Kevin Eastman talks TMNT movie

Super Hero Hype is running a story right now where Kevin Eastman talks more about the future TMNT movie. Now Mr. Eastman has been involved with the TMNT relaunch on the comic front and it is doing quite well. Not sure how much involvement he really has on the new movie, but the fact that he has any gives me a little hope.

TMNT make Good Housekeeping's Best Toys of 2012

Good Housekeeping (click for link) has released their top picks for 2012 and TMNT have landed on the list. This is good news for the toy line, as it means it is garnering some attention from marketers. With these toys hitting top lists and Christmas fast approaching they may become a little harder to find. The good news is no no figures are expected tell after the holiday season.

What's up with new content?

Okay wow, yeah I said I was going to do better and then I did worse. Yikes. I feel really horrible. Bottom line is real life started kicking my butt. Still trying to find full time work and that takes priority. None the less I am still here and there will be updates. I might have to go to once a week for a little bit though.

Anyway thank you readers and stay tuned. I promise I'll keep this going.

IDW Kevin Eastman Annual 2012

It has been nearly 20 years sense the world has seen an issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles written and drawn by Kevin Eastman. Peter Laird kept at it and put out some good and not so good stuff over those years but Kevin had seemed to have moved on. When it was announced that Mr. Laird had sold TMNT to Viacom there was much talk about what would become of the franchise. No one really expected that one creators exit would harold in the return of the other.

For a little over a year now Mr. Eastman has been part of a team putting out a new monthly TMNT comic. It has been a fun ride for the most part. Sure there are aspects that some could do without, but over all it is a sound title and is doing really well.

When we got the announcement that Mr. Eastman would be doing an annual, both the writing and drawing duties, and that it would be a larger then normal issue the fan community was stoked. A lot of us felt like the wait was forever. But it is here now and there are not words to describe for me how awesome a read it was. That may be the nostalgia in me talking though, for this reads a lot like the old Mirage books of yesteryear.

The art work is very reminiscent of the first few issues which is to be expected, after all Mr. Eastman is one of the original artists. Like that old style it is left in black and white with ink shading to give shadow. It may be jaring for some new readers who are not used to the style of art or the fact that it is B&W. However it is very true to the origin of the characters, plus there is not talk about what color masks they are wearing if it is B&W.

Then comes the writing. It is a great tale told over the pages allotted to it, a nice self contained story for the most part. I don't want to say to much about the story and ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. But it does remind me of the Unmentionables, #15 of the Mirage book if memory serves. It's a good detective/buddy/action story that focuses on Casey and Raph.

I'll do another writeup on this later where I dissect the story and go more in depth. A near death experience has me on edge. If you are on the fence about this, and why would you be, go get it. Don't wait for a reprint. Yeah the price is a little higher but you're getting a mini graphic novel. Suck it up as this is a true moment in TMNT history. Plus it is one hell of a story.

Be Original or Go Home

The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show has aired on Nick and we are now three episodes in. After the airing of the first two Nick said that they will be making at least two seasons of 26 episodes, so 52 episodes are somewhat guarantied. Yet even though only three have aired and there is an order for two complete seasons some are already acting as this is the second coming of the Turtles.  Now while this may in fact usher in another golden age of TMNT, I do not think that means it needs to emulate the first completely.

It can be argued that what made the Turtles popular was the 80s cartoon, and in many respects I would tend to agree. However it does need to be remembered that the Mirage comic and Palladium RPG books were out at the time before and during also, that there were more assets out there then just toon based.  I think this often gets over looked and instead the Fred Wolf cartoon is often held up as the “Original Turtles”. Not that there is anything wrong with the old show, rather it is only a part of the Turtles history not the whole thing.

The original run on the Mirage comic series lasted 62 regular issues. Now not all of them were written by Eastman and Laird, and some of them are just plain goofy, but overall there was a tone of more adult themed stories told. This was at the same time the original show was going on. The Turtles killed, drank beer, and matured over the course of the series. This is where they started and came from. A self-published independent book that tried very hard to be original.

That series lasted tell 1993 then spawned another series of comics that picked up where those had left off. That second series of comics lasted tell 1995. So while the cartoon lasted tell 1996, Mirage was pumping out Turtle related comics. IT got to a point in 1996 that Mirage leased the license to Image that had a comic from 1996 – 1999. For the majority the TMNT comics were aimed at a different crowd then the show had been. Bring a much different tone.

Now during that same time we got the movie series of three live action films. Having a diverse background of material and different audiences that liked TMNT the films had to find a way to balance. Thus they formed their own take on TMNT lore borrowing from everything but making it its own. It is true that there was some pressure from the studio for the second and third to be more kid friendly and it shows. However instead of copying the cartoon they continued to do their own take. It would have been very easy to copy, but instead they wanted to give something different.

Even when Mirage started publishing comics again in 2001 and then a new show started in 2003. The two weren’t the same thing. Now granted the 2003 4kids show was more based off of the Mirage comics it took the basics and then changed them to fit what it wanted to do. It wasn’t a direct issue for issue copy though is the point.

Mirage was publishing a new comic that was a continuation of the comics it had published years before. Laird was writing them and doing what he wanted. Sure he had input on the new show but his comics and the show were separate.

