Cowabunga dude, it’s time for “So You Want to Read Comics”.  This is our weekly feature where we take a look at a single topic or genre, then give you two comic book recommendations, perfect for new readers, based on that topic or genre.  This week we’re taking a look at The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) as a property, started its life in the pages of a comic book all the way back in 1984.  Written by Baird and Eastman.  The adventures of the four turtles Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo would be a surprise success and soon the property was optioned for a toy line.  The action figures would go on to be the third best-selling action figure line at the time.  To promote the toys a cartoon was created, and this is where the media juggernaut really began.  Since then, the turtles have been featured in seven feature films, over 40 video games, and many different animated series and a tabletop role-playing game. This continued presence in pop culture is proof that this property is truly beloved but lends itself well to re-invention and re-interpretation.  They also never strayed far from their roots as comic book property and since the initial issue, hundreds of issues featuring the heroes in a half shell have been created.

So, with so much TMNT content out there, especially in the comic book world, it might be hard to know just where to start.  Here are a couple of recommendations to help you do just that.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – THE IDW COLLECTION – VOL. 1

Writers: Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
Artist: Various Artists
Publisher: IDW

In 2011 the current TMNT comics publishing rights holder IDW, decided it was time for a reimagining of the turtles.  Three decades of TMNT stories had created a large spectrum of tones and styles applied to the property.  Some stories were silly and cartoonish, while others swung wildly in the other direction by being dark, violent, and gritty.  The series that IDW would put out didn’t ignore this, but instead took all of these approaches and smashed them together into a series that retold the turtle’s origin and then some of their more famous stories, but then also created brand new stories for the foursome.  Tonally, IDW allowed the tone to shift naturally from comedic to serious depending on the type of story the writers wanted to tell and none of it felt out of place.   To help pull this off they actually brought in one of the original creators Kevin Eastman to help kickstart this series which has gone on to have over 100 issues.  So regardless of if your most familiar with one of the cartoon series, or the darker live-action movies, or really any variation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you can come into this series and not feel, shell-shocked.

TMNT / USAGI YOJIMBO

Writer: Stan Sakai
Artist: Stan Sakai
Publisher: IDW

Over the years, the turtles have teamed up or had crossovers with many different characters, like The Power Rangers and even Batman.  But, one of the first and perhaps most influential was their crossover with a character known as Miyamoto Usagi, a rabbit samurai.  As the original TMNT cartoon was gaining poularity, the TMNT creators approached Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai and basically asked if he wanted to see Usagi in the cartoon to which he agreed.  This collaboration would push Usagi Yojimbo into the spotlight and help propel Sakai’s career.  The stories featuring these two properties typically involve some sort of time travel shenanigans and are interesting because Usagi is a somewhat straight-laced character so the play between him and the more childish turtles is often a good source for some fun times.  Also, this title gives a really strong introduction to the character of Miyamoto Usagi, so if you ever decide to branch out into other comic book titles, you’ll have a foundation to go off of.

Where do you go when you want some TMNT fun?  What did you think of these recommendations?  Let us know in the comments section below.

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