Issue Description

As Ninjara and Raph head back to the sewers, the foxy ninja sees a sign advertising a mastadon exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. The image reminds Raphael of a story, which he relates to his gal pal: April interviewed Dr. Selena Davis, curator of the Natural History Museum, regarding her controversial theory regarding her intent to create clones. Soon thereafter, a homeless man who had once been a great reporter investigates a stry about a monster, and discovers a mutant mammoth man! The beast roars at the fellow, who runs for his life. Moments later, the mutant collapses and dreams of how he had been frozen in ice thousands of years ago, only to be thawed by Shredder and turned into a monster - but befriended by four green turtle men. After an adventure with the TMNT, the mastadon dude had fallen into an icy river and was thought lost, but he had survived and remained hidden for months. Recovering from his flashback, the mammoth man then spots some life-sized dinosaur sculptures being hauled by a truck and sets off to follow them... "home."

As it turns out, Dr. Davis had managed to get a strand of hair from the mammoth man from his earlier adventure - and has used it to create her own clone of the creature! As she and her two henchmen prepare to bring the clone to life, they see a news report regarding the "riverfront monster", none other than the original mastadon mutant himself. Davis sends her cronies out to retrieve the mammoth man. The two men have no trouble in luring the beastie to Davis' secret headquarters at the museum.

At the same time, April and the Turtles were discussing the possibilities of their strange friend surviving the icy waters when the news report came in, and the ninjas head out to investigate. After a long search, all they manage to find is a clump of hair, which they take back to their lair so Don can analyze it. Mikey sees a TV ad for the dinosaur exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum and jokes that perhaps the mammoth dude has gone there to see the exhibit. Raph scoffs at him, but Donatello thinks Mikey is on to something, so the gang pile into their van and head off to the museum.

The Turtles break into the building and soon find their friend caged by Davis and her henchmen. The Turtles order the scientist to free their ally, but she orders her clone to attack and a battle ensues. Enraged, the original mastadon dude breaks the bars of his cage and clobbers his clone. Unfortunately the force of his attack causes the museum to buckle on its foundation and it begins to collapse. The TMNT and April make their escape in the nick of time.

Shortly, the original mammoth man digs out of the rubble, carrying Davis and her assistants. April finds a police officer, who doesn't know what to do - so O'Neil arranges for the mastadon dude to be shipped via boat to Arctic Island, where he will finally be truly at home.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures (1989)

Publisher

Archie Adventure Series

Volume Description

Published by Archie Comics, this comic was based on mainstream version of the turtles. It started out simply retelling episodes of the then popular animated series but with the fifth issue the book branched out into telling it's own stories. Primarily written by Dean Clarrain the stories would often have an underlying environmentalist themes, over time the storylines grew darker and more mature. The series drew negative press when a storyline saw the death of the turtle's allies The Mighty Mutanimals in a massacre.

The three part "Future Shark Trilogy" which saw the turtles, Splinter and their ally Ninjara come to the aid of the older turtles in dystopian future proved popular with fans and elements and characters from the story were revisited many times in the series. For five issues the comic was renamed Cyber Samurai Mutant Ninja Turtles in a storyline that was set soley in the aforementioned future. By now the turtles fad of the eighties and early nineties had faded which meant lagging sales. Mirage wanting to put out their own color TMNT book made the publishers nervous of competition leading them to consider cancellation. Growing frustration of darker storylines came to a head when Clarrain and co plotter and artist Chris Allen submitted a time travel story involving the the future turtles Archie was displeased. The covers for the seven part epic "Forever War" were made with the belief that this would be final storyline of the series. Clarrain and Allen were dropped from the book and it was cancelled two issues later with the final storyline focused on a present Splinter telling the story of how pre-teen turtles picked their weapons written by Steve Sullivan and drawn by Brian Thomas.

Years later Clarrain and Allen would work on the second volume of Tales of the TMNT writing the original turtles for Mirage. It has also been confirmed they are working on completing the final storyline of TMNT Adventures "Forever War" with Mirage publishing it as part of the TMNT's 25th anniversary in 2009.

Collected EditionsTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 1 (#1-4)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 2 (#5-8)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 3 (#9-12)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 4 (#13-16)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 5 (#17-20)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 6 (#21-22)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 7 (#23-27)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 8 (#28-31)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 9 (#38-40)

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