces his former life as helping Shredder for a while to become a wrestling idol on the Stump Asteroid, as he was seen as a monster on the Earth. Issues #14–18 :The Turtles return to Earth just in time to rescue April O'Neil from poachers in the rain forest of Amazonas, Brazil. They are aided in their tropical adventures by Jagwar, Dreadmon, and Man-Ray. Upon their return to New York City,
Mondo Gecko ''Mighty Mutanimals'', a superhero group within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, emerged in the comic-book series ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures''. Composed of various mutated animals, the team collaborated with the ...
is introduced and joins the Turtles after he decides to break up with his girlfriend, Candy Fine, believing his mutation from human to human-lizard would make their relationship impossible to pursue. Issues #19–20 :Evil businessman, Null, sends his alien lackeys, Scul and Bean, to attack the Turtles. The Turtles, Splinter, April, and Mondo Gecko are rescued by rats which Splinter summons to chew through their ropes. Having beaten Scul and Bean to a standstill, the aliens escape (but not before Raphael and Mondo can sneak aboard their spacecraft). Together with Man-Ray, Jagwar, Dreadmon, Leatherhead, Wingnut and Screwloose (the newly formed Mighty Mutanimals), Raph and Mondo defeat the alien warlord, Maligna (this arc overlaps with the events of ''Mighty Mutanimals'' mini-series #1–3). While Raphael is away fighting with the Mighty Mutanimals, the remaining Turtles meet Chu Hsi, a firefighter in Chinatown, New York City who is empowered with an ancient Warrior Dragon (popularly known as "Hothead") spirit after an old man tries to help him by throwing some mystic East Asian substance into a burning house where the firefighter tries to help a child. Together with their new ally they defeat a giant Foot robot, which is later revealed to have been a ruse by Shredder to get the Turtles to show themselves. The Warrior Dragon defeats the giant Foot robot by throwing it on the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
. Issues #21–25 :April O'Neil is revealed to have obtained competence with the katana sword under Splinter's instruction, and together they aid the Turtles in their battles against Vid Vicious and Shredder. Raphael returns to help defeat Shredder and aid his friends in the final fight with Krang, who has allied with Bellybomb to take possession of Shredder's body. The alien turtle Slash battles the Turtles for the first time. The Turtles remove Krang from Shredder's body and remind Shredder he owes them. Issues #26–27 :This storyline explores environmental political issues. In ''The Keeper'', an extraterrestrial spacecraft lands in
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
, and out comes ''Boss Salvage'' who abducts rare animals from the Earth, among them the Yeti T'Pau who searches help by Splinter. Boss Salvage also abducts the
Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster (), known affectionately as Nessie, is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protrud ...
,
Bigfoot Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...
and a merman. The reason is that he sees no future for them on the Earth because of pollution, but the Yeti persuades Boss Salvage that there still is hope, referring to all who are engaged in environmental politics. In ''In the Dark'', animals are mutated after illegal industrial pollution in Innsmouth, Massachusetts and April makes a report about illegal pollution. She calls the turtles, and they also get help from the local teenage girl ''Beth Ann''. The mutants want revenge on humanity, and poison the food with substances that put humans in a zombie-like state. Mightnight Sun: Issues #28–30 :Continued from the April O'Neil backup stories in issues #24–27, the Turtles, Splinter, and April travel to
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
(by stowing away aboard an
airplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...
) to rescue Fu Sheng and Chu Hsi (Chu Hsi is the human alter ego of The Warrior Dragon from issue #20) since Chu Hsi is kidnapped by ninjas in Chinatown, New York City and sent to
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
, Japan. They battle the samurai-masked villain Chien Khan (a fusion of the French word for 'dog' and the Turkish/Mongol term for 'great leader;' essentially "Dog King", since he is really an anthropomorphic dog) and his humanoid vixen warrior,
Ninjara ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...
. Chien Khan forces Fu Sheng to summon the Warrior Dragon (if not he will use a knife to kill a young teenage girl, the street child Oyuki Mamisha who later becomes friend to April O' Neil) whom Chien Khan uses to brainwash with a witchcraft and destroy a nuclear power plant and set free an interdimensional demon. Chien Khan's recklessness regarding the nuclear plant enrages Ninjara, who decides to help the Turtles defeat him. Through meditation, Splinter is able to summon the ancient deities,
Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally referred to with a divine honorific as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the ...
and
Izanami , formally referred to with the honorific , is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial ...
, who defeat the demon and free the Warrior Dragon from Chien Khan's witchcraft. The Turtles and Ninjara defeat Chien Khan and his men before he escapes in the confusion. Ninjara has a change of heart. She decides to accompany the Turtles and leave her criminal life behind. Issues #31–36 :The heroes have further adventures in Japan, the Japanese culture and religion is studied, and gangsters who illegally make money on
sumo wrestling is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ('' dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by ...
are stopped. Raphael and Ninjara become close and April and Chu Hsi share a kiss. The Turtles, Splinter and Ninjara begin a long quest on land and sea heading west while the human characters fly back to New York City. In
