The era so big, I had to split it into TWO articles.
Can you believe I had to split this into two articles just to cover the IDW era? I still can't.
Volume 6
“Free Comic Book Day” (2024,) “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Alpha, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Vol. 6) #1-present, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation” #1-9, “TMNT: Nightwatcher” #1-7, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green" #1-4, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Naruto" #1-4, "Masters of the Universe/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles of Grayskull" #1-4, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” #1-5, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual" (2025,) "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder" #1-present, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones" #1-6, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Godzilla" #1-5
Age rating
T for teen to T+ for older teens. The Aaron issues get pretty gnarly ala “Urban Legends.”
Start Here If…
You want to hit the ground running and get caught up to present in no time flat with none of that silly “context.” Easy jumping on point, made even easier by a renumbering.
Sigh.
With issue #150, Sophie Cambell’s run on “TMNT,” and that of the “Reborn” era, came to an end. It was a bittersweet moment, as unlike #100, #150 was a bit of a softer conclusion, less a culmination and more a final arc before saying goodbye.
Apparently Sophie had stayed on well beyond what she originally planned - it sounds like she was going to cut back her participation around 125 or so to work on other projects - thanks in part to Waltz’s pitch for “Armageddon Game,” which truly felt like the completion of his tenure on the title: a big, blow-out event that tied-up a bunch of the mystical loose ends and laid the groundwork for another status quo shift.
Personally, I think ‘Damage Done,’ Sophie’s second to last arc, was a better finale for “Reborn.” More fitting, more thematically meaningful, and more resonant, as the actual final arc felt like the next, big meta-narrative being suddenly rushed to its end rather than letting it play out in the background until #190 to 200. A shame too, because I was really digging a lot of the interpersonal conflict and questions of community building and politics in Mutant Town.
Ah well. #150 concluded and #151 was right around the corner, with a new “Alpha” one-shot to lead us into Jason Aaron’s run. Wait? What’s that? Its not #151 but a new #1. Are you kidding me?
I understand this is the way of comics nowadays. I understand it is what the new folks at IDW (management having seen some significant shifts since #100 came out) think is best for sales.
I also understand that this had happened before, when Eastman and Laird stepped away in full. But that made sense - the original creators were done and passing the torch - whereas this has all the sticky fingerprints of a marketing scheme. A scheme that feeds a short-sighted practice that ends up confusing readers in the long-run, contributes to churn more than it does help spur new readers to jump on, and just makes the industry as a whole feel more cynical.
I mean, this was one of the few comics still in the triple digits folks! You had something here! Renumber the trades again with a new subtitle to help differentiate it. Book and trade readers are far more number sensitive than your average floppy reader nowadays.
Don’t renumber within the same continuity and make it even more annoying to refer to issues or shelve a trade on a shelf. Don’t throw all those subscriptions at comic shops out the window. Don’t keep falling back on the nonsense Marvel and DC keep doing. Be better!
Bah.
/rant over
Update from July 2025, not two weeks after originally writing this: Jason Aaron and co.'s time on the title is ending with issue #12 with Gene Luen Yang & Freddie Williams II picking up the baton at #13. Yang is great and Williams II has proven he can do the Turtles justice, so I'm not worried but...it is strange that after all that hype, Aaron is just leaving after a year.
Two years, sure. Not ideal but sure. One year though? With white-hot sales? And with a couple other books seeming like they had different plans for their endings? I dunno. Seems there's more to the story, even if it's just Aaron had to back out way earlier than he wanted.
Actually, this seems most likely since the title's schedule has creeping up to bi-monthly the last few issues.
I'm not going to speculate on anything beyond this. Isn't my place and I know jack diddly about the behind the scenes of IDW or the Turtles. At least they're not doing a THIRD #1. Let this volume crack #100 again folks!
Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, let’s get cracking at Volume 6. It's pretty straightforward thus far, though as we get read to enter year three and celebrate #300 issues titles "TMNT," it's getting more complicated. Still, there are only two lists: For The Trades and Publication Completionist, since I cannot be bothered to do a third, "preferred order." Let’s get going, shall we?
For The Trades
Normally I’d have a note here about how this is the best way to catch up with the era but I've been really feeling the lag between the trades and the singles. Anyone wanting to catch up with the singles should just start collecting mid-volume and either use Hoopla for ones you've missed if you can't track them down in the back issue bins easily or sit on the issues until the next trade drops and you can fill in the gaps.
