Peter Laird's "Blast From the Past"

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I got kinda annoyed with the disjointedness and disorganization of Peter Laird's "Blast From the Past" posts on his blog (it's pretty impossible to find any of the old stuff without scrolling through every single page), so I made a chronological listing of all of them.

Everything that has been reposted to Blogger is linked to Blogger; anything not yet reposted to Blogger is linked to the original posting on the Planet Racers Web site.

This is the first 149 "Blast From the Past" entires from Peter's blog. You can read his on-going personal blog here: http://plairdblog.blogspot.com and his on-going TMNT blog here: http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot.com

001 - TMNT #1 Fifth Printing Cover (Pencils)
002 - Pencils for Cover of Tales of the TMNT Volume 1 #7
003 - "Cyberinking Experiments"
004 - "Alien Gardener"
005 - Angoulême Mini-Poster/1992
006 - Donatello with Android on Rock
007 - Richard Corben Color Sketch for Cover of TMNT Volume 1 Issue #2 Third Printing
008 - Dodecahedron Ornament
009 - Kevin Eastman TMNT Group Shot
010 - Jack Kirby Birthday Turtle
011 - "The Art of Mirage Studios"
012 - "Frustrated Turtle"
013 - Rejected Shredder Playset Idea
014 - "Return to New York" Collection Cover, Preliminary Drawing by A.C. Farley

015 - TMNT Montage Painting

016 - Wistariahurst Museum "The Art of Mirage Studios" Show Poster
017 - Archie TMNT Classics Digest #2 Cover
018 - "Team Mirage" Hare Scrambles Turtle
019 - "Ninja Alligator"
020 - Original Turtle Action Figure Prototypes
021 - "How to Draw Turtles" Cover Pencils
022 - Proposed Portfolio Cover Pencils
023 - TMNT Volume 1 #2 Unfinished Inks
024 - TMNT #2 Character Sketches
025 - "City at War" Battle/Pencils
026 - Leonardo at "Fandom Directree"
027 - "Election 1980" / Hampshire Life
028 - Archie TMNT Movie One Adaptation Covers
029 - "Who is the Unknown Ninja?"
030 - Laird/Dooney Barbarian Turtle
031 - TMNT with Dimensional Gateway
032 - Voices for Children TMNT Poster
033 - Donatello w/ Radio-Controlled Motorcycle
034 - "Who is This? Futitoid" Iron-On
035 - TMNT Volume 1 #2 Cover/Inks and Tones
036 - Donatello's New Costume
037 - Leonardo's New Costume
038 - Splinter's New Look
039 - Michelangelo's New Costume
040 - Raphael's New Look
041 - Elite Fights Foot/Pencils
042 - Mirage TMNT Color Series #1 Cover Pencils, Unused
043 - Donatello Firing Mac-10
044 - Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
045 - Portsmouth Minicon Poster
046 - Alien Snake Hunter
047 - "New Comic Day" Pencils
048 - Fugitoid Action Figure Concepts
049 - Exoskeleton Concept for Bad Guys
050 - TMNT as Drawn by Jack Kirby!
051 - Bulldog Mutant
052 - "Bad Guy" Vehicle Designs
053 - Unused Pages from TMNT #1, Vol. 4
054 - "Space Leonardo" Pencils
055 - Donatello in New Costume Color Study
056 - Kirbyship
057 - Interrupted Meal
058 - Will Vinton TMNT Sculpts
059 - "The Unknown"
060 - Donatello and Montana Moo
061 - TMNT and Foot Vehicle Designs
062 - Evil Mutants
063 - Jumper and Crawler
064 - TMNT Color Series #2 Cover Pencils
065 - Leonardo and Frostbyte
066 - Proposed TV Guide Cover
067 - 1992 Portsmouth "TurtleCon" Flyer
068 - Pencils for Portsmouth 1992 "TurtleCon" Flyer
069 - Unfinished Ad for TMNT #2
070 - Design for "Wacky Ooze Buggy" Toy
071 - Early Splinter
072 - TMNT #50 Cover Pencils
073 - Large TMNT Group Shot, Pencils
074 - Color Pencil TMNT Pinups
075 - Donatello Fighting Robot, Pencils
076 - Pete as TMNT with Pencil
077 - Iron-On TMNT Group Shot with Logo
078 - TMNT Drawing on Tablecloth Scrap
079 - Robot Fighting Arboreal Beast
080 - TMNT #5--Anatomy of Two Pages
081 - Raphael's Shower
082 - Pete's Inks, TMNT #7
083 - Pete in Old Studio
084 - TMNT Vol. 1 #15 "Clean" Cover
085 - TMNT Fight a Robot
086 - Pin-Up: Donatello on Rooftop
087 - Pin-Up: Leo Fights a Monster
088 - Pin-Up: Raph with TCRI Alien Gun
089 - Front Cover of PBBZ Limited Edition Reprint of TMNT Volume 1, #1
090 - Roughs for Leo and Usagi Story "The Crossing"
091 - "Gorefolio" Artwork
092 - Fugitoid Iron-On
093 - TMNT Group Shot
094 - Fugitoid Birthday Card
095 - Baxter Stockman and April O'Neil Sketches
096 - Sketches for Foot Robot from "City at War"
097 - Gizmo and a Turtle Play Cards
096 - Eastman/Dooney Barbarian Turtle
097 - TMNT Vol. 2 #5 Cover Pencils
098 - Archie TMNT Adventures #44, Pencils and Inks
099 - Archie TMNT Miniseries #1 Cover
100 - "Melting Pot" and "Commandosaurs" Pencils for Ad
101 - Raph Fighting a Foot Ninja (Unfinished)
102 - Leo w/ Shuriken Slingshot
103 - TMNT Color Series #2 Cover Pencils
104 - Motocross Turtle
105 - Turtle with Megablaster
106 - Redrawn Two-Page Spread from TMNT #1
107 - Mirage Studios Triceraton Iron-On
108 - Donatello Sparring with Robot Donatello
109 - Unfinished Donatello Sketch
110 - Unused TMNT Color Logo
111 - Donatello with Computer
112 - Leonardo Pinup
113 - Illustrations for Our Ad for the Dark Horse Miniature Lead Figures
114 - Donatello About to Throw Bo Staff
115 - Crab Mechanic Mutant
116 - TMNT Group Shot Cyberinking Experiment
117 - Splinter Character Sketches
118 - Design for Evil Mutant's Vehicle -- "Hover Trike"
119 - "Nano" Designs
120 - Dragon with Mushrooms
121 - "Rhino Mutant" Rough Sketch
122 - Leonardo with One Sword
123 - More Splinter Sketches
124 - Spider on Head
125 - Flying Dragon
126 - Emily Dickinson Portrait
127 - Robot with Birthday "Cake"
128 - Robot Fighting Swordswoman
129 - Motorcycle Designs for "Return of the Justice Force"
130 - Design for the "Battle Nexus" Arena
131 - Foot Tech Ninja Design
132 - Donatello Riding Creature
133 - Spot Illustrations for CBG
134 - Sample Comic Page
135 - Freshman Year
136 - More Unused Gag Cartoons
137 - Ninja Turtles Day in Los Angeles
138 - Garbageman's "Whale Sub" Sketches
139 - Evil Utrom Designs
140 - Turtle Design for 2K3 Show
141 - Ninja Tribunal Ship Modification
142 - Leonardo Fighting Triceraton
143 - Weird Meeting Doodle
144 - TMNT Spot Illustrations on Duo-Shade
145 - The Christmas Snail
146 - "They Came from the Fifties"
147 - Triceraton Archeologist
148 - "A World Beyond"
149 - Demon Turtle