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
the heroes fight, with the help of a four armed
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
tiger named ''Katmandu'', to protect the incarnation of a
lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...
(who happens to be Charlie Llama, an anthropomorphic
llama The llama (; or ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with ...
) from the evil Chinese wizard Mang-Thrasha who kidnapped Charlie Llama from his Crystal Palace. The Whirling Dervishes and skeleton versions of them are fought. When the group finally arrive, Charlie Llama dies while a young woman gives birth to a child. Journeying through the deserts in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
, the group is attacked by Al'Falqa who believes they have stolen the
Black Stone The Black Stone () is a rock set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba, the ancient building in the center of the Masjid al-Haram, Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic which, according to Muslim tradi ...
of
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
. The sacred stone has actually been stolen by Shredder and a cat mutant, Verminator-X, from the future. The black stone is saved by the heroes before the villains disappear in a mysterious vortex-window. They also plan to kidnap Splinter, but give him back since Shredder owes the Turtles after they helped him escape from Krang. Issue #37 :Cudley the Cowlick appears in the Middle East desert before the gang and proposes to take them to Stump Asteroid for another wrestling competition. If the Turtles participate Cudley will then drop everyone back on Earth at any location they desire, including New York. The Turtles agree, compete against each other, and Donatello emerges victorious and also defeats Cryin' Houn', here known as "El Mysterio". Issues #38–39 :In a three issue
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...
with the Mighty Mutanimals (one of the issues was a ''
Mighty Mutanimals ''Mighty Mutanimals'', a superhero group within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, emerged in the comic-book series ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures''. Composed of various mutated animals, the team collaborated with the ...
'' comic), the Turtles fight the
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible, a piece of apocalypse literature attributed to John of Patmos, and generally regarded as dating from about AD 95. Similar allusions a ...
and Null in Brazil. Issues #40–41 :In issue #40, as he and his brothers sail home, Donatello is taken by a spirit to 1492 where he and his brothers encounter
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...
(who reached the Americas that year). The Turtles must defend the natives from Columbus' raids, but it all turns out to be in vain as the natives are either captured as slaves or die of disease. In #41, Raphael, while on a date with Ninjara to show her around New York City, is reminded of the Turtles battle against a mammoth mutant. The parts of the story in the present are drawn by Chris Allan, while the flashbacks are drawn by Ken Mitchroney, who drew the earlier issues of the comic in the era the flashbacks take place in. The Future Shark Trilogy: Issues #42–44 :The Turtles, Splinter and Ninjara are taken to the future by the future versions of Raph and Don. Don explains how in the future, some time after Splinter's death because of old age, global warming has melted the polar ice caps and left most of New York City under water. The present-day Turtles have already seen this earlier, after a mistake by Cudley the Cowlick after their first visit to the Stump Asteroid, and said it was a possible future. This created a rat problem but Don invented robot traps to eliminate the rats, much to the Rat King's chagrin. His robots won Don fame and wealth, which he used to fund his company Turtleco, along with a talented young cat mutant named Manx. Manx began to enhance himself as a cyborg named Verminator-X, obsessed with becoming immortal. Soon he and Don were archenemies. :Verminator-X, the shark mutant Armaggon, and a time displaced version of the Shredder (from issue #36) broke into Turtleco, kidnapped the future Mike and Leo and stole Don's experimental time slip generator. When Raph attempted to stop them, his eye was blown out by one of Armaggon's missiles. Don built another machine in order to get reinforcements in the past. Armaggon works on powering the machine with
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
's brain, the Roswell Alien's bones and the white stone of mecca so he and his cohorts can rule all of space and time. Splinter, Ninjara and the six Turtles ambush the bad guys with a time slip, but Armaggon escapes, taking Leo as a hostage, into his machine with both Raphs and the present-day version of Don in pursuit. While the remaining Turtles battle Shredder and Verminator-X, the Rat King shows up to get his revenge on Future Don, using his powers to control Splinter. Luckily, the Turtles have a surprise ally in Merdude, tricking Verminator-X to fire his blaster, destroying the wall and letting sea water come in to free Future Leo and Mike which turns the tide in favor of the Turtles. Don and the two Raphs pursue Armaggon in a mystical swamp land some local fairies call Thantia. The two Raphs use their shared training to kick Armmagon over a waterfall. They recover Leo and escape through a time hole created by Future Don, but leave Armaggon stranded in Thantia. :All eight Turtles, Past and Future, say their goodbyes. They send Shredder back to his own time with his memories of this erased but Verminator-X escapes their custody. Before the Turtles are sent home, Future Raph bid a tearful farewell to Ninjara and gives his younger self an ominous warning about the fragility of relationships. In the final panel, we see Armaggon next to a destroyed Turtleco building, revealing Thantia is an even farther future version of Earth. Mutations: Issue #45 :Splinter reminisces back to when he was human, how Oroku Saki became the Shredder, and the events that lead him to New York and the origin of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Splinter also reflects on their adventures with old enemies and meeting new friends (Mighty Mutanimals). Splinter catches the Turtles and Ninjara working on his surprise birthday party. Issue #46 :Ninjara's brother Naga comes to the Turtles location to tell them that the elder (Ninjara's grandmother) of their clan was captured by a hunter for sport. Raph goes with Ninjara and Naga to their homeland to confront the hunter. The hunter captures the three of them, but the elder who was captured herself frees them all. The hunter follows them, so the elder uses a
Torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...
to open a gateway as a means of escape, but the hunter goes into the Torii after them. The gateway leads them to the underworld and they are approached by a female demon. The only way back is to go through the Torii (portal) at the edge of a cliff, but only those who are "pure of heart" can walk through the Torii and return home. The hunter walks through, but falls to his death. Then the Elder goes through the portal back to Earth; Naga, Ninjara, and Raphael follow. Issue #47 :The Turtles (minus Raphael) and Splinter race off to an emergency they saw on the news. A creature named Sarnath, who is a Triast created by the Mergia, and his pet Qark (a "dino-dog" creature with a spiked tail) were causing the disturbance. Qark was captured and the news reporter (McIntyre) who was covering the disturbance was about to reveal Qark live on TV. The Turtles and Splinter quickly help Qark escape, but for a moment Qark, the Turtles, and Splinter were caught on camera and then vanished within seconds to escape. From there the Turtles minus Splinter go with Sarnath in his spacecraft to pick up Raphael and Ninjara as they head on to Dimension X. Black Hole Trilogy: Issues #48–50 :The Turtles with Ninjara, Sarnath, and Qark begin to travel in space when they are suddenly under attack near an unstable black hole. The ship gets partially destroyed and Sarnath gets sucked into the black hole, while the Turtles are saved by the Nova Posse, who are working with the Armada to stop a greater evil. Donatello is abducted by the Sons of Silence while all that remains is his suit, which Leonardo discovers. ::''MEGADEATH: Mini Series (Part I of VII)'' :::A picture of the Mighty Mutanimals is shown. A group of villains known as the Gang of Four: Waster, Fist, Dead-Eye, and Lynch, start shooting at the picture as they prepare to kill the Mutanimals. The Sons of Silence abduct Donatello and communicate with him telepathically. Sarnath is found in the same limbo that they are in, technically located within the black hole. The Turnstone is present, which was thought to have been put out of existence (a reference back to issue #13). Donatello begins to communicate with the Turnstone. The Armada, which includes the Nova Posse, Cudley, and some more old friends, prepare to battle against Emperor Mazool, who wants to rule the rest of Dimension X. The Armada moves in and attacks as the black hole begins to double in size with no sign of stopping. ::''MEGADEATH: Mini Series (Part II of VII)'' :::Future Donatello and Raphael come through a time portal to warn the Mighty Mutanimals what is going to take place. Donatello brings his equipment to help build their headquarters and make preparations to defend them from the Gang of Four. Just then the Gang of Four arrive, fully loaded, ready to take everyone out. Terracide: Issues #55–57 :The present-day Turtles are returning home in an airplane with the recently blinded Michaelangelo when they are attacked by Dead-Eye. Future Don and Raph come to the present to find the Mutanimals dead and Slash attacks them. Candy stops Slash and tells of how the Mutanimals really died. After burying the Mutanimals, Future Don, Raph, Candy, and Slash head out to find the present-day Turtles. They find out that the plane carrying the Turtles crashed and the Coast Guard picked up the pilot and Mike. They land on a nearby island to come up with a plan when they are attacked by Null and his minions. The Turtles take care of the minions, while Candy is kidnapped by Null. The Turtles go after Null while present-day Leo and Don goes after Mike. The group chase Null to Maligna's Hive World hidden on the dark side of the moon. Their ship was used as a distraction while they "time slipped" their way onto the hive world. Present-day Raph leads the way and Slash attacks the hive heart, alerting Maligna of their presence. The hive attacks and they save Candy as the hive slowly plunges into the sun. Slash tells them to leave while he prevents "the insects" from repairing the ship. Slash and the hive world burn up in the sun as the Turtles escape. Early Years: Issue #58 :While in lock-up, Mike recounts how the Turtles got their colors: Three thugs stole a chip and used the sewers to escape, interrupting the Turtle's training. The thugs shot at the Turtles and the Turtles fought back. After dispatching the thugs, Master Splinter mistakenly scolded Don because they were all wearing red masks, so he couldn't tell them apart. After Mike accidentally broke a vase but wouldn't take the blame, they were all punished. They came up with a plan to take the tests that they each excelled at. Master Splinter realized their deception and came up with a plan to trick them. In the next test he only gave Mike the perfect score so that the brothers would fight amongst themselves. The thugs came back looking for the lost chip. The Turtles defeated them and turned them in to the cops. The Turtles came up with colored caps to identify themselves, but later changed to their colored masks and initialed belts. Blind Sight: Issues #59–60 Issue #61 Cyber Samurai Mutant Ninja Turtles: Issues #62–66 Moon Eyes Saga: Issues #67–70 The Early Years: Issues #71–72


