Monday, January 21, 2013

Ask PL #11



I think the last one of these was back in August of 2012, so maybe it's time for another. I hope the fact that I am currently suffering from feeling like half my body is made up of phlegm doesn't affect the quality of my answers -- yes, I am currently on day eleven of a pretty bad cold.

For this entry, I request that you don't ask me about the IDW TMNT comic book series (I'm not reading it) or the Nickolodeon TMNT show (I've only watched the first two episodes and am going to wait until the entire season is released as a DVD set to watch the rest) or the upcoming movie (I know nothing about it that hasn't been released to the public... which isn't much, I guess). -- PL

122 comments:

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    1. I just finished "Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep" by David K. Randall, which was really interesting. Before that, it was Harry Turtledove's second "Supervolcano" book, ""All Fall Down", and before that, "Vagina: A New Biography" by Naomi Wolf. I also just finished re-reading (for probably the fifth or sixth time) "The Hobbit".

      RIght now I am starting "Beginner's Guide to Traditional Archery" by Brian J. Sorrells.

      And there are scores of magazines around the house that I intend to get to... someday. -- PL

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    2. My daughter and I re-read "The Hobbit" this summer and she loved it. I used it to get her into Prydain, too. :D

      I find myself mostly reading magazine articles online these days.

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  2. Hi Mr. Laird,

    I hope that you are back to 100% very soon.
    Thank you for your work.

    Do you offer tours of your studio?

    What are your top three favorite movies in the separate categories of sci-fi and comedy?

    If you could have one superpower what would it be & maybe why?

    I wish you the best,
    Thank you,
    Rich B.

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    1. "Do you offer tours of your studio?"

      Sorry, no.

      "What are your top three favorite movies in the separate categories of sci-fi and comedy?"

      Terminator, Star Wars, and Forbidden Planet. A Christmas Story, The Producers, and Strange Brew. (Of course, if you ask me on another day, these might change.)

      "If you could have one superpower what would it be & maybe why?"

      Would it be cheating to say the power to choose a superpower at will? Probably, I guess. That's a toughie. I suppose the ultimate would be the power to immediately heal anything. -- PL

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  3. You probably already talked about this but I've got to ask.
    Is there any chance you will release the rest of Volume's 4 story? Not in comic form of course, but maybe in some other way.
    I really liked what you were doing with vol 4 and was quite sad when I found out it was discontinued.

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    1. There is a chance that Volume 4 will be continued/completed someday. I just don't have it in me to do so right now. -- PL

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  4. Hi Pete,

    It's Jason again. Thanks for taking time to talk with us fans. It's really appreciated.
    Last time when you started a Ask PL I asked about the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and you said you've been on set and was offered a cameo role in the movie.
    I was wondering if you have actually visited the movie set of all three Ninja Turtles live action movies and have you met all three directors: Steve Barron, Michael Pressman ,and Stuart Gillard ? What were your feelings towards them and how their thoughts on the Turtles movie that they worked on?

    The next question is, are you looking forward to the upcoming Star Trek movie?

    Thanks,

    Jason

    Once again, thank you for your time!1

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    1. "I was wondering if you have actually visited the movie set of all three Ninja Turtles live action movies and have you met all three directors: Steve Barron, Michael Pressman ,and Stuart Gillard ? What were your feelings towards them and how their thoughts on the Turtles movie that they worked on?"

      I only visited the sets of the first two TMNT live-action movies, and only met Steve Barron and Michael Pressman, the latter only briefly. Steve was great to talk to, and I think he really wanted to make a good movie, and he did. I don't have much to say about Michael -- when I met him, he seemed like a guy doing a job, with no particular interest in what that job actually was. Of course, to be fair, it was a brief meeting and I may have misinterpreted his attitude. However, even a cursory comparison of the first movie with the second movie would, I think, lend support to my supposition.

      "The next question is, are you looking forward to the upcoming Star Trek movie?"

      You mean, the next movie with the words "Star Trek" in the title and characters which bear the same names as those from the real "Star Trek", but other than that, not much of a connection? I'll go to see it, but I hold out little hope that it will be any better than the last one. -- PL

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    2. You mean you're not excited to see Abrams revisit Khan, or to revisit and change up old TOS stories? You're not compelled by "What If Kirk and Spock... Weren't Kirk and Spock" alternate universe stories? Not had your fill of lens flares or snappy dialogue?*

      *sarcasm... I loathed the first movie as well.

