Due to hitting the busy season at work, I basically took a week off from reviewing. With the Thanksgiving holiday, I’ve had a chance to catch up a bit. As usual, these are mini/”capsule” reviews of books I picked up but am not writing out a full review for. This post is double-sized due to covering TWO weeks’ worth of books.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Special #1
This issue’s a real treat. For the same price as a black-and-white issue of Tales of the TMNT, the issue is full-color. Best of all, it’s the classic #1 issue, now in color for the first time as a comic. (It’s been colorized at least once before, in the First graphic novel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Book I). The coloring looks quite natural, and it would have been awesome to see the original series re-issued in color…or at least, the first ten issues, the one-shots for each turtle, and Return to New York. For that matter, City at War as well. As-is, at the very least, this is a nice version of #1 to add to one’s collection without breaking the bank. Highly recommended for any TMNT fan, or anyone curious as to how the turtles’ story got started.

Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #5
This issue continues the story of Deadpool, Zombie-head Deadpool and Dr. Betty facing Hydra agents trying to kill them to get the head themselves. A bit of cheesecake art to the issue, but that can be overlooked for an excellent scene in which Deadpool and Bill (not Bob–he insists he’s Bill, though Deadpool can’t seem to really tell the difference from his old buddy) have an exchange over the Star Wars series of movies. Suffice to say that reading this, one knows exactly where Deadpool stands regarding the trilogies. Overall another fun issue. I’m pretty sure the story wraps with issue 6, so at this point if you aren’t already following the book or able to get the first few issues, you’re probably just as well to wait for a collected edition. The story so far definitely seems well worthwhile for Deadpool fans, whichever way the story’s read.

Supergirl #47
This issue provides a good deal of backstory to Alura, and her courtship by Zor-El. We also see the character FINALLY acting out of real motivation that can be understood, instead of just coming off as a near-villainous witch of a character. Reactron is put on trial, and Alura is determined that he will be tried justly and not simply killed out of vengeance-seeking. Unfortunately, her fellow New Kryptonians don’t all share the sentiment, leading to some interesting character development. Though Supergirl is present in these pages, this is very much Alura’s story, with her daughter playing a minor role. The end of the issue has an interesting (in a way) revelation that does seem par for the course. Not a bad issue, but not wonderful. If you’re already following the title and/or the over-arching story in the Super-books, this’ll be just fine. It’s not really an issue to entice new readers, I don’t think. Not sure if it’s significant or just an oversight on someone’s part, but the cover lacks the “World Against Superman” banner the titles have been carrying lately, though this retains the red-shield numbering begun with August’s Codename: Patriot arc.

Flash: Rebirth #5
I’m pretty sure this started out as a 5-issue mini-series…I recall it seeming slightly “off” as I recalled Green Lantern: Rebirth being 6, and thinking the two ought to be pretty much the same length. This issue sees all the various speedsters team up, as well as a development that presumably “solves” whatever issue it was Wally’s kids were having with their powers…and we seem to have a new Impulse (given Bart gave up the identity to become Kid Flash back in 2003). This continues the “legacy” aspect of the Flash line. There’s a revelation that affects Barry’s past…as well as a very specific threat to his past. This is a sorta interesting issue, but on the whole, continues to be more “miss” than “hit” for me. GL: Rebirth dispelled my unease toward returning a long-dead character to an old status quo and really set up a great new status quo that worked everyone into the mix. This Flash: Rebirth has not at all sold me on any “WHY” Barry needs to be back, and simply puts things logically into place to ALLOW for the character being back, and incorporating pretty much everything else involving the Flash family of characters. Recommended if you’ve already invested in the first 4 issues of the series.

Uncle Scrooge #385
It’s great to be able to pick up this series now. I’d bought maybe 3 issues several years ago while it was being put out by Gemstone, but simply could not justify the $8 per issue, even if it was squarebound and double-ish-sized. This issue is fairly low-key, picking up from the previous issue. Scrooge, Donald, and the nephews continue to deal with Magica as she tries for Scrooge’s Number One Dime. Once things are wrapped up at the mine, Scrooge & Co. wind up looking for sunken treasure, and dealing with Magica AND the Beagle Boys. While not the greatest of comics, this is still a good, fun issue, and well worth getting if you’ve any interest in these characters.

Archie #603
The “Wedding Story” has taken a twist I didn’t expect: rather than being a 6-part exploration of Archie marrying Veronica, after 3 issues of that the story has switched to give us the story of what would happen if Archie married Betty instead. I’m really enjoying this “longform” story that not only takes more than a page to tell, but multiple issues. I’ve picked up the occasional Archie book through the years…but with stories like this, I might just stick around on a monthly basis.

Superman #694
This issue sees Mon-El’s “official” return to action as he re-reveals himself to the people who’ve thought him dead for awhile. This also debuts the “new” costume…which honestly seems a non-issue to me, despite the big deal being made of it. On the whole, it looks to me like the only difference is that Mon-El is now sporting a small “S-shield,” as he’s holding Superman’s place…and Blue shorts to contrast with the red costume (sort of a reverse-Superman color scheme). Probably the best part of the issue is the interaction with Connor and Ma, showing that Mon has a place within the Superman family of characters.

Image United #1
I have mixed feelings on this book. For one thing, something of this scale ought to have a huge multi-panel fold-out cover, such that all the primary characters are spotlighted…instead of one having to choose one of six segments of the picture as the cover to purchase. I chose the Savage Dragon segment, that character long being one of my favorite characters that I rarely read, though the Spawn cover was cool, too. The “jam session” of having each character’s creator doing that character’s visuals is a very cool thing, and a different take on doing a crossover project. The story itself seems to be a slow build and full of little but action (presumably to show off the blending of the different art styles). Being familiar with these characters for the past 16-17 years, the blended style worked well, and nothing really seemed all that jarring. Since this will surely be collected into a single volume eventually and my proclivity toward this type of variant/alternate covers…I’ll probably pass on the subsequent issues and snag the collected volume when that comes out, if I still have enough interest.