A New President? Or an Old School President?

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Here's something random that I found by complete accident.

Visit Zazzle.com to pick up this creative celebration of the new President-Elect, Barack Obama, that plays off of the classic TMNT cartoon logo!

C.O.W.-Boys to Return to 'Tales' in 2009

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Next week, the C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa will make their third appearance in the Tales of the TMNT title with the release of Tales #52. (Note: TMNT Adventures fans don't want to miss this issue, as it also features the legendary Cudley the Cowlick!)

This week, Ryan Brown, creator of the C.O.W.-Boys and creative force behind too many TMNT projects to list here, revealed that the C.O.W.-Boys will return for a fourth and final time next year in Tales of the TMNT #58. Like past crossover issues, Dario Brizuela will be contributing his fantastic skill and style to the pencils for the issue. He's already completed the cover, which you can check out in full--along with more awesome pieces of art--over on Ryan's C.O.W.-Boys blog.

And don't forget to sign the C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa DVD petition while you're at it!

Mirage's Fan Reply Postcards

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The previous post on Mirage's unique postage meter stamp brought up a conversation in the comments about the postcards Mirage would send in response to fan mail and/or fan art. Tonight I dug out the postcard I received in response to some fan art I apparently sent (I clearly recall receiving this postcard, but I can't for the life of me recall the art I sent).

The front of the card shows the line art from the cover of TMNT Adventures #18. If you look closely on the back you'll see that same Raphael postage meter stamp (all the blots are from the residue of poster putty I used to hang the postcard on my bedroom door for years). The postmark date is September 17, 1991. Man, that was forever ago!

Did you ever receive this or a similar postcard? Still have it? Send me a scan!

Ryan Brown adds: We gave Murph's girlfriend at the time the task of answering all the TMNTA fan mail. She did a phenomenal job!! We'd print up the postcards using different TMNTA cover art at a local printer and then give them to her to mail out. Murph and I wanted to send something special to the kids who took the time to write in. I'm not sure how many different covers we used for the postcards but I believe we utilized quite a few.

And:
Murph and I loved to read the fan mail. We personally signed and sent the first few but suddenly the amount of mail increased so much that we had to pass it along to someone full time and that dude was a newly arrived Dan Berger. As Dan's workload increased Murph's girl friend stepped in.

The Mirage Studios Postage Meter

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Doing a bit of Fall cleaning today and I came across this old scrap of paper. This is quite the testament to some of the random stuff I'll end up clipping and saving.

