Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (IDW)

TMNT TiT TPB — Turtles in Time TPB Cover

YOU'RE NOT ON
NICKTOONS
ANYMORE!

Some TMNT stuff really isn't for little kids.

This is the third mini-series in the IDW continuity. The Turtles travel to various time periods in the past and future and struggle to make it home safely. The first of the four issues was released on June 25th, 2014.

This story is proceeded by Monsters, Misfits, and Madmen.
This story is followed by New Mutant Order.

Credits[]

Part One Writer: Paul Allor
Part One Artist: Sophie Campbell
Part One Colorist: Bill Crabtree
Part Two Writer: Erik Burnham
Part Two Artist: Charles Paul Wilson III
Part Two Colorist: Jeremy Mohler
Part Three Writer: Erik Burnham
Part Three Artist: Ben Bates
Part Four Writer: Paul Allor
Part Four Artist: Dan Duncan
Part Four Colorist: Ronda Pattison
Letters: Shawn Lee
Editor: Bobby Curnow

Part One: Cretaceous Period[]

TMNT TiT 1A — Turtles in Time #1 Regular Cover by David Petersen

Released June 25th, 2014

The issue opens with the Turtles fleeing from a pack of dinosaurs. The Turtles have been transported back to prehistoric times of the Cretaceous period as the result of an accident involving Renet, an inter-dimensional time traveler that the Turtles recently met (see the TMNT Annual 2014). It turns out that the dinosaurs are fleeing from Utroms on dinosaur mounts. One of the Utroms shoots a sticky net at Raphael, capturing him. The other three Turtles accidentally fall off a small cliff and the Utroms abandon the chase. The Turtles are wondering why when they realize that it's because they've fallen into a Tyrannosaurus Rex's territory. Michelangelo tells the others not to worry, he'll take care of it, and throws a fruit at the T-Rex's nose. It gets angry and proceeds to chase the Turtles.

One of the Utroms, Churk, watching from above, comments that for a moment he had thought the Turtles were intelligent, but it seems he was mistaken. He tells his companion Yoom that they've caught enough specimens for the time being and they take Raph back to their camp.

Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo find shelter in a cave until the T-Rex wanders off. Once the coast is clear, they go over what they know. They know they're either on prehistoric earth or an alien planet that's very similar, and there are Utrom hunters, and Raph was captured by them or eaten by a dinosaur. Leo tries to begin forming a plan when all of a sudden Renet appears, exclaiming that she's been looking everywhere for the Turtles. Unfortunately, the Turtles can't understand most of what she says, as her device that lets her travel through time is malfunctioning. She tells them she'll be back and then departs.

At the Utrom camp, Raph tries unsuccessfully to escape from captivity while his cellmate, a small dinosaur he nicknames Pepperoni, sleeps. As he tries to escape and talks to Pepperoni, the Utroms who captured him realize he's using language and their translator device begins analyzing his speech. One of the Utroms cites that this will become a political issue rather than just a scientific one, so they had better contact Ambassador Quanin and also request a military transport team. From the undergrowth, Leo, Don, and Mikey look on and are relieved to see that Raph is unhurt. They debate simply ambushing the camp and freeing Raph but Leo decides that would be too dangerous. Mikey says if they can't run in, they have to fly in.

In his cage, Raph is outfitting Pepperoni with her own ninja mask and trying to convince her to help him escape when he sees Mikey swoop in on a pterosaur, dropping rocks on the Utroms. He notices Donnie freeing all the other dinosaurs in their cages to create chaos and allow them to escape unnoticed. Donnie then frees Raph and Raph is ready to fight, but the battle is already over. Leo wonders why it was so easy to defeat them, and they realize that these Utroms are simply scientists, not warriors.

Just then, the Utrom military transport team arrives and begins firing. The Turtles duck for cover and try to come up with another plan. Mikey wants to ride another flying dinosaur but Don tells the others to follow him and force the Utroms to follow them. Don leads them to the same cliff from early and they scamper down and split up, causing the Utroms to be caught off guard by the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Later, the Turtles sit in a cave and cook a makeshift pizza over a fire while Mikey retells their daring rescue and teases Raph for not being able to help. Don wonders how long they're going to be stuck in prehistoric times when they suddenly travel through time again, leaving Pepperoni to eat their pizza.