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  5. Hello, Mr. Laird.

    I'd like to ask about this one underrated character Drako. I know there are characters that go through a lot of concept sketches for their designs, and I am wondering if Drako had previous concepts before he got into his final design.

    I also have another question about Drako, was there any backstory planned for him, before he got involved with the Battle Nexus? He did mention to have studied for a long time on how to use the War Staff, so I wonder what his past was like and how did he find out about it, and other things that were possibly not mentioned.


    Thanks for your attention.

    -Jim

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    1. If I am remembering correctly, there was not much in the way of backstory created for Drako, nor were there a lot of preliminary designs or concept sketches. -- PL

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  6. Have you submitted editors annotations to the next Ultimate Collection that they're reprinting of the Mirage material?

    I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on the last two so I am wondering if you continued with it.

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    1. I have provided IDW with more annotations, but as to whether they will be in the "next" Ultimate Collection, I am not sure, as I don't know right off the top of my head what the CURRENT Ultimate Collection contains! But I am pretty sure I have given them material covering all the books in Volume 1 on which I worked. -- PL

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  7. You may not know the answer to this but do you know if Nickelodeon has any plans to release the 2003 series on DVD? I didn't watch the series religiously and I would love to be able to sit and watch it beginning to end without downloading it.

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    1. Someone uploaded the whole thing to youtube. You could watch it from there.

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    2. I don't know the answer to that. It would be nice if they did release them in a collection. -- PL

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    3. Yes, Peter!! I'm waiting Nickelodeon release of the 2003 series in Blu-ray, not in standard DVD.

      I re-watched the whole show for the second time, courtesy of a Youtube member. I just finished two weeks ago.

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  8. Hello again, Mr. L!

    Osborn, the Memphis-area cinematographer, here again.

    I've had the one-sheet poster from the Steve Barron's TMNT movie hanging in my office for years. I remember seeing the poster in my local theater when I was a kid and losing my mind. I've always been curious about the turtle suits in the poster. They obviously look quite a bit different from what ended up in the movie--cleaner, brighter, more saturated, different textures, different materials, etc). Was this an earlier design? Perhaps pre-Henson?

    http://i.imgur.com/eo4aIna.jpg

    Somewhat related, do you happen to remember (or still have) any unused poster ideas from the marketing campaign of the first film? My inner graphic designer loves hearing about this stuff.

    Thanks again for doing these Q&A sessions. I hope you get to feeling better!

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    1. "I've had the one-sheet poster from the Steve Barron's TMNT movie hanging in my office for years. I remember seeing the poster in my local theater when I was a kid and losing my mind. I've always been curious about the turtle suits in the poster. They obviously look quite a bit different from what ended up in the movie--cleaner, brighter, more saturated, different textures, different materials, etc). Was this an earlier design? Perhaps pre-Henson?

      http://i.imgur.com/eo4aIna.jpg>>

      I am pretty sure those were the Henson Turtles... and I suspect the differences have to do with cleaning up and enhancing the colors for the sake of the poster.

      "Somewhat related, do you happen to remember (or still have) any unused poster ideas from the marketing campaign of the first film? My inner graphic designer loves hearing about this stuff."

      Sadly, no. I'm actually trying to remember if we had approval rights over the movie poster... it's possible we did not, and thus would not have seen any other designs. At this point, I can't recall.

      "Thanks again for doing these Q&A sessions. I hope you get to feeling better!"

      Thank you! -- PL

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  9. Great! I was hoping another edition of "Ask PL" would be happening soon. Thanks for giving us fans this forum.

    My first question is about the 2k3 series. I am almost through watching the 4th season, and it has been such a joy to watch. The nuggets of detail from the Mirage Universe that were incorporated into the show, which only fans of the Mirage comics would be able to catch, is such a treat. It seems to me like the comics were treated as a storyboard for the show where possible. I really feel when I watch it that it is likely to be the best non-Mirage Turtleverse that will be made, at least in the TV/movie realm.

    So...

    1) Do you consider that show to be the best adaptation of the TMNT (over, say, the first live action movie, which was pretty stellar)?