The scrap is simply a piece of brown packaging paper with postage affixed. The package, having come from Mirage Studios, also features a stamp with Raphael and the original TMNT comic book logo. I think most all of the mail they sent at this point in time featured the stamp. Mail from Mirage today features no such stamp, probably due to changes in postage machines.

Happy Halloween!

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To celebrate this spooktacular holiday, here's a desktop wallpaper I swiped off of 4kids.com.

Kazoo With the TMNT

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In the near-25 year history of the TMNT, there have been a lot of high points and a good fair share of low points. A lot of awesome merchandise and some... not so much. "Kazoo with [the] TMNT" would fit into that last category. Or, perhaps even more accurately, into the, "We're willing to approve anything you'll give us money for," category.

Before I go any further I should put forth the disclaimer that I absolutely love the entire musical history of the TMNT. Seriously. Even the stuff that's cheesy as hell is, at worst, a guilty pleasure for me. Even though my sincerity behind any positive words for "Kazoo with [the] TMNT" would be weak, I couldn't deny that it fills me full of giddy laughter.

Here's the premise of "Kazoo with [the] TMNT":
You get a book with very basic sheet music for eight songs from the soundtrack of the first live action movie. You also get four kazoos (bonus points if you can guess the colors of the kazoos). You are meant to kazoo the sheet music. Ok, sure. Why not? Kids like kazoos and Ninja Turtles, it can't be that bad. Right?

Wrong. This perfectly innocent package becomes the stuff of legend with the inclusion of a simple cassette tape. A cassette tape that features all of the songs in the book played by an electronic orchestra and... someone playing the kazoo!! This may be the only example in history of a dedicated kazoo recording. And there's a reason for that.

It's just hard to take the kazoo seriously as a solo instrument. The novelty of it wears off in about 10 seconds, but here it supports eight songs that are 3-5 minutes long. It also, by design, produces a lot of spit, and the producers of this product really didn't make any effort to try to hide that. But then again, did the producers of this product really think they were releasing something stellar? Nah, it was all for the quick buck.

To experience "Kazoo with [the] TMNT" for yourself, you can download the contents of the cassette tape, for a limited time, here.

Halloween Costumes

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Mauro sent in this great picture of himself and his girlfriend from last Halloween. He reports that they'll be wearing the same costumes again this year. Anyone else have any TMNT Halloween pictures to share?

AC Farley Lunchbox

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A while ago I featured a TMNT lunchbox with Michael Dooney art that's part of my non-collection of lunchboxes. Today I've decided to feature the A.C. Farley lunchbox.

Although the lunchbox is copyrighted 1991, it seems to be obviously inspired by the third movie. Copyright dates aren't always 100% reliable, so it might have been a tie-in to the movie. I personally don't recall seeing this one in stores, only on the mighty eBay. But it's awesome and I love it. I'm not aware of this piece of art being published anywhere else, though I welcome people who would like to inform me otherwise do so.

Oh, and speaking of the mighty eBay, I have a duplicate of this box up for auction right now!

TMNT Flashback: Comics Interview #83

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A couple weeks ago, the TMNT world was rocked on its heels when Steve Murphy officially let it out of the closet that he was, in fact, the one and only Dean Clarrain, writer of virtually the entire TMNT Adventures title from Archie Comics. Even though it hadn't before been made official, I had thought more people had figured it out. But it seems those of us who had were in a minority. To celebrate this outing, I present to you Comics Interview #83, featuring an interview with the team behind the TMNT Adventures title: Dean Clarrain, Ryan Brown, and Dan Berger.

Gee, that Dean Clarrain guy doesn't look like Murphy at all...

As for the full interview itself, you can download it, for a limited time only, by clicking here. Enjoy!

Why the TMNT are Dying and Why I Don't Care

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Hmm... lack of updates recently it would seem. Why? Well, the honest answer is that I've lost all enthusiasm for the TMNT in their current state and form. Unfortunately, that's no exaggeration. My lack of enthusiasm is at a solid 100%. I have totally and completely given up on Mirage Studios and all "partner" companies in their efforts to run the TMNT franchise.

And we now have solid proof that the TMNT are, indeed, in deep poodoo. Friend and fellow TMNT fan VaughnMichael, whom I hold complete trust with, has shared part of an email that states the following:

"Things are not good in turtle land, sorry to report. But Wal-Mart has decided to drop TMNT from ALL its stores beginning in the Spring!"

The implications of not being carried at Walmart go deeper than the simple lack of toys on Walmart shelves and pegs. Walmart is the nation's largest retailer and they have a HUGE influence in the market and trends across the board. Not being carried at Walmart means Playmates probably just lost half of their orders. Can Playmates sustain itself on half the quantity of what few products they're already producing? Not likely. And even if they can, it's not unreasonable to expect other retailers to follow suit with Walmart.

