I have to say one thing about this concept art for new Turtles.
How is it even possible that Leo has braces? Don't say Donatello.
I feel like the 2012 series tried to be that, and IIRC, Kevin Eastmen thought it was. I don't personally agree with that view, though I'm biased and grew up largely on the 2003 cartoon.
How is it even possible that Leo has braces? Don't say Donatello.
New York happens to be very accepting of mutants and their healthcare accomodates them.
...I admit that I kinda wish the cartoons would have the Turtles operate in the open again like in the 1987 cartoon (and to some degree the Mirage comics IIRC, even if largely due to the galaxy getting involved in Earth's shenanigans), even if that defeats the "ninja" part of the title.
I mean, 2003 doesn't have Bebop, Rocksteady, Rat King and other characters who are considered an absolute must by many. Yeah, with franchises like that the First Installment will always color the expectations.
I recall 2 cases when Turtles were in the open. One is the Fast Forward season of 2003 show where they were in the future and there were aliens on the streets so really, Turtles had no reason to hide anymore. The second is from current IDW comics where there is a mutant town. Turtles move around so freely they even have a house and dojo there.
Rat king is in 2003. Just in a small motw thing
He's just nowhere near as memorable. It was 2012 that turned him into a creepy, nightmarish and very memorable villain. Hence IDW used it.
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."Yeah, for one episode and not even called Rat King. I mean, I know it's a Rat King and I know that he's a pretty faithful adaptation of the very first Rat King so he counts...
Actually, can I just say that Rat King is just the weirdest thing? Mirage Turtles made some one-shot self-contained edgy horror story about Turtles being attacked by a crazy weird hobo who rants about being a monster, and whoever was working on the first cartoon looked at him and said "yeah, let's adapt this weirdo into the show". And BAM, so was created one of the most recurring characters in the franchise (I'd say that he and Leatherhead are the most important characters after main heroes and villains) How unlikely that is?
Rat King's arc in 2012 was weird too. At first, he was just a rather normal human villain with a mutant monkey he was experimenting on. Then a freak lab accident happened and he became the Rat King, the scariest villain. Then he died and was still haunting Splinter with hallucinations that may or may not have been real.
The legend has returned.By the way, Season 2
of Rise of the TMNT is now on Paramount+.
So that's two completed TMNT series on the platform (excluding the upcoming Netflix film).
Furthermore, co-creator of Rise (Andy Suriano) announced his final week
at Nickelodeon. I suppose this bodes well for the aforementioned film's production wrapping up for this year.
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Last part is based directly on original comics.
I mean, all Rat Kings are weird because he never stays the same. The Rat King can be a crazy guy that plays the flute and throws soda cans at people, he can be a supernatural entity manipulating world events, he can be a robot clone with Splinter's DNA and he can be a politician running for the office of President of the United States
◊.
TMNT is full of these outlandish turns. Shredder being a one-note joke who became a multiversal threat is itself another bizarre turn.
Personally I think the one that straddled the line the most of the comics (in its dark and edgy but somewhat satirical vibe) and the 1980's cartoon (with its much more lighthearted tone) was the 2003 series.
"All you Fascists bound to lose."Bebop and Rocksteady weren't in the Mirage comics either and that's the source material. The first series of films didn't have them either. So i don't know if I'd called them necessary, it was years until we got a new version of them. I do like them though.
And Rat King was in the 03 TMNT.
03 series is Laird's pick too.
Edited by Cortez on Feb 23rd 2022 at 11:42:14 AM
That's probably true. The 2012 version seemed to lean closer to the 80s cartoon. It was often very silly, sometimes to the point where it felt more like a parody of TMNT. Although, it did also get oddly dark at times too.
I think the IDW comics also seemed like they were trying to be a definitive version for a while, since they crammed in stuff from most other versions of TMNT. Those comics have gone in a different direction recently though.
The one version that never seems to get brought up is the Next Mutation tv show. Not one single character from that show has ever reappeared. I thought there were some good ideas there, just the execution was bad.
Speaking of, Venus is coming back in the current IDW comics, according to Gizmondo
.
x4: Holy heroes in a half shell, Batman! I seriously thought Venus de Milo was off-limits because one of the OG creators (Eastman? Laird? Both?) actively hated her.
And...woof. The whole Frankenstein's cyborg monster thing (what's that red thing? Looks vaguely tech-ish) is a...very new twist, to say the least. (Huh, maybe that was what clinched Venus's return?)
Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Feb 24th 2022 at 11:21:16 AM

Has there ever been a definitive version of TMNT? It seems like each version has its strengths and weaknesses. Some people might say the original comics, but even those could be pretty uneven and inconsistent.