Toward the end of its holding of the “Star Wars” license, Dark Horse Comics released a good chunk of the under-printed stories in a couple of “Wild Space” volumes. IDW could do the same thing with “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” oddities, but I guess from their perspective, there’s value in keeping fans hoping and waiting.
At least they threw us a bone with “The Paradox of Chudnovsky” in “TMNT: Best of Renet” (2025). Even though they spelled the title with “Chudowysky,” and left out the frontispiece and epilog, it’s a tasty bone to gnaw on.
The story is wild, almost competing with the story behind its existence. In the early Aughts when publishing Volume 4, Peter Laird tapped writer Steve Murphy and artist Jim Lawson to craft an alternate introduction to time mistress Renet. He theorized that Dave Sim, co-writer of Issue 8 due to it being a crossover with Cerebus the Aardvark, wouldn’t grant reprint rights. This proved false.
“The Paradox of Chudnovsky” (2025)
First English-language publication of the Mirage story, part of IDW’s “TMNT: Best of Renet” collection
Writer: Stephen Murphy
Pencils: Jim Lawson
Inks: Eric Talbot
Nonetheless, “Paradox” was published in Spanish in 2007 and then in Russian (this is where the unofficial “Tales of the TMNT” Volume 2, Issue 71 cover comes from), but not in English till last year. For more details, see TMNT Entity’s entertaining post.
New link between Renet and Savanti Romero
Murphy pens a cheeky story that fits with the “TMNT” characters’ go-with-the-flow approach to time travel, which reminds me of “Valerian and Laureline.” Instead of meeting the Turtles in 1986, as in Issue 8, Renet drops out of the sky in 1985. As she can fall back to her home in Null Time, she’s already met them, but they haven’t met her. I must read a lot of wackadoo sci-fi, because I grasped it.
Murphy writes often-bubbleheaded Renet with her more mature brain (like Michael Dooney writes her in “Masks”), suggesting it’s farther along her lifespan. The explanation for her higher IQ is something different, though. Also surprising: “Paradox” creates a backstory for villain Savanti Romero and links him with Renet beyond the fact that they regularly cross paths.
Being Lawson art (he’s great at drawing the Turtles and non-humans, not so great at drawing humans), it’s hard to tell Renet’s age from the visuals, although the story eventually explains all.
A dino-mite tale
Within the quasi-rules of time-travel and within the Mirage timeline, “Paradox” plays chaotic but fair. With science riffs such as Occam’s Razors being deadly projectiles, this is “Valerian”-esque fun. Though the tale is completely distinct from Issue 8, it does repeat familiar beats like the journey to dinosaur times.
Dino-time is also the setting for “Tales” Volume 1, Issue 7, which kicks off “Best of Renet” and which was adapted into the strong “TMNT” (2003) Season 4 two-parter “The Return of Savanti.” The four-issue collection is rounded out with one each from the IDW continuity and the 2012 TV show continuity.
“TMNT’s” handlers missed an opportunity to have the same Renet exist in all the continuities, similar to how Archie’s Cudley moves through the multiverse in “Tales” Volume 2. Regardless, she’s delightful in her personality(ies) and her function as someone who can take the Turtles to different points in history. It’s neat to get one more Mirage-verse tale with her … even if it took some time.
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