    Also, a question about the creative process:

    2) Has there been any story-arc idea that you put some time into that you threw away as too far out there? Perhaps a better way to put it is this: Have you ever tried to find out what exactly makes up the line between a great idea (which is "sci-fi" and stretches belief, like another dimension or space) and something that's just too far? How do you make your criteria for what is acceptable?

    It is possible that question 2 may have more than one question...

    Thanks again!
    Tim

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    1. "1) Do you consider that show to be the best adaptation of the TMNT (over, say, the first live action movie, which was pretty stellar)?"

      I consider it the best adaptation in any media of the INTENT of the original TMNT comic books that Kevin and I created together. It's not perfect, but it came closer than any other adaptation so far.

      "Also, a question about the creative process:

      2) Has there been any story-arc idea that you put some time into that you threw away as too far out there? Perhaps a better way to put it is this: Have you ever tried to find out what exactly makes up the line between a great idea (which is "sci-fi" and stretches belief, like another dimension or space) and something that's just too far? How do you make your criteria for what is acceptable?"

      I can't think of any story idea I have thrown out because it seemed too "out there"... which is not to say there weren't some, but just that I can't recall any.

      I think my general guiding principal is that if a story idea, no matter how far out it is, works within the rules you've set up for whatever "universe" you're working in, then it's okay to go forward with it. -- PL

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    2. And I hope you're feeling better!

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  10. Hey Pete

    1)Why did you call the Mousers well Mousers? I always found the name odd as they hunt Rats not mice.

    2)You have said the very first TMNT live-action film would be an ideal Turtles movie with a few changes. If you could make those changes what would they be?

    3)Stockman has been in almost every version of TMNT except for the movies, how come?

    4)What did you think of Tatsu, The Shredder's second in command from the first two movies, and how come he never made it into the comics or TV shows? (I know Tristan was planning to bring him into the Mirage comics before the sale.)

    5)When you did the art for the RPG books did you have any input on the character designs or were you just given descriptions and than drew the characters?

    6)How come the characters created for the RPG books never made it into any other media?

    7)Why did you make April into a living drawing, and did you ever worry about taking away one of the Turtles "human" friends?

    8)Who is your favorite TMNT character which you didn't create?

    9)Did you have any input on the final 3 OT "Red Sky" seasons? I ask because it seems like a lot of your complaints got addressed in those seasons.
    1)The show became more focused on action and less on comedy.
    2)The show had story arcs again.
    3)The Turtles and the villains acted more seriously.
    4)The Turtles got redesigns.
    5)April stopped wearing her yellow jumpsuit.
    6)The Shredder and Krang got phased out as villains.
    7)The Turtles stopped eating pizza.

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    1. "1)Why did you call the Mousers well Mousers? I always found the name odd as they hunt Rats not mice."

      I think that was a holdover from the original idea I had for a short science fiction story about robots that caught mice, and when we used that idea for the TMNT comics, we just never thought of changing it. Personally, I think "mouser" sounds better than "ratter".

      "2)You have said the very first TMNT live-action film would be an ideal Turtles movie with a few changes. If you could make those changes what would they be?"

      I can't list them all without going back and watching it over again, which I'm not going to do right now, but they are mostly detail things -- like making sure Leo's sword hilts don't bend like rubber (which in that shot they actually WERE) when he brushes up against the wall in April's apartment hallway. And some cool things which WERE filmed but were dropped, like the scene on the farm when the Turtles turn their bandanas around to practice fighting while blindfolded, I would put that back in. And some things which probably had to do with time and budget, like when Raphael is put in to the bathtub in the farm house to recover, I would have (a) made it a larger bathtub, and (b) made an alternate costume for Raphael so he could be in that bathtub without his elbow and kneepads and bandana.

      "3)Stockman has been in almost every version of TMNT except for the movies, how come?"

      You could probably ask the same thing about the Mousers and Leatherhead, for example. I don't know -- it probably has something to do with the fact that there are only so many things you can pick to include in four movies.

      "4)What did you think of Tatsu, The Shredder's second in command from the first two movies, and how come he never made it into the comics or TV shows? (I know Tristan was planning to bring him into the Mirage comics before the sale.) "

      I thought he worked well in the movie as an intimidating "right hand man" for the Shredder, but I never felt like putting him into the comics or TV show, for whatever reason.

