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Showing posts with label jake black. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jake black. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Mirage Auctions Original Art for Jake Black Cancer Benefit



Mirage is at it again! This week they're auctioning the original artwork used to create the Jake Black cancer benefit t-shirt and art print as an additional fundraiser for Jake! Awesomesauce! You can click each piece of art below to go to the respective auction. Bid high and bid often!


Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Mirage Selling Art Prints on eBay for Cancer Benefit



You may recall that during last summer's convention season, Mirage Studios created two special TMNT art prints that they then sold to raise money to help Tales of the TMNT writer Jake Black pay some of the medical bills he accrued during his recent battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The good news is that Jake is currently in remission and with luck his active battle against the cancer is over. However, those pesky medical bills still linger.

Mirage has found a handful of the remaining prints and they've put them up on eBay, with all money raised still going to Jake!

This first one is a "jam" piece featuring art by all of the artists who were still at the studio last year (2009).


The second print is quite monumental, as it features pencils by Kevin Eastman and inks by Peter Laird. This piece of art was the first piece the two TMNT creators collaborated on in over 18 years, and is most likely the last piece of art they will ever collaborate on.


If you weren't able to grab these last year, here's a great chance to pick up these incredible pieces of TMNT history while contributing to a great cause! You can click either picture to be taken directly to the respective eBay auction.

As a side note, I got to spend a little time with Jake this past weekend at WonderCon in San Francisco. He's looking great, and I hope things continue to go great for him!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

What Happens Now: Questions and Some Answers



Obviously, questions are flying furiously since yesterday's out-of-the-blue announcement that Peter Laird has sold the entirety of the TMNT property to Nickelodeon/Viacom. I've managed to track down a few answers that may help provide some insight on what's about to happen.

First, a few people have released public, personal statements on this transaction:
  • Peter Laird - Co-creator of the TMNT, who allowed this sale to happen.
  • Jim Lawson - Long-time and beloved TMNT comic book artist.
  • Jake Black - Freelance Tales of the TMNT writer and source of inspiration for several fund raising efforts this year.

Some fans have noticed that certain parts of NinjaTurtles.com have disappeared, among them the catalog through which you could buy stuff directly from Mirage. Dan Berger reports, "We'll be starting a new web site soon where we're selling all the stuff we used to have posted."

Concerning the future of TMNT comic books, as Peter alludes to in his blog, some rights to publish comic books have been maintained. Dan was able to clarify that "Peter maintains the right to publish up to 18 TMNT comics per year that can be sold via the direct market and/or web site." To further clarify this, Dan states that Tales of the TMNT Vol. 2 will continue through to and conclude with issue #70, scheduled for next year. TMNT Vol. 4 will continue at a pace that only Peter Laird will be able to decide. Beyond that, they are (likely) allowed to do reprints, so long as they are between 32-48 pages, which rules out the publication of any trade paperbacks.

The inability to publish TBPs is why the "Mirage Universe" book, which had been scheduled for a December release, has now been canceled (as reported via Jake Black on Twitter and Facebook this morning).

When asked about "The Forever War" being published, Dan wasn't optimistic about its release, but added, "That's Murph's project." When asked, Steve Murphy's answer was, "I'm not sure."

While the TMNT have been sold lock, stock, and barrel to Nickelodeon/Viacom, Peter Laird stresses that he did not sell Mirage Studios. As Jim Lawson reported, Peter will continue to allow the artists to use their studio space, should they wish to. However, they would do so independently and not as Mirage Studios employees.

Dan states, "Mirage as an employer ends on December 31 of this year," then ads, "but the regular crew will be here at least 'til May as independent contractors." Dan himself forsees sticking around through at least the end of 2010.

Moving to the future as Nickelodeon has it planned, very little is known. There have been some unspecific reports that they already plan to head in a direction along the lines of the original 1980s cartoon. However, this has not been verified (and who knows if Nickelodeon is even 100% sure about which direction they'll be taking).

As for what happens with the current licensing deals already in place, a representative at Nickelodeon has stated to GamePro, "We plan on fulfilling all current obligations." This would apply to the current toy contract with Playmates Toys, as well as the video game contract with Ubisoft, among others.