Son of Marvel Reading Chronology
This is one of those freebies that Marvel puts out on occasion, to try to hook one on buying more product. While I prefer the “Saga” issues (they’re free, and take far, far longer to read than any other single comics, and fill me in on stuff so I know what’s up overall without having to keep up on Marvel’s output in general), this guide is rather informative, showing what volumes are out there, in-print…and what they collect. As well as, of course, the order to read them for a chronological reading experience in-continuity. If nothing else, this has informed me that there are currently 10 hardcovers collecting Ultimate Spider-Man, so I know there are only 5 left that I want to try to track down. This is definitely a worthwhile guide if you can find it and not have to pay for it…or at least, please don’t pay much for it, as It is SUPPOSED to be FREE.

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 4/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

After asking Luke about the compassionate and sentimental side of the story would be like, he gave me a list of relationships that will be the main focus of the movie. And wow, quite frankly saying there will be a lot just doesn’t come close:

Oroku Saki & Oroku Nagi

Oroku Saki & Hamato Yoshi

Hamato Yoshi & Tang Shen

Turtles & Splinter

Turtles & Turtles

Baxter & Wife/Daughter

^ Yes this is good, very good, finally some interaction between ‘each other’ in this movie. Honestly I’ve felt things grow cold between the turtles, and even between Splinter. While not all these relationships feature love and growth as a family (such as the turtles will have in the movie), each will have a unique theme from the other. Take Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi for example, it will be of conflict and how things turned for the worse between them. With some detailed information about these relationships we can clear your thoughts of doubts and idea’s you may think will be relevant to the purpose of each relationship, but for now, I’m afraid you’ll just have to keep those doubts and idea’s till the time that I do have the information XD.

- – - – - – - -

Well changing the subject, let’s talk about the turtles weapons and how the turtles weapons greatly match their personalities:

So where did they get their weapons, was Splinter involved?

As the person who trained the turtles and understands their abilities and character better than anyone, Splinter would have also decided who shall use which weapon. Ensuring the right turtle receives the right weapon is a huge responsibility. The sword is suited for a different personality than the sai, and only the right personality will bring out the weapon’s true potential. This is something only a ninja master would know, like Splinter.

So why were the turtles chosen to use their weapons?

The first thing that must be done is to analyze each weapon to better understand how they would compliment the user. The weapons in our vision are their own character and possess their own personality. In a sense, this allows us to create a relationship between each turtle and their weapon. The more they understand each other, the more powerful they will become together.

CONTINUE READING.

Truly, now that I’ve viewed that article, I can see why each weapon was chosen for each turtle. Now, if only I can see a REAL ninja turtle action scene, far more played out and detailed (I even hope to see some matrix styled action 83) then even the latest CGI-Film released back in 2007.

Okay guys, that’s it for now, stay tuned for the next update =D.

Follow the link: Righteous Ninja

DueceZ (David J. Benson) is the performer this time, awesome… >:D

- – - – - – - – -

Here’s the other article of interest, details on how the previous Ninja Turtle movies were a success and why THIS movie can be an even GREATER success: Ninja Turtles: Secret of the Movie

Sample:

What made the turtles a success in the past?

Ninja Turtles were a huge hit with children in the late 1980’s. The concept of a “ninja” was very exciting and still relatively new to American culture. Ninja Turtles had everything a child would want to see all wrapped up into one show, ninjas, mutants, pizza, skate boards, and funny jokes. In contrast, shows like GI-JOE were more true to life. The superhero genre had not yet taken off in the way it has over the last decade as a result, the audience was not as spoiled by special effects and big budget productions as they are today.

In 1990 the first live action movie was made for the relatively small price of 13.5 million and grossed a little over 200 million worldwide. It was the first successful live action movie that began as an animated series. People were excited to see their Saturday morning heroes come to life on the big screen. However, as Ninja Turtles grew more popular, more hands went in the decision making pot. Passion and creativity were slowly replaced by a committee of businessmen. It was unfortunate that the next three films did not find the same success as their predecessor.

Our challenge is to bring back the fire and excitement that people had for the first live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

All for now guys, stay tuned for the next updates =D.

In my first ever blog, I was a high school sophomore complaining about my English 2 reading list. My first ever blog under the name “DaemonCorps” was part of a group list ranking the best animation villains. Both those occasions, I wasn’t really considering what I was typing to set up the tone of all my future blogs, so for my first wordpress blog, I really wanted to write about something that would prove a good example of everything I’m about… but what?

Then I checked my twitter feed:

Hooooly crap, a new Ninja Turtles movie? (stretches arms) Hokay, time for a history lesson

No disrespect to my parents whatsoever, but I consider myself to have been raised on TV. There wasn’t a day in my life that I existed without cable at my place; I preferred VHS tapes over story books as my bedtime stories; the one time I went camping, I was totally elated to find the van had a TV installed in it. You get the point. That said, I’ve gone through quite the number of television series that I was absolutely crazy about—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of the first, if not the first) of them. I remember having ninja turtles rain boots and insisting on wearing them even when they got too small for my feet to the point that the zipper would always snatch my foot whenever I tried to zip it up. I had a ninja turtles bike helmet and would occasionally bug my mom whenever I wanted to switch the color of my headband. I remember taking the turtles action figures for adventures in the garden and garage. Hell, on one occasion, I even cried during my grandma’s funeral—not for her death, but because I left my turtles action figures at home.

