Casey Jones – Page 6 – GoGreenMachine.Org

RAPH n’ Casey Vs. PIZZAFACE [[ The art of Workhorse Illustration ]]

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“Remember awhile back when I had posted that Raphael and Casey Jones? Well – those had some backing. Like in my last post, me and my brother in arms ***Zac Gorman, of the infamous online web comic Montgrave, teamed up and tried to write a three page story for one of our most beloved childhood heroes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So – we essentially, drank a ton of mountain dew during phone calls, ate a ton of pizza – and cranked out a loose story and plot featuring Casey Jones and Raphael. Me and Zac did these as sort of a “practice run” on how we wanted to work with each other. Zac pretty much wrote the script, with ideas and characters sprinkled in by yours truly – then the mighty Zac-maestro did the rough layouts for the pages and I took it from there and changed some of the camera shots, added my touch on backgrounds and characters – and handled the pencils and inks.

Sort of using this as a stepping stone, we are now currently working on a title we are calling “The Odyssey of Til” – which we are working together basically in the same vein. So in the meantime, check these pages and let me know if you even remember the bad guy we pulled out in the second page (and yes, he IS a real TMNT baddie).

cowabunga! ” — SCOTT WYGMANS

$TMNT_pg1 { RAPH n' Casey v. Pizza Face pizza power } art by SCOTT WYGMANS , script by Zac Gorman (( 2009 )) [[ The art of Workhorse Illustration ]]$

$TMNT_page2 { RAPH n' Casey v. Pizza Face pizza power } art by SCOTT WYGMANS , script by Zac Gorman (( 2009 )) [[ The art of Workhorse Illustration ]]$

$TMNT_page3 { RAPH n' Casey v. Pizza Face pizza power } art by SCOTT WYGMANS , script by Zac Gorman (( 2009 )) [[ The art of Workhorse Illustration ]]$

Tales of the TMNT Review #60

Greetings all!

Today I present to you a review of our upcoming issue of Tales of the TMNT, #60 “Nobody Does it Better”

The first thing I gratefully mention is the Recap at the start of the issue. This was a big reminder of how tightly intertwined the people and events are throughout the Mirage comic’s universe – Whether the events happened fourteen issues ago or fourteen years ago. The Frontispiece, by Michael Dooney, gives us a few questions to ponder about existence and one’s purpose in life. Very nicely done, writing-wise and artistically.

As always, if you want to avoid anything spoiling in nature, just skip the next four paragraphs.

Our story opens in the early hours of morning, going back and forth between a government bunker in Nevada and the rooftop of a pizzaria in New York City.

In Nevada, The military is checking in on an old alien ambassador after a fourteen year coma. The alien is awakening, and top brass is preparing for any possible threat. Things get chaotic, and something get shot out of the alien and into the atmosphere.

With Raphael and Casey, only a few days have past since April’s departure for some seriously needed soul searching. Casey is trying to drown his sorrows away, leaving Raph to put up with his rapidly deteriorating temper.

Nobody appears, much to their surprise. It turns out he was the projectile shot out of the Alien. Armed with new abilities, he also has a new purpose – to protect the ambassador at all costs. The guys end up getting a taste of what Nobody’s new life will involve, and the issue ends with them parting ways. For now.

Okay, you’re safe now…

In all, I did enjoy reading this issue. Given the amount of background information needed to understand the story, this would seem more appropriate as a regular TMNT issue. For a regular joe to pick this comic up in a store and glance through it, there’s a lot to swallow in one sitting.

With this new situation of the Alien Ambassador and the new alien threat, we’re bound to see Nobody again in the near future. Nobody’s character is an interesting one. As a simple disguised cop-turned-vigilante, he probably could never have predicted his new purpose in life being that of a protector of an intergalactic diplomat. Who could really look at their life now and say for certain what it would be in ten, twenty years?

As for the Artwork… While I’ve always been a fan of B&W, this issue proved to be a bit difficult to understand some pictures. I think it would actually be easier to comprehend if it was colored, like the cover. Which, oddly enough, has Raph shown as a normal turtle. Why this is, I do not know.

As always, Jim’s use of texture and lighting help to bring an image off the page, whether it’s a sandblown army hummer or the scaly, dinosaurid body of Raphael. Raphael’s current state is one of the things I really enjoyed about the issue. I don’t see TMNT as much as I should, but this look of Raph’s reminds me of Jim’s Paleo: Tales of the Cretaceous comic. If you get a chance, be sure to check out Jim Lawson’s blog. He’s always posting great artwork, both TMNT and Non-TMNT – He’s in our list of links, stop in and say hi…

Overall, it’s a three out of five stars. Not a bad read at all…

Machias

The Shredder CUBEECRAFT Strikes !!