So that brings us into 2009, the big TMNT 25th anniversary "Shell-abration" year, with minimal product to support it. Sounds like an awesome party to me. This problem goes beyond just toys, though. Peter Laird has recently stated that there are no current plans for a TMNT cartoon beyond 2009 and at this point in time the future of TMNT comic books beyond 2009 also remains in question. That means we'll be having a Shell-abration for the past 25 years of TMNT with absolutely no certainty that there'll be another 25 years. Given the amount of money Mirage is supposedly spending to Shell-abrate, it may not be the best investment of money.

There is supposedly a movie company *this* close to inking a deal with Mirage for some sort of "hybrid" movie (I love how Mirage calls it a "hybrid" movie as if they came up with the concept of mixing live action with CGI). I wouldn't count on that happening if there isn't a connected toy deal. And if Playmates can't get TMNT product into Walmart, there isn't likely to be a toy deal. Honestly, no matter what the circumstances are with toys and other related products, that company should just take their money and run away. Run far, far away.

Mirage is a dying company, and it's time to just let it do so instead of putting off the inevitable that much longer. They are a company that is only interested in making the quick and easy buck by signing a deal with a licensor who wants to put TMNT images on their products. They are not interested in actually investing time, effort, or (god forbid) money in creating a foundation with which to support those products.

CEO Gary Richardson has a history of making shading licensing deals and making questionable business decisions. His earnings are apparently directly tied to the income generated by the Mirage Licensing division, so he goes for the quick buck and rejects anything that would involve the actual spending of money, be it printing costs for the books Mirage should be publishing next year but won't be or the cost of more employees so that people might actually be able to focus on delivering on what the fans want to see.

Oh, and speaking of the fans (that is presumably you, dear reader), I hope you have recognized that Mirage and all related companies have been doing nothing but giving you the proverbial finger more than a year now, if not several. It's time to let it die. It's ok. Really.

(There is actually one aspect of this that is not ok at all, but I'll get into that in another post.)

TMNT Flashback: Mirage Times Vol. 1 No. 17

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Earlier today, Ryan Brown posted the first issue of the "Mirage Times," a newsletter sent out to comic retailers in the early 90s. By complete chance tonight, I came across issue number 17 of this same newsletter, so I thought I'd post it to complement Ryan's blog.

Above is the front of the two-page spread, featuring the cover for TMNT Vol. 2 No. 1. On the inside is the newsletter portion, both pages of which are below.

     

Peter Laird Comments on TMNT Movie Rumors

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MTV today posted an interview with TMNT co-creator Peter Laird to set the record straight on the current status of a potential new TMNT movie. You can read the interview in its entirety here.

There really isn't any new information revealed. Everything is the same as it was before people went and freaked out over comments made by Kevin Eastman. However, I would like to make note of these comments:

MTV: Which elements of the original live-action film do you think could benefit from another treatment?
PL: I don’t think the first film needs to be remade, if that’s what you mean. But I would love to see a “Director’s Cut” or special edition of that movie, with some things that were cut out put back in. And although I think it HIGHLY unlikely, I would love to see the first film given a “digital touch-up,” if you will. By that I mean it would be very cool to go through it very carefully and digitally tweak all of the mistakes and goofs — for example, scenes where you can see an actor’s face inside a Turtle’s open mouth, wires hanging off the shell of a Turtle, and so forth.
Here’s one that always bugged me: As Leonardo is exiting April’s apartment, one of his sword hilts rubs against the wall… and it BENDS like rubber (which, in fact, it was, being a “stunt sword”). And taking it a step further, it would be fantastic to utilize digital technology to go back in and tweak and enhance the expressions on the animatronic faces of the Turtles, which in some scenes just don’t work too well.

Concerning his desire to give the 1990 film a "digital touch-up": For the love of pizza, Peter Laird will you just freaking stop trying to fix things that aren't broken. You've already ripped the heart and soul out of the original TMNT 1 comic book, leave the damn movie alone.

The problem with this idiotic statement isn't even the likelihood that it would actually happen, because Peter Laird thankfully doesn't have any power to make it happen, but now we're going to have to deal with stupid people discussing this possibility for the rest of eternity. Please find something better to do with your time people and forget this statement ever happened.

TMNT: Back to the Sewer Preview

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Here's a preview of the first episode of TMNT: Back to the Sewer, which premieres on CW4Kids Saturday, September 13. (When the video says "tomorrow" it actually means the 13th.) Be sure to check your local listings to verify the time and station.

Why the TMNT Fail at the Internets

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It probably wouldn't take too much effort to find a person still convinced that Johnny Woo was, at one point in time, signed and secured to make a TMNT movie. About five years ago I tried to convince a friend of mine that there was absolutely no truth to this, but I don't think he ever fully believed me. Someone asked Kevin Munroe, director of 2007's TMNT movie, the same question at San Diego Comic-Con in 2006. Really, it's the damnedest rumor that just refuses to die. He essentially said it'd be a neat thing to do, but there was nothing more to it than that. No different from me saying that it'd be neat to race Michael Phelps on a big wheel.