The biggest unknown at the moment remains the fate of the planned movie. While a movie has been announced to be released in 2012, it is not known if this will be the same movie that had previously been on track for 2011 or if Nickelodeon will wipe the whole slate clean and begin anew. And if they do that, what direction will they take it? That is a question that remains unanswered for now.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Jake Black Fundraiser This Saturday in Provo, UT



By now you know that our buddy Jake Black is fighting the fight and winning the battle against the big Cancer monster (you can read the latest updates on Jake's health over on his blog/Web site). Those medical bills are still piling up, and this time it's his hometown comic shop, teamed with other local comic creators, that's stepping up to the plate for Jake's cause.

Dragon's Keep comic shop is holding a 2-for-1 party this Saturday, September 12, that celebrates the store's 22nd anniversary while also raising funds for Jake. There are a slew of activities and guests planning to attend, so if you live anywhere near the shop's Provo, Utah location, you'll definitely want to be there on Saturday. Activities are from 10am-5pm.

Guests of special interest for TMNT fans are Quinn Johnson, who wrote Tales of the TMNT #31, and Travis Walton, who colored some of the comics that appeared in the TMNT Comics magazine over in the UK (see a sample page here).

Jake is also planning on attending, but whether or not he's able to will depend on if he has any adverse reactions to his chemo treatment scheduled for Thursday (tomorrow).

Here's a spiffy flyer with more information (although Spider-Man decided to be a ninja).

Thursday, August 13, 2009

"Scratch Attack" Jake Black Benefit T-Shirt!



As you should know by now, occasional TMNT writer Jake Black is currently fighting Hodgkins disease (i.e. CANCER). And that means a lot of big ugly medical bills. To help Jake out, his pals at Mirage Studios have been selling some Turtles wares, the proceeds from which go to pay those bills!

The latest of these sales is a T-shirt featuring the cat burglar Scratch facing off against Leonardo, by Fernando Leon Gonzalez and Ryan Brown!! The shirt looks GREAT and everyone needs to go buy one!! That means you!

Hit up NinjaTurtles.com for all the details!

Monday, July 20, 2009

The TMNT Guide to San Diego Comic-Con 2009!



Here it is! You're guide to the TMNT at San Diego Comic-Con 2009! Well, the best I could put together in between throwing socks and t-shirts into a suitcase while hoping I don't forget anything.





PROGRAMMING

There are two panels of particular interest for TMNT fans. As a Special Guest at this year's Con, Kevin Eastman has a panel dedicated to him on Thursday. The TMNT 25th anniversary panel will be on Friday, having something to do with the last 25 years (exactly what and how I haven't figured out). Also, expect John Fusco to be introduced as the writer of the upcoming movie planned for 2011.

THURSDAY

1:00-2:00 Spotlight on Kevin Eastman— TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman not only reflects on his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle years (with a preview his Comic-Con exclusive 25th Anniversary hardcover collection of favorite TMNT stories!), but also shares sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes teasers or trailers for his upcoming animated film projects—War of The Worlds: Goliath! and Underwhere—and introduces the new Tor Books Novel line Heavy Metal Pulp and the in-development Biz and Buzz animated series. Last but not least, Kevin will give you an update on the new David Fincher/James Cameron–produced Heavy Metal film! Room 5AB


FRIDAY

4:15-5:15 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles This look at the whole spectrum of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (from comics to toys to TV to movies to video games) celebrates the 25th anniversary of the world-famous brand. Moderator Gary Richardson (CEO, Mirage Studios) discusses the evolution of the Turtles with those people instrumental in the characters' incredible success. Panelists include Kevin Eastman (co-creator of TMNT), Lloyd Goldfine (supervising producer, 4Kids Productions), Steve Barron (director of the original TMNT movie), Karl Aaronian (senior VP of marketing, Giochi Preziosi U.S.A.), Matt Leunig (associate producer, Ubisoft), and Galen Walker (producer of new TMNT movie slated for 2011). Room 6DE


EXCLUSIVES


ON THE FLOOR

  • Expect Ubisoft to be demo-ing at least one of the two upcoming TMNT titles.
  • As one of the participants in the button give-away (see below), expect Sideshow Collectibles to reveal new TMNT product(s).