–>> **Christopher Beaumont’s CUBEECRAFT
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” Shredder and Foot Soldier available!
PLEASE NOTE: If you downloaded the Shredder from 4Kids and only got a single JPG he is missing the second page. The character was supposed to be released as a PDF – however there was some confusion and only the first page went up as a jpg. You can get the second page as a JPG here. Sorry for the confusion. 4Kids tells me this should be fixed ASAP.

… at 4Kids.tv.
As well as the Ninja Turtles friend and ally Casey Jones.

The Foot Soldier is available like any other Cubeecraft on 4Kids.tv, however Casey Jones and the Shredder will each cost 10,000 4Kids Reward Points to unlock.
SPECIAL FOR CUBEECAFT BLOG READERS!
Go to 4Kids.tv and create an account. Then go to http://www.4kids.tv/show/tmnt and type the word “technodrome” while on the page. This will give you 10,000 4Kids Rewards Points FREE! There is no place to enter the code, simply have the page open in your browser and type.
BONUS! Enter this code on a TUESDAY (like today) and get double the points! That’s 20,000 Reward Points – enough to unlock both characters! ” —Chris B.

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** Being inherently evil was never a position i asked for. I never claimed to be ninja , nor do i wish to be. But one of the tricks of the trade i have learned in my um, “evilness” is speaking in double – speak, sarcasm , and speaking in code.

Don’t be a square. Perhaps what you seek is easier to find than you think. Perhaps you shall find it, perhaps not ..but it is advised to look carefully at every situation. For nothing is as difficult or easy as it ever seems. And sometimes it’s right under your beak if you look and click carefully. There are alternatives to getting what you want than just gathering points.

Get the point ?!

Free Comic Book Day 2009- Jetpack Comics – Rochester, NH

Hey all, Machias here…

I’ve returned from my first ever Free Comic Book Day, and it was a great event. We were fortunate enough to the Peter Laird and the Mirage crew present for signings and whatnot, which was a big event for the area. The TMNT are kinda considered ‘sons of new hampshire’, since the comics were first created in Dover, the next town over.

Rochester even took the opportunity to get other businesses involved to stir up some ‘tourism’, so to speak. So there were a good dozen different locations that you could go to – Everything from pubs/taverns (like, 3 of them) to things like craft stores, bike shops, wood furniture, heck– even a bridal shop and antique store.

So, my brother and I took advantage of the nice weather, put on our walking shoes, and hit the pavement.

Now, a quick lil thing about Jetpack Comics – They were originally Paperback Bazaar in Somersworth, the original comic shop that first sold the TMNT. And they’re actually in the process of moving into a larger location, so this place is near and dear to the Mirage guys. That was where I first got my hands on TMNT comics, and that is now the main comic shop in the area I believe… definitely check them out if you’ve got the time.

The shop was jam packed with people – adults, kids, teenagers, costumed… got our stamps, the lists of participating businesses that we could get comics from, and a roundabout through a plethora of special edition printings and other freebies. Mostly what they were offering for TMNT was the PBBZ edition of the first issue, which I’d actually gotten at the PBBZ-con back in 2005. (Pics below) We got there pretty early, and managed to beat the Massive crowd and screaming kids that showed up about two minutes before we headed out to the other locations. Let’s just say it’s definitely a good thing that they’re moving to the larger location…

Before we begin, please forgive the graininess of my pictures, my camera wasn’t exactly the best for the situation.

Now the major location where they had the most people/guests and such, was at the Knights of Columbus Bingo Hall. The turnout there was pretty good, packed to the gills with boxes and people. The Mirage crew was spread out over a few tables, showcasing several different things.

There were several large prints for sale, $10 each. Different poses of the turtles and Splinter, which Peter shared on his blog. http://plairdblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/mike-don-raph-and-splinter-in-amazing.html – absolutely stunning to see in person.

They also had a few of the four-packs of the NECA figures – while I was at the table, there was a young kid who started slapping his hands on one of the boxes, screaming that he wanted it. I swore Peter was going to have a heart attack… but the dad pulled the kid away, and the figures lived to see another day.

The Jake Black print was available for purchase, about $20 dollars – I couldn’t afford it myself, but I donated to the cause regardless. Please do keep this talented young man in your thoughts. http://jakeboyslim.blogspot.com/

Also at the location were a few sketchbooks of artwork, cover artwork, comic pages, even a few single character poses and smaller pictures – The golden dragon image (left) was particularly striking, I’m just unsure if it’s been posted in any of the issues. There were a couple sketches of Splinter that I fell in love with, but alas… There was quite a few pics in there that I have Not seen anywhere else. Apparently the turtles aren’t the only ones good at hiding things in Mirage… 😉

In a locked display box on the table, there was an Original first issue that was being lent to them by a vendor from Portsmouth. There was a whole description about it, how it was discovered to be a First printing of the original issue. Sadly, it’s hard to read on the pic here, unless you people have some seriously good eyesight.