But this prevailing rumor also punctuates a key problem with TMNT fandom. Try as some of us may, there is no definitive "Go To" site for a person with a casual interest in TMNT to go to and quickly catch up on the latest news. Those of us who follow it closely know that Steve Murphy's word via The 5th Turtle is good as gold, but from an outsider's perspective, it's just a simple Blogger blog using a default template (same as this site). There is no TheForce.Net or TheOneRing.Net or The-Leaky-Cauldron.Org equivalent.

But sites that report on everything related to movies need to be at the top of the rumor mill, so if there's going to be a new TMNT film, they can't miss out on reporting it. It usually happens like this: Murphy or some other source drops a tidbit of information, discussion on said information partakes at TheTechnodrome.com, some lame lurker emails a dozen movie sites with the "tip," and these sites post the information as if it's some big scoop that they have personally discovered. Oooh, impressive.

Over the past several months there have been several hints dropped about the on-going talks for the next TMNT movie from both Steve Murphy and TMNT co-creator Peter Laird. Did any of these statements reach sites like IGN.com? No. But a few days ago discussion starts on The Technodrome regarding a comment TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman made on the HeavyMetal.com message boards regarding the possibilities being discussed for the next movie (which is pretty much in line with everything he stated here, and which is also all in line with what has been hinted at by Steve Murphy and Peter Laird). Now some morons are spreading the comments, to the point where Perez Hilton (you're kidding me, right?) is reporting it as FACT that a new TMNT movie is coming and THIS IS HOW IT IS.

FOR THE RECORD:

1. Movie discussions are still in progress and nothing has been finalized.
2. A live action movie is being discussed as a possibility but, again, nothing has been finalized. According to Murphy, live action is apparently NOT being discussed, so there you go.
3. When something has been finalized, the information will be released officially by Mirage Studios and their partners, not a message board, no matter who is making the comment.

Oh, and all of you non-TMNT sites: Please stop pretending you know anything about Ninja Turtles, because you don't and it just makes you suck more. If you really want to do something useful, try to convince your readers to convince Warner Brothers to release a Special Edition of the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie on DVD. Thank you.

TMNT: The Original 1990 Press Kit

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In case it's not already obvious, a Press Kit gets constructed and released - to the press - as part of the marketing effort for a film. These days they're all done digitally, compiled onto DVDs. Back in 1990 it was a simple folder loaded with some 8x10 black and white photos and some photocopied production notes.

Instead of focusing on a deleted scene today, I thought I would give typing a break and scan the contents of the press kit for the original movie. After I did that, I ended up typing 20 pages of production notes, so I really didn't save myself from anything.

Below you'll find all of the photos included with the kit as well as an excerpt from the production notes. If you download the complete .zip file, you'll have more production notes to read. One of the reasons I went through with typing 20 pages of these things was that all of the information is really, really unique and interesting, and I'm not sure that there's anywhere else that you can read something similar to this. There are quotes from all of the major players who had a hand in making the movie, including the late and great Jim Henson.

It's really all quite fantastic and I think it will also give you extra appreciation for all of the hard work that people put into this movie to make it the classic it ended up being.

A classic that should receive proper DVD treatment! *ahem*

You can download the complete .zip file here.

TMNT Deleted Scene: Training on the Farm - UPDATE!

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I've updated the original post with the "Training on the Farm" deleted scene with two more pictures that I just found. You can check them out fully here.

Comic-Con Interview with Kevin Eastman

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"The Stack" talked to TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman at last month's Comic-Con in San Diego about both Turtles and Heavy Metal.

TMNT Movie Mistakes

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This isn't a new video, but I thought it'd be a good supplement to the TMNT Special Edition DVD effort.



All movies are full of little mistakes that their makers hope the movie viewers won't spot, but if you watch something enough times and pay close enough attention, something's bound to stand out as not quite right. My long-time pal and fellow TMNT fan Karen put this video together last year in the wake of the excitement over the release of the 2007 CGI movie.

With well over 600,00 views, it has become one of the most-viewed TMNT videos on YouTube and spent a weekend as one of Digg.com's top videos. While the video may highlight the mistakes in the film, I believe its popularity is a reflection of the general overall continued popularity of the movie. Surely enough popularity to warrant a Special Edition DVD release.

TMNT Deleted Scene: Training on the Farm

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Here is the second deleted scene from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film that I am highlighting in support of the TMNT Special Edition project. Warner Brothers isn't yet convinced that this is a good idea - But they ARE watching us! - so be sure to let them know personally that you want this Special Edition DVD!

This scene is also pretty well documented, and bits and pieces of it can be seen in the actual movie. I've scanned a few stickers, trading cards, and pics taken from a book and magazine from this part, but the lengthy bit from the script might be more interesting to you.

This scene comes immediately after April yells at Casey, "I wouldn't ask for your help if you were the last... "thing" on the face of the planet!" and Casey follows with, "Coming along 'nicely' ..."

TMNT Deleted Scene: Alternate Ending

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This is the first entry in a series to highlight all of the deleted scenes from the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. While all of the deleted scenes from the movie are fairly well documented throughout books and comics, we still have yet to see any of these scenes in their entirety. This is a key reason why releasing a Special Edition DVD of this movie is a necessity!