That said: all of Aaron and the minis associated with that mini-era (Juni Ba’s “Nightwatcher” ripped!) are now collected so at least that has a conclusion. Oh, and as with “Reborn,” all Roninverse titles are found in their own section with notes on placement within this list.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green:" "Black, White, and Green" #1-4
While this probably could have closed out “Reborn” owing to its anthology nature, the “Free Comic Book Day” 2024 issue which contained our first taste of the new volume was published just a hair before “BWG” #1 and since it’s a free-ish floating series anyway, I felt it better to kick off something new rather than close out something old.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Volume 1: Return to New York: ‘Long Way from Home' (from Alpha), "TMNT" (Vol. 6) #1-6
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation,” Vol. 1: ‘Monster Island’ (from Alpha,) "Mutant Nation" #1-5
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher:” ‘Who is Nightwatcher?,’ "Nightwatcher" #1-7
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Naruto:” "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Naruto" #1-4
"Masters of the Universe/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles of Grayskull:" "Masters of the Universe/TMNT: Turtles of Grayskull" #1-4
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation,” Vol. 2: "Mutant Nation" #6-9
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Volume 2: NYC vs. TMNT: "TMNT" (Vol. 6) #7-12
When I first did this list, I didn’t even have “Mutant Nation,” Vol. 2 placed. Just “TMNT,” Vol. 2: NYC vs. TMNT. But that volume got super delayed so I ended up flipping their locations. As for why “Mutant Nation” ends on issue #9, I have no clue but the abrupt ending of each of these series only feeds the conspiracy in my brain.
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III:” "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles " III #1-5
To be fair, this should be listed with volumes 1 & 2 in the reborn list per “Batman/TMNT” rules. If they hadn’t renumbered the whole damn thing, maybe I would have. But they did and so here it is, in its “proper” place on a whole different list.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder," Vol. 1: "Shredder" #1-6
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus:" "Battle Nexus" #1-5
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones:" "Casey Jones" #1-6
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Godzilla:" "TMNT/Godzilla" #1-5
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Vol. 3: Ujgami: "TMNT" (Vol. 6) #13-18
Publication Completionist
Because all these books are in some variety of ongoing or yet-to-come-out, I’ll only be ordering the issues that have actually been published as of writing (June 2026.) Who knows if any of their pub dates will slip. I will, however, place any issues I know about at the end in a chunk so you can have an idea of what’s to come.
I’ll also be splitting out the short stories where appropriate. Since there’s no IDW Collection list to compare to, this is the best way for me to list both the original issues and their stories, in case you’re wondering where the ones on the trades list came from. Oh, and same note as “Reborn” for the Roninverse titles.
“FCBD” 2024 - ‘Who is Nightwatcher?’
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green" #1
For the full experience, both of these issues should be read before “Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan” #3 from the “Reborn” list.
“TMNT” Alpha - ‘Long Way From Home’
“TMNT” Alpha - ‘Monster Island’
Technically these can be read in either order but, like, they’re in the same issue.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green" #2
For the full experience, both “TMNT” Alpha and “Black, White, and Green” #2 should be read before “Untold Destiny” #4 & 5, and ‘Father’s Day’ and ‘Teen Spirit’ from the “40th Anniversary” issue. See the Reborn list for the order of those issues.
“BWG” #2 and “Untold Destiny” #4 can be read in either order. My preference is for before because so as to keep the new pattern and not break up the ending of "Untold Destiny” more than it already is.
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #1
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green" #3
"Nightwatcher" #1
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green" #4
"Mutant Nation" #1
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #2
"Masters of the Universe/TMNT: Turtles of Grayskull" #1
"Nightwatcher" #2
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #3
"Nightwatcher" #3
"Mutant Nation" #2
"Masters of the Universe/TMNT: Turtles of Grayskull" #2
“Mutant Nation” #2 and “Turtles of Grayskull” #2 can be read in either order. This order keeps the out-of-continuity and in-continuity books grouped together.
"TMNT X Naruto" #1
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #4
"Nightwatcher" #4
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #5
"Mutant Nation" #3
"Nightwatcher" #5
"TMNT X Naruto" #2
“Nightwatcher” #5 and “TMNT x Naruto” #2 can be read in either order.
"Masters of the Universe/TMNT: Turtles of Grayskull" #3
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #6
#6 and “Turtles of Grayskull” #3 can be read in any order. The way I have it here keeps the pattern of the out-of-continuity stories being grouped together.