Back at the Utrom scientists' camp, the Utroms are exclaiming disbelief that the planet had intelligent warrior lifeforms. The Utrom in charge of the military transport says they should track them down and conscript them into their army, but one of the Utrom scientists eyes a captive triceratops and says he has a better idea.

Part Two: Feudal Japan[]

TMNT TiT 2A — Turtles in Time #2 Regular Cover by David Petersen

Released July 23rd, 2014

The Turtles suddenly appear in Japan, millions of years later. Donnie is able to tell by looking at the flora and topography, and Leo can tell that humans are around by the grooves in the road made by cart wheels. Mikey wonders why they didn't wind up back in New York; Donnie hypothesizes that it could be a quantum singularity, or a chronometric energy surge mingling with the remnants of mutagen in their bodies. Renet suddenly appears, but is still unintelligible and quickly vanishes again.

Leo decides that they need to do some recon, as they don't know how near they are to civilization. Leo thinks they should find disguises to hide their appearance. Raph hears a commotion from a nearby river, and they spot four samurai bathing, their clothes on the riverbank. Leo is hesitant to steal from them, but Raph points out that they have no other choice.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, Hamato Yoshi walks down a path through the woods. He is surprised by six fellow members of the Foot Clan, claiming he has been disrespectful towards their Jonin, Oroku Saki. The Foot members are about to attack Yoshi but he is able to get the upper hand and attack them first, holding his own in combat.

From a perch in a tree up above, Raph admires the swordsman's skill. Mikey is angered that six men would attack one in such an unfair fight, but Donnie wants to err on the side of caution and simply sneak past, worried that their actions may alter the course of history. Mikey is unswayed and jumps into the fray. The six attacking Foot Clan members, fearing they have awoken demons, flee. Yoshi thanks Mikey for helping him, and Mikey says it was only right as he can understand Japanese (see The Secret History of the Foot Clan). Yoshi offers them a meal and introduces himself. The Turtles are stunned, as they now realize that this is Master Splinter in his past life.

Later on, at Hamato Yoshi's house, Leo remarks on just how surreal this whole situation is. Raph asks him to elaborate as they watch Mikey and Donnie play with their past life selves. Raph can tell Leo is upset and wants to know why; Leo tells him its because they know whats going to happen to their former family at the hands of Oroku Saki. Raph tells him not to worry about it too much, as there's nothing they can do about it, but Leo wonders if there is.

The next morning, Mikey wakes up to Tang Shen asking him if he'd like some tea. Mikey says he'd love some and asks if Yoshi is awake. She tells him that he was summoned by the Jonin early that morning and is already gone. She explains that it is part of the power struggle between the two. Shen asks Mikey if he can see the future and tell her if Yoshi will one day push Saki too far, but he is saved from answering by Donnie and Raph interrupting him to ask if he knows where Leo is. Raph tells the others about Leo wondering if he could prevent the deaths of their human selves, which Donnie says could cause irreversible damage to the spacetime continuum. Mikey asks Shen if she can give them directions to where Yoshi is, as it is of dire importance, and she says something in her tells her it is okay to trust them. She points them in the right direction and lets them borrow some horses. Mikey thanks her and gives her a big hug, overjoyed that he got to hug his mom.

At the Foot Clan compound, Oroku Saki is about to execute a man for failing to complete a mission successfully yet again, when Leo jumps out of the shadows and stops him. Saki wonders who would be foolish enough to attack him. Outside at the front gates, Raph, Don, and Mikey charge in on horseback, seeking to cause enough of a distraction for Raph to sneak in and find Leo. Although Saki and Leo can't understand each other, they fight fiercely. Leo, speaking more to himself than to Saki, states that although Saki is the more skilled fighter, Leo has an advantage: while Saki is fighting solely to kill him, Leo is fighting for more than just his life. Raph reaches the room where Leo and Saki are fighting and urges Leo to think about what he is doing. Leo tells him to go away, he can't stop him. Raph tells him he's not going to try and stop him, just make him think about the consequences of his actions. He makes Leo realize that he's not just trading their new lives for the old, he'd be sacrificing the lives of all those they've helped in their new lives. Leo realizes Raph is right and stops fighting. Saki sneaks up on Leo and attempts to stab him in the back, but is surprised by Leo's shell. Leo contents himself with simply knocking Saki out cold, and the two head outside to help Donnie and Mikey. As they approach, they disappear, whisked off to another time.

