Posted in: Comics, IDW, Image | Tagged: teenage mutant ninja turtles, tmnt
How Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adds up to #300… but what did they miss out to get there?
So you may have heard that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #20 from IDW Publishing is also going to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #300 if you add all the issues up. Which they have. And as a result, there is a) going to be an anniversary issue and b) will have variant covers from all over the place with big names, including Frank Miller. J Scott Campbell, Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Michael Dooney, Stan Sakai and Giuseppe Camuncoli. But how did they do the maths? Well, this attempts to explain it…
TMNT Mirage – Vol. 1: 62
TMNT Mirage – Vol. 2: 13
TMNT Image – Vol. 3: 23
TMNT Mirage/”Journeys” – Vol. 4: 32
IDW – Vol. 1: 150
IDW – Vol. 2: 20
There is some debate here, though. Some can see why they didn’t include the Archie TMNT series based on the cartoon, IDW’s own version of that pr the Dreamwave version based on the TV series. But what about the Image Comics continuity issues from later that took it from 23 up to 26? Did they actually publish #300 when they called it #17 without realising it?
The original TMNT series by Mirage Studios ran from 1984 to 1993, totalling 62 issues. Jim Lawson launched Volume 2 in colour from Mirage as Eastman and Laird took over merchandising, running until 1995, and only 13 issues, with the Turtles’ appeal dropoff and the flooding of Mirage Studios.
In 1996, Image Comics took over publishing, releasing 23 issues over 3 years and crossovers with Savage Dragon, but it was cancelled mid-storyline. Peter Laird and Phil Lawson retconned the Image series in a new volume that followed the second volume, running from 2001 to 2014 and 32 issues, with a conclusion. In 2011, IDW rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continuity and has published it ever since, with two volumes. But they also collected and continued the Image Comics series as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Urban Legends, adding issues #24-26, and finally ending the story. If the first 23 issues counted in their mathematics, what of 24, 25 and 26??? TMNT #20/300/303 will be published on the 22nd of July, 2026, for San Diego Comic-Con week.
TMNT #300Mutating the comics industry since their first issue debut in 1984, we are proud to shellebrate 300 issues of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mainline series. It all began with four brothers and their master, alone against the world. A lot has changed, but the bond of Clan Hamato is, if anything, stronger than ever. They will need that strength to fight what is coming. A threat unlike anything they have ever faced before threatens to destroy the worlds of the living and the dead alike. Forty-one years and 300 issues have led to this, one of the biggest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories yet. The City That Never Dies begins here. Also in this issue: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creator Kevin Eastman and superstar scribe Tom Waltz take timestress Renet through a tour of TMNT past with classic Turtles artists Ben Bates, Eric Talbot, Chris Allan, Frank Fosco, Jim Lawon, and Dan Duncan! Plus, stunning pinups from IDW Turtles icon Sophie Campbell! Pre-orders due 6/1/26 On sale 7/22/26 (SDCC week!)
Cover A Freddie E. Williams, Jeremy Colwell
Cover B Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird, Fahriza Kamaputra
Cover C Frank Miller, Alex Sinclair
Cover D J. Scott Campbell, Nei Ruffino
Cover E Michael Dooney
RI 1:25 Eastman/Laird (black & white, full art variant)
RI 1:50 Stan Sakai
RI 1:100 Giuseppe CamuncoliRI 1:200 J. Scott Campbell (full art variant)
RI 1:300 Miller (black & white, full art variant)
RI 1:000 Eastman/Laird (inks, red masks), featuring Eastman’s signature and CGC
Blind bag exclusives: Ito, Mateus Santolouco, Juan Ferreyra, Miller (color, full art), Campbell (black & white, full art)
Also available: Foil blank sketch
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