NYC Galabunga from your TMNT doc guy!

I guess I am a little late as most of you have probably heard all about the event and all the exciting news!! Well maybe I can shed a little more light on the subject from our world on the Turtle Doc team so hear it goes…

The TD team pulled into NYC mid morning totally lost and running late after a stop over in Scranton. This would be the third time into NYC on the Turtle Doc tour and driving the 10 hours down was getting old. It was 11:45 or something, we were in some industrial district in NJ, and I was pissed off. I was fuming about some mundane crap and not happy that we were late and had to stop at our apartment to sign in before we were to be at 4kids for interviews at 1:30. By the time we got to 4kids I had grown up, got over it and had time to eat a sandwich. Three hours and $40 of parking later we had shot interviews with two more 2k3 voices and Galen Walker (producer of TMNT and the now future TMNT movie) who is a GREAT guy by the way.

Bright and early on day two we pulled up to the empire state building ready to go. We got hooked up with the Turtle team and started shooting. I wasn’t even aware what was going on until Rob turned to me and said “hey its about to start so stand over here”. I got in front of the press much to their chagrin and got the announcements and switch flipping on tape. I hate getting yelled at but the press didn’t like the video guy standing in front of their shots. Away we were swept up a complicated series of elevators to the roof-top where more press were waiting. This was a first for me, although I was unable to take in the fact that we were up there until it was too late. We were shot out and going back down. Now for anyone who was attending the event on the bottom floor and was trying to get to the top at the same time was impossible. It takes over an hour to get up there and costs money via conventional methods and we were up and down in 15 minutes.

Now off to the Tribeca event. The rest of the day was more or less straightforward. The Turtles, April, and Ernie did martial arts and shows for kids. Steve Barron hung out in and around the crowd soon joined by Kevin, and almost no one noticed Mike Turney also showed up which was cool. This was a great event, kids and families came out to enjoy the Turtle fun and pass on the torch to future generations. And contrary to you nay sayers I don’t think it was kid fluff nor was the April “annoying” I think she did very well considering what she had to work with and the fact that there was a lot of kids watching. Calm down….

Now here is something many of you have probably not thought of with regards to the new movie. Take a look at the production team; Scott Mednick who is on board has done some cool stuff: 300, Superman, We are Marshal and so on. Take it from me, we had a chance to talk to Scott and Galen and I assure you!!… They know what they are doing. Galen is a true fan and they both know how to handle this property!! There’s some cool things coming in the TMNT world for sure!

Also watch for the TDTeam footage in the upcoming TMNT25.com web videos of the event!!!

All in all it was a wonderful experience and trip overall. Aside from the cold the screening was great, the fans loved it, and the Turtles are back at it again! Here’s to another 25 years everyone! As far as franchises go, we are pretty lucky!!

Full Circle Part 2

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What you see above should be familiar…

Some of the faces below should be too…

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Full Circle Part 1

It’s always cool seeing dudes you create come back, and seeing how other people handle them. Something I’m a big fan of in comics, and a big fan of doing in my own comics, is yanking the little things out of obscurity and using them again. Admittedly, this was something I had sort of planned WAAAY back when #59 was supposed to come out around #40… anyway, take a look!

Remember this dude? This is from the very first page of my first TMNT comic… (art by Paul Harmon)
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Here he is again! He’s the main thrust behind the events of Tales of the TMNT #61… (art by Andres Ponce)
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More goodies on the way!

Collector Corner – Profiles in the Fandom!

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Here’s the latest profile! I’m still looking for more fans to profile so please contact me (click my name in the “Contact Us” section) to see yourself profiled. Thanks!

-Terminator
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Rich ([email protected])

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1)   Please tell us a little about your self.

I’m really just a “normal” guy.  I live in the great state of Colorado and am a Colorado native.  I work in the Technical Publications field for a mid/large-sized company.  In addition to the TMNT, my interests include watching sports of all kinds (especially soccer, football, and hockey), mountain biking, playing golf and softball, computers and tech stuff, and spending time with my beautiful family.  I like intelligent, witty, and sharp (sometimes dry) material that makes me laugh and/or ponder (e.g., shows like Arrested Development, Seinfeld, and Breaking Bad; movies by the Coen Brothers).  I’ve been known to get into trouble on occasion with my sense of humor.  This mostly occurs when I mistakenly determine a situation to be one that is ideal for the interjection of humor when, in actuality, it is not. 

