Follow Ninja Pizza for
the best reading experience!


                    
Showing posts with label jim lawson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jim lawson. Show all posts

Monday, April 28, 2014

TMNT 30th Anniversary Celebration at Shellback Artworks



Just in time for the official 30th anniversary of the original TMNT comic book (first published on May 5, 1984!), Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird will be making a joint appearance at Shellback Artworks on May 4, 2014, just one day after Free Comic Book Day.

As part of this special event, Shellback Artworks will be selling an exclusive Eastman and Laird art print. This piece features pencils by Eastman, inks by Laird, and colors by Steve Lavigne. Peter recently previewed this artwork on his blog (below).

You will also be able to pickup the just-published TMNT Vol. 4, #32 at the event.

Also appearing will be Jim Lawson and Steve Lavigne, and maybe more surprise guests!

Details are on the poster above. If you need more information, you can contact Steve on the Shellback Artworks Facebook page.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Free Comic Book Day 2013 Appearances



Free Comic Book Day isn't until May 4th, but comic book stores are already putting together exciting plans to encourage people to visit their shops on that day. And there are two events that should be of particular interest for TMNT fans.

At Steve Lavigne's Shellback Artworks shop in Wells, ME, Peter Laird and Jim Lawson will be appearing, along with "at least one more mystery guest." Follow the Shellback Artworks Facebook page for updated details.

Just a short drive away in Rochester, NH, Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz will be appearing at Jetpack Comics. Keep watch on the Jetpack Comics website for updated details (the info currently on the website still reflects last year's event).

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Jim Lawson's Kickstarter Campaign "Dragonfly"




TMNT artist and Mirage Studios alumni Jim Lawson is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to support the publication of his new independent comic book title, Dragonfly.


The campaign runs through February 24 and supporters have a wide range of levels to choose from. The $15 level will get you a PDF of the completed book, and everything $25 and higher will get you a printed copy of the book.

The art for issue #1 is already complete and all funds collected through the Kickstarter campaign will go directly toward getting it printed. Issues #2 and #3 are written, and the title is plotted through issue #5. Jim's campaign goal is $5,000 and he has just under $1,500 more to get pledged - I highly recommend supporting at the $25 or higher level!

Friday, October 19, 2012

TMNT Artists to Appear at Paint & Pixel Festival Tomorrow



Several Mirage Studios TMNT artists will be appearing at the Paint & Pixel Festival in Northampton, MA, tomorrow, October 20, 2012.

Artists scheduled to be in attendance are Peter Laird, Jim LawsonMichael DooneyDan Berger, and possibly Eric Talbot.

According to Peter's Laird's blog, he will be selling a portfolio of non-TMNT prints titled "Treefaces: Five Prints of Drawings of Trees With Faces." He will also be happy to sign any TMNT items that you bring with you.

Get complete event information!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Mirage Studios Artists to Appear at Shellback Artworks August 11




Steve Lavigne's Shellback Artworks shop will be hosting an appearance and signing with many of the old Mirage Studios crew on August 11. Scheduled to appear are TMNT co-creator Peter Laird, Jim Lawson, and Dan Berger. Michael Dooney may also be present, although he is not currently confirmed.

The event is scheduled from 11am-4pm.

Shellback Artworks
1509 Post Rd.
Wells, ME 04090
(207) 251-4340

Most of these artists have not been making convention appearances recently, so this is an excellent opportunity to visit and maybe pick up some art!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Ernie Reyes Jr. and Jim Lawson Team Up For New Martial Arts Comic Book




Two names that should be quite famous to TMNT fans are teaming up to create a brand new martial arts comic book titled Sonny Dragon and the Wuxia Knights! Ernie Reyes Jr., creator and co-writer of Wuxia Knights, was Donatello's stunt double in the first TMNT movie, and Keno the pizza delivery boy in The Secret of the Ooze. Jim Lawson, artist on Wuxia Knights, has drawn more TMNT comic books than anyone else in the world. Rounding off the creative team are co-writer Samuel R. Barrera, Steve Oliff on colors, and Tom Orzechowski on letters.

Ernie has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to support the Wuxia Knights comic book effort!

Check out a video below to get a sneak preview of Wuxia Knights. And I highly recommend that you support the book on the Kickstarter page! A selection of awesome awards are available at many different support levels! Let's all spread the word and help the team reach its goal!




