Here is a list of stories from Mirage Studios’ first volume of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as various shorts, one-shots and other stories that appeared elsewhere during this run.
It’s not as straightforward as it sounds.
Volume 1 ran for sixty-two issues, but a number of those were non-canon guest issues. The first guest issue was #16, soon followed by #18. Following the canon ‘Return to New York’ (#19-21) what became known as the “Guest Era” began and apart from #27 and #28, Volume 1 became a series of guest stories until a return to canon with #45.
Whilst some guest creators took the opportunity to provide their own very different spin on the Turtles, others wrote their issues to fit with the canon issues that had come before. Additionally, Turtle Soup (both the initial one-shot and the later mini-series) features a mix of stories. Some are canon, some are clearly their own thing and some are non-canon, but can fit.
Some are a more obvious fit than others, but for this list all non-canon stories that appear to be set in the main Mirage continuity (or do nothing to obviously contradict it) have been included, listed in blue to differentiate them from the canon stories.
Stories are listed in order of release (ish) as well as details of where and when they first appeared. Some months saw multiple new stories and in the absence of exact release dates, decisions had to be made on ordering. Typically Mirage-published stories are placed ahead of those published by other companies and main title stories are placed ahead of other things. Other times things are just ordered by what feels right.
Short stories are indicated by “(short)” after their name and stories that originally appeared in colour are indicated with “(colour)”.
For a guide to shelf-friendly collected editions where these stories can be read, see:
TMNT Volume 1 Bookshelf: Mirage Studios, First Publishing and Heavy Metal
TMNT Volume 1 Bookshelf: IDW Publishing link coming soon
Additional notes can be found at the end of the list.
Volume 1 (1984 - 1993)
The Turtles' Origin is Told
(Vol. 1) #1
May 1984
TMNT VS the Mousers
(Vol. 1) #2
October 1984
The Great Chase
(Vol. 1) #3
March 1985
Me, Myself and I
Raphael #1
April 1985
[Turtles in Space]
(Vol. 1) #4, Fugitoid #1, (Vol. 1) #5-7
June 1985 – May 1986
Don't Judge a Book... (short)
TMNT & Other Strangeness role-playing game
November 1985
The Christmas Aliens
Michaelangelo #1
December 1985
Kirby and the Warp Crystal
Donatello #1
February 1986
You Had to be There (short) (colour)
(Vol. 1) #7 (1st print)
May 1986
D'Ants Fever (short) (colour)
Grimjack #26
May 1986
New York Ninja (short)
TMNT Adventures! role-playing game supplement
June 1986
Team-up with Cerebus the Aardvark
(Vol. 1) #8
July 1986
The Passing
(Vol. 1) #9
September 1986
New Comic Day! (short) (colour)
TMNT: Book I trade paperback
November 1986
Night Life (short) (colour)
TMNT: Book I trade paperback
November 1986
Technofear!!! (short)
Gobbledygook (Vol. 2) #1
December 1986
Crazy Man (short)
Gobbledygook (Vol. 2) #1
December 1986
What Goes Around... ...Comes Around! / Silent Partner
Leonardo #1, (Vol. 1) #10
December 1986, April 1987
True Stories
(Vol. 1) #11
June 1987
Terror by Transmat! (short)
TMNT Guide to the Universe role-playing game supplement
May 1987
The Survival Game (short)
(Vol. 1) #4 (2nd print)
May 1987
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Original Vol. 1 Series Treasury Edition
trade paperback
December 2007
Survivalists
(Vol. 1) #12
September 1987
Turtle Dreams (short)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 1) #1
September 1987
Turtle Soup and Rabbit Stew (short)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 1) #1
September 1987
The Howl (short)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 1) #1
September 1987
Apparition (short)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 1) #1
September 1987
The Road Trip (short) (colour)
Anything Goes! #5
October 1987
Fun With Guns (14 pages)
Raphael #1 (2nd print)
November 1987
Ghouls Night Out (short)
(Vol. 1) #5 (2nd print)
November 1987
The Lesson: A Tale of the Triceraton Marines (short)
Grunts#1
November 1987
49th Street Stompers (short) (colour)
TMNT: Book III trade paperback
December 1987
The People's Choice
(Vol. 1) #13
February 1988
The Unmentionables
(Vol. 1) #14
May 1988
It's a Gas (short)
(Vol. 1) #6 (2nd print)
May 1988
Dome Doom
(Vol. 1) #15
August 1988
The Crossing (short)
Usagi Yojimbo (Vol. 1) #10
August 1988
Choices (short)
The Puma Blues #20
September 1988
Distractions
(Vol. 1) #17
November 1988
Not One Word! (short)
(Vol. 1) #1 (5th print)
November 1988
Complete Carnage an' Radical (short)
(Vol. 1) #3 (2nd print)
November 1988
King For a Day (16 pages)
The Collected Gizmo trade paperback
December 1988
Return to New York
(Vol. 1) #19-21
March – May 1989
Gizmo and the Fugitoid
Gizmo and the Fugitoid #1-2
June – July 1989
The River
(Vol. 1) #24-26
August – October 1989
Dreams of Stone
(Vol. 1) #27
November 1989
Casey Jones, Private Eye (short)
Mirage Mini Comics
November 1989
[untitled Nobody story] (short)
The Collected Tales of the TMNT trade paperback
December 1989
Bottoming Out (short)
Shell Shock trade paperback
December 1989
The Treaty (short)
Shell Shock trade paperback
December 1989
Junk Man (short)
Shell Shock trade paperback
December 1989
O-Deed (short)
Shell Shock trade paperback
December 1989
Meanwhile… 1000000 BC. (short)
Shell Shock trade paperback
December 1989
Sons of the Silent Age
(Vol. 1) #28
February 1990
Men of Shadow
(Vol. 1) #29
March 1990
Sky Highway
(Vol. 1) #30
April 1990