 2)      How long have you been collecting TMNT and what prompted you to start?

It has been about 23 years since I started my TMNT collection.  I bought my first TMNT comic book sometime around 1986 but the actual conscious decision to collect the TMNT was something that didn’t come until a few years later.  At the time I purchased my first comic the TMNT were gaining in popularity within the comic book community but they were still fairly obscure elsewhere.  I wasn’t even really that big into comic books at that time.  I just liked to browse the comic book store when I was at the mall.  I can remember seeing TMNT #1-4 (Vol. I) displaying on the wall at that shop and how unique they were in size, color, and cover art (not to mention that weird title).  After a few weeks of admiring them I just had to check them out in greater detail.  I was surprised to find out that the #1 was a 3rd printing and the #2 was a 2nd printing considering the price they were asking for them.  I was fairly young at the time and, even had I actually intended to buy them, the prices they were asking definitely put them well out of my reach.  A few weeks later those oversized books had disappeared from the wall and in their place was a 4th printing of #1, an autographed 3rd printing of #2, and all the TMNT one-shots.  Eventually what prompted me to acquire my first issue was this curiosity I had about what a “Ninja Turtle” even was (or did).  Unfortunately, I don’t remember what TMNT issue was my very first but it could very likely be issue #7 given that I have a few copies of this issue but one in particular shows a significant amount of wear.  Issue #7 would have been brand new around the time of my first purchase and I wouldn’t have needed to settle for a second-hand copy in that condition.  Although I’m not a TMNT “elitist” I definitely wouldn’t purchase a #7 in this condition today and so it was likely one of the first ones (if not the first) I bought and read and then carelessly left lying around my room.  I do remember, however, that it only took that one issue (whichever number it was) for me to determine that the TMNT were really cool (and violent!).  So, I began purchasing the new issues as they came out and then gathered all the back issues I could find.  I also saved up so I could buy that autographed copy of the 3rd printing of #2 (which was one of my first 5 TMNT comics).  As the rest of the mainstream populace was becoming familiar with what a Ninja Turtle was (and did), I was already well underway with my new lifelong pursuit.

As an aside, although that mall and comic shop are long gone I can still see that shop in my mind today just as vividly as when I was actually standing in the doorway gazing at that display wall.  I’m sure that’s not solely due to those first TMNT issues but I’m betting they have a lot to do with it.

3)      What specifically do you collect (toys, comics, etc.) and how large is your collection?

I am primarily a collector of the comic books that contain TMNT appearances.  I’ve always had a special passion for the comic books and so I focus most of my collecting efforts (and dollars) there.  My goal is to acquire at least one copy of every comic book that contains a TMNT appearance.  This is no easy task but it is definitely a labor of love.  My collection also contains a large assortment of unopened TMNT action figures (many from the original 1980’s Playmates line) and miscellaneous other TMNT collectibles (some very rare) that I’ve found over the years. 

As to the size of my TMNT collection, the best word I can think of to describe it would be “extensive.”  The comic books alone total somewhere near 1,000 copies.  I am currently in the process of building a website to display my entire collection (http://www.tmnt-ninjaturtles.com) and I’m hoping for a launch this summer.  In the meantime, you can find a bit more information about me as well as some interesting previews of my collection at my blog (http://blog.tmnt-ninjaturtles.com/).

4)      What is your favorite piece in your collection and why?

Wow.  That’s a good question.  I’m not sure I have one single piece that is my favorite.  However, in the interest of providing a better answer than that, I do have two pieces that always come to mind when I think of “favorite.”  These pieces would have to be the ultra-rare and elusive Gobbledygook #1 and #2.  Of course, the main answer to “why” these are my favorite is already known to you fellow TMNT collectors: rarity.  However, there are additional reasons why I might consider these to be my favorites.

One of those reasons is that the story behind my acquisition of these is quite interesting.  While I’ll save the actual story for the debut of my website I will tell you that it is quite unique.  That acquisition story actually concludes with an even greater reason these could be considered my favorite pieces but, in the interest of providing a great “teaser,” that’s all I’m going to say for now.   

5)      How do you store/display your collection at home?