From the Kickstarter page:
Sonny Dragon and The Wuxia Knights is an ALL-AGES comic, which tells the story of Detective Sonny Dragon joining an elite team of martial arts superheroes known as the Wuxia Knights, after he traces the death of his master to a mystical martial arts kingdom hidden in the streets of San Francisco known as the Wuxiaverse. 
I have assembled an oustanding team for this new project. The comicbook script for Sonny Dragon and The Wuxia Knights VOL.1 is written by myself and Samuel R. Barrera. The artwork is done by Jim Lawson, who is known for his work on the "Teenage Mutatnt Ninja Turtles" comics. Colorist Steve Oliff is an Eisner award winning colorist best known for his work on the Japanese manga "AKIRA." Letterer Tom Orzechowski is a Harvey award winner known his work on "Uncanny X-Men." 
The ALL-AGES comic featuring Sonny Dragon and The Wuxia Knights is created to be a launchpad for licensing across multiple platforms: cartoons, toys, games, and apparel. 
Funding for this project will help with printing costs, budget for hiring a full service marketing company, and the production of Vol.2. If the goal is not reached before the end of the 30 days, then you will not be charged anything. You only pay if the project reaches its goal before the deadline! 
My goal is to distribute 25,000 copies of Vol. #1 in 12 months of distribution via digital downloads and conventional print publishing. My plan is to launch martial arts superheroes Sonny Dragon and The Wuxia Knights on July 11th, 2012 at Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA. 
My mission is to introduce to the world a universe of new martial arts superheroes that inspires health, happiness, and well being while promoting the core values of martial arts: Honor, Loyalty, Family, Bravery. 
Thank you for your support! 
- Ernie Reyes Jr.

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.

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!

Monday, March 9, 2009

TMNT Flashback: 1989 Comic Book Store Signing



In a real testament to the idea that "You can buy anything on eBay," I recently acquired some photographs out of of someone's personal collection. The idea of buying someone's personal photos is a bit creepy, but these seemed interesting enough for me to get past that. And I'm glad I did, because in addition to being a truly fantastic blast from the past, there are some really interesting details hidden in the background. These pictures appear to be date stamped August 12, 1989 - nearly 20 years ago!



These first two pictures are pretty similar and feature Steve Lavigne behind the table. I think you can also see a piece of Peter Laird's head in the first picture. What is really great though is in the background there appears to be pictures of the Turtles and Splinter costumes for the then-upcoming movie. The movie filmed in September 1989, so this was even before then!



Here we have one more picture of Steve Lavigne, then a shot farther down the line looking back at both Steve and Peter. In the second photo you can get a slightly better look at one of the photos on the wall.



And here we have a better look at Peter, and finally Kevin Eastman as well. Now we can see a few more pictures on the back wall as well as some comic book covers (and cereal boxes!).



Last, but far from least, we see the end of the autograph line with Jim Lawson, Michael Dooney, and Steve Murphy.

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.










Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Rewriting TMNT25.com: About Mirage Studios



Savvy TMNT fans were watching TMNT25.com on January 1, when the site relaunched itself with loads of new content. However, and rather sadly, the content on the site is poorly written, features bad grammar and punctuation, and, most unbelievably, is full of inaccurate information.

If the TMNT25 team doesn't believe in the use of editors or fact checkers, that's their choice to poorly represent the TMNT brand. As easily as I could, I'm not going to tear apart the site to show off its poor use of design, poor writing, inaccuracies, etc. However, there is one page so greatly misleading that I cannot ignore it.

You would think the "About Mirage Studios" page would be the easiest page for the TMNT25 team to write. But it only took a quick glance for me to find glaring errors. As such, I did a bit of digging into my personal TMNT archive to find references and do some fact checking. The result is what you find below. I realize that this is a lot more depth than the "About Mirage Studios" page was intended to have, but if you compare the two you'll see the conflict in information, especially with certain dates.

ABOUT MIRAGE STUDIOS

Steve Lavigne, high school classmate and friend of Kevin Eastman, as well as the real-life inspiration behind Michaelangelo, was Mirage's first employee, hired in 1985 to help with lettering duties beginning with issue #5 of the original TMNT comic book. His duties would expand to coloring comics and art and penciling licensing art that was used on thousands of TMNT products sold around the world. Lavigne left the studio in 1995 to return to his home state of Maine. He still does occasional freelance work for Mirage when asked.