      <<5)When you did the art for the RPG books did you have any input on the character designs or were you just given descriptions and than drew the characters?>>

      Our input on the designs came down to this -- we were given written descriptions of varying degrees of detail, and then we went off and interpreted those descriptions in our own fashion.

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    2. "6)How come the characters created for the RPG books never made it into any other media?"

      I'm not sure, though I think it might have had something to do with Palladium Books owning those characters.

      "7)Why did you make April into a living drawing, and did you ever worry about taking away one of the Turtles "human" friends?"

      First of all, I don't see April as a "living drawing' -- that's kind of a lazy way to look at and describe what I did with her in Volume 4. I see her as a human being who had been created through the medium of drawing and the use of a powerful, mysterious (is it magic? is it super-science?) crystal, coupled with and inspired by the very human desires and passions of her parents. Regardless of her origin, April is still about as human as you can get without being born in the traditional fashion.

      "8)Who is your favorite TMNT character which you didn't create?"

      Although I had some input on his early stages, I still think of him as a Kevin Eastman creation: Casey Jones. A close second would be "Garbageman" from the 4Kids show.

      Just kidding.


      "9)Did you have any input on the final 3 OT "Red Sky" seasons? I ask because it seems like a lot of your complaints got addressed in those seasons.
      1)The show became more focused on action and less on comedy.
2)The show had story arcs again.
3)The Turtles and the villains acted more seriously.
4)The Turtles got redesigns.
5)April stopped wearing her yellow jumpsuit.
6)The Shredder and Krang got phased out as villains.
7)The Turtles stopped eating pizza."

      I've never watched those episodes, so it is difficult for me to answer that question. I suppose it's possible that finally the powers-that-be (or that were) realized it might be a good idea to try to bring the TMNT more in line with what they were originally… but who knows? I don't think anyone on that end was listening to us any more than they ever did. -- PL

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    3. But what made you decide to give April a fantasy origin in the first place?

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    4. As I recall, when I was working on the first few issues of Volume 4, I realized I wanted to throw some stumbling blocks in the path of Casey and April, who -- as Volume 4 starts -- have been married for a while and are trying to have a child. I think my original plan was to have it be revealed that the nanobots of Baxter Stockman, which were in April's body without her knowing it, were the cause of her not being able to conceive. Then, the more I thought about it, the more obvious that idea seemed, and I tried to think of a way to make the nanobots a kind of "red herring", and the TRUE cause something else entirely.

      I can't remember the exact course of my thoughts, but it suddenly occurred to me one day that the crystal from the "Donatello" one issue micro-series could potentially have the power to create life, and things just fell into place after that.

      As I have said, I don't see this as making April, to any great degree, less human than Casey, or her sister Robyn. In almost every way she IS human, and it was only when she started questioning the circumstances of her birth that she discovered what had actually happened. Even the super-sophisticated medical technology of the Utroms could not tell that she was not of woman born, as I recall. -- PL

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  11. I haven't seen you comment on the big Star Wars/Lucasfilm sale to Disney by George Lucas. If you have, I have missed it, but I've been quite curious of your thoughts on it... both in terms of your feelings on George Lucas in this regard, and what you think this means for Star Wars in the future.

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    1. The "Star Wars" empire (no pun intended) is FAR larger than that of the TMNT, and George Lucas was with it longer, and as sole ruler the whole time... there are probably several other caveats I am not thinking of at the moment... but with those in mind, given my own experience with the TMNT and seeing certain parallels, I can totally sympathize with his decision. He devoted a hell of a lot of his life to the property, and deserves to do what he wants.

      Will "Star Wars" with other people at the helm be better than "Star Wars" with George Lucas at the helm? Who knows? Maybe yes, maybe no. Kind of depends on who Disney pulls in to wrangle those Jedi. I mean, there are certainly people who could write and direct great "Star Wars"-based entertainment... and there are others (immediately coming to mind are the geniuses behind the last "Star Trek" movie and "Prometheus") who could run it right in to the ground with some stupid crap.