I store the entire collection (with one exception) in a climate-controlled and ultra-secret location.  Really.  It would be great to have everything out and available for public viewing but, due to the sheer size of my collection, I would need a small museum to do that.  In fact, that’s the reason I’m in the process of building the website.  I want to ensure that my collection retains its integrity while still providing TMNT fans all over the world the opportunity to enjoy it. 

The one exception to this is a framed NY Comic Con print signed by Michael Dooney that I have hanging in my office.  I rarely buy prints or original art for a number of reasons but I thought it was a really cool print that depicted the TMNT (and Splinter) in a very distinctive way.  It also marked the TMNT 25th Anniversary without actually noting it as such.  Cool print Mike!

As for “how” I store my collection, it is really quite an intricate process and a ton of work.  I can’t reveal too many details of my archive process since it was developed to set my collection apart from other collections.  I can, however, provide a basic overview of the process.

For comics, every issue gets sealed in its own bag with a backing board, the cover is scanned, and the image is saved to my database.  For action figures (and all other non-comic collectibles), each one gets photographed and the image is also saved to my database.  After that, everything is sent to the aforementioned ultra-secret location.  I take great precautions to safeguard every single item because, regardless of its rarity or value on the open market, if any one of them is damaged or misplaced, my collection would be incomplete.  

6)      What are your top five most wanted TMNT collectibles?

I’m sure most of this list will come as no surprise to anyone and that these would also appear at the top of most TMNT wish lists.  However, if you are in possession of any of these I’d love to hear from you (even if you aren’t interested in selling them).  Here goes.

  • Turtlemania Silver & Gold – I’ve never even seen a Gold copy but I did just recently see my first ever Silver.  In fact, there’s a story behind that Silver copy but since it doesn’t end with me owning one it’s not that fun to tell. L
  • Any and all Counterfeit TMNT comics (specifically TMNT Vol. I #1 and #2 counterfeits) – It’s funny how everyone (even the Mirage Studios site) warns you about how many counterfeits there are of #1 but damned if I can ever find one.
  • The original TMNT Iron-Ons (advertised in the oversized re-printings of TMNT Vol. I #1) – ‘nuf said
  • Challenges Hardcover Edition (by Michael Dooney) – For whatever reason this baby has eluded me for years.
  • Creed/TMNT Crossover (Hybrid Edition and Signed & Numbered Edition w/ COA) – The Creed/TMNT issue has to win the title of “TMNT comic with the most cover variants” 
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Top 20 Comic Weapons

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Making the rounds today I stumbled upon this post. It looks pretty old but I still found it pretty neat. Click the pic to go right to the blog or if you’re too lazy, read the results below:
-Terminator
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This is a list of what we consider to be the top 20 comic book weapons… not necessarily the most powerful. We consider the best to be the most creative and interesting weapons. When compiling the top 20 comic book weapons of all time, one must consider the weapon and not the wielder. We chose weapons that define the characters they belong to. Without their weapons, the characters on this list would lose their identities. Remember the mid 90s when Wolverine lost his claws..? I rest my case.
Please note that we have purposely left out any “weapons of limitless power.” Weapons like the Infinity Gauntlet, Cosmic Cube, and Black Diamonds are certainly powerful, but lack any creativity what-so-ever.

20 – Casey Jones’ Golf Bag of goodies – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Casey Jones’ arsenal consists of just about any sports implement big enough to hit someone with and be carried around in a golf bag. A disgruntled former hockey player, Jones takes to the streets swinging hockey sticks, golf clubs, baseball bats and more, to take out his frustration on the criminal element. While there’s nothing technically special about the weapons at his disposal, it’s definitely a fanboy pleaser, not to mention super-cool, to see this guy with no special skills defeating evil with tools you could most likely find in your own garage or attic. Casey Jones, you’re an inspiration to us all.

19 – Captain Cold’s Freeze Gun – Flash
Theorizing that that the energy emissions of a cyclotron could interfere with the Flash’s speed, Leonard Snart created a freeze gun more or less by accident. He decided to go with it and give himself the title of Captain Cold. Cold’s schtick has been ripped off over and over again. Ever seen someone frozen in a block of ice? Cold has been doing it for 50 years. The visual of Captain Cold blasting ice all over the streets of Keystone City while the Flash intervenes is one of the most fun in comics. All thanks to the Freeze Gun.