Spin-offs

Archie Comics also released several spin-offs of the main ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'' title. ''
Mighty Mutanimals ''Mighty Mutanimals'', a superhero group within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, emerged in the comic-book series ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures''. Composed of various mutated animals, the team collaborated with the ...
'' featured a team made up of the Turtles' mutated animal allies. Other spin-offs included miniseries such as ''April O'Neil'', which gave the Turtles' ally the lead role, and comics starring characters like Merdude and
Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon ...
. One
one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'', a ...
depicted the Turtles meeting
Archie Andrews Archibald "Archie" Andrews, created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom,
.


Characters


Main characters

*
Leonardo: The leader of the group. He is the most talented fighter and is closest to Master Splinter. *
Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), known mononymously as Donatello (; ), was an Italian Renaissance sculpture, Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sc ...
: The inventor of the group, Donatello builds most of the Turtles' gadgets and vehicles. In the future, he wears a purple jacket and is seen without his mask. *
Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...
: The wisecracking jokester of the group. However, as the series progressed, he became more angry and sullen like other incarnations. In the future, Raphael wears a hat and an eye patch. *
Michaelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...
: The most relaxed member of the group, he is mostly into eating pizza and goofing around with Donatello. * Hamato Yoshi/Splinter: Sensei and surrogate father of the Turtles. Former leader of the Foot Clan in Japan. Betrayed by Shredder and mutated into a humanoid rat. *
April O'Neil April O'Neil is a fictional Character (arts), character from the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics. She is the first human ally of the Ninja Turtles. April made her first appearance in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios), Mir ...
: Initially reporter for Channel 6 as in TV show, but later becomes free-lance journalist. Trained by Splinter in ninjitsu and the katana. * Oroku Saki/the Shredder: Current leader of the Foot Clan and arch-enemy of the Turtles, as well as one of the main villains of the series.