Saki stands brooding, and the witch Kitsune asks him what troubles him. He reminds her that his clan was attacked by demons, and he is curious as to why. She assures him that demons are unpredictable and he should not worry. He grabs her hand as she tries to console him, asking her why it is that these demons were so well-versed in the fighting tactics of his clan. She tells him that she believes it is an omen, that he will face treachery from within his own ranks. Saki vows to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on disobedience, killing any who question his methods.

Part Three: Golden Age of Piracy[]

TMNT TiT 3A — Turtles in Time #3 Regular Cover by David Petersen

Released August 27th, 2014

The Caribbean Sea, 1726: the pirate captain of Shirley's Revenge is telling his men to stay their current course, even though the Kraken's men patrol the waters. As soon as the captain is done giving the order, a lookout alerts him that a ship is approaching impossibly fast and moments later it rams them. The Kraken's men, lead by a man whose face is covered in red bandages, attack the men of Shirley's Revenge. All of a sudden, the Turtles appear on deck in full samurai gear, transported through space and time. The Kraken's men, a superstitious lot afraid of interfering with a potential plan of their boss's, retreat. The captain of Shirley's Revenge asks who the Turtles are and how they got there but Raph tells him to back off. The captain and his men explain that they abide by a unique code of honor, avoiding killing when they can and only partaking in some smuggling in order to make a profit while remaining free men who answer only to themselves. The Turtles ask who was just attacking their ship and offer to help defeat them, but the captain has become convinced of the unholy power of the Kraken and is content to leave the area entirely. Michelangelo cautions them against turning tail and running, warning them that if they run they will be doomed to run for the rest of their lives. The captain, unconvinced, disagrees, but the crew decides to instill Mikey as the new captain.

The Turtles and crew spend the next few days sailing to the Kraken's base of operations on a small island, learning the ropes of life on the high seas in the meantime. A day or so before they arrive, Mikey advises the former captain not to worry too much about the future or the past as neither will do much good, but to focus on the present, as that's when one can make a difference. As Mikey finishes his motivational speech, Raphael tells him that they've arrived at Burnow Island.

On the island, Krang admonishes the man in the red bandages, Mr. Rhodes, as intruder alarms sound throughout his compound. Krang tells Mr. Rhodes to deal with the problem while he deals with other matters. Mr. Rhodes leads Krang's men in an attack on the Shirley's Revenge, and the pirates lead by Michelangelo counter them. In the midst of the battle, Renet appears again. Mr. Rhodes is about to shoot Renet with a laser gun but Mikey takes the shot, getting knocked overboard in the process. Mr. Rhodes says that any men who wish to surrender will be allowed to join the Kraken's crew, but the Shirley's Revenge's old captain is roused to action by Mikey's deeds and attacks Mr. Rhodes, slicing his laser gun in half and incapacitating him.

The Shirley's Revenge's old captain, having defeated Mr. Rhodes, offers the Kraken's men the same deal, a place on his crew should they throw down their weapons. The majority of them accept the offer when the Turtles are again zapped away to another time and place.

Before leaving Burnow Island, the Shirley's Revenge's reinstated captain orders his men to destroy the Kraken's/Krang's base, blowing it up with kegs of black powder. One of his men tells him he's found a large glass vial of strange green ooze that they can likely get good money for, but the captain orders it destroyed. The men throw it and the other vials they found into a nearby swamp, where a nearby alligator unknowingly bathes in it.

Part Four: Not-Too-Distant Future[]

TMNT TiT 4A — Turtles in Time #4 Regular Cover by David Petersen

Released September 17th, 2014

The Turtles appear in the middle of a crowded, futuristic city full of mutants, ready for anything. They stand in anticipation of an attack but after a moment realize that they aren't even causing any second looks. Realizing that for once in their new lives, they can go about their business unnoticed, in plain sight. They quickly find the nearest sushi pizza shop and get a meal.

