Order from Chaos

Order from Chaos is a story arc in IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continuity. The story introduces the new status quo following the events of the Gauntlet battle: Splinter and the turtles leading the Foot Clan (minus Michelangelo, who has struck out on his own).

Credits

• Story: Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, & Tom Waltz
• Script: Tom Waltz
• Art: Ken Garing
• Colors: Ronda Pattison
• Letters: Shawn Lee
• Editor: Bobby Curnow

Part One

Published on October 28th, 2015

Donatello hangs from a telephone pole as he peers into a warehouse with some tech borrowed from Harold Lillja. Donnie counts over a dozen men, many of them armed, and tells Leonardo over his headset. Raphael, sitting next to Leo near the door to the warehouse overhears Don, and, throwing caution to the wind, rushes the two armed guards and knocks them out. Donnie tells Raph and Leo that some of the men inside are having a strange effect on Harold’s tech, causing some type of distortion. Leo tells Donnie to catch up with them while he and Raph stash the two guards behind some crates.

The three turtles regroup and charge into the building. The gangsters inside begin shooting and the turtles duck for cover. Lupo, one of the gangsters, apologizes to a mysterious individual wearing an electronic cloak for failing to properly secure the building. Leo calls in a contingent of Foot ninja to attack but reminds them to use non-lethal force only.

Jammer, the leader of the cloaked individuals, tells another, Maze, that it's time for them to leave, as their boss doesn't want them out in the open yet. The five cloak-wearers phase through the floor and are gone. Leo and his brothers corner Lupo, the last gangster left. Leo tells him that his days of crime are over and questions him about the people in cloaks. Lupo tells them that the Street Phantoms are the new threat in town and the Foot is finished, then he clams up. A Foot assassin threatens to torture the information out of him but Leo tells them to back down. Leo tells Lupo that any rumors that the Foot Clan was vanquished are false, and they see everything that goes on in the city.

After wrapping things up, the three Turtles prepare to go their separate ways. Donnie wants to go ask Harold about the advanced tech cloaks the Street Phantoms were wearing and Raph says he has a private errand. Leo tells them that he'll head back to base to report to Master Splinter but says they should hurry up. As they all leave, the Foot assassin from earlier remains behind, hidden in the shadows.

At Foot Clan headquarters, the turtles’ new home, Splinter contemplates the nature of waiting. Splinter surmises that no matter how much one waits, it doesn't get any easier. Splinter had hoped that defeating the Shredder would bring him some measure of peace but it has only brought more chaos. Although in the past he would have relished being made jōnin, he now does so out of nothing more than a sense of duty. Splinter contemplates the changes that have come with this paradigm shift, such as new allies in the Foot Clan, the revelation of the Pantheon’s great game, the striking out of Bebop and Rocksteady on their own as free agents, and most of all, the separation from his beloved son Michelangelo. Despite his troubles, Splinter vows to do his best to steer the Foot down an honorable course while waiting to see if he made the right decision.

Somewhere in the city, Mikey interrupts a purse snatching to assist the woman being robbed, but both robber and victim are scared away at the sight of him. Raph steps out of the shadows, having watched the whole thing. He gives Mikey a pointer about being inconspicuous. Raph tells Mikey that he should come back home, as living out on the streets all alone was tougher than it looked, as he knew from personal experience. Raph tells Mikey that when he's ready, his home will still be there with his family. Raph bids Mikey goodbye.

Mondo Gecko climbs down the alley wall as Raph leaves, and tells Mikey that it may be time for him to try joining up with a new family, such as the Mutanimals. High up on a rooftop, an Agent Winter observes the interactions between the three mutants. His command center radios in for a status report and orders him to continue reconnaissance.

Inside Foot headquarters, April brings Kitsune food and tea. Kitsune asks April about the tension between her and Casey on her recent trip (see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey & April mini-series). April states that the real source of the problem was Kitsune’s family members, the Pantheon. April reveals that she knows all about the game Kitsune and her siblings play using mortals as pawns and tells her that she intends to make sure that they aren’t able to play anymore. Kitsune feigns ignorance but April tells her not to insult her intelligence and leaves. Kitsune reaches out to Alopex with her mind and tells her that the timetable for their plan is going to have to accelerate. April bids goodbye to Leo and tells him that she's going to go get some rest and relaxation as she's been staying very for the past month since the night of the Gauntlet.

Splinter greets Leo and asks him how their mission went. Leo tells Splinter that their plan went well and also that they discovered a new, tech-savvy gang, the Street Phantoms. Leo tells Splinter that rumors of the Foot weakening are spreading rapidly. Splinter tells Leo that they will continue to assert dominance to prevent a potential power struggle which could cost innocent lives. Leo states that thing have gotten more complicated than ever before.

Donnie visits Harold in his lab. Harold is working on repairing Metalhead and tells Donnie that he's not allowed to touch it, lest he destroy it again (as in the Gauntlet battle against the Foot). Donnie tells Harold about the tech cloak wearing-gang he and his brothers encountered earlier and Harold curses, recognizing the handiwork of the partner who betrayed him and stole his research to use for herself. Harold explains that the cloaks were incredibly expensive, and warns Donatello that whoever was funding the Street Phantoms has a considerable amount of wealth and influence.

Across town in the Dun Import/Export building, a large mustachioed man wearing a monocle sits at his desk. Jammer and the Street Phantoms phase up through the floor and greet the man, Darius Dun himself. Dun reminds them that they are to use the door to enter his office. Dun asks Jammer how their meeting with the Italian mafia went earlier that night; Jammer tells him that the Foot Clan showed up but they stayed out of trouble. Jammer states that it seems like the Foot is still a player in the city’s criminal underground, but just then the Foot assassin from earlier appears out of the shadows and tells the group that the Foot have never been weaker, and it must be remedied.

Part Two

Published on November 25th, 2015

A new faction within the Foot colludes against Splinter and the Turtles as they struggle to deal with new threats to New York City. And where’s Michelangelo??