Tales of the TMNT: Coastal Chaos comic series keeps the canceled animated universe alive

Paramount canceled Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles after two seasons, but IDW isn't done with that universe yet. Tales of the TMNT: Coastal Chaos is a new limited comic series hitting shelves on September 9, sending the Turtles to the Jersey Shore and introducing the villain Armaggon into this animated continuity for the first time.

Andrew Joustra is back as writer — he also scripted the animated short TMNT: Chrome Alone 2 - Lost in New Jersey and works as a script supervisor on the Mutant Mayhem films — with Louie Joyce returning on art. Issue #1 covers come from Joyce, Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez, Pizza Mert, and Chalky Wong. The official solicit teases what starts as a family beach vacation turning into a full-blown thriller when Mikey nearly gets attacked by something with big teeth, a big dorsal fin, and arms. Joustra told IGN that after the sci-fi Fugitoid arc, the goal was to throw the Turtles into an all-out thriller, noting that while shark attacks on humans along the Jersey Shore are rare, turtles are definitely on the menu. Joyce added that the series shifts to full mutant action with a very scary new face making their Tales universe debut. Final order cutoff for retailers is August 3.

The first Tales of the TMNT comic volume launched after the show's cancellation as a way to keep the Mutant Mayhem universe alive between films. IGN's review of that series noted it never quite reached Mutant Mayhem's heights but carved out its own space by reimagining the film's animation style and digging into each Turtle's individual story.

Coastal Chaos looks like exactly what fans of the animated universe want while waiting for the next Mutant Mayhem movie. Preorders are open now at local comic shops.