"Mutant Nation" #4
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #7
"Nightwatcher" #6
"Mutant Nation" #5
"TMNT X Naruto" #3
"Nightwatcher" #7
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #8
"Masters of the Universe/TMNT: Turtles of Grayskull" #4
"Mutant Nation" #6
"TMNT X Naruto" #4
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #9
"Mutant Nation" #7
#9 and "Mutant Nation" #7 can be read in either order.
"Mutant Nation" #8
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #10
"MMPR/TMNT III” #1
"Mutant Nation" #9
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #11
#1 and "Mutant Nation" #9 can be read in either order, though this is preferred as “Mutant Nation #9’s events take place before the final two issues of Aaron’s run.
"Shredder" #1
"Casey Jones" #1
"MMPR/TMNT III” #2
"Shredder" #2
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #12
This is a case where I left the publication order intact but I would highly suggest reading #12 before “Shredder” #1 as it makes a cleaner break between the Aaron and Yang runs.
"TMNT Annual" 2025
"TMNT/Godzilla" #1
"MMPR/TMNT III” #3
"Casey Jones" #2
“MMPR/TMNT” #3 and “Casey Jones” #2 can be read in either order. This keep the out of continuity issues together.
"Shredder" #3
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #13
"Casey Jones" #3
"Battle Nexus" #1
"Shredder" #4
"TMNT/Godzilla" #2
"Battle Nexus" #2
“Shredder” #2, “TMNT/Godzilla” #2, and “Battle Nexus” #2 can be read in any order. Because “Battle Nexus” is a weekly, it throws off my usual attempts at balancing. I’ve opted to have it go last whenever there’s a conflict.
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #14
"MMPR/TMNT III” #4
"Battle Nexus" #3
"MMPR/TMNT III” #4 and "Battle Nexus" #3 can be read in any order.
"Casey Jones" #4
"TMNT/Godzilla" #3
"Battle Nexus" #4
"TMNT/Godzilla" #3 and "Battle Nexus" #4 can be read in any order.
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #15
"Shredder" #5
"Battle Nexus" #5
"Shredder" #5 and "Battle Nexus" #5 can be read in any order.
"Casey Jones" #5
"TMNT/Godzilla" #4
"Casey Jones" #5 and "TMNT/Godzilla" #4 can be read in any order. This keeps the pattern I’ve set for the two issues.
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #16
"MMPR/TMNT III” #5
"Shredder" #6
"Casey Jones" #6
"TMNT/Godzilla" #5
"Casey Jones" #6 and "TMNT/Godzilla" #5 can be read in any order. This keeps the pattern I’ve set for the two issues.
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #17
"Shredder" #7
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #18
"Shredder" #8
"TMNT" (Vol. 6) #19
"Shredder" #9-10
“TMNT” (Vol. 6) #20-21
“Shredder” #11-18
“TMNT” (Vol. 6) #22-present
"TMNT: The Hunger" #1
Roninverse
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin” #1-5, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin: The Lost Years" #1-5, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Day Special" #1, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution #1-5, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin: Training Day" #1
Age rating
T+ for older teen. It comfortably fits the tone of the original Mirage run but skews a little older.
Start Here If…
You want to read “Old Man Logan” but for the turtles! Is it in continuity with the IDW run? The Mirage run? Its own thing? Who knows anymore!
I should probably justify why I’ve separated out the “Last Ronin” books into their own list rather than leaving them in their original locations. These books sit in a funny position as they’re not quite the same as the out-of-continuity crossovers that litter the lists before but they’re also not really “in-continuity” with the rest of the IDW turtles series. They sit in their own special place due to its special origins.
Originally a new collaboration (ideas-wise, at least) between Eastman and Laird set far into the Turtles’ future - based on an unused story idea from the original run - the Roninverse has since grown and built its own continuity set in that time. It’s fair to say it is its own thing at this point; the name “roninverse” probably should’ve been a clue...but I still like the idea that it should be read as if it were a future tale from the IDW books (or if you’re feeling feisty, the Mirage ones.)
To that end, I had left them where they were, though I did separate them out on the trades lists. It would always be at the end, the logic went, so why not move it there to begin with?
Well, that was all fine and dandy when there were only two mini-series. Now there are three, with a potential fourth on the way, and I can’t really justify keeping it alongside the rest. I also didn’t want to have to keep deciding whether to split up the new minis between the various eras or lump them all together like I did with “Batman/TMNT.”
So, here we are. A new section for a new (old) set of books with two reading orders: For the Trades and Lone Turtle and Tadpole Completionist.