From the age of three to around seven, the turtles were my life.

Flash forward to 2003: a time when Toonami was king and action cartoons ruled every network that aired any kind of cartoons. In a time when goofy action heroes were fading to the background, I was absolutely surprised to find one Saturday morning that the turtles were back in action, brought closer to the Mirage Comics they originated from and were able to hold a flame to Goku, Gundams and the like. While nostalgia freaks did what they did best, I was just glad that the turtles were back.

Now five or so seasons of the 2003 season and the ‘80s series still big with hipsters in the form of ironic graphic tees and such, the turtles are celebrating their 25^th anniversary in style with Blu Ray movie releases, ‘80s and 2003 series alike with season sets… and quite the awesome movie taking the best of every turtles universe.

The made-for-TV-but-still-pretty-awesome movie pits has the turtles from the ‘80s series transported to the universe of the 2003 turtles. Great, so it’s a crossover series? While I think movies and episodes with a crossover as their basis are generally pretty crappy, “TMNT: Forever” makes a pretty decent explanation of it all. I mean, from the little I remember of the ‘80s series, it would get pretty goofy at times, so the idea that a freak explosion during the latest of the turtle’s scuffles with Shredder and Krang transported the gang to the 2003-verse makes total sense.

One problem I’ve seen viewers have with this movie, however, was the portrayal of the ‘80s turtles. Rather than being portrayed as lovable and kid-friendly, yet still able to put up a decent fight, the ‘80s turtles are more a parody of themselves more than anything else. Personally, I have no problem with this, since most turtles fans I’m aware of know it mainly for its goofiness more than anything else, so it’s completely understandable. Besides, it looked like they put up a pretty decent fight in their first fight scene—that ain’t too shabby, right?

And if a crossover with the ‘80s turtles wasn’t enough, resurrected 2003 Shredder expands his plans for world domination, taking things one step further: taking over the multiverse! However, he’s got one problem: no matter which universe he tries to take over, he notices that those darn turtles are always there to try and stop him in some form or another. Following these turn of events is a series of references of turtles series, from the live action movies, to the Japanese adaptations and all other ones in-between. Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say the end results are pretty sweet. And this is from someone who generally hates multiverse crossovers.

From the start, you can just tell that “Turtles: Forever” was made with quite the amount of tender loving care, paying respects to not just the two animated series, but absolutely every incarnation of the series you could think of. If you’re a turtles fan of any kind, definitely check it out.

I got in the mail yesterday my commission from Jim Lawson.  I asked him after the interview for this stellar drawing.  It only cost $60, and the money was more than worth it for this beautiful piece that is now my favorite in my collection.  To be just a super creep, I attached the stickers that Lawson wrote my address and his address on to the print on the back for when it’s framed.

I forgot to turn my camera’s resolution up, so some of these pictures are (crisply) blurry.

Some Show and Tell!

Doesn’t that look fantastic!  I was so happy when I took this out of the cardboard that I just stared at it for a good ten minutes despite having guests over that I hadn’t seen for a year!

Close up on Leo.

Lawson did such a kickass job on this commission that I’m really considering another one.  Maybe I’ll convince my sister to buy me one since she owes me a couple presents for various things.

Oh, I also got a print by Albert Rothstein off of eBay in the mail yesterday.  I ordered a bunch of artwork off of eBay in addition to this that I’ll soon be getting in the mail, and I ordered a Michael Dooney Leonardo Sketch!

One week before I start my first “real job,” I couldn’t feel any more like an adult.  Then I got a swift kick to the groin by my kindergarten-self.  The CW had a special 90-minute movie entitled “Turtles Forever.”  Now, I had watched the new TMNT cartoons, and although I enjoyed watching them for Turtles’ sake, they were not the Turtles of old.  My turtles, the early 90s incarnation, are THE turtles, and I think most of you would agree with me.

So you can understand why I might have been hesitant to sit and watch this entire movie.  But then it happened.

The movie opened with a classic Turtles entrance- out of the shadows they save the day.  I noticed something unexpected.  The masks that the shadowed turtles were wearing looked oddly familiar… something old.  Turns out I was right.  The old turtles were BACK.  They had warped into an alternate dimension (inhabited by the new turtles of course) and wallah- 2 sets of turtles in one show.

And where there are two sets of turtles, you have to have two sets of Shredders.  It was the Technodrome that warped the turtles, which of course warped Shedder, Krang, Bebop, Rocksteady, and the robotic Foot Soldiers.  IT WAS AWESOME.

This movie did a lot to point out how ridiculous the old turtles were- always worried about pizza, jokes, and generally tomfoolery.  The use of trashcans to take out enemies was a favorite joke in this movie.  However, I think that’s why we all liked them so much.  They were lighthearted and fun, less intent on making sense and being realistic (I mean, it was a show about TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES right?).

The main part of the story is that good ol’ Shed-Head has finally figured out how to destroy the turtles once and for all.  After learning about alternate dimensions and seeing that every dimensions has its own set of turtles (a cool moment where you get to see about 15 different versions of the turtles, including live-action movie turtles), he decides he must warp to Turtle-Prime and destroy Laird and Eastman’s very first comic book versions.  Turtle-Prime Turtles are BAMFs by the way.

Overall, this was a great way to spend my Saturday morning.  It reminded me of all the good times I had with the Heroes on a Half-Shell back in the day, and the story was actually really really good.

As a fantastic tribute to the 25th Anniversary of the Ninja Turtles, this movie definitely gets a Grade: A    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YixMJJzOCoA

An insightful interview with the dynamic visionaries Luke and Kieth:

- – - – - – - –

Hey guys! Welcome to the official Ninja Turtles: Dawn of the Ninja blog!