Supporting characters

* Wrestler Turtles: The wrestling costumes worn by the Turtles on the Stump Asteroid were designed by Eastman and Laird in 1983 and were actually intended as real suits for the TMNT to wear in their self-published comic book series. The idea was quickly shelved, however, and the Turtles were outfitted in their familiar costumes: bandanna, elbow and knee pads, belt, etc. Creators Brown and Murphy incorporated the discarded costumes into the ''Adventures'' title, feeling they were an important part of TMNT history, and that they should not be hidden away and forgotten in some drawer. Most notably, Raphael wore his wrestling outfit, a black full body
leotard A leotard () is a unisex skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso from the crotch to the shoulder. The garment was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (1838–1870). There are sleeveless, short-sleeved, and l ...
, for some time after returning from the asteroid. * Cudley the Cowlick: An alien in the shape of a cow's head who transported the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Stump Asteroid, where they would fight against several aliens in their wildly popular "wrestling" outfits. Mirage Studio's staff artist Steve Lavigne created Cudley. As of ''Tales of the TMNT'' #52 (November 2008), Cudley was brought into Mirage continuity. * Man-Ray: An
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
manta ray Manta rays are large Batoidea, rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, ''Giant oceanic manta ray, M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, ''Reef manta ray, M. alfredi'', reac ...
that the characters met in an adventure and was later spilled over into the ''Mighty Mutanimals'' comic book series. * Jagwar: As his name implies, he is a jaguar-like mutant that the Turtles met when in
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
. Another spillover character into ''Mighty Mutanimals''. Jagwar was created by Mirage Studio's writer Stephen Murphy and artist
Michael Dooney Michael Dooney is an American comic book writer and artist and toy designer best known for his works on the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book ...
. * Dreadmon: A hyena-like mutant with superhuman speed and stealth-like capabilities who guarded an
Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...
temple in South America and once again spilled over into ''Mighty Mutanimals''. * Vid Vicious, a man with a
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
grafted into his body which was used to hypnotize people. * Wingnut and Screwloose, an alien bat (Wingnut) and an alien mosquito (Screwloose) from the planet Huanu, they first met the TMNT in issue #8, where they were seen vandalizing windows before the Turtles stopped them. They appeared again in issue #13, where they briefly assisted the Turtles in battle against Maligna's Malignoids. Later on in the series, they joined the Mighty Mutanimals. *
Mondo Gecko ''Mighty Mutanimals'', a superhero group within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, emerged in the comic-book series ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures''. Composed of various mutated animals, the team collaborated with the ...
: A teenage gecko who shares Michaelangelo's affinity for skateboarding, leading them to be close friends. He later joined the Mighty Mutanimals. * Scul and Bean, are two aliens, one with a meteorite launcher in his skull, and both with tremendous mandibles. They were generals in the army of Maligna. * Maligna and the Malignoids, the matriarch of a vicious society of insect-like aliens who attempted to overtake Earth and one of the main antagonists of the series. * Chien Khan, a dog-like man who controlled a large empire of ninja, whose second-in-command was a young fox-like woman named Ninjara. * Ninjara is Chien Khan's second in command, until after the TMNT defeated Chien Khan once and for all and convinced Ninjara to join them in their battles against evil. She became one of the group for the greater part of the series afterwards and Raphael's girlfriend. * Oyuki Mamisha is teenage girl from
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
who was up to no good, until April O' Neil and the Turtles showed her that life could be better. She became April's sidekick for the spin off-comic ''April O' Neil'', in which Chien Khan returns to his former glory in a battle with a demon who also took control of a large group of ninja. * The Nova Posse is a team of space adventurers that hail from Dimension X. Their commander is Luna Azul, and the other five members are Exeen, Grotto, Rave, Trip, and Zebulon. They take care of Qark after Sarnath's fate is left unknown in issue #50. * Tattoo is a Japanese sumo wrestler who obtained his name for having multitudes of tattoos. He asked
Splinter A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...
for a favor and requested that the TMNT rescue his Chihuahua "Inky" from a group of Yakuza who wanted him to throw his next fight for gambling purposes. * Al Falqa is talking
eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
co-created by Mirage Studio's artist Jim Lawson that the Turtles encounter in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
. * Katmandu is a four-armed tiger-like creature clad in ancient East Indian Armour. The Turtles encountered him in the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. Katmandu was created by Ryan Brown, a Mirage artist. * Null is a businessman wearing a purple leisure suit who was ultimately responsible for the death of the Mighty Mutanimals when he contracted a group of cyborgs to kill them and one of the main villains of the series. The death was highly controversial and somewhat gory, as a spread of machine-gun bullets tore the group down. He was also responsible for a three-part story arc in the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' storyline including the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Death, Famine, War, and Pestilence. Null himself seemed to be somehow the leader of the group, giving orders to Death, who in turn controlled the other Horsemen like puppets. Null seemed to be somehow linked to Hell. Originally the character had two small horns projecting from his forehead, and with every new deed of evil he committed he grew more demonic-looking. Eventually he grew larger horns, a demon-like tail, and wings like a
bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...
. * Death, Famine, War, Pestilence are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. * Armaggon, is an evil, time-traveling, talking
shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
who set the scale for the "Future Turtles" timeline in which the TMNT travel to the future and meet their future selves, wherein Splinter has died, and Ninjara has left Raphael, who is missing an eye. * Verminator X, also known as "Manx", is half-cat, half-machine, as well as being Donatello's apprentice. He is only apparent in the future timelines, and eventually has a catharsis in a controversial book (Part 5 of the second Future Turtles storyline, based on the action figure franchise in which the Turtles have mechanized suits and rocket launcher fists) in which Raphael is willing to kill him for the greater good, resulting in destroying the machine that had taken over and poisoned Verminator X's mind. At the end of this arc, Verminator X survives and becomes good once again. * Scumbug, is an exterminator called in to spray the Shredder's lair and is turned into a giant cockroach. * Wyrm is a mutated monster planarian worm that fought Scumbug. * May East, created by Stanley Wiater and Ryan Brown, is an ancient evil sorceress from whom April O'Neil is descended. *Chameleon is a mercenary spy working for the highest bidder. He first appears in issue #9 as a well-dressed agent with a characteristic lazy eye, having stolen top secret weapons plans from the United Nations. Shredder covets these plans for himself, and sends Bebop and Rocksteady to capture Chameleon and retrieve the plans. Hiding from the authorities in the sewers, Chameleon finds himself in the middle of a battle between the two and the Turtles, and is captured after hiding the weapons plans in the sewer wall. He is then mutated into a human-sized chameleon by Shredder after divulging the whereabouts of the plans (and unsuccessfully trying to make a deal with Shredder). Using his newfound powers of camouflage and light radiance, Chameleon outsmarts Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady, and retrieves the plans. He then covertly returns them to the U.N., deciding that some things are just not worth profiting over. Chameleon encounters the Turtles later on in issue #51, hoping in vain to reverse his mutation.