EVENT

  • Friday night there is a preview screening of the the upcoming TMNT direct-to-video special, "Turtles Forever." An invitation to the event is required to attend, and can be acquired by collecting five buttons available at the following locations: Ubisoft's booth, Uclick's booth, Prima Games' booth, Sideshow Collectibles' booth, and the Turtle Van, which will be parked somewhere in or around Horton Plaza.

PEOPLE TO SEE
  • Kevin Eastman can usually be found around the Heavy Metal booth, though possibly with less regularity this year than others.
  • Stan Sakai, creator of Usagi Yojimbo, is also a special guest at the Con this year and can be found the entire weekend around his booth, or at several scheduled panels.
  • Kevin Munrore, director of TMNT (2007), will be moderating the Thursday panel Masters of the Web and previewing his upcoming movie, Dead of Night starring Brandon Routh. An autograph session in the Sails Pavilion follows the panel.
  • James Arnold Taylor, Leonardo in TMNT (2007), can be found throughout the Convention at several panels and scheduled signings.
  • Mike Sinterniklass, Leonardo in the 4Kids TMNT cartoon, will be on the Saturday night Adult Swim/Venture Bros. panel.

ARTISTS' ALLEY

The following people can be found in Artists' Alley throughout the weekend:
  • Dan Berger
  • Michael Dooney
  • Steve Lavigne
  • Jim Lawson
  • Eric Talbot
  • ... and more!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Eastman & Laird Reunited!!!!



Yes, the headline is true! You might have thought it would take hell freezing over for the two co-creators of the TMNT to get over their apparent irreconcilable differences and collaborate artistically once again. But no, it didn't take that, it took a much more unfortunate reason. You see, my pal and occasional TMNT writer Jake Black has the Big C. Yeah, that's right: Cancer. The good news for Jake is that the specific type of cancer he has is Hodgkins Lymphoma, which has an extremely high cure rate. The bad news is that being extremely treatable doesn't make the treatments any less sucky and it doesn't make medical bills any less expensive. He's already won a battle with his insurance company to get them to cover his treatments, but you know they're not covering anything. And on top of that he's still got a wonderful family to support, which isn't as easy to do when you're sick and can't work as much as you're used to.

That brings us back to the headline. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird have collaborated to create a commemorative art print, the sales of which will go to Jake's medical bills! I'm pretty sure that Kevin and Peter haven't collaborated in this form since the mid-90s and, honestly, the chances of this happening ever again are rare at best. What does that mean? It means you need to get yourself one of these!!

How do you get one? For now, you have to be attending San Diego Comic-Con next week. They will be for sale at the Mirage tables in Artists' Alley for the (extremely reasonable) price of $25. The edition sold at Comic-Con is limited to 100 pieces, but if you miss out or can't make the Con, don't fret too hard, it sounds like a non-Comic-Con edition of the print will eventually become available. Jake reports that there are also plans to put the image on T-shirts and posters.

The current Mirage crew collaborated on a print, also for Jake's benefit, that was first sold at a Free Comic Book Day event back in May. This print will also be available at Comic-Con next week for $20.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

NYCC: Sunday 4Kids 25th Anniversary Panel



Mega fan Neil comes through once again, this time with video of the complete TMNT 4Kids panel that was on Sunday at New York Comic-Con. Hosted by Jake Black, this panel takes a look at 4Kids' TMNT series through the eyes of a table full of people who made it all happen.

Check it out in six parts below.












Sunday, February 8, 2009

NYCC: Friday Night Mirage Panel



Friday night at NYCC there was a panel featuring four long-time TMNT artists: Steve Lavigne, Michael Dooney, Jim Lawson, and Eric Talbot. Moderated by occasional TMNT writer Jake Black, the panel was meant to focus on the artistic evolution of the TMNT. I don't know if they hit that mark exactly, but it was still a good hour-long conversation with these guys who have had so much creative input into the TMNT throughout the years.

Mega TMNT fan (and reliable videographer) Neil came through with video of most of this panel for those of us stuck in parts of the world that are too far from NYC. You can check out the panel, in five parts, below.