I’ll be updating this web site constantly, with pictures, articles, video’s and anything news worthy in general!

I hope you all are as excited as I am about the amazing progress that has been taking place in recent months.

For now, please visit the official website: Dawn of The Ninja

And check out this awesome art piece:

Out last week was the full color reprint of the original first issue of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I take a look at the book and ask, is the color reprint worth it?

The answer: Yes and No.

On one hand, it’s really neat to see Steve Lavigne add some beautiful coloring work to the original artwork.  The color makes the artwork look fresh and new and cleaner.

But, cleaner’s part of the problem because the original issue was supposed to be grim and dirty.  Sure, Lavigne captures some of this by using darker colorings and tones, but it’s still not as dark as possible.

Before I read this, I reread my original copy of issue #1 (reprint #3), and I also read the TPB I have of when they first attempted to color the first couple of issues.  This new color version completely out does the first attempt at color, but really, nothing can ever be better than the first BxW comic.

This comic is a nice thing to have, and, honestly, it looks really beautiful.  It doesn’t reinvent the wheel nor improve the original product – it more so becomes a whole new beast of its own.

Is it worth the $3.25?  No doubt if you’re a turtle fan.  No doubt if you’re interested for the first time in Turtles comics.  No doubt if you want something that looks a lot better than most other modern comics printed on some really nice, thick paper.

So, buy it.  It doesn’t replace the original or reinvent it.  This comic just adds a different perspective.

We’re drawing nearer and nearer towards the end of the Tales series as issue 70 quickly comes up.  Nevertheless, Jim Lawson and Tristan Jones deliver a good comic involving Chinese mysticism and a round about of villains.

This issue represents the first and last comic Tristan Jones and Jim Lawson have done and will do together.  Unfortunately, it’s also the last Turtles comic Tristan Jones will do.  It’s a shame because Tristan has become a relatively new writer at Mirage with about 5 (I believe) turtles comics under his belt.  All of them have rejuvinated new life into the comics and brought them back to their grimmer, darker days.

However, this comic takes a different approach by being narrated by Mikey in events of circumstance.

I enjoyed the story, but I didn’t necessarily find it as one of Tristan’s best Turtles stories.  It may just be that it’s strange for me to have the mix between Lawson and Jones because their two styles don’t completely mesh.  On top of that, I really did not like the inks by Steve Lavigne in this issue.  They appeared to be some type of water-like brush that caused the lines to be undefined and a little unclear.  I believe that the inks could also have used a lot more black – negative space – to get Lawson’s artwork to match Tristan’s writing a bit more.

The tale was rather humorous and it was nice to see some of the characters tie back into the new-ish villains Jones begun sculpting for the TMNT universe.

No doubt, the best part of this issue was Mikey’s drawings/interpretations of events.  I felt that Jones definitely pushed Lawson to try some new things and it came out with some stellar results.

Overall, this Tale was bittersweet.  Good compared to most comics, but only decent for the standard that TMNT comics set.

So its been over a decade and the turtles are still kicking. As part of their 25th anniversary, Mirage and 4Kids Entertainment, the people behind the 2k3 series have joined forces to bring you “Turtles Forever”. In this direct to DVD movie, the Ninja Turtles from the popular 80’s toon team up with the Ninja Turtles from the 2k3 series in order to stop 2k3’s villain, Krang aka Shedder from destroying the Turtles universe – literally. We get a special treat at the end when the appearance of the original Mirage comic book Turtles make their debut in animation form. Turtles Forever is witty, amusing, and well animated. Its hard to believe after so many years the Turtles are still mean, green, ninja butt kicking machines. All in all, Turtles Forever is – Cowabunga.

Production Art Work.

]]> http://veganmegan.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/drying-up/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:30:32 +0000 veganmegan http://veganmegan.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/drying-up/ http://digginroots.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/reservoir-turtles/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:00:27 +0000 Digger (Not Phelps) http://digginroots.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/reservoir-turtles/

Just a little slice of awesome for the day.

Though I largely lost track of the TMNT animated series the last several years, I’ve tuned in here or there to see where things are. I’d thought the series was nothing but re-runs at this point, and with the sale of the TMNT to Nickelodeon, hadn’t expected anything new to be aired. Thankfully, I was wrong, as this ‘Turtles Forever’ tv movie aired this morning.

The purple dragons find themselves under attack as they seek to rip off some high-tech equipment. Splinter finds his soap opera interrupted by news of four green individuals caught on camera–apparently turtles. However, his sons are all home and haven’t been out. Cue Hun, responding to the Dragons’ having captured the Turtles. Sure enough, four Ninja Turtles have been captured…but they’re not any Hun has ever seen before. Determining they’re of no worth, he orders them killed…but that’s when the “real” (2003) turtles burst in.

After a fight, the two teams of teenage turtles size each other up. One group–pudgey and goofy, the other taller, leaner, and more serious. Before long, the time-tossed turtles from 1987 are introduced to Splinter–who, notably, looks much different. The Technodrome is brought in, as is the bumbling Shredder, Krang, and even the robotic foot soldiers. Bebop and Rocksteady make their requisite appearance.

Realizing that there are other-dimensional versions of the turtles he knows, Bumbling Shredder (1987) uses the Technodrome tech to locate this dimension’s Shredder–not in the USA, Not on Earth, but significantly further away–and beams him into the Technodrome. This dimension’s Shredder, however, is not the human Oroku Saki, but an evil Utrom Ch’rell. The Ch’rell Shredder wakes, makes short work of Bumbling Shredder, Krang, & Co., and implements a new plan–retrofitting the Technodrome with Utrom upgrades, transforming it into a far deadlier, more effective “ultimate weapon” than any previously seen.

