What makes a character?

There was a thread on the forums I visit talking about how there is a piece of concept art showing April blond for the new show. It went on to say that this would destroy her character and make her someone completely different. Now when I read this it made no sense to me at all. I mean does a simple thing as hair color make the character who they are or is it something deeper? I'm still waiting to see a decent answer to this in the thread, but sense I have a blog I thought I'd just really take a look at it and post what I think.

The post that started me thinking about this is:

 "As people who have seen the very early concept art know, April is depicted as being blonde. Thankfully, her hair color was changed to the more usual orange/red color that April is usually depicted with.

I have to say that making April into a 16 year old girl AND making her blonde would have made her seem too much like an entirely different character.

For some reason the fact that she's a redhead makes her feel more like April, as in all universes outside of Mirage she has reddish hair to various degrees." - Cybercubed

Okay so the original post seems harmless enough except that there isn't one things but two that people seem to have a problem with. The fact that they thought of making her blond, and the fact she is 16 in this version. What the thread seemed to be asking, at least to me, was when does the character stop being the character and become something new?

Well lets first address who April is and why she is important in the TMNT universe. April O'neil in every incarnation is one of the Turtles very first human friends. She is the link to the outside world that they can never fully be part of. Also she is the motherly figure to them. Trying to protect them as best she can from the world around them. Oh and she has an antique shop. Now that is the same over all the different versions thus far. 

What is different in each version? In the Mirage comics, 4kids show, and IDW she worked for Baxter Stockmen as a lab assistant at first. Where in the Fred Wolf cartoon and the movies she was a news reporter. In the Nick show she will be 16 and in high school, past that we don't have a lot about her yet. Mirage, 4kids, and the movies she learns to fight to be able to either take part in adventures or to defend her self. FW she is the damsel in distress. Mirage and the movies she is brunette, FW an amber color, 4kids and IDW pure red.

So to start off right there, her hair has been different colors in different versions. There is no set color for her hair. And as stated in the last paragraph it depends on what version you are looking at what she does for a living. Also in the movies she seems to be in her late 20s to early 30s. Mirage she is about mid 20s, 4kids and IDW early 20s, and Nick of course she is 16. So even then her age has fluctuated. Granted those this is the biggest fluctuation.

The point of pointing all this out was to get people to think about the character across all platforms and see her in a broader light. While there are some key factors in her personality, there are also things that have changed depending on incarnation. 

Does the fact she is 16 bother me? At first a little I'll be honest. To me it was taking her from being a "parent" figure and making her one of the guys. Then I realized that 4kids had done that too. They tried to make her one of the team by using her tech suaveness and having Splinter teach her the ninja arts. Once I realized that making her part of the group had been done before I could kind of dig where they were trying to go with making her younger.

Now the hair thing? That I can honestly say I could care less about. As long as they have the key things about April that have been in every universe then that is all that matters. Her being their link to the outside world, her trying to protect them in her own way from it, and being their friend regardless of them being different are what is important. Hell she could be bald for all I care.

I guess what I'm getting at it doesn't matter if some changes are made to a character as long as the heart of the character is there. After all I don't want to see the same thing over and over. If I have a favorite version I read or watch it still. DVDs and comics are great for repeat viewings. Sometimes you have to embrace change. As Splinter has said in almost all versions of TMNT, "The only constant is change."

TMNT have been placed on ToysRus "hot list"

The last time TMNT made anyones hot toy list was in the early 90s, and even then it was starting to fall from grace. Even though we saw a new cartoon in 2003 the merchandise never seemed to pick up momentum. But that looks to have changed this coming year. With Nick's power behind it it might truly be the second coming of TMNT.

For those of you who want to see what other toys made ToysRus top 15 hot toy list you can find the link here.

TMNT vs Godzilla in 2014

May 16, 2014 was the day the Ninja Turtles movie was pushed back to from Christmas of 2013. Now if this was because of the script that Bay is saying wasn't the real script or other reasons, it was the script, who knows. Now though another anxiously awaited franchise has put its claim to that day. Legendary Pictures is now looking at releasing the new Godzilla movie the same day.

Will Ninja Turtles back down or hold its ground? No statement has been issued yet about it, but it will be interesting to see. While Ninja Turtles will probably appeal more to children and families Godzilla will relate more to adults and teens. Yet there is that crossover bunch, the 20-40 somethings that grew up with the original Turtle craze in the 80s. These are the parents of todays children.