While the movie ended with our heroes triumphant on the rooftop of a building, there was one final scene in the script. This scene had April and Danny in the office of a comic book publisher, trying to pitch the idea of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Here are some photos from that scene, as well as the actual script that was used for filming!

These Turtles Can Dance!

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Now THIS is what should have been at Comic-Con last month!!



Stay tuned this weekend for the first major update concerning the TMNT Special Edition DVD campaign!!

It's Time For a TMNT 1 Special Edition

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Fans have made half-hazard efforts to get New Line Cinema (and now, Warner Brothers) to release a special edition of, at least, the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film - if not all three - for many years. The response has consistently been, "We are not interested in that project."

Today, Steve Murphy of Mirage Studios posted the following, a quote of an email sent by Steve Barron, director of the first TMNT film, to a Warner Brothers representative:

"...there has been quite a lot of blogging about a director's special edition of the first movie, particularly in the light of its impending 25th anniversary. I would be very keen to contribute to this idea if you thought it a good one. I have lots of original artwork and even a rough cut with a few extra scenes on tape. I think it would be nice to do a definitive release as the extras have always been very limited."

This is not the first time Barron has made such a comment. In fact, a very similar comment was quoted in a Peter Laird, "Blast From the Past" Web site feature back in late 2001.

With this new spark of inspiration from Murphy and Mr. Barron collectively, perhaps it's time to take the effort to make this project happen seriously. Next year is the 25th anniversary celebration of the TMNT - What better way to celebrate than with a special edition of one of the greatest highlights of that 25 year history? Emails from the same handful of fanboys/fangirls to Warner Brothers aren't going to convince them to change their minds about this project. It's time to get bigger and more visual.

Watch this space for more information coming soon.

If you have graphic design skills or video editing skills, please email me if you're willing to provide hands-on help with this effort.

TMNT Flashback: The Coming Out of Their Shells Tour

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The TMNT have a rich 25 year history full of what seems to be an endless stream of interpretations. While many of these are fantastic, there are some not so fantastic bits. If you ask people about what the low lights of the past 25 years have been, there are three common answers: The third movie, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, and The Coming Out of Their Shells Tour (COOTS). I actually have no dislike for any of these (my personal steaming pile of Turtle puke is Volume 4 of the comic books), and speaking of COOTS in particular, I love every ounce of it.

Oh sure, it's cheesy as hell. It's also probably one of the most blatantly obvious examples of Eastman and Laird "selling out" the Turtles, if you're one to accuse them of that (I, personally, am not). But damn was it a lot of fun for my 6th grade, 11-year-old self. I mean, really a hell of a lot fun. Now I consider it one of my little guilty pleasures, and I love making particular new acquisitions.

So for a spot of fun, here's a look at a few promotional pictures from the tour. The first one (top), oddly, features a Los Angeles manhole cover.

This second picture was part of an Entertainment Weekly article about the tour. You can read the entirety of the article here - As you'll see, the writer wasn't willing to have a spot of fun at all. :p







The last picture also comes from Entertainment Weekly, but this time they were massively confused about what was being written about, as it was included with a movie review of TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze (they gave it a C+).

Comic-Con: Round Up

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Hmm, I never did post summaries of Saturday and Sunday. Well, there was nothing of real note to relate on the TMNT front, so I let myself be totally and completely overwhelmed and consumed by the rest of the Con. I'm still recovering, including a slight dose of illness, but it's nothing compared to how deathly ill I got after the Con last year. Anywho, here's a look at some of my TMNT swag from the Con.

Here's what I think became my favorite TMNT acquisition from the Con. I was at the Heavy Metal booth, in Kevin Eastman's sketch line, expecting to get another Turtle sketch. But then I thought about it and it occurred to me that it would be pretty kickass to have a Foot Elite - one of the rare bad guy characters that I absolutely love - drawn by The Master. So that's what I asked for and that's what I got. Not only is it kickass, it's also more unique than a Turtle sketch, of which I already have a couple.

Speaking of which, here's one of them. In each Bodycount hardcover that Kevin sold, he was doing a full sketch of your choice in the front (assuming you were willing to wait in his constantly long line). There are many awesome things about Kevin, but I think it's particularly awesome that he is willing to do such sketches for anyone who asks and he also puts a considerable amount of time and detail into each sketch. And since he's such an awesome guy (and a millionaire), he never ever charges a fee.
(On a related note: Peter Laird charges $20 at Cons for a scribble.)

This last item of note is a sketch of Michaelangelo by my personal favorite of the new batch of TMNT artists, Dario Brizuela.








There are many reasons why I love Comic-Con, and thus continue to attend. The TMNT swag is just a small part of it. Seeing and meeting people I respect and look up to is another small part. A big part of it is the awesome friends that I get to hang out with for the duration; for some of them it's the only time I'll see them for the entire year.