The two groups of turtles survive an attack by a mutated Hun (remember the pink mutagen that changed someone into whatever creature they were last in contact with?), and with a dimensional-portal-stick find themselves back in the 1987 world–reversing the groups’ disorientation. The 2003 turtles meet the Hamato Yoshi Splinter, who offers a calm, serious, yet compassionate air to the time-tossed teens.

When the turtles check back in with their home (2003) dimension, they see Ch’rell’s upgraded Technodrome causing loads of destruction, withstanding the best the Military can throw at it…and they realize the box of anti-Technodrome gadgest they have isn’t gonna cut it.

Upon returning to rescue Splinter (2003), the turtles are all captured, held to particular points in a massive chamber, their essense to play a role in locating “Turtle-Prime,” the SOURCE of Ninja Turtles in the Multiverse. (And reminding me a great deal of Alexander Luthor’s tower from DC’s Infinite Crisis).

The Ch’rell Shredder shares what he’s learned, displaying images of virtually every other incarnation of the turtles out there–The 1990s movies, various incarnations from Mirage, and Archie, the newspaper strip, the 2007 movie, and so on. All are branches coming from the source being sought–destroy the source, and all the others will cease to exist. (Destroy a branch and others will continue to flourish).

Before the turtles can be completely dismantled by the device, Karai beams them away, saving their lives, as the Technodrome fades away to this Prime dimension. Another encounter with Hun as the world turns to black and white and then whites out of existence leads the turtles to modify their dimensional stick and they, too, fade out to the Prime dimension.

Arrival there introduces black and white turtles–the ORIGINAL Mirage TMNT. Accurately, the “source” of every other incarnation of the turtles.

The three groups team up to face the threat Ch’rell now poses to the multiverse.

As the story draws to a close, the other turtles return “home,” and the Prime-turtles are left to reflect on what they’ve just been a part of. Finally, they leave with Leonardo’s narration seeing them out. “We are the Teenage Mutant Ninja TUrtles. We strike hard, and fade away…into the night.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this when I first discovered it. A friend posted a link to the wikipedia page on my facebook, and I researched a bit from there, ultimately recording the movie and watching it this evening. A blending of the old and new/current cartoons was interesting as a concept, but I figured it would be some goofy, hokey thing that wouldn’t really be much more than “fanservice” or such.

However, goofy as it was at points, I really greatly enjoyed this. The movie REALLY accentuates the differences in the turtles’ incarnations. The “classic” 1987 turtles are goofy, hokey, and not very serious on the whole. The 2003 turtles are far more serious (though Mikey remains a bit of a goofball–but not nearly on the level of all the ‘87 turtles). And of course, both incarnations are significantly “lighter” than the original 1984 Mirage turtles.

As far as I could tell, the voices of the 2003 turtles are the same as the long-running series. None of the voices for the classic turtles seemed at all familiar–which was disappointing, though I’d've been shocked if they could reassemble those regulars 20ish years later. Still, the attitudes of the characters showed through.

I did feel that the Splinters, as well as April and Casey (2003) got shortchanged…though I could’ve done with a little less than the brief bit we got with the 1987 April. I must admit it was sorta cool seeing Bebop and Rocksteady again, though they, too, were really shown to be the goofy caricatures they were.

Though brief overall, the Prime-turtles were rather cool to see–and it may just be my own prior comparisons of the incarnations that made it stand out for me–but they seemed all the more dangerous and deadly appearing alongside the colorized counterparts.

The movie ending with these turtles first striking the pose on a building that should be familiar to anyone who’s seen the covers to the original TMNT #1, TMNT #50, and so on. Then the thing closed out with Leo’s narration from the ending of that original TMNT #1…

Which truly brought things full-circle. Even though mere glimpses were provided of the numerous versions of the turtles through the years, that technically means they were included here. And so this capped off–”series finale”-style–the animated series that’s been running since 2003, as well as referencing/capping off the 1980s-1990s series, and everything that’s come before in the extended multiverse of TMNT.

I loved the references to past elements of the series. The classic lines were all there. Familiar nuances to voices were present despite different voiceactors–from Bumbling Shredder’s frustration to Krang’s gurgling/burping. The visual styles were consistent at least with what I remember of both series. The Prime turtles seemed a bit off, but the visual cues were absolutely unmistakeable.

This whole thing reminded me a bit of that Batman: The Animated Series episode with the kids relaying their different versions of the Batman, that included the various visual styles of the silver-age Batman, Miller’s Dark Knight, and so on.

All in all, it’s hard to capture every last detail or every last thought and such from the movie. Suffice to say that there are a number of other specific touches that pushed all the right geek-buttons for me.

I sincerely hope this gets released on DVD, whoever puts it out (provided it’s not vastly over-priced for being only about 75 minutes of content).

One of the commercials indicates it’ll be airing again over the next 3 weeks, so if you have not had a chance to see it, and you’re a fan of (particularly) either of the animated series, this is incredibly worthwhile.

Presenting my second interview of the week with Mr. Jim Lawson.  His style has become synonymous with the Ninja Turtles for the nearly 25 years he’s worked at Mirage.  Lawson has drawn more Ninja Turtles comics than anyone else in the business, and he was quite gracious to let me interview him.

Interviewing Jim Lawson has been a grand opportunity for me, and I’m very thankful to share his insights and knowledge about the Turtles.  In the interview, we discuss the recent purchase of TMNT by Nickelodeon, his future plans (with dinosaurs!), Paleo, most likely the last TMNT comic to come out (at least for a long time) Tales #70, and R.E.M.!

