It's quite a good time to be a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The multimedia franchise has spanned cartoons, movies, and video games since its inception in 1984. However, to the surprise of many, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' origin was a comic book series created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird as a parody of superhero tropes.
Little did Eastman and Laird know, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became an incredibly successful franchise in its own right. They've remained relevant with TV series on Nickelodeon and ongoing comic book publishing. For those unacquainted with the TMNT's history in the world of comics, these series are the most significant.
6 Mirage Studios (1984)
Of course, one can't talk about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' best comics without starting from the very beginning. Before the foursome even had different-colored headbands, the turtles made their first appearance in 1984, with the first volume spanning the issues released until 1993, which by then saw the turtles spanning other forms of media.
One of the more popular story arcs from this run was "Return to New York," which began with issue #19 of the original series. In the arc, the turtles find themselves at odds with each other as their conflict against the Foot Ninjas has taken them to Northampton, Massachusetts, before making a triumphant return to New York City to defeat Shredder and his goons.
5 Archie Comics (1988)
Four years into the inception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Archie Comics began running a monthly series from 1988 to 1995. This series was notable for its larger political themes, albeit aimed at a much younger audience than the Mirage Studios comics. Some of these early issues included many arcs that originated with the 1987 television series.
One of the more varied arcs in the Archie Comics run was issues #26 and #27, which finds reporter April O'Neil investigating pollution of the Earth. The TMNT are summoned by O'Neil when she discovers humans being controlled like zombies by mutant animals who poisoned the water supply, giving the turtles the opportunity to save the day once again.
4 Dreamwave (2003)
Not every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series was a success, sadly. In 2003, Dreamwave Production produced a TMNT series based on 4Kids Entertainment's animated series from the same year. The issues find the turtles facing brand-new enemies, such as the villainous Purple Dragons, who are closely tied to Shredder and the Foot Clan.
Sadly, Dreamwave Productions went out of business only seven issues into their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles run. However, the comics still contain some classic TMNT adventures, especially issue #5, which finds an unlikely scenario where Raphael bonds with a little girl and reveals his mutant turtle nature, which places her and her family in grave danger.
3 IDW Publishing (2011)
In 2009, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise was sold to Nickelodeon, who became the primary producer of future TMNT content. This included a brand-new comic series that debuted in 2011, produced by IDW Publishing, and featured an involved collaboration from TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, exploring the mythical origins of the turtles.
In the series' early issues, it is revealed that Splinter was once a Foot Clan member in feudal Japan named Yoshi, who is murdered by Shredder, along his with children. Thankfully, the family of five is incarnated as a rat and four turtles in modern times, eventually becoming mutated and gathering underneath the New York City sewers to continue fighting the Foot.
2 Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2015)
In quite an unlikely team-up, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles joined forces with none other than Bruce Wayne during a 2015 comic book crossover. Transported to an alternate universe, the turtles find themselves in Gotham City, where they collide with the Dark Knight, as well as many significant characters from his own comic book history.
In fact, many of the prisoners at Arkham Asylum end up mutating themselves, transforming into animalistic versions of themselves. The ninja turtles even get a moment to rescue Batman from the clutches of the Joker, while Batman himself gets to face off with the turtles' nemesis, Shredder, before the turtles are able to return to their universe.
1 Infestation 2 (2012)
Gotham City wasn't the only crossover that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles found themselves in. The crossover event "Infestation 2" finds the turtles' universe blending with several other realities, including G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Dungeons & Dragons, as they all team up to battle a Lovecraftian enemy that threatens reality.
Though the turtles spend most of their issues altogether, not interacting with the other franchises, it's nevertheless quite a unique adventure for the four brothers. That being said, when it comes to the comic book adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, there aren't many issues where exciting things aren't happening.