For The Trades
A very simple list for a very simple set of minis. To make it more complicated, however, I’m going to list where you should read everything relative to the main IDW continuity at the top. Basically, if you’re looking to read it in publication order, here’s where they’re placed:
- “The Last Ronin” comes after “Reborn,” Volume 4.
- “Lost Years” comes after “Reborn,” Volume 7.
- “Re-Evolution” comes after “TMNT” (Vol. 6,) Vol. 1.
”Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin:" "The Last Ronin" #1-5
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin: Lost Years:" "The Last Ronin: Lost Years" #1-5, "Lost Day Special"
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution:" "The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution” #1-5
Lone Turtle and Tadpole Completionist
Normally I’d be making another quip about how simple this list is. Alas, it is simple in order but not so simple in layout. Unlike the trades, it doesn’t make sense to list all the issues twice: once for its publication location and once for the order itself. It worked for the trades because I was also listing the collected issues. Here, I am not listing corresponding trades, same as I did for all the other IDW books.
For this list, I’ve tried to peg every issue to an in-continuity Turtles book, in case you’ve opted to avoid the full-on out-of-continuity crossovers. It wasn’t always possible to do this cleanly - and yes, I treated “WhereWhen” this way just to be safe - so I’ll sometimes list two or three issues for reference. Just in case you were wondering.
"The Last Ronin" #1
"The Last Ronin" #1 can be read after "TMNT” (Vol. 5) #110.
"The Last Ronin" #2
"The Last Ronin" #2 can be read after "TMNT” (Vol. 5) #114.
"The Last Ronin" #3
"The Last Ronin" #3 can be read after "TMNT” (Vol. 5) #116.
"The Last Ronin" #4
"The Last Ronin" #4 can be read after "TMNT” (Vol. 5) #120.
"The Last Ronin" #5
"The Last Ronin" #5 can be read after "TMNT Annual” 2022.
"The Last Ronin: The Lost Years" #1
“The Lost Years” #1 can be read after "MMPR/TMNT II" #2 or “TMNT” (Vol. 5) #136.
"The Last Ronin: The Lost Years" #2
“The Lost Years” #2 can be read either before or after “Armageddon Game” #6, though reading after keeps “TMNT” (Vol. 5) and “Armageddon Game” directly next to each other.
"The Last Ronin: The Lost Years" #3
“The Lost Years” #3 can be read in any order alongside “TMNT” (Vol. 5) #139 and “Armageddon Game” #7, though reading it first keeps “TMNT” and “Armageddon Game” directly next to each other.
"The Last Ronin: The Lost Years" #4
“The Lost Years” #4 can be read after “WhereWhen” #4 or “TMNT” (Vol. 5) #140.
"The Last Ronin: Lost Day Special" #1
“Lost Day Special” #1 can be read after "TMNT vs. Street Fighter" #2 or after "TMNT" (Vol. 5) #141, "TMNT Annual" 2023 or "TMNT x Stranger Things" #1, depending on what order you read those in.
"The Last Ronin: The Lost Years" #5
“The Lost Years” #5 can be read after “WhereWhen” #5 or just read it right after the “Lost Day Special.”
“Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution” #1
"Re-Evolution” #1 can be read after "TMNT” (Vol. 5) #148.
“Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution” #2
“Re-Evolution” #2 can be read in any order alongside “Untold Destiny” #4 and “TMNT: Black, White, and Green” #2. I prefer after both as that creates fewer breaks between “Untold Destiny” issues.
“Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution” #3
"Re-Evolution” #3 can be read after "Nightwatcher” #2.
“Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution” #4
“Re-Evolution” #4 can be read in any order alongside “TMNT” (Vol. 6) #6, and “Turtles of Grayskull” #3. I would suggest reading “Re-Evolution” #4 between “Turtles of Grayskull” #3 and “TMNT” (Vol. 6) #6. This keeps the non-mainline stories and the out-of-continuity crossovers together (see the Volume 6 list for what I mean.)
“Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution” #5
"Re-Evolution” #5 can be read after “Turtles of Greyskull” #4 or "TMNT” (Vol. 6) #8.
"The Last Ronin: Training Day"
This issue has yet to come out and so I’m leaving it at the end and not listing its potential publication placement (though it’s supposedly out July 19, 2026.) What makes it annoying, though, is its set in between issues #3 and 4 of the original miniseries. Until I read it, I won’t know if it makes sense to list it there with a publication note or leave it here and have a continuity note.
Decisions. Decisions.
Next time! Wait? There’s a next time?! (Get ready to get weird, folks.)
Elias Rosner
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Elias Rosner
Elias Rosner
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