This whole experience has been fun connecting with the Mirage crew, and I hope that further opportunities will come to them as they face the future.

Recently, on your blog, you addressed the issue of the TMNT purchase from Nickelodeon, and briefly mentioned some of your possible future plans.  Have you further thought about your options since then?

Not really. It’s been kind of overwhelming emotionally since the announcement of the sale—I think only now that the dust is beginning to settle and I can start thinking about the future. As I sit here right now, I can’t honestly say just what it is that I want to do.

Do the possibilities still remain to finish up the Paleo TPB and even release more Paleo comics?

Yeah, definitely. Paleo was published under the Zeromayo partnership between Peter (Laird) and myself.  Whether Pete still wants a relationship and involvement in that, that’s unclear to me. However, I don’t see that there would be anything preventing me from finishing the TPB myself.

You also mentioned that the thought of doing a children’s book has been in your head for awhile, do you have any ideas that you might want to share about what this would involve?  Dinosaur themes or something similar to your work from on the Turtles Comics?

The children’s book idea is something that’s always appealed to me- and now that I’m playing around with colors, even more so now. Nothing concrete, storywise- but you’re correct, dinosaurs are absolutely a direction that I would like to go.

How did Peter Laird break the news about the deal to the writers and artists, or how did you find out about the deal?

I think that it was October 13—Gary (Richardson) called us all into a staff meeting here at Mirage. Everyone was there including Pete. It was then that we were told that a deal to sell the Turtles was nearly complete.  Some details of the sale were talked about and Pete discussed his situation and reasons for my he felt he had to make this decision.  Contracts were given us to review and sign. It was pretty emotional.

You explained your personal account of what it was like for you to walk around the Mirage office after hearing about the deal (as a zombie), were everyone else’s reactions similar to yours?

I think so. Everyone seemed sorta paralyzed by the news. But conversely, I think that we all knew in the back of our minds that this day was coming.

I’m happy for Pete—it’s been tough watching him struggle for the past few years with regards to his loss of enthusiasm for the comics. I hope this unburdens him and he can rediscover the creative person that he once was.

I’ve always enjoyed how stylistically and minimalist your artwork has been especially in depicting action, how did you develop this style that has almost become synonymous with the TMNT?

Lots and lots of drawing. I’m asked occasionally why my style changed so dramatically over the run of the TMNTs. I can’t say that it was my intention to draw the way I do now-it just naturally happened.  I really like that it’s such an evolving thing- it’s very exciting for me as an artist.

I’ve noticed that the pacing and beats in all of the miniseries that you have both written and drawn have had a lot of downtime, scenic, mood-setting moments (most recently in the Donatello miniseries) which is quite impactful stylistically.  What’s some of the inspiration behind these moments?

That’s an interesting question. In response to that, all I can say is that I try for a sense of realism in my stories. I very much want to try to convey a character’s mood or emotion- I want to really get in their head and to know what an individual’s thoughts are.  It’s during my own quiet times when I’m introspective and reflecting so I think that that’s what I try to bring into my writing.

I’m sure you’ve answered it a ton before, and that’s why I was hesitant to ask earlier, but who’s your favorite character and why?  How do you go about drawing the separate characters when they look nearly identical?

I don’t know if I have a favorite character. Leo I find really interesting. I guess as the unofficial leader of the Turtles it’s my belief that he is subject to more responsibilites and influences than the other guys. There’s just got to be more of a depth there. From an artistic standpoint, all the Turtles are nearly identical, appearance-wise.  I think for me personally, the differences become more of a facial expression or body positioning– Leo stands straight, Mikey looser, Raph when he’s addressing someone, more aggressive- in their face. Don very often standing separate. That type stuff.

What is your creative process like?  Do the writers leave you plenty of room for your own interpretation?

It changes from writer to writer, but for the most part, yeah- in my experience the writers that I’ve dealt with have allowed me a lot of freedom. Perhaps it’s because Mirage was what I consider a small-time publisher- everyone pretty much knew each other so I think there was this sense of familiarity and trust.

As for my creative process, there’s no trick to it really. I’ll usually have some germ of an idea and write it out more or less in outline form. Often, certain scenes that I want to highlight I’ll try to dialogue at that early stage. Occasionally, I’ll even have ideas about how I want to end the story and I’ll have to backward engineer events leading up to that. 

Do you have any special pencils or pens that you like to work with, and what is your view on digital pen tablets?

Yeah, every artist has their favorites. The pencil that I like right now is something called a Black Warrior. My favorite paper is Strathmore Bristol. With pens, I’ve been using some Japanese brush pens for the past few years- my favorite is the Zebra FD-301. More recently, I’ve taken to using the Pentel Pocket Brush—it features a waterproof ink that is required for use with watercolors.

I have no view on digital pen tablets, as I’ve never used one.

For the younger generation of Comic readers today, you were a participant at the Creator’s Bill of Rights drafting, could you explain your influence in the couple day event?

In all honesty, I don’t think that I had much of an impact on the Creator’s Bill of Rights.  Peter and Kevin were the influential ones- myself and the other Mirage artists were more secondary characters, in my opinion.

How was it like working with Tristan Jones for the first time on Tales #64 (out now)?

Awesome. Tristan’s a hell of a nice guy, as well as being a very talented writer. His enthusiasm for the Turtles is infectious. I’m gonna miss him a lot.

Can you hint at anything that might catch our eye in the second two pieces to the Donatello miniseries?

Not really. In the Don mini, my intent was to give a view of the character that might be a little different than what most people might think. The darker side of Donatello, if you will.