18 – Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin – Batman Books
Dr. Jonathan Crane is an insane clinical psychologist. Using a variety of psychological tactics, he utilizes the fears and phobias of his adversaries. His bread and butter is his fear toxin, a concoction of his own design that leaves anyone, including the fearless Batman, weeping in terror and wetting their pants. The toxin brings out your worst fears and the Scarecrow capitalizes on them… Truly a character defining weapon.

17 – The Witchblade – Witchblade
The witchblade appears at first glance to simply be an ornate gauntlet, but on the hand of a proper host this symbiotic, intelligent weapon becomes much more. The witchblade is capable of turning into armor to protect its host from harm, swords and other stabbing weapons, shields, and even wings enabling its user to fly. It has on occasion even fired energy blasts, projectiles, and whips or grapples for climbing. A great all-purpose weapon that is only limited by the fact that it can become temperamental and difficult to control if not used frequently or in it’s mind, correctly. Also the witchblade only chooses one host per generation and those hosts are invariably female. If you are a man OR a woman not chosen by the witchblade, don’t try it on unless you like the nickname “Lefty.”

16 – Green Goblin’s Pumpkin Bombs – Spider-Man Books
Spider-Man’s arch nemesis employs the use of his jet propelled glider, and a big bag of pumpkin bombs. The great thing about comics is the kooky costumes and colorful characters and the Green Goblin is a perfect example of this. A flying goblin chucking pumpkin bombs is not only entertaining, but it serves as a perfect challenge for Spider-Man. A high speed chase, zipping around, Spider-Man has to protect civilians as well as himself from a barrage of explosions. These bombs not only compliment their wielder, but his enemy as well.

15 – Dung’s Dual Poop Cannons – Savage Dragon
One of the many throwaway villains that graced the pages of Savage Dragon, Dung is about as static as a character can be. He is a walking poop joke, armed (literally) with two sewage cannons. Where all that *spoon* comes from remains a mystery, but the fact remains that Dung has one of the greatest weapons in comic history.

14 – Black Knight’s Ebony Sword – Avengers
I always liked the juxtaposition of a knight running around in modern times fighting supervillains. The Black Knight wields the Ebony Blade, a magical sword forged by Merlin from a meteorite. It is indestructible, can cut through almost anything, impervious to magic, returns to the Black Knight’s hand if dropped or thrown, and can be used to teleport. Pretty handy weapon.

13 – Kevin Matchstick’s Bat – Mage
Kevin Matchstick is Arthur Pendragon (King Arthur to the less than literate) reborn, so naturally he needs a modern day Excalibur to wield against his foes. Excalibur in the modern age takes the form of a glowing white baseball bat which can be controlled from a distance and mentally summoned back to the hand. The Excali-bat can damage even the toughest of foes, and is apparently indestructable. I wonder what Matchstick’s batting average is with this thing?

12 – Johnny Blaze’s Hellfire Shotgun – Ghost Rider, Spirits of Vengeance
During a period where Blaze was not the Ghost Rider, his means of dishing out the whoop-*spoon* was his hellfire spewing shotgun. This weapon was created when Ghost Rider’s Hellfire was conducted through the shotgun into John himself. To clarify, hellfire is just like fire, except it can burn your soul. Shotguns are always cool. Shotguns that shoot soul burning fire? Brilliant.

11 – The Right Hand of Doom – Hellboy
When you make a living fighting the big scary monsters of the world, a giant stone hand can come in pretty handy (No pun intended). This particular giant stone hand (there are so many) is allegedly a catalyst to the bringing about of the end of the world. As of yet we haven’t seen in the comics how this would work, but until then, we can live comfortably knowing that somewhere out there, a 30 foot tall ape with the brain of a long dead dictator is probably taking one in the kisser from this bad boy as we speak. Rock on, Right Hand of Doom…rock on.

10 – Captain America’s Shield – Avengers, Captain America
Captain America’s shield is iconic, and virtually indestructible. It is an alloy of vibranium, an alien metal found only in Wakanda that had unique vibration absorption properties, and steel. The vibration absorbing ability of the vibranium allows Cap to withstand incredible amounts of force as well as lose next to no velocity when bouncing from one villain’s head to another.