After giving Eastman and Laird a piece of fan art at a comic convention in Detroit in 1985, Ryan Brown was asked to "get in touch" with the studio in the letters column of the 4th reprinting of TMNT #1, published in September 1985. He did so immediately, resulting in an inking tryout for a short comic titled "New York Ninja" that would later see print in the back of the TMNT RPG supplement book titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures!

Passing that test, Brown was then invited to join the studio, making the move to Northampton, MA in September 1986. He would eventually use his inking skills on most of the licensing art drawn by Lavigne, as well as some comic covers. A life-long love of toys made him a perfect match for the role of the in-studio Toy Coordinator after Playmates launched its line of highly successful TMNT toys and action figures. Brown left the studio in 1995 to return to his home state of Ohio. He still does occasional freelance work for Mirage when asked.

Around the same time Brown set foot in Massachusetts and after a successful portfolio presentation, Jim Lawson was invited to move up from his home in Connecticut to join Mirage. Lawson and Brown then teamed together to draw and ink, respectively, a new companion comic title, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Lawson would also contribute to licensing art and penciling of the regular TMNT comic book series, becoming the main penciler starting with issue #48 of original series, a role that he maintains today with Volume 4 of the series.

Michael Dooney wrote a fan letter to Eastman and Laird after the original publication of the very first TMNT comic book. Dooney, an inspiring comic book creator in his own right, kept in touch with Mirage and would pencil issue #9 of the comic book, released in September 1986, while still living in New Jersey. After moving to the studio full-time, Dooney contributed art to more issues of the original comic book, full-color paintings for the official TMNT magazine, and some of the early issues of the Archie comics TMNT series among other things. Dooney remains with the studio today, contributing art for licensing, comic books, and toy design in collaboration with Playmates Toys.

In mid-1989, after the first few issues of the Archie comic series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, which were simply adaptations of the TMNT cartoon series, the book was horribly late and in danger of breach of contract. Seeing an opportunity, Brown asked his friend and roommate, Steve Murphy, to collaborate with him to create original stories for the comic series. Murphy, who was writing his own comic series, The Puma Blues, and doing proofreading and editing for Mirage, was hesitant to commit to the project, but finally agreed to take on the writing duties under the pen name Dean Clarrain. Murphy left Mirage with the end of the Adventures series in 1995, but would return in January 2002 as Creative Director of Licensing and Managing Editor of Tales of the TMNT Volume 2 when the title was established January 2004. Murphy resigned from his duties as Managing Editor in August 2007, but remains in the position of Creative Director of Licensing.

With Adventures back on track, Brown and Murphy needed a permanent inker for the book. Brown contacted his old roommate in Ohio, who had just graduated from art school, and asked him to join the team. Dan Berger came to Massachusetts in August 1989; his first Turtles work was TMNT Adventures #8, published in February 1990. He has also contributed to the original TMNT comic book, licensing art, and the daily TMNT newspaper comic strip. Berger has been the Webmaster of ninjaturtles.com since 1998 and Managing Editor of Tales of the TMNT Volume 2 since Murphy's resignation in 2007.

Like Lavigne, Eric Talbot was a high school buddy of Kevin Eastman. His first work with the TMNT came with issue #17 of the original TMNT comic book, published November 1988. He would continue to contribute to TMNT comics and various licensing endeavors throughout the duration of the TMNT's popularity in the 90s and continues working with Mirage to this day.

Riding on the success of the TMNT, Kevin Eastman bought Heavy Metal magazine in 1991. His last TMNT work was the comic Bodycount, published by Image in 1996. In 2000 he sold the creative rights of the TMNT to Laird so that he could focus completely on Heavy Metal. However, this separation was not the end of his involvement with the TMNT. In 2002 he published his TMNT "Artobiography" under the Heavy Metal label and in 2005 he gave Mirage the connection they needed, with Imagi Animation Studios, to make a new big-screen TMNT adventure a reality in 2007. In 2008 he sold his remaining TMNT holdings to Laird, but with plans to republish a handful of classic TMNT stories, the first of which, Bodycount, was released the same year.


Sunday, March 30, 2008

Tales of the TMNT Michelangelo Mini-Series Covers!



My buddy tOkKa got an exciting email from long-time TMNT artist and colorer Steve Lavigne with cover art for all four issues of the upcoming Tales of the TMNT Michelangelo Mini-Series attached! The covers are penciled by Jim Lawson with colors by Steve.

The cover to issue #1 is featured to the left. You can check out all four covers over at Mikey's.