Collected editions

Archie reprinted the ongoing series in a digest format series titled ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Digest'' which they published quarterly from 1993-1994, lasting 7 issues, with every digest reprinting three issues each, collecting ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'' (Vol. 2) issues #5-#25. In celebration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' 25th Anniversary, Archie Comics released a 104-page, full-color trade paperback collection of the three issue mini-series (Vol. 1) #1–3 in 2009, which was the adaptation of the original animated show's miniseries "Heroes in a Half Shell". Mirage Studios also printed a trade for the 25th anniversary, titled ''Future Tense'', reprinting ''
Mighty Mutanimals ''Mighty Mutanimals'', a superhero group within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, emerged in the comic-book series ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures''. Composed of various mutated animals, the team collaborated with the ...
'' #7 and ''TMNT Adventures'' #42–44 and #62–66 in July 2009 in black and white. ''Future Tense'' was released to coincide with a planned release of the storyline from Mirage entitled ''Forever War'', but this eventually was canceled. In 2012
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
started releasing the paperback collection of the ''TMNT Adventures'' (Vol. 2) series in 16 volumes collection. Despite including most of the run, IDW decided not to include issues #32-37 for the paperback collection due to being culturally offensive.


References


External links


Official website
{{Archie Comics titles 1988 comics debuts 1995 comics endings Archie Comics titles Comics based on television series
Adventures An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme s ...
Adventures An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme s ...
Comics set in Japan Comics about time travel Comics set in Saudi Arabia Comics set in Iran Comics set in China Comics set in Tibet Fiction about floods Climate change video games Comics set in Brazil Comics set in Jerusalem Comics set in Massachusetts Comics set in Louisiana Independence Day (United States) fiction Comics set on fictional planets Comic book reboots Japanese mythology in popular culture