For a generation, the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series remains a defining iteration of the Heroes in a Half-Shell. Heck, this show is probably responsible for selling a whole bunch of pizzas and skateboards in the ’80s and ’90s, too. The story continues in IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures – a comic book series that captures the magic of this special time in TMNT history.
Considering that the Saturday Morning Adventures team of Erik Burnham, Sarah Myer, Dan Shoening, and Luis Antonio Delgado work so closely with the source material, we decided to ask them about their favorite episodes of the original animated show. Here are their picks below:
“The Case of the Killer Pizzas”
Dan Shoening (artist): As much as I love the original five episodes from Season 1, the one that sticks out to me most is [Season 2’s] “The Case of the Killer Pizzas.” It has everything you’d want from an episode; great dialog, hilarious voice acting, and some great ninja action. This episode even includes some vaguely familiar Alien creatures… Those are some spicy meatballs! By the way, did someone mention free pizza?
“Night of the Rogues”
Erik Burnham (writer): “The debut episode of the original miniseries was something special, and really hooked me on the Turtles… but I also want to throw out “Night of the Rogues,” the Season 7 episode that had my favorite fourth-wall break of the entire series of Raphael asking Shredder if he was leaving the show. Thinking back, it was wild how versatile this show was. Every kind of genre, several kinds of humor. It really was, like I said just a couple of sentences back, something special.”
“Turtles on Trial”
Sarah Myer (artist): If I had to pick just one favorite overall episode, I would choose “Turtles on Trial” from Season 3. The episode gives us a glimpse into xenophobic attitudes some of the people of NYC hold towards the Turtles and a parody of scandalous talk shows from the era with host Clayton, and it’s also got some really cool animation in the fight scenes inside the museum and out on the street against Krang – in a cool mech, nonetheless – that comes close to the Toei Animation episodes in the first five episodes of the show. One of the most amusing things about the episode is a blink-and-you-miss-it sequence of Donatello going into his shell after escaping Krang’s clutches, and I love how nervous the Turtles get when they’re finally given the chance to defend themselves against Clayton’s mud-slinging. Great character animation, facial expressions, and an interesting plot.
Can we choose honorable mentions? The first five episodes (aren’t those everyone’s faves usually?), “Donatello’s Degree,” “Donatello’s Duplicate,” “Leonardo Vs Tempestra,” Convicts from Dimension X,” “Night of the Dark Turtle,” and “What’s Michelangelo Good For?”
Any episode with Shredder and Casey Jones
Luis Antonio Delgado (colorist): As a kid I knew the Ninja Turtles as long as I could remember, but being from Mexico, we got them very inconsistently. I could, at the same time, remember everything but nothing, if that makes any sense. It was mostly the feeling of adventure and excitement that brought me back week after week. Despite all the amazing characters and foes, my favorite episodes were with Shredder. He was my favorite villain of all time – he was scary but cool, and I still like every time I get to see him. Other than that broad generalization, I would always get excited to see Casey Jones. His design, the mask,and the badass attitude always drew me in as a kid.
Which are your favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes? Let us know in the comments section down below. And don’t forget to check out IDW Publishing’s TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures, especially if you loved the original animated show.
RELATED: Interview: TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures Team Discuss Bringing the 1987 Cartoon to Comics