Then we had the 2007 CGI movie. Again it drew from the vast library of TMNT lore but made it its own.

That now brings us to what is currently going on. We have an ongoing monthly series of comics from IDW right now that is fantastic. Yes there are some issues with pacing but overall the book is great. It could have easily tried to copy and just be the same thing as before but it isn’t. Yes they are leaning heavily on some aspects of the past, yet at the same time they have made them their own. What they use isn’t because it’s cool to use them. Rather they use things from different universes because they have found a way to make them fit and work to further the story.

Nick has launched its new show and it looks to be very promising. I personally am hoping for great success. Right now it looks to be doing what IDW is doing and borrowing things from different universes yet trying to be its own. I applaud them for that. There are familiar aspects in the show that is true, but being presented very differently.

Now the point I want to make is that things don’t need to be carbon copies of what has come before. Each version of the Turtles has been successful to various degrees, and kept the brand alive for over 25 years. That is no small feat. Yet each version has been a breath of fresh air. I like all the different versions for different reasons, and the characters that went with them worked great where they were. But because they worked in one doesn’t mean they will work in another or should be in another.

I’m not saying the can’t be. That isn’t it at all. What I’m saying is there needs to be a reason in the story past just because they worked before. I say let each universe be its own. If a new character can be made that works just as well as an old one go for it.  If an older character works with in the confines of the new medium but isn’t just a carbon copy for the sake of being there go for it.  Make the reason a character is used important, not just fan service. There needs to be something added by having the character there.

The beautiful thing about there being so many different Turtle universes is that whatever someone likes it’s still there. If the OT is your thing it’s on DVD, Mirage is being reprinted, 4kids is on DVD, the movies on DVD, exe… The point is that people can go back if there are things they like better, characters they want to see. To force things to be the same is boring and repetitive. Bring something new and exciting or go home.

The New Nick Show

Okay it has been two weeks since the show has come out and there hasn't been a post about. What is going on you might ask. Well let me tell you, I'm still trying to digest what we have been given. Now that isn't a bad thing at all. It's just that we have a brand new show and there is a lot going on in it, or at least that's how I feel. My first reaction to it is that it is great.

However that isn't what I want to post. I don't want to post a knee-jerk reaction. I'd rather take my time and post the best review I can. I promise that I will be doing reviews of the episodes. In fact I hope to finally have the review for all three episodes up before episode 4 airs. So stay tuned.

If you want my opinion really quick, yes watch this show. It is very well done and seems like it might truly spark the next age of TMNT. It has its faults but then I wasn't expecting to like it 100%. But if I had to give a percent that I like it would be 95%.

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.

My Collection At The Moment

So I have a modest collection at the moment. For years I've toyed with the idea of trying to find figure versions of the various versions of the 4 Turtles, Splinter, April, Casey, and then the main villains of each version. Kind of making a toy representation of the multi-verse. I've started it at times and then fallen on hard times. When times have gotten tough I've sold what can get me some money, mainly my figures.

Well I've stopped doing that and started collecting again. Here is a photo of my collection so far. I'm hoping to eventually make this blog important enough that it can support my TMNT addiction. It isn't there yet, but I hope it will be someday.

IDW April O'Neil Mini Series Issue

TMNT under IDW has seen the return of the mico issues, this time though they aren't just sticking to the Turtles. The first set of four were the Turtles themselves, with the issues coming out in the same order the originals did. Now with those four done they have moved on to the supporting cast. We have already seen a Splinter and Casey Jones issue, both of which were amazing, and now we have April.

That is one of the big differences in this version is that Casey seems more important then April. She has been in the book from the first issue in the background, but hasn't done much. In fact she doesn't meet the mutated version of the Turtles to much later in the series while Casey meets Raph in the first issue. Yet finally here in her own solo issue IDW's April gets her moment to shine.

What made this issue great for me was the fact that it address's the fact that she hasn't done much. She feels like the outsider because she can't fight, and be useful like Casey can. It is still here coming to grips with the fact she has been brought into the lives of four walking talking turtles. She is also dealing with the fact that she came to work for Stockgen because she thought they were trying to help the world, and she has found a dark underbelly. 

Beware that there may be spoilers below this point.

April using her position at Stockgen decides she can spy for the Turtles and try to see if they are working on a way to track them again. She swipes the card of a fellow coworker allowing her access to the inner workings. There she discovers Rock Soldiers and another Turtle Tracker. This is also where I have an issue with this issue. She runs into Chet who doesn't seem to realize April isn't supposed to be there or that it is weird at the least.

She gets the tracker and causes some chaos along the way. In the damage she causes she is chased through the lab and discovers that they are still experimenting. She doesn't look close enough to see that  they are mutating other creatures though. Because of the damage she causes one of them escapes and we have our IDW version of Slash! 

The issue ends with April getting away and back to the Turtles and Slash escaping the Lab. This issue seems like it fits best after #14, which isn't out yet, and before #15 which starts a story arch called Blood Brothers.

Spoilers over.

This is a great issue over all and it really gives April her moment to shine. It should be really great to see where the next storyline goes based off of this too. Another solid issue. Also the art is very well done. It is more in line with how the book was, not where it is. It should be interesting to see how some of the things introduced here look in the ongoing book though.

So pick this issue up. It is going to be one you don't want to miss.