Category: TMNT Musings

All posts relating to the ever-present Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property and all incarnations of that franchise.

Thirty Years Ago

It’s hard to believe it’s been thirty years.

I recall first hearing about this back in the day and I was surprised. Never got to see this one in theaters; the closest I could get to experiencing the film were through the few commercials and preview clips they’d show on TV… as well as the comic book adaptation that was quite excellent. Once I got to see the film, it was probably the greatest thing I’ve seen.

And you know what? Thirty years later, it still holds up.

Other Turtle movies have come along the way and the quality varies… but at the end of the day, I always go back to this one. It’s a great take on the material and a nice amalgamation of the popular versions of these characters. Honestly, if someone were to ask me the best introduction to Turtle lore, I’d go with this movie. All the good bits, none of the bad ones.

I can’t ever go back to the old cartoon… never had the guts… but the movie is fine. Better than fine. It’s great.

Power Rangers Reflections Redux #07 – Shell Shocked

Yeah, like you thought I’d go through life never talking about this.

The fourth episode of Power Rangers In Space featured the one and only official crossover story between the Power Rangers in any form and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in any form. And to say it was a disappointment would be stating the obvious. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this episode, so let’s give it a look and we can move on to better things… maybe.

The reason this crossover was possible is because during this time, Saban was putting out a live-action Ninja Turtles series called The Next Mutation, which had the Turtles fighting off not perennial villain Shredder or any of the familiar menagerie, but a monster called Dragonlord and his band of putties or grunts or whatever. And on top of that, we have a fifth (female) Turtle named Venus, who knows magic and stuff. Said female Turtle is said to be a controversial addition and I’ll spare my thoughts on both the Turtle and the show for another time.

But the point is that when people like to visualize this particular crossover combination, they usually visualize the original Mighty Morphin team going up against the classic quintet Turtles incarnation (of which there are many, so take your pick.) What you’re getting here is not the “colossal” event that it might’ve been or could’ve been; it’s just a crossover between two shows that happened to be on the air at the time… and it’s just another episode of Power Rangers overall, as there was no attempt to do a similar crossover on the Next Mutation show.

Of course, that would’ve been problematic to pull off since Next Mutation had a somewhat smaller budget compared to PRIS and also, both shows were filmed in different locations. It also explains why the Turtles here have different sounding voices and personalities in comparison to their show of origin. But I’m jumping ahead here… also, two paragraphs share the same first word… let’s break that pattern now.

Continue reading “Power Rangers Reflections Redux #07 – Shell Shocked”

The Abridged Book Of Ninja Fighting

In Season 3 of Mighty Morphin, the Power Rangers get new power coins that draw the power of NINJA! This means they get cool ninja suits and cool ninja powers. Yeah, that’s awesome, right?

But isn’t the ninja supposed to be a stealthy figure?

In the old days, ninjas were spies and assassins who would use stealth to get in, do their thing, and get out without anyone noticing. The art of invincibility, as it were. It was a thing with the Ninja Turtles whenever they needed to do something stealthy; they went in, did their thing, and got out without anyone noticing. Not just because of their appearance differing from the humans, but because they were NINJA. That’s what they’re supposed to do; it’s what they were trained to do. Sometimes, they make noise, but for the most part, they’re supposed to stay in the shadows and they usually do that.

So why is it that whenever we have Ninja Rangers, they’re out in the open and not doing anything that is remotely ninja-y? They make loud noises, they taunt, they don’t do anything remotely stealthy, they have ninja magic… but they don’t use stealth or anything. What kind of ninjas are they?

The ones that apparently study from the Abridged Book Of Ninja Fighting.

TMNT WWE Figures…

On the one hand… they look stupid.

On the other hand… the old Playmates toys from a couple decades back had their share of stupid shit.

Though, I have to say I’m surprised they didn’t turn one of the Turtles into Roman Reigns, who supposed to be the chosen one and the next “big star.”

But not big enough to be turned into a Ninja Turtle.

Unless they turn him into Venus De Milo.

On second thought… let’s not. Even Venus deserves better than that.

COMIC REVIEW – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Deviations (IDW, 2016)

Of the half-dozen issues that IDW put out for its “Deviations” event – essentially a take on the “What If?” concept of alternate realities and the such – I’ve bought and read two books; one on Ghostbusters and one on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Ghostbusters book had an interesting idea marred by poop jokes, low brow humor, and just bad writing overall.

The Deviations on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, on the other hand? That fares a bit better. And that says something considering I haven’t been a regular follower of IDW’s (still ongoing) TMNT comic book… something that I eventually plan to rectify sooner than later, I hope.

This Deviation alters a plot point in the series, wherein the original narrative Leonardo is brainwashed into joining the foot clan, this narrative changes things by having all four Turtles brainwashed and in pursuit of their now-former master, Splinter. Although a familiarity with the original story in question may enhance one’s enjoyment of the story a bit, the book’s prologue provides enough of a backstory that bring those not in the know a little more up to speed. Who knows? Maybe it might entice potential readers to pick up back issues or the various trade paperback collections.

As for the issue itself, it’s not a bad read despite the story not being all that fantastic. The possessed Turtles almost become interchangeable caricatures of each other, with only slight hints of personality being shown and the lead up to the big battle at the end could’ve used a bit more meat. Regardless, I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy this book; the final battle at the end is certainly fun and the side story of Arnold Jones mulling over the loss of his son Casey (which triggered this whole thing to begin with) adds a bit of depth to a character that seemingly had none.

The art is fine, a bit messy at times, but it’s fine. I mean, as its own little thing, it’s a nice and somewhat believable story that’s saddled with a predictable ending (everybody dies, of course – hardly a spoiler if you’ve read a lot of What Ifs). An intimate knowledge of IDW’s take on the Turtles would certainly help, but this holds its own just fine as a standalone.