But the other thing I love about Comic-Con is just the general atmosphere. For five days a year 125,000 people gather in one space to celebrate what can be summed up as simple geekdom. We are female and male, we are young and old, and we are all races and nationalities and species (can't forget those Klingons). We love comic books and movies and television and over the course of these five days, they love us back. For the minutes or hours that I'm standing in a line, I can hold a conversation with the person standing next to me because, even though we don't know each other and will probably never meet again, we speak the same language: Geek. And I think it's pretty awesome when you can do that with nearly any of the 125,000 attendees (and sappy, I know).

Comic-Con: Thursday & Friday

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So much going on here that I haven't had much time to sit and compose anything coherent.

Thursday the TMNT passports made their debut. There are three booths that you run around to to get stamps and eventually throw your name into a fishbowl to enter a giveaway. But if you aren't at Comic-Con, don't fret - the contest being entered here is exactly the same thing you enter yourself in through the newly launched TMNT25.com Web site.

Yesterday afternoon myself and Tokka got to briefly meet and converse with TMNT writer Jake Black and TMNT artist Dario Brizuela, both of whom are fantastic people. I also met with Jake again briefly today. He reports that TMNT director Kevin Munroe is wandering the show floor, though I haven't seen him around myself.

Here's a pic of the back of the manhole cover included with the SDCC exclusive Mouser 3-pack:


You can view all of my Comic-Con photos here, although not all are TMNT-related.

25th Anniversary Press Release

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SHELL-EBRATE: MIRAGE STUDIOS AND 4KIDS ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCH WEBSITE FOR TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES®

25TH ANNIVERSARY AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL
TMNT25.com is Official Fan Destination for 25th Anniversary

Shell-ebration News, One-of-a-Kind Prizes, Rare Collectibles
and a Special Look at 25 Years of Turtle Power


SAN DIEGO, July 24, 2008 – Mirage Studios, Inc. and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. announce the launch of an exclusive Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) Website, created for the fans who have made everyone's favorite heroes in a half-shell a staple in pop culture for a quarter of a century. TMNT25.com, unveiled today at Comic-Con International, is the official destination for the Turtle's 25th Anniversary Shell-ebration in 2009. Fans will have the opportunity to register on the site to receive up-to-the-minute 25th Anniversary information and locations for special events, as well as the chance to win rare collectibles and prizes and much more, via the downloadable Turtles widget.

In addition to the launch of the site at Comic-Con, show attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a pre-Shell-ebration Sweepstakes, which they can enter by collecting stamps on a specially crafted TMNT25 passport at several participating partner booths: (4Kids Entertainment/TC Digital Games LLC (Booth #3351), uclick LLC (Booth #1217), and National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) (Booth #4345). Once all the stamps are collected and the passport tear-sheet is handed in, fans are entered to win a number of special prizes including a signed NECA TMNT collectible toy set, a Raphael costume from Disguise, Inc. and a mobile phone from uclick.

Additionally, by participating in the pre-Shell-ebration Sweepstakes, fans will be automatically entered in an online TMNT Cyber Sweepstakes, where they will have the chance to win rare copies of Gobbledygook, the limited Mirage Studios comic series which previewed the Turtles back in 1984, each signed by Turtles co-creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.

"Launching the TMNT25 Website is an exciting first step for Mirage Studios in the multi-faceted Shell-ebration of our historic milestone," said Gary Richardson, CEO of Mirage Studios. "This will be the go-to place for our fans to log on to reminisce in Turtles' multi-media history, as well as receive the latest news on all the exciting anniversary initiatives in which they can participate."

Peppercom, a strategic communications agency, and its experiential marketing division, Peppercommotions, will manage www.TMNT25.com, as well as the various Shell-ebration events.

"We're confident that the TMNT25 Website will help generate a strong buzz for fans and serve as an important promotional resource for Turtles' licensees, partners and retailers," said Rosalind Nowicki, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Licensing, 4Kids Entertainment. "The Shell-ebration will bring back nostalgic memories, as well as create exciting new experiences for TMNT fans of all ages."

Throughout 2008 and 2009, the TMNT25 team will host several interactive initiatives for fans during the action-packed anniversary, including nationwide tours, events and activities including "Galabungas" – TMNT-style parties in key U.S. cities – to celebrate the TMNT phenomenon throughout the years; and a mobile reunion tour that will travel across the country bringing families and friends together to participate in TMNT-themed events.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their world premiere in May 1984, in a comic book created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman and published and distributed by Mirage Studios. A hugely successful TV series quickly followed, along with three successful theatrical films. In 2003, the Turtles were re-introduced to a new generation through a fresh animated television series, a CGI-animated theatrical movie and new merchandising program. The 25th year of TMNT will provide fans with radical, new, stimulating opportunities to experience the Turtles.

Comic-Con: Preview Night

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It's been a long day, but we've all survived the monster that has become Preview Night. This used to be a time to run around the Con floor with a smaller crowd, but the crowd was in force tonight.

Tonight's big items came from the NECA booth where the Black & White box set of figures ($50) was for sale along with the Mouser 3-pack ($20). Also on display were three new figures due for release this fall: Shredder, a Foot Soldier (with Utrom), and a Foot Elite.


