>>111678398In order of how good the shows were overall.
Mirage > 1990 Movie > 2K3 > IDW > 2012 > Rise > 87 > Next Mutation
Mirage is still the best IMO. Mirage TMNT is just wildly different even from what we are given in dark toned comics today. It knew clearly what it wanted to be and didn't hold back really. I know many of the Mirage issues are non-canon and volume 4 isn't getting anywhere near finished, but Mirage TMNT is just so unique that Laird should just let anyone write out the rest of Vol.4 and start Vol.5. 1990 is second best because its basically a live action adeptation of what worked for TMNT in the comics at the time and in the cartoon and blends it seamlessly. HOWEVER, the movie may have been darker than the comics if editorial hadn't stepped in. Tatsu was supposed to kill a kid, blood included.
IDW is actually a more modern take on the Turtles, which I don't mind in the slightest. Its actually very well paced and drawn. My only complaint is as the issues grow, plot holes may occur, which thankfully hasn't happened much. IDW #100 should be amazing.
2K3 is easily the best of the cartoons. It stays very much true to the original source material, and it was very dark and cool. It was basically a more coherent take on the original comics. In the early years anyways.
The 1987 cartoon is like a lot of cartoons were back in 1987, a platform to sell a ton of toys. However, the first 5 episodes were similar in tone to the comics, but light in tone. It should be noted that 87 gave us everything we know about the Turtles today. Without it, the Turtles wouldn't exist and I wouldn't be here typing it.
Rise is...OK so far. Its animation is beautiful and fluid, but its plots are just average. The show really needs half hour segments rather than the 15 min shorts.
Next Mutation is just bad and buried the franchise even worse than their OOUS Tour did. Nuff said.