      The thing is, by this point "Star Wars" is almost unbreakable. It would be hard -- though certainly not impossible -- to wreck it. And given that the wonderful "Avengers" movie came out of a Disney-owned Marvel, I have some hope that the Mouse House will pick the right talent to continue "Star Wars" into the future. At the very least, it should be interesting. I say "May the Force be with them!" -- PL

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    2. I hope "the Star Wars franchise come out good, when episodes 7,8 and 9 come to the theaters with good movies. Many fans fear that the "Star Wars franchise could be "ruined". I remember the fans criticize George Lucas for the character Jar-Jar Binks. For me it's like you think about that turtle-girl named Venus, completely annoying.

      Some people say that it's common that in some point the creators ended up destroying their own creation. George Lucas is a millionaire, he doesn't need to live off from his iconic franchise anymore. I don't think he's killing the hen with the golden eggs by selling it to Disney. Disney is such a powerful company.

      But others like J.R.R. Tolkien would be "rolling on his grave in disgust" We will never see a Disney theme-park based on the Lord of the Rings, because Tolkien mention that never sell anything concerning his famous book to Disney.

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  12. Mutagen questions:

    1. Would you say the Mirage ooze hyper-evolves living organisms... or does it simply mutate living organisms into roughly humanoid states?

    2. It was conjectured that the Mirage ooze was the waste byproduct of the Utroms' Transmat device... but was this true? Could it be some combination of that, and/or the waste from the Utroms' skinsuits (it's never seemed like a leap to me to conjecture that whatever possibly radioactive chemicals used to generate the human skinsuits might possibly mutate creatures into a similarly humanoid state)?

    3. What would happen if (and let's pretend TMNT II is not a sound example of this, because it really isn't) a human became exposed to the Mirage ooze?

    4. Playing devil's advocate here for a moment. OK, the Fred Wolf ooze (and it seems like the Nickelodeon ooze functions in exactly the same way)... if you touch some of it, and then touch a nearby caterpillar, you morph into Caterpillar-Man, yes? What do you suppose the rules are? If you have live flu virus in you when you touch some Fred Wolf ooze, do you morph into Flu-Man? If you have head lice, but you pet the dog, do you morph into Lice-Man, or Dog-Man? If you're laid on top of a sleeping dog, sleeping cat, sleeping horse, and sleeping cow -- some of you touching at least some part of each animal -- and then someone drips some Fred Wolf ooze on you... do you morph into some kind of hybrid thing?

    5. I won't ask you to comment on the show, but as you've seen the first two episodes I think you will know what I'm talking about -- Nickelodeon has now opened the door with their ooze to... plant hybrids. I believe it was the second episode (or was it the third? I'm not certain) where there is a man who touches a weed, then becomes exposed to ooze... and morphs into Plant-Man. How do you feel about the ooze working in such a way?

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    1. "Mutagen questions:

1. Would you say the Mirage ooze hyper-evolves living organisms... or does it simply mutate living organisms into roughly humanoid states?"

      I don't know, really. I've never spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the "Mirage ooze" does or does not, can or cannot do. (I can say with some assurance, however, that unlike the TGRI ooze in the second TMNT live-action movie, it does NOT mutate non-living things, like the Shredder's armor.) If I am remembering correctly, the only creatures in the MIrage TMNT comics to be mutated by that ooze were the Turtles, Splinter, and those lizards in the South American jungle. I could be missing some. Neither case involves what I would think of as "hyper-evolution".
      I don't mean to be excessively glib here, but I think the ooze mutates living things as far as the writer needs them to be mutated. At least, I know that was true when Kevin and I created the TMNT almost thirty years ago.
      



      "2. It was conjectured that the Mirage ooze was the waste byproduct of the Utroms' Transmat device... but was this true? Could it be some combination of that, and/or the waste from the Utroms' skinsuits (it's never seemed like a leap to me to conjecture that whatever possibly radioactive chemicals used to generate the human skinsuits might possibly mutate creatures into a similarly humanoid state)?"

      That's actually quite a clever idea, except for one thing (from my point of view, anyway) -- I never saw the Utroms' skinsuits as being, literally, skin (i.e. some kind of organic, living tissue). I always saw them as made of some kind of artificial substance, perhaps some polymer-based thing, which they could easily replicate in molds.

      In point of fact, it was true that the Mirage ooze was a waste byproduct created during the building of the Utroms' transmat device… though we never went further than that in terms of saying exactly WHAT kind of waste it was.