Currently, you’re working on quite possibly the last comic of the TMNT at least for a decent amount of time with Tales #70.  You stated that the story is set in Return to New York and that you’re replicating the process and feel of those comics back in the 80s.  Are there any other exciting things that this issue may contain?

The story will feature Raph, almost exclusively. Eric and I have in mind a fight scene that will be unlike anything that I’ve ever done, so I’m looking forward to how I’m going to choreograph that in the pencils. The book will also be done on the old school Duoshade paper so that should give it a classic RTNY feel, I hope.

With issue #70 focusing primarily on Raph, does this mean the story takes place right before the Turtles fight the Mutant Shredders?  Or does it focus on when he runs off when they’re in the foot base and Leonardo has to save him (one of my favorite frames of all comics)?

As to when Tales 70 takes place, it’s in that 3 or 4 day time period after Leo and Raph have that fight at the barn in Northampton. The story does take place in the NY sewers. I guess as sort of a prequel to issue 19.

Over the last 20 years you have drawn plenty of frames in comics, are there any that stand out to you as a favorite?  Or any issue that you had a lot of fun on?

A standout most certainly has to be the Leonardo mini-series, Blind Sight. Much of that book was done in white silhouette, and that gave it definitely a different look. As well, it was a real challenge to my drawing and design sense, as far as actually creating the art. Unquestionably the most memorable book that I’ve done.

How did you develop the style behind the silhouettes in Blind Sight?  I’ve often noticed that you’ve used the style (before and since then) for a single frame or two, is this a technique you like to use to establish a certain mood?

Simply yeah- the white silhouette was just that, kind of a drawing gimmick. It had a kind of visual power that you couldn’t help but notice, though. That’s I suppose, what attracted to it and made me want to take it to the next level.

You often post commissions on your blog, will you continue to do commissions and how would someone go about getting one?  What is the average cost?

I’ll continue to do commissions until I leave Mirage, most likely. When that day is though, I’m not entirely sure. That said, folks who want a commission need only to contact me at my email: jmlawsn@aol.com. Prices vary with the number of figures and complexity of the drawing. As far as a range, commissions are generally from $50.00 to $250.00. Most are in the $100-$150 neighborhood.

Despite having your job as a TMNT writer and artist for the last 20 years, are you excited for the break to try something new?

Absolutely, and I think that’s why I’m uncertain about the whole comics thing—part of me is really hungering for a new adventure, something totally different. It’s hard to imagine a future without drawing as being my bread and butter, but that certainly is a strong possibility.

Just for some general questions that you may have fun at:

What’s your favorite music/band/musician?

No question, REM is my favorite band.

If you hands down love R.E.M., then what’s your favorite song(s)?

Some of my favorite REM tunes are:
Walk Unafraid
E-Bow the Letter
7 Chinese Brothers
I’ll Take the Rain
Nightswimming

What type of Motorcycle do you ride?

Right now, I have 4 motorcycles—they are:
2005 Yamaha FJR 1300
2007 Moto Guzzi Griso
2009 BMW F800 GS
1979 Honda Ratwing

What are you currently reading?

I very recently finished “Endless Horizons” by Dan Walsh. Walsh is a sometimes columnist for several motorcycle magazines and this is his travelogue about a journey that he took to South America.

What is/are your favorite film(s)?

Films that feature some kind of adventure, I guess. But within that, everything from Hildago to The Road Warrior to Up to Kun Fu Hustle to Army of Darkness.

What is the comic that continues to inspire you?

Usagi Yojimbo amazes me. How Stan (Sakai) can continue to generate stories that are of a consistently high quality after all these issues- it’s stunning. I just bought the little hardcover/color comic that he just published, Yokai. It’s absolutely beautiful.

Once again, thanks to Jim Lawson for the interview, and I hope everything works out well for him and all of the Mirage crew.  I know that I’ll be their to support them in whatever their endeavors are because through the Ninja Turtles they’ve impacted my life astoundingly, and I hope they can continue work like that in their own lives and work.

Catch Turtles Forever November 21st only on CW4Kids

The premiere of the Ninja Turtles (80s) meeting the Ninja Turtles (00s) is tomorrow.  I’m not really sure what channel it’s going to be on or any other specifics but I know it’s tomorrow.  Check your tv listings, I guess.  You haven’t seen the trailer, yet?  Well, check it out below.  It’s epic!

This means three Aprils, amirite? Cowabunga.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hit 25 this year, and what better way to commemorate the legacy of mutant reptiles with ninja skills who study under a giant geriatric rat and have the hots for a news reporter in a slick yellow pantsuit and fight a brain who lives in a fat naked robot who’s from another dimension alongside a neo-con hobo who fights crime with a hockey stick and a golf club who was played in the movies by holy crap Elias Koteas of all people than with A GIANT BRAIN-MELTING MINDFUCK?

Not buying my hyperbole? Tomorrow at 10 a.m get ready (with drugs) for Turtles Forever, a commemorative cartoon special where the current animated Ninja Turtles team up with not only the turtles from the old-school 90s cartoon, but also the black-and-white originals from the stark-but-zany Eastman and Laird comic books. Did you catch all that? That’s twelve freaking turtles from three different generations all at the same time.

Sadly, the turtles from my era will be the losers of the bunch — 90s Michaelangelo is bound to embarrass us all with his surfer jokes. Play it cool, 90s turtles; maybe 80s April will let us smell her hair.