9 – The Joker’s Acid Squirting Flower – Batman books
The Joker is not someone who is normally known for using lowly one on one weapons, typically relying more on weapons of mass destruction. Like all madmen however, he occasionally needs to deal some small scale, individual damage. While he’s used guns and and even a crowbar on occasion, his most memorable weapon would be a common clown accessory, the squirting lapel flower. Unlike the version found on most clowns however, the Clown Prince of Crime has a lapel flower that squirts acid, handily melting the face off of anyone unlucky enough to stop and smell the flowers.

8 – The Wrecker’s Crowbar – Avengers
The Wrecker carries a 4-foot long steel crowbar that was enchanted by Karnilla, the Norn Queen of Asgard, making it virtually indestructible. It is able to store and release the Wrecker’s enchantment, enabling him to share it among the rest of the Wrecking Crew. The guy is a New York brute that goes toe to toe with Thor himself… All thanks to his giant enchanted crowbar. Only in comic books can something so outlandish be so fantastic.

7 – Doc Ock’s tentacles – Spider-Man books
Ock’s titanium tentacles were originally part of a harness that was worn to allow him to manipulate dangerous radioactive materials. When a lab accident fused the harness to his body and gave him mental control over the tentacles, a classic comic weapon was born. The tentacles are individually capable of lifting anywhere from 3 to 8 tons (3 seems to be the minimum, while 8 is quoted in some sources) as long as one tentacle is used to brace himself. Each tentacle can also move at 90 mph and extends roughly 24 feet. Four 24 foot long titanium tentacles moving at 90 mile per hour? Thank goodness for Spidey Sense.

6 – Iron Man’s Armor – Iron Man, Avengers and Ultimates
While originally created as a means to keep Tony Stark alive due to a piece of shrapnel near his heart, the suit has become much, much more. Giving its wearer super strength, the power of flight as well as hand fired repulsor rays and more, depending on the writers whims, the suit has evolved into a complete wearable weapons system. A recent issue of Ultimates showed Stark in a suit that filled the sky over Washington DC, as it rained down a flood of destruction that would be the envy of most national superpowers.

5 – Wolverine’s claws – Wolverine and X-men
While we originally thought that these razor sharp Adamantium claws were added on to Wolvie during his Weapon X days, relatively recent comics have revealed that he always had claws, they just used to be made of bone. Whether made from bone or Adamantium (the hardest metal in the Marvel U, unbreakable and indestructable) these claws have most likely killed more people than the Black Plague, and don’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.

4 – Saint of Killers’ revolvers – Preacher
These Colt Walker style revolvers were actually fashioned from the Angel of Death’s sword, after he retired and handed his job off to the Saint. These old-school beauties never miss and are ALWAYS fatal. They are also capable of shooting through anything up to and including tank armor, and they never run out of ammunition. Did I mention that the Saint of Killers actually used these to kill the Devil himself, as well as a few thousand angels? I guess I just did.

3 – The Bowel Disruptor – Transmetropolitan
Spider Jerusalem’s weapon of choice, even beating out a good old-fashioned boot to the groin. The Bowel Disruptor does pretty much exactly what it sounds like it would with settings that include:
Watery
Loose
Prolapse
Shat Into Unconsciousness
Unspeakable Gut Horror
Rectal Volcano
And last but certainly not least, Burning Anal Geyser.

While I don’t think the BD is powerful enough to kill, what it actually does might be worse. Much Worse.

2 – Green Lantern’s Ring – Green Lantern, JLA
Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring that gives the user great control over the physical world as long as the wielder has sufficient willpower. The user can create damn near anything from the green energy packed in that tiny ring. Created by the Guardians of the Universe, the rings were then granted to worthy candidates. These individuals make up the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps. This weapon is extremely powerful, but what makes it #2 on our list is the crazy methods the Lanterns use. Who doesn’t want to see a giant green fist smashing a spaceship to bits?

1 – Mjolnir – Thor, Avengers
This is a no-brainer. Mjolnir can only be lifted by one who is worthy, returns to the spot from which it is thrown, can summon the elements of storm (rain, wind, lightning), can open interdemensional portals and has been used to travel through time. It can absorb energy and release it in a chosen direction, repel magic, create vortexes, and detect illusions. Thor hurls Mjolnir and holds on to achieve flight. Almost nothing is capable of withstanding a hammer blow or throw. Inarguably the greatest weapon in comic history. Long story short… Mjolnir translates into English as “That Which Smashes.”