With tickets costing what they do and going to the theater not being nearly what it was it is going to mean people are going to have to choose. I am a fan of both TMNT and Godzilla. However I know that I'm more of a TMNT fan. Yet I want to see both of these films do well, spawning many sequels to come. It may be one of those rare times where I do a movie marathon day and see both.

Our first Art Contest

Being inspired by a thread at the forums I frequent I thought we would do our very own redesign contest here. So here is to announcing our first challenge. The character that will be the first redesign is going to be a simple one I think. We are going to start with the Rat King.  You'll have tell October 27th to submit your drawings, photos, paintings, or whatever else you might like to do.

Here is a link to his Wiki page and another to his TMNTpedia page.

Here are some pictures for reference. Tried to get a picture from all his different versions.

Feel free to take your design any way your heart leads. Go crazy and have fun.

Fugitiod Redesign

Over on TheTechnodrome.com forums there is currently a contest for redesigning the Fugitiod. I haven't taken part in the last couple contest because I just haven't had time. However I saw this one and it sounded like fun. So I've done two sketches so far, and then redrew them on the computer with some color. Neither one is brilliant but they were both fun to do. So here they are for my readers to see. I'll probably be posting more of my art on here soon. Plan on having a review up of the mutating Tokka later today.

    

TMNT Motion Comic Volume 1 Issue 1

Back on February 4th of 2011 a member of TheTechnodrome forums had the idea to do a motion comic of the first issue that launched the TMNT, now close to a year and a half later it is done. This group came together recording their parts and sending them in. Other members did the motion work, the video work, sound work. It was truly a labor of love. All done for no profit, just because they loved this franchise. Here is the labor of the work. I hope you enjoy, I know I did.

New Behind the Scenes Video

Here is a little behind the scene look at what is coming. Have to say that it just keeps looking better and better. It sounds like these guys actually care and are trying to make the best show possible. Kind of digging that Shredder is making a mutant army of his own, though I would have like to see Fishface or Dogpound over Spiderbite.

Art Contest

So I'm thinking of doing an art contest for this site. The only problem is I don't know how many people read this that would be interested. It brings me then to why I'm posting this, to see if my readers would like to take part in a contest. Leave a comment if you would be interested. If there is enough interest we will hold our first contest.

IDW Mico Series Fugitoid

Well we have another Micro series issue and it is none other then the Fugitoid. This character hasn't appeared much outside the comics tell the 4kids version of the TMNT that was being lead by co-creator Peter Liard. Little know fact is he did have his own issue of a story before appearing in the TMNT comic, so him having his own issue in this series isn't that surprising. However it was a surprise to find out how he fits into this univers.

First things first. This issue was written by Paul Allor, drawn by Paul McGaffrey, and colored by John-Paul Bove. They all did a fantastic job on this issue. From cover to cover it is a beautiful book and an enjoyable read. The story is solid, definitely setting somethings up for future issues in the ongoing. The art is really well done. Only gripe I have about it is that the Turtles themselves, they appear in one panel, look a little off. Overall though the art and colors are fantastic.

The original Fugitoid issue saw Professor Honeycutt become the Fugitoid because of an electrical storm, and then go on the run because to waring fractions wanted his transporter. His whole story revolves around not wanting to help cause more war and he rather hope to out run and get away then take the chance of being caught. Well that was the Mirage version of this character and gone is that origin. What follows below is a review of the issue. It may contain spoilers, you have been warned.

This time around we see that Honeycutt has been conscripted into Krang's service and forced to work on scientific projects to help with global conquests. He doesn't have much say but tries to do his best given the circumstances. He also has a family he has to think about protecting. However when he learns his son sees him as someone who is helping Krang conquer other people he starts thinking about what it is he is doing. The big through thought is "Am I a good man?"

He does finally decide that he cannot continue on the path he is on with some help from is wife. He flees to the Neutrino resistance with his family and his robotic assistant Sal. It is there that he starts to try to make up for his past ways. But like every story of redemption his past catches up and Krang's army finds him. When the building is attacked it goes into lockdown. He can escape, but doing so means leaving his family to die. Transferring his mind into the robot he is able to get to the controls to unlock the building. However doing do causes his body to burn, and his family is then killed as they try to escape.