It’s already a brilliant idea, but hopefully this ends appropriately with a giant pizza party, where the camera pulls back to reveal: THE LIVE-ACTION MOVIE TURTLES WATCHING THE SAME CARTOON WE ARE WATCHING. Extra points for a Koteas cameo. If that happens, the universe can just swallow itself at that point for all I care. Stick Raph’s ninja forks in me. *dead*

(via)

Well, it’s finally here, I got to interview Dan Berger (for real, this time) the writer and artist of many notable projects behind the TMNT comic books.  We discuss in the interview the recent purchase of the creator-owned TMNT property by Nickelodeon, His future plans, his views on the TMNT universe, and some of his favorite music and movies.

Once again, I know that I said this to him every time we e-mailed back and forth for the interview (and the handful of other times I’ve e-mailed him), I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to interview a wonderful writer, artist, and above all, someone who I truly admire, in order to show their viewpoint of the business and bring to light some things that fans may just not expect.

Also, Click to see a larger version of the cover for the penultimate issue of Tales by Dan.  This is the – basically – world premiere of the image on the interweb.

I apologize for how the images are integrated into the interview… typically you can just make it look like a newspaper type and plunk the pictures so the Text fits around them, but I still haven’t figured out how to do this on WordPress.

let’s dig in!

Thanks once again for doing this interview.

My pleasure.

How did Peter Laird break the news about the deal to the writers and  artists, or how did you find out about the deal (with Viacom/Nickelodeon for the Rights to all things TMNT)?

Nick hasn’t approached any of the creators from Mirage – if anyone is  interested in trying to work for them, they’ll have to go to Nick.

I have no idea if that answered your question – but it does show how neurotic I am about deadlines.

Ya gotta try to come up with something a bit different if you want Peter to approve your plots.

I hope it lives up to your expectations. I’ll do my best.

However, the continuity issue comes up… will this be for sure something that will happen in the future or just an imagined story?

It’s a future story – definitely not imaginary.

I’ve got several varied ideas, but I can’t really talk about them without giving away too much – but they involve monsters, cats, and of course, kids.

Will you do the art as well as the writing duties?

Yeah – but that’s a tough row to ho these days. Publishers typically want someone to write (usually a celebrity) and then they’ll assign an illustrator of their choice to do the artwork – but I’m not particularly interested in doing it that way, since I’m not a celebrity and I feel too close to my ideas to let someone else draw them, at least initially. If I were to be fortunate enough to have some success and be able to do lots of projects, I wouldn’t mind working with other artist because there are so many out there far more talented than I am (which is one reason why writing for “Tales” has been so much fun).

Nothing unfortunate about it – I know how old I am. I feel it every day.

As I tell all my buddies, getting old sucks, but it beats the 
alternative.

Is your grand wall of TMNT toys still going to hang up in your office?

This Saturday, the CW will premiere Turtles Forever.

It’s a crossover between the current cartoon, the 80s cartoon of my own youth, and, from the looks of it, the original black-and-white comic-book turtles. Considering the drastic differences between character personalities and tone in all three, along with the usual caveats that come with cartoon crossovers, this has the potential to be amazing or awful.

Forgot about this tentative feature last week. I may stick with this being more of an occasonal/whenever-I-feel-like-it piece rather than a definite weekly thing. This week looks to be another rather large week, mostly for the addition of a couple Blackest Night tie-ins in titles I don’t normally buy, as well as two one-shots. Without further ado…

DR HORRIBLE ONE SHOT
This one should be cool, simply because it’s Dr. Horrible. And of course, that it’s got creative talent from the actual Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog…I fully expect it to be accurate and faithful to the show. Offhand, I believe this is a prologue of sorts, which should be all the more interesting and offer a bit of insight into the characters.

ADVENTURE COMICS #4
Well…it’s Blackest Night, and it’ll come with a ring. Almost ashamed to say I don’t much care beyond that. I recall the last issue had something indicating its story would continue after the Blackest Night tie-in, so there’s some story interruption. This is a title I’ve been buying anyway, so like Booster Gold…I was getting it whether it tied in or not.

FLASH REBIRTH #5 (OF 6)
Gotta love how both of this year’s Rebirth/Reborn series started out at 5 issues and were expanded to 6… Still, I’m on-board to see how it turns out, and hoping that the story’ll get better.

OUTSIDERS #24
No idea, honestly, what to expect from this one. Like Doom Patrol, I have absolutely no idea where things stand with the characters and their status quo. But it’s Blackest Night, so…yeah.

SUPERMAN BATMAN #66
Ditto. I think Solomon Grundy’s involved. I suppose I’ll find out on reading. Blackest Night…I can’t remember if this one comes with a ring or not…Blackest Night…

DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #5
Deadpool. ‘Nuff said.

TMNT #1 FULL COLOR ONE SHOT
This should be cool. I’ve got the old FIRST graphic novel/TPBs that put color to the early TMNT issues, but this–as a single issue–should be quite interesting coming in color. Also will–I think–be the first issue to come out from Mirage since the TMNT were sold, so kinda fitting, in a way.

Due to personal finances and this being (for me) a huge week, these other three will probably wait til the weekend or next week to get picked up:

SUPERGIRL #47
Because this is part of the ongoing Superman family story, keepin’ with it for now, though really, really hoping the story gets better/more interesting/more engaging. Also hoping we don’t have yet ANOTHER apparent character death.

INVINCIBLE #68
Not expecting much of this one…overall enjoying the title the last half year or so, and figure I’ll keep with it.

MICKEY MOUSE & FRIENDS #297
Can’t remember if this is the first or second issue coming out from Boom…nor whether or not I picked up the previous issue if this is the second. It’s great that the Disney titles are getting such a quick return to the shelves…but I can’t afford to keep with ‘em all. Honestly, the variant covers for this will likely decide it for me…if I like a cover, get it. If only one’s available and there are 2 or more covers, I’ll pass.