      

"3. What would happen if (and let's pretend TMNT II is not a sound example of this, because it really isn't) a human became exposed to the Mirage ooze?"

      Your guess would be as good as mine. Maybe better.

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    2. 

"4. Playing devil's advocate here for a moment. OK, the Fred Wolf ooze (and it seems like the Nickelodeon ooze functions in exactly the same way)... if you touch some of it, and then touch a nearby caterpillar, you morph into Caterpillar-Man, yes? What do you suppose the rules are? If you have live flu virus in you when you touch some Fred Wolf ooze, do you morph into Flu-Man? If you have head lice, but you pet the dog, do you morph into Lice-Man, or Dog-Man? If you're laid on top of a sleeping dog, sleeping cat, sleeping horse, and sleeping cow -- some of you touching at least some part of each animal -- and then someone drips some Fred Wolf ooze on you... do you morph into some kind of hybrid thing?"

      You've touched on one of the main weaknesses in logic of the way the ooze worked in the Fred Wolf TMNT show (not that logic ever was one of its hallmarks). It was a quick-and-easy way to get mutants into the show, even if it made no sense.

      

"5. I won't ask you to comment on the show, but as you've seen the first two episodes I think you will know what I'm talking about -- Nickelodeon has now opened the door with their ooze to... plant hybrids. I believe it was the second episode (or was it the third? I'm not certain) where there is a man who touches a weed, then becomes exposed to ooze... and morphs into Plant-Man. How do you feel about the ooze working in such a way?"

      It does sound eerily like the way it worked in the Wolf days… and I was never crazy about it then. My preference would be that -- if you REALLY have to have mutants, and they REALLY have to be made with the same ooze, then there should be some deliberate blending going on, perhaps even to the extent of combining -- to use this last example -- weed material and ooze and then injecting or otherwise introducing that mixture into the bloodstream of a human (or an animal).

      Of course, really the best thing to do would be to figure out clever ways to have mutants or weird creatures WITHOUT having them be created with the same glop that mutated the Turtles… but THAT would require creativity and new ideas, which are harder to come by. -- PL

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    3. The name of the guy who transform into a giant weed in the new TMNT was Snake. After his mutation with the mutagen Mikey calls him "Snakeweed", not Plant-Man. If you see the first two episodes of the new show, Andrew you should know this.

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  13. Just curious, was the character of Shadow based on your real-life daughter? Shadow was a teenager in Volume 4 when it came out back in 2001, and your daughter was around the same age back then too. Likewise Shadow was created in the comics around the end of the City at War arc, which came out around the same time your daughter was a baby in the early 90's.

    Always kind of curious because Casey/April could have been raising a son instead of an adoptive daughter.

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    1. I don't recall deliberately making Shadow a female child because we had Emily, though I will admit to the possibility that there was some inspiration there, perhaps unconsciously. -- PL

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  14. Why do the Shredder's henchmen seem to change in almost ever version? I mean the OT had Bebop and Rocksteady, the movies had Tatsu, Tokka and Rahzar, the 2k3 show Hun and later Master Khan. Even the new stuff your not involved with has kept the tradition, he has a fox mutant in the IDW series, and two new mutants in the Nick series.

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  15. I think it's just a matter of the different people involved in those projects wanting to inject something identifiably new so that their iteration of the TMNT is -- or at least seems -- unique.

    It's curious that all of those different iterations of the TMNT had Shredder henchmen of the sort you describe, whereas the original TMNT comics -- where the Shredder first appeared -- did not. -- PL

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  16. In the Mirage comics why are there no evil Utroms? They seem to be a Utopian race. I think Dan Berger wrote an evil Utrom story in the second volume of Tales who were really more of a religious sect of Utroms rather than being evil, it was a Leatherhead story that came out around 2008 or so.

    Ch'rell in the 4kids series was really the first evil Utrom we ever saw.

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    1. I think it was because I saw the Utroms as simply good, decent creatures, with their own personal quirks, of course, but not at all as creepy/scary as their appearance might suggest. I never got to the point -- except for the work I did with Lloyd Goldfine and the other writers on the 4Kids show -- of trying to imagine a truly evil Utrom. It just never seemed necessary. -- PL

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  17. 1)Going back to April's origin, if you still view her as a human, than why bother giving her the origin you did?