Turtles Take Time (colour)
(Vol. 1) #33
June 1990
A Christmas Carol (13 pages)
Michaelangelo Christmas Special
December 1990
Donatello: The Ring (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #1
November 1991
Twilight of the Ring
(Vol. 1) #37
June 1991
Challenges
original Graphic Novel
September 1991
Turtles Attack!!! (shorts) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #1-4
November 1991 – February 1992
The Purpose of Fear (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #1
November 1991
The Name is Lucindra (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #1
November 1991
Juliet's Revenge
(Vol. 1) #42
December 1991
Raphael: Snapper (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #2
December 1991
Halls of Lost Legends
(Vol. 1) #43
January 1992
Sweat, Sweat, Sweet Renet (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #3
January 1992
The Ring of Death (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #3
January 1992
Crack in a Hard Heart (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #3
January 1992
The Violent Underground
(Vol. 1) #44
February 1992
Fifteen Years Later... (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #4
February 1992
Thoughts on Paper (short) (colour)
Turtle Soup (Vol. 2) #4
February 1992
Muscle & Faith
Flying Color Comics website
May – July 2000
Leatherhead, Too
(Vol. 1) #45
March 1992
Masks
(Vol. 1) #46-47
April – May 1992
Shades of Gray
(Vol. 1) #48-49
June – July 1992
City at War
(Vol. 1) #50-62
August 1992 – August 1993
North By Downeast (colour)
Casey Jones #1-2
May 1994, July 1994
Old Times (short)
Plastron Café #1
December 1992
NOTES
Story Titles
Early stories (specifically (Vol. 1) #1-8, #12 and Fugitoid #1) were printed without titles.
In instances where a suitable alternative is unavailable, the titles (possibly intended as merely a description) that were later used on the Mirage website have been used.
Turtles in Space
The comics never used this title, but it was used when the arc was adapted for the 2003 TV show. The Fugitoid issue (often skipped when the arc is reprinted) consists of five chapters. Though listed as Fugitoid #1 for simplicity, it should be noted that chapters 1-4 first appeared in Gobbledygook (Vol. 1) #1-2 in early 1984.
You Had to be There
Reprints of issues would sometimes include a short story as an incentive to buy again. ‘You Had to be There’ is unusual in that it was only included as an insert in the first printing of (Vol.1) #7.
True Stories
Although a number of stories were published between (Vol. 1) #10 and this issue, this is placed here due to it following on directly from the previous story.
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Original Vol. 1 Series Treasury Edition
Tales (Vol. 1) was a 7 issue series. The stories were:
#1 ‘A Tale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ May 1987
#2 ‘Nobody's Fool!’ July 1987
#3 ‘All Hallow's Thieves’ October 1987
#4 ‘I, Monster’ January 1988
#5 ‘Complete Carnage and Radical’* May 1988
#6 ‘Leatherhead’ August 1988
#7 ‘The Return of Savanti Romero!’ April 1989
* Not to be confused with the similarly named ‘Complete Carnage an' Radical’ short from (Vol. 1) #3 (2nd print).
This 2007 trade paperback release featured redone frontispieces that act as a framing sequence, a new story (‘Spinal Tapped’) and a new epilogue. Its placement on this list is based on the original release date of the first issue.
The Lesson: A Tale of the Triceraton Marines/King for a Day/Gizmo and the Fugitoid
Although they feature characters from previous stories, none of the Turtles themselves appear in this trio of stories.
Fun with Guns/King for a Day/A Christmas Carol
The page count for these stories has been noted as they are longer than a typical short, but shorter than a full-blown adventure.
untitled Nobody story
This untitled story was a bonus in the first trade paperback release of Tales (Vol. 1). It was not included in 2007’s Treasury Edition.
Donatello: The Ring
Although released after ‘Twilight of the Ring’, this short story leads into it, so has been placed before it on this list.
The Purpose of Fear/ The Ring of Death
As mentioned in the intro, this list includes any of the non-canon guest stories that fit in the main Mirage continuity. These two stories are borderline inclusions, being rather simple tales, with Leonardo seeming too young in the first one and the second having a goofy tone.
Fifteen Years Later...
In this short the (briefly glimpsed) Turtles wear the different coloured face masks that were introduced with the Playmates toyline. This could just be considered a colouring error as the story otherwise fits fine.
Muscle & Faith
Advertised during the guest era, this story went unreleased until 2000 when it was published on the Flying Color Comics website. Released in twelve weekly instalments, it is placed here at the end of the guest era.
North By Downeast
Listed here as the colour Casey Jones #1-2 for simplicity. This was initially a six-part black-and-white story published in Plastron Café - and its placement on the list is based on the release date of Plastron Café #1 (December 1992). However, the title ended with #4, leaving the story unfinished until the colourised release. The full black-and-white version has never been released.
Overlap with Volume 2 era
During the release of ‘City at War’ a few other stories were released. The first two are included on this list and the second two are included with Volume 2. What went where was based on whether the stories were originally in black and white (partially in the case of North By Downeast) or colour.