As they dig in to their food, Don theorizes that they are in a future New York City where all their efforts paid off and they won in their battle against Krang and the Shredder. Don is interrupted by a mutant goldfish woman who asks if he and his brothers are really ninjas, which she had wanted to be when she grew up, but instead the Master assigned her to be a guard. Don tells her that if her heart is telling her to be a ninja then she should become one and get a new master which instantly makes her nervous. A mutant lion, overhearing the odd turn in their conversation, asks the Turtles where they're from and Don tells him that they're from Manhattan, where they currently are. The lion tells him that no one calls it that anymore, realizing that they're not supposed to be there and telling him that now it is called Shredder Island. The lion and his mutant buddies attack the Turtles, who flee out the storefront window while mutant guards round up fugitive humans and escort them into the back of a Foot Clan military vehicle.

As the Turtles round a corner, Renet appears looking for them, knowing that they would be nearby at that time. The Turtles run straight past her in their haste but she is able to buy them some time by accidentally tripping their pursuers, allowing the Turtles to head into the sewers. Eventually the Turtles make their way back to their old hideout where they find a disturbing world map on the wall that informs them that Shredder has taken control of North and South America, while Krang controls Eurasia and Africa and Baxter Stockman Australia. Beside the map, the Turtles' bandanas hang on the wall. Don is utterly perplexed but a moment later Renet teleports down to the sewers to explain the cause of the Turtles' uncontrolled time travel. She explains that after the Turtles' sojourn to the Battle Nexus (run by Councilman Nieli who had hijacked the Dimensional Council, as seen in TMNT Annual 2014), they were over-saturated with quantum particles, and she was unable to help as her time scepter was broken, leaving the Turtles at the mercy of the universe, which transported them to critical moments in their history that lead them to their current predicament, in order to teach them a lesson. Leo says that enough is enough, and asks Renet if she can take them home to ensure this version of the future never happens, but Don is angry because they can't know if they'd already done whatever caused this future.

To answer Don's concerns, Future Don appears out of the shadows, telling them that it wasn't just one mistake, but many that lead to the current situation. Mikey is excited and asks Future Don where the rest of the Turtles are, but Future Don tells him that they have all died and he has not left their lair in years, having given up hope. Future Don tells Present Don that in light of such impossible odds, he didn't see the point of keeping up the fight, but their brothers continued, which lead to their eventual demise. Although the rest of the resistance kept fighting, Future Don informs Present Don and the other Turtles that the resistance's leader and remaining members have been captured and are to be publicly executed that night. Present Don and the other Present Turtles refuse to let them happen and vow to do anything in their power to stop it.

Future Don, convinced to lead the way, shows Renet and the Turtles to the square where the resistance fighters are to be executed. As soon as they arrive, they attack mutants loyal to Shredder in order to cause a distraction. The Turtles, having incited a riot, make it to the raised platform where the prisoners are being held but as they try to free them some of them are shot and killed. The executioner is about to fire again when the goldfish guard the Turtles met earlier shoots him, having been roused to action by the Turtles. Future Don tells the Turtles to run while he leads the resistance fighters to safety. Before the Turtles can make a move, Future Shredder appears in full warrior garb, flanked by dozens of Bebop and Rocksteady clones. Knowing they are outnumbered, Renet transports the Turtles back to the safety of their own time.

In the future sewer hideout Future Don asks Woody, one of the resistance fighters, why he didn't reveal himself to the Present Turtles. He tells Future Don that there was no point, because he isn't the Woody they used to know. Woody urges Future Don to become a leader again, to give the resistance hope.

The Present Turtles and Renet collect their thoughts on top of a building. Don is visibly shaken by meeting his future self who gave up on their cause. Don is worried because they only may have a chance to change the future they've seen. Raph tries to console him, telling him the Don he knows would never give up, but Don shocks them all by saying that he has thought about giving up at times. Don's brothers each reason with him in their own way, trying to give him hope again, even though it all may be for naught. In the end, maybe is enough for Don.