The IDW Turtles series reimagines the franchise's titular characters—brothers Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo—as sons of Hamato Yoshi, a member of the Foot Clan led by Oroku Saki in feudal Japan.

In modern times, the spirits of Yoshi and his sons are reincarnated as a rat and four turtles, respectively, in a research laboratory owned by Baxter Stockman, a scientist who has secretly allied himself with the extraterrestrial Krang.

After coming in contact with the alien mutagen, Yoshi and the turtles are transformed into intelligent, humanoid beings.

Living in the sewers, Yoshi (now called Splinter), remembers his past life and begins to train the turtles in the art of ninjutsu.

The initial creative team on the IDW series consisted of Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, who collaborated on the plot and the page layouts, writer Tom Waltz, and artist Dan Duncan.

[4] In 2019, issue #100 of the comic was published, concluding the eight-part "City at War" arc.

[1][6] The first five issues of the new series will each be drawn by a different artist (Joëlle Jones, Rafael Albuquerque, Cliff Chiang, Chris Burnham, and Darick Robertson respectively); with the first four issues spotlighting a different turtle (Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Donatello, respectively) before having them reunite in the fifth.

[7][8][9] Hamato Yoshi is a member of the Foot Clan led by Oroku Saki during Japan's feudal period.

After seeing Saki act ruthlessly, Yoshi leaves the Clan and is marked by the clan as a traitor, and Saki orders Yoshi's entire family to be put to death.

Saki, who will later be known as Shredder, eventually finds Yoshi and his children and murders them all.

Centuries later, Yoshi and his sons' spirits are reincarnated in modern times as a gray rat and four green turtles, respectively, in a research laboratory called Stock Gen, owned by Baxter Stockman, a scientist who has secretly allied himself with the extraterrestrial Krang.

An intern at Stock Gen, April O'Neil, names the turtles after Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael.

Members of the Foot Clan break into the facility to steal an alien mutagen.

Yoshi, now called Splinter, remembers his past life and begins to train the turtles in the art of ninjutsu.

Unfortunately, the seemingly trivial event which led to the creation of the Turtles and Splinter is part of an escalating conflict between several powers trying to take control of the Earth: Finding new allies as they go, the Turtles are forced to strive against enemies and save the world from destruction as this many-fold conflict begins to spin out of control.

The conflict culminates when Kitsune, a member of the Pantheon, attempts to resurrect the Dragon to end humanity, which the Turtles and their allies attempt to thwart, leading to the death of Splinter and Shredder's redemption.

With a mutagen bomb attack by Hob on the New York populace during Baxter Stockman's inauguration as the city's new mayor, the world's public is made aware of the existence of mutants.

A ghetto called Mutant Town is erected in the heart of Manhattan to quarantine them, with Hob and his Mutanimals exercising loose political control over its inhabitants.

[10] The Turtles and their friends unite to make Mutant Town both a better place to live in and a hub of tolerance and communication with the outside world, but new conflicts begin to emerge: The outcome of the Armageddon Game is the downfall of both Krang and Ch'rell, the destruction of Mutant Town's borders, and the banishment of all the Pantheons from the world.

During it, Donatello travels to the future and discovers Armaggon, a monster that can devour and erase timelines.

He becomes obsessed with stopping the monster and inadvertently creates it while traveling through space and time.

While Donatello is able to stop Armaggon and ensure that his family won't be erased from history, they eventually decide to go their separate ways.

After parting ways, Raphael gets arrested after breaking into Area 51 to free the Mutanimals, Michelangelo becomes an actor in Japan, Leonardo seeks enlightenment through yogic living, and Donatello gets captured and put in a safari with other mutants while reeling from the trauma he endured after fighting Armaggon.

Meanwhile, Karai, seeking to bring the Foot Clan back to power, puts Hieronymus Hale, an important lawyer of New York, in charge of the city in her stead, who sends assassins after the Turtles, forcing the brothers to come together as a family once again.

In addition, Jennika dons a mechanical suit and becomes the vigilante Nightwatcher, unraveling a crime ring taking advantage of the disadvantaged civilians of Mutant Town.

A crossover series with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Batman from DC Comics.

A crossover miniseries focused on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Boom!

Crossovers with the Usago Yojimbo series by Stan Sakai, who have frequently crossed over with the Turtles in other media.

A separate continuity focusing on a cyberpunk dystopia several years in the future, based on an idea originally conceived for the Mirage Comics.

The material in Volumes 1-5 was later recollected in full color as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Works.