Trapped alone and in a robot body he flees through a portal to New York. The robot can shape shift and he quickly hides from his pressures.  It is here he can truly realize what has happened. Using his shape shifting powers he hides in plain sight getting a job at where Krang is producing things on Earth. It is also here he becomes an agent for Shredder. His goal is to take Krang down, and even though he knows he is in bed with a devil, it is more important for him to see Krang fall.

There is no indication how this will play out in the monthly ongoing series or when he will reveal his true self to the Turtles. Given that the issue came out now I would guess it will be soon however. It was a very nice touch that they made him Chet, a character that has been around from issue one. I look forward to seeing where this goes and how it plays out.

If you've been passing on the Mirco Series, and I don't know why you would, I suggest getting this. I have a feeling this issue will have some big impacts on upcoming stories. Even if you haven't been following the TMNT regularly it is a great issue to read for the idea of what makes a man good and when does he stop being good.

Straight Talk With My Readers

So I am currently unemployed and enjoy what goes with that, mainly being broke. Now that isn't such a bad thing. I mean after all I am looking for work and I have a good feeling about finding a place soon. But until I do I'm going to be reviewing and talking a lot about the stuff I already have.

Now this isn't a bad thing. Heck a lof of the stuff is old comics, older figures, and probably doing write ups of episodes from past shows and the movies. So there shouldn't be a shortage of material.

However it does mean that new issues of the comic, figures, and such might take a little time to show up here. However there is a donate button on the side bar and I promise to use whatever gets donated strictly on TMNT merchandise for this site. Also if any of you have old TMNT stuff you don't want anymore drop me a line and we can see if we can work something out.

2k12 Michelangelo

So it has been a little bit of time with these figures being out and I realized I hadn't finished reviewing what I had of this line yet. Figured it was time to get on it. thus brings us to Michelangelo. As has been stated before in other reviews of this line when I went to get these figures I originally only intended to get Raph and Splinter. Then I saw all the figures and had to have them. Out of the new line the Turtles themselves have been my favorite.

Sculpt

The sculpt on Michelangelo is fantastic like it is on all the Turtles. The core torso seems to be the only thing these figures have in common, which is a nice change of pace. He is by far the shortest sculpt out of the four, which we knew they were going for from production notes. He has a a nice playful smirk on his face also. The whole figure says Mikey.

Paint

The figure has a nice limish green color about it. The light color they used for his skin allows the rich chocolate color of his belt and wraps to pop.  That is one thing I've really loved about this line of figures is the color choices have been outstanding. This figure is no exception.

Also the light green lets the rich color of the orange bandana stand out. Instead of being a darker orange like we have seen before, it is a much brighter orange. It looks more youthful and playful. The choice of two warm colors contrasted with a cooler brown works well for this figure.

Articulation

These figures are outstanding for basic TMNT figures when it comes to articulation. Head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, and knees all have articulation in them.

The head is on a ball joint allowing you to move it around 360 degrees as well as up and down. This allows for some great head poses.

Shoulders are on swivel joints so they rotate freely and go up and down also. They are not hindered at all on the figure by other parts. The arms also have a swivel joint at the elbow. The amount of movement in the arms is great. His wrists also rotate 360 degrees.

The hips are a little tough. They are on a swivel also but are a lot more limited because of where they are on the figure. His knees also have a swivel but because of the large pads on them have limited movement.

Final Thoughts

I'm glad I picked him up. Having all four Turtles it is clear to see the difference in the molds. Plus this is the first Michelangelo figure that to me looks younger then the other guys, and shows they playfulness of the character off well. A figure that is a most have for any TMNT fan. Young and old will both enjoy this figure.

Jason Biggs tweets causing a stir

Jester from Thetechnodrome.com and collaborator on GoGreenMachine.org wrote an article about Jason Biggs and his tweets he posted after the Republic Convention. The article can be found here. He does a really good job of summing up what this means and how I feel about it.

I just want to add that I'm not surprised about him saying these types of things, I'm more surprised that others are surprised. Let's look at this reasonably for a second. This is a guy who got famous for sticking his junk in an Apple Pie. He has been riding that fame for years and it is finally drying up. He has tried to stay relavent but nothing else he seems to do becomes a hit.

So here is a cry to stay relavent. To me it is a cry of someone who doesn't realize there is life outside of live action movies and fame. TMNT could be what his carrier needs. He can reach a whole new demographic, that is if he hasn't messed it up.

I don't condone what he said. Far from it. However this is America and we have the right to say what we want. Some of us are just better at censoring our selves is all.