Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appreciation thread

[strangenova]

I wouldn't say The Manhattan Project is better than Turtles In Time but it doesn't get enough love because of that game. That said it is a fantastic game and one of my favorite nes games. The controls, animation, and music are all very high quality for the console.



And that has to be one of my favorite nes tracks there is.

[Nemoide]

So I know this thread is in General Gaming but I need to gush about the comics a little bit.

I love TMNT. I loved the 80s-90s cartoon when I was a kid. I think the movies (or at least the first two) are plenty of fun. But my heart especially belongs to the Mirage comics. When I was in high school, I found a couple random issues of the original series here and there, but they were mostly "guest issues" from the series' long non-canon run roughly between issues #22-44. Then when I was in college I found Volume 4 which was written by Peter Laird with art by Jim Lawson and it completely blew me away.

I've been going through and re-reading my old TMNT issues (I have all of the main Mirage series and most of the spinoffs) and am currently about halfway through Volume 2, the color series; I just hope Volume 4 lives up to my memories. People sometimes give the Mirage comics some credit for being "dark" and "gritty" and compared to the cartoons, that's fair, but really I feel like the hallmark of the Mirage stuff are creative people trying out interesting ideas with the turtles. One of my favorite stories is the Leonardo: Blind Sight mini-series, in which Leonardo is blinded by a Foot assassin and goes on a hallucinatory journey through feudal Japan. IMO City at War is still pretty bold stuff! And even the non-cannon one-off stories can sometimes tell a surprisingly powerful story for something with a concept as ridiculous as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

I've only read some of the non-Mirage comics. I used to turn up my nose at Archie's TMNT Adventures but now I know a lot of the actual Mirage creators were involved with it and it looks like it did some seriously interesting stuff. I have the first 5 or so issues of the Image series (Volume 3) which I kind of like but it's GRIMDARK to the point of being pretty ridiculous. IDW's new series was kind of interesting but I jumped ship before issue 30 because I felt the pacing was just too slow and I wasn't invested in those versions of the characters. I also have Image's "Bodycount" and "Casey Jones & Raphael" mini-series waiting once I finish re-reading volume 2... I hope they're good.

As for the cartoons, I grew up with the 80s series, so I have a strong nostalgic connection to it. But I do have to admit it could be pretty insultingly stupid at times... I'd rewatch episodes but only in small doses. I remember thinking The Next Mutation wasn't that great as a kid... definitely C-rate/sub-Beetleborgs Saban fare; I'm not sure I'd want to revisit it. I didn't watch the early-2000s show but I know Peter Laird was actually involved and made sure the series didn't get too ridiculous. I'd really like to see it all, but I don't know if I'll actually get around to it. The newest CGI show has some interesting character designs but is very much for an audience from a younger generation than me... I'm glad kids like it, but it doesn't interest me.

Have I rambled enough?
Oh, Leonardo is my favorite.

[noiseredux]

thanks for the comic talk. I had only read the first 11 issues of the Mirage comic I believe? I had a collection as a kid. I loved those comics.

And yeah, Leonardo rules.

[samsonlonghair]

I'm a raphael dude all the way.

[Sano]

Turtles forever!

[samsonlonghair]

Just a small sample of my collection.

[noiseredux]

I noticed that there are actually several free Kindle comics available on Amazon. Probably a good way to check out some of the different series. There's issue #1 of Eastman's IDW run, #1 of the TMNT/Ghostbusters crossover, and two Free Comic Book Day issues. Maybe more, but those are the ones I noticed.

[samsonlonghair]

Remember that thread about the Ninja turtles TV set?
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 17&t=50195
Good times.

[TSTR]

Just a small sample of my collection.

gorgeous

oh and I was a Donatello fan

[samsonlonghair]

Favorite Ninja Turtle is like the personality test of our generation.