Thread:Gilgameshkun/@comment-26132616-20160131220708/@comment-995426-20160201135208

Let's see...

Mirage TMNT was the original incarnation of TMNT starting in 1984. Palladium TMNT, Image TMNT and MNT Gaiden branch off from Mirage's continuity, but are not considered canonical to Mirage TMNT. These works were always for adults, and never for children. Some Mirage TMNT issues can still be read online at Mirage's aging website, though not easily found in its navigation. Tales of the TMNT and certain other sidestory comics (Donatello, Fugitoid, Gizmo and the Fugitoid, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and also miniseries like Bad Moon Rising, Blind Sight and Bodycount) contribute to the story in important ways, and really shouldn't be considered any less important than the main Mirage series itself. There are also non-canonical Mirage-published TMNT comics, including the entire Guest Era, which were later declared non-canon by Peter Laird because they weren't written by Mirage staff. There are also works made by other creators that often canonically cross over into Mirage TMNT stories, such as Usagi Yojimbo (by Peter Laird's friend Stan Sakai) and the Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa (by Mirage member Ryan Brown). Many 2003 TV series storylines are retooled Mirage TMNT storylines, often heavily toned down for violence or profanity; H.A.T.E. was originally C.R.A.P., City at War involved a lot of people getting killed, etc.

Palladium TMNT is not a comic but a tabletop RPG originally for adults and older teenagers, and it contains various characters and scenario descriptions that have influenced later TMNT works; they first coined the term Utrom, the Dream Beavers are based on the Terror Bears, Victor Falco is a lot like Victor Feral, Sir Malachi's species is an allusion to the Sparrow-Eagles, etc.

Archie TMNT originally branched off the early 1987 TV series, but soon set an extremely different tone from it, gradually redesigning characters, retconning stories and becoming a much more mature comic book series, especially with the involvement of some Mirage staff in its writing and illustration. Archie TMNT had the original incarnations of Slash and the Mighty Mutanimals, was the first to make Bebop and Rocksteady ambiguously gay (though in retrospect not so ambiguously), and Ninjara is considered the inspiration for Alopex's character design.

Image TMNT was originally officially Mirage volume 3 published by Image Comics, but Peter Laird was never fond of it, and later declared it non-canon before he started Mirage TMNT volume 4 which treated Image TMNT like it had never existed. Image TMNT was even more mature in some ways than Mirage TMNT, and it also grafted itself wholesale into the Savage Dragon universe, with various Savage Dragon characters having non-trivial involvements in the TMNT storyline. Image TMNT was never officially completed, but it saw two final unlicensed issues #24 and #25 to help wrap up the story, and Kevin Eastman and Jim Lawson contributed them pro bono. These two issues are free to download and read online, but it helps to read Image TMNT first if you don't want massive spoilers.

IDW TMNT started as a 2011 reboot with Kevin Eastman as co-writer, and it is almost as mature as Mirage TMNT, though it is licensed by Viacom and is subject to Nickelodeon's review and veto. It borrows heavily from many different previous versions of TMNT, but remains primarily mature in focus and targets a mostly adult audience. It doesn't seem to be allowed to get quite as violent as Bodycount or quite as profane as Image TMNT, though. IDW TMNT is still in progress, having just published issue #54, not counting special side issues which are also part of the same story.

As I have said before, MNT Gaiden is unlicensed but also very influential, and its entirety can be read for free online, but it helps to understand Mirage's continuity first. It has no direct involvement from Mirage veterans, but it has various scenes and plots believed to have inspired later Mirage TMNT and 2012 TV series elements.

I have most of these books and comics, either in print or electronic form. Really, I found my early passion in Mirage and Palladium, and I've never been a fan of the 1987 TV series (which I usually found extremely obnoxious).