Kevin Eastman's Bodycount reprint ($20) is a hit as a long and regular line formed at the Heavy Metal booth where Kevin was personally doing detailed and intricate sketches in each one (no additional fee).

Those two stops and buying way too many Doctor Who action figures were literally all I got accomplished tonight (although that's all I was aiming for), so I barely got a look at the Con floor. There's more Turtle goodies hiding around somewhere. The passports weren't out tonight, but supposedly will be tomorrow.

And virtually all of my day tomorrow is dedicated to Doctor Who, so I might not see too much else until Friday. We'll see.

Tales of the TMNT #48 Now Available

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Tales of the TMNT #48, “The Decider,” is in comic shops today.

Be sure to check out the fantastic pinup art in this issue by the one and only tokka!!

Comic-Con Starts Today! A TMNT Preview

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The day has finally arrived! Comic-Con is here!

Well, in truth it is Monday night and I'm writing this in advance as I will likely still be driving towards San Diego when this shows up on the Web.

But I'm taking this moment to give a final run-down of know TMNT-related events happening at the Con. Comparatively, it's not much. But it is more than last year, so it's not all bad.


NECA EXCLUSIVE ACTION FIGURES

• TMNT Black & White Box Set - Limited to 500 pieces, retail price $50. Get yours signed by Kevin Eastman at the NECA booth on Thursday from 2pm-4pm.
• TMNT Mouser 3-Pack - Edition details and price unknown (will update Wednesday night).

BODYCOUNT REPRINT

Pickup the limited hardcover reprint of BODYCOUNT by Kevin Eastman and Simon Bisley at the Heavy Metal booth, booth #1629.

Softcover may also be available.

I'll update with prices Wednesday night.





TMNT 25TH SHELL-EBRATION PASSPORTS

Details on these remain vague, but they will apparently be available from a handful, if not all, TMNT licensees exhibiting at the show. It sounds as if stamps can be collected as part of a competition for prizes.

Also, be sure to watch TMNT25.com, which is said to go live during the convention.



DARIO BRIZUELA SIGNING

Tales of the TMNT artist Dario Brizuela will be signing at the IDW booth Thursday from 4pm-5pm.










Lastly, you can feel free to follow my Twitter feed for news as it happens (assuming Twitter decides to upload my texts). I'll try to do a full report each night (if there's anything to report), but Twitter is a way for me to post news immediately.

Do be aware that not everything posted to Twitter will necessarily be TMNT-related. In fact, it's very likely to be heavy with Doctor Who blithering. Especially Thursday.

Happy Comic-Con, all!

Tristan Huw Jones Interview

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BludBlood.com has a new interview of Tales of the TMNT writer, Tristan Huw Jones. Tristan talks about Tales #36, the upcoming Tales #50, and miscellaneous other things.

You can read the full interview here.

TMNT25 Now on Twitter

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If you have a Twitter account, you can now follow TMNT news via the new TMNT25 profile. This looks to be an extention of the TMNT 25th anniversary "shell-ebration," which officially kicks off next week during San Diego Comic-Con.

Stay tuned next week for complete coverage of Comic-Con and all TMNT news that crosses the floor of the convention hall.

Scratch That: No Movie News Yet

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Yesterday it was reported that Playmates was confirming a new CGI/live action movie to be released in 2010. Today that news was quashed by Steve Murphy of Mirage.

Oh Playmates, have you really sunk that low to put lies on your Web site?


The new official statement on a future movie is:

Following the success of the TMNT theatrical release in 2007, Mirage Licensing is in negotiation with several companies about a new TMNT movie for release in 2010.

Fingers and toes shall remain crossed at good news in the near future!

TMNT Display at the Indianapolis Children's Museum

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Fan Goongasnootch recently shot these two videos from the Indianapolis Children's Museum's exhibit on comic books. Both videos showcase how the TMNT are featured in the exhibit - Very cool!

Part 1:


Part 2:

Unofficial Official TMNT Sequel News

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It seems that fans tOkKa's and Putrescent's eyes have served them well and they have spotted some updates to Playmates' Web site.

There are some toy updates and a little bit of info on Back to the Sewer if you want to go looking, but the big news comes in the form of two paragraphs that reveal plans for a CGI/live action movie to be released in 2010 (see graphic).

As fantastic news as this is (although not completely surprising, as it has been somewhat hinted at), I find myself full of caution as I try to be optimistic. Imagi's continued involvement is what concerns me most.

The reason a full-CGI sequel agreement never happened between Imagi and Mirage was, seemingly, differences in opinion on where to take the story. Deciding to do a CGI/live action hybrid movie doesn't mean you don't have to worry about telling a good story. And as much as I absolutely love the look of the 2007 movie, I don't know how well those Turtles will blend with live action. I'm afraid this effort is going to come off looking like Garfield, when it really needs to look like Transformers.

I suppose only time will tell, so I will keep my fingers crossed that everyone involved in this project is truly interested in making a good movie and not just in selling another batch of action figures and other licensed crap. Hopefully we'll get some more concrete info on the project in the near future.