On the final table, Dan Berger was selling issues of the Tales of TMNT, where I found an issue I’ve been looking for, and got to chat with him a little about the upcoming “Forever War” series, being done by Steve Murphy aka Dean Clarrain. Now, I’m not sure if this was known, or was mentioned previously in any other blogs. But according to Berger, what was going to originally be a five-issue story for the Forever War, it is now going to be only THREE issues that comes out beginning in October. If that’s old news, so be it. If not… you heard it here first.

So after a very brief chat with the guys and getting some signatures, my brother and I moved on to the other locations that were offering comics for free. TMNT Fans were all over the place, proudly wearing their buttons, shirts, jackets and whatnot, while mingling in with the countless ogres, jedis, and countless Star Wars fans dressed up for the occasion. This fellow in the mask was kind enough to pose for us, and even said there was a Shredder nearby, terrorizing the public. So I kept my eyes open throughout the day.

We visited a few of the participating businesses – Tri City Bicycles, Union Street Antiques, The Cafe at the Governor’s Inn – A Star Wars style ‘cantina’, complete with a life sized Jabba the Hutt. Ben Franklin Crafts, Distinctive Forest Creations, several other places as well. The Old Oak Tavern, The Draught Pick Club, and Mel Flanagan’s Irish Pub weren’t opened Just yet. So After grabbing a slice of Pizza at Fat Tony’s Italian Grille, we took a stroll through Main Street and decided to call it a day. I never did find Shredder, that elusive B*stard…

So now I bask in the glory of my haul. The three issues on the right, as I mentioned above, are the PBBZ editions of the remastered first issue that I got a couple years back. Complete with signatures, even a hail to my favorite tmnt forum.

I also managed to find several of the previous issues that I had really wanted to buy. I’m still searching for a few (sorry, Tristan!), but I continue my mission.

So, all in all this was a pretty fun day. The weather was perfect, the people were all around cheery, and no blood was spilt by battling stormtroopers or Ninjas, which is a positive for anyone.

Thanks for Reading!

Machias B.

Tales of the TMNT Review #56

Greetings, one and all…

tales-of-the-tmnt-56-cover1 I will be the first to admit that I am not as able to keep up to date with the current TMNT comics as I should be. I tend to check out the official TMNT website for summaries and glimpses of a few pages. But what I can say about this most recent issue from the Jones/Harmon powerhouse is definitely going to be a memorable one for TMNT fans.

I know the idea of putting a cartoon character into the Mirage universe caused some to hesitate. But Tristan’s own interpretation of Hun – Hunter Mason – is a solid character that you can really love to hate.

If you are not one for plot spoilers, I will warn you now. You can skip the next Three paragraphs, and go straight to the art itself.

The timeline for this story takes place a month after Tristan/Harmon’s previous conglomerate, Tales #36 “To Protect and Serve”. Nearly as year has passed since the City at War arc of Vol. 1, Donatello and Splinter are back home from Northampton, and busily helping April and Casey set up the apartment for their new family. Shadow is almost a year old at this point. The continuation of the City At War Plotline is very exciting for those familiar with that story. We see a couple returning characters from #36, and I’m getting a strong feeling that we’ll be seeing some further build-up to this storyline in the very near future…

Tristan’s story introduces us to a darker, more threatening version of Hun than we’ve seen in the animated series. It opens with a young, beaten up Casey staring defiantly at a late-teens(?) Hun, who’s got a knife in his side. The mountain of a man removes the knife and literally beats the life out of Casey while his family is forced to look on in horror. It’s this attack that most likely spurs Casey into becoming a hockeystick-wielding vigilante. You can easily understand how these two lives become so inexplicably intertwined…

More than just the lumbering brute that utters ‘Oh Crud’ whenever something happens, he is a fierce enemy who’s bound to become a favorite among the official Rogues Gallery – and leave you hungry for more…
Okay, no more spoilers, I promise…

tales-of-the-tmnt-56-sample The Art itself is something to behold. If the horrified eyes peering out of a shattered hockey mask isn’t enough to catch your attention, the sneering face of Hun should be enough to make you wonder what the heck is going on. Dooney’s frontispiece alone could be good enough as a pin-up poster like they used to have back then.

I’ve always been fond of B&W artwork, just because I tend to see color sometimes taking away from the tiniest details of shading and textures.

Harmon is a master of this gritty, Vol. 1 style of artwork. I would say it was done with charcoal – Heck, maybe even Gunshot Residue for all the action taking place. The lighting is smooth, almost milky, which in contrast makes the strong lines almost too dark, but overall it just screams the perfect amount of Atmosphere. Once you get an eye for Harmon’s artwork, it’s almost addictive in nature not to stop examining for the little details.

Even the way the turtles are drawn is something to notice. What I’ve noticed about Harmon’s turtles is that they seem very much inspired by the character designs of the very first Turtles movie. I noticed this a lot with Tales #36, and more so here.
Overall, this is a fantastic addition to the history of Tales of the TMNT, and I’m sure it will become a fast favorite for your collection.

Thanks for reading!
~MachiasB

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