    2)What would you say was the most fun you had working on the TMNT series?

    3)How come the 4Kids series adapted all the Vol. 1 Tales issues except for "Complete Carnage and Radical"? I think those guys could've tried in easily with the Justice Force.

    4)Are you ok with the fact that you and Kevin are mainly known as the "Ninja Turtles creators" while the guys you look up to like Kirby and Miller are known for numerous comic series?

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    1. "1)Going back to April's origin, if you still view her as a human, than why bother giving her the origin you did?"

      I believe I have already answered this question, but I'll try again. For the sake of the storyline I was pursuing, I wanted something unusual to be preventing April from becoming pregnant. In the course of musing on this, it occurred to me that making her be a creation of the "Kirby crystal" from the Donatello Micro-Series might be an interesting and unexpected direction to pursue.

      "2)What would you say was the most fun you had working on the TMNT series?"

      To which "series" are you referring?

      

"3)How come the 4Kids series adapted all the Vol. 1 Tales issues except for "Complete Carnage and Radical"? I think those guys could've tried in easily with the Justice Force."

      I can't say for certain… but I can tell you that Complete Carnage and Radical were never near the top of my list for favorite characters. That may have had some part in our not including them in the 4Kids series.

      

"4)Are you ok with the fact that you and Kevin are mainly known as the "Ninja Turtles creators" while the guys you look up to like Kirby and Miller are known for numerous comic series?"

      What an odd question! Why wouldn't I be "ok" with it? -- PL

      Delete
    2. Sorry about repeating the April question, I didn't see your answer up there. By series I guess A better word would be franchise. I guess what I meant by #4 is that, did you ever wanted to be known for more than the Ninja Turtles?

      Delete
    3. "Sorry about repeating the April question, I didn't see your answer up there. By series I guess A better word would be franchise."

      I think it would be a toss-up between working with Kevin on the early issues of the comics and working with Lloyd Goldfine on the 4Kids TMNT TV show.

      "I guess what I meant by #4 is that, did you ever wanted to be known for more than the Ninja Turtles?"

      There are a few other things I am known for, but clearly the thing I am best and most widely known for is the TMNT, and I have absolutely no problem with that. I do hope that there are other things down the road that I come to be known for, but time will tell. -- PL

      Delete
  18. 5)In the 2003 series why does the Utrom Shredder keep Stockman around? Seeing how he betrayed him, and how the Shredder seemed to be tech savvy, he built and repaired his exo-suit and he made his cyber clone in Back to the Sewer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's probably because the Utrom Shredder (a) saw some value in keeping Stockman around, utilizing his intelligence and skills in dealing with technology, and (b) because the Utrom Shredder was a bit of a sadist and may have enjoyed torturing Baxter.

      Logically, it would seem that the Utrom Shredder would not have put up with Stockman's betrayals. Of course, on "Star Trek: The Next Generation", after the first few times that the android Data was taken over by an alien force or reprogrammed by his brother Lore, or whatever, and endangered the ship and the crew, you might suspect that Starfleet would have thought it best to shut down this powerful and erratic 'droid. But they never did. -- PL

      Delete
  19. If you could redo Ninja Turtles:The Next Mutation,what would you differently besides removing Venus?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Make the costumes and sets less cheesy, work on the stories so that they weren't so stupid, and hopefully get a bigger budget. That would be a good start, I think. -- PL

      Delete
  20. First off, I'd like to say thanks for posting this to allow everyone to ask questions. Thank you!

    My question would be if you do commission sketches and if you have any qualms about doing one on the back cover of Jetpack Comics IDW numerous variant cover books? I've picked up a few of those, and was thinking how nice they would look to get one from you & Kevin and then the rest of the crew to go with the one Steve did for me this last month.

    Thanks for your time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have no problem drawing on the back cover of one of those books, but I pretty much only do TMNT head sketches these days -- it's rare that I do a full sketch. -- PL

      Delete
    2. a head sketch is fine by me.

      any chance Steve has talked to you yet about doing something for free comic book day this year?

      Delete
  21. Mr. Laird.

    Is it silly of me to be afraid that April (in Mirage volume 4) could disappear at any time just like the other drawings that her dad did? Would she end up in the Kirby world with Kirby and the drawings he did? Then would Casey and the turtles venture into that world somehow to rescue her and also rescue Kirby so he could remain friends with them?


    Thank you for doing this ask PL thing for us. It is obvious you really care about your fans. Thanks also for everything you've given us with your creativity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Is it silly of me to be afraid that April (in Mirage volume 4) could disappear at any time just like the other drawings that her dad did?"

      Yes. I tried to indicate in those issues of Volume 4 dealing with April's odd origin that her father had figured out how to avoid that fate for April, and, given how long she's been in our world, it's clear that what he did worked as he planned. In terms of what I had/have planned for April, no such spontaneous and unexpected disappearances are in the works.

      "Thank you for doing this ask PL thing for us. It is obvious you really care about your fans. Thanks also for everything you've given us with your creativity."

      You're welcome, and thank you for your kind words. -- PL

      Delete
  22. Hi Peter,

    Thanks as always for taking time out to answer questions, I really appreciate it.

    1) If you could pick a director for a TMNT movie, who would it be?

    2) If you could work with any artist or writer, who would it be?

    3) If you had a chance to supply creative input/direction/art to any comic/tv show/movie/etc. what would it be?

    4) Any chance of selling commissions or artwork soon,hahaha, like I haven't asked that before.

    Feel better soon, and have a great new year.

    -Chris

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "1) If you could pick a director for a TMNT movie, who would it be? "

      Joss Whedon.

      "2) If you could work with any artist or writer, who would it be?"

      On a comic book? I'm not really into working on comic books, though Jim Lawson and I are talking a little bit about doing another "Planet Racers" story. I would love to work with Stan Sakai on something, though I'm not sure what that might be.

      "3) If you had a chance to supply creative input/direction/art to any comic/tv show/movie/etc. what would it be?"

      I would love to be involved in a new "Star Trek" tv series, if there were to be one, and if it was not set in the ridiculous "J.J.Abrams alternate universe" version of "Star Trek".

      "4) Any chance of selling commissions or artwork soon,hahaha, like I haven't asked that before."

      Sorry, no. -- PL

      Delete
  23. Did you ever try to create any spin-off comics in the "Ninja Turtles universe" (I know Kevin did a Casey Jones comic) sorta like DC or Marvel would do?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Did you see the new Man of Steel trailer? Are you planning on seeing it in the theater this summer? What did you think of the visual effects created that show the physics of Superman breaking the Earth's gravity and taking flight?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did see a trailer for the new movie, and I am definitely going to see it, even though I think the redesign of the Superman costume is (a) silly and (b) unnecessary.

      If you are talking about that puff of what I assume was water vapor around him as he breaks the sound barrier or whatever, yes, I thought that was nifty. -- PL

      Delete
  25. According to recent reports, J.J. Abrams is going to direct Star Wars Episode VII.

    Thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Could be interesting. Could be wretched. But if it gets him away from "Star Trek", I'm all for it. -- PL

      Delete
    2. Honestly, Peter, I prefered J.J Abrams than Michael Bay for Star Trek. Michael Bay is the one who has to be away from the TMNT movie.

      Delete
  26. 1. Under the 18 comics a year clause, do you have to run any of those by Viacom/Nick, or do you pretty much have carte blanche?

    2. Once and for all, the 18 comics a year clause... hypothetically if you were to make use of it... it can STRICTLY be Mirage TMNT, or could you do, say, Archie TMNT?

    ReplyDelete
  27. "1. Under the 18 comics a year clause, do you have to run any of those by Viacom/Nick, or do you pretty much have carte blanche?"

    If memory serves, I do not have to run them by the current owners of TMNT.

    

"2. Once and for all, the 18 comics a year clause... hypothetically if you were to make use of it... it can STRICTLY be Mirage TMNT, or could you do, say, Archie TMNT?"

    Good question, but one which I would have to look into in more depth (i.e. rereading the deal or asking Gary) to gain a more proper understanding. I suspect I could do comics based on any version of the TMNT up to the point of the sale, but in all honesty, I always viewed these rights as having to do with the MIrage TMNT. I have little to no interest in the Archie version. -- PL

    ReplyDelete
  28. Dear Peter,

    What do you think of Viacom's disclaimer in the trade paperback to the first collection of Tales of the TMNT?

    It reads thus: "These reprints of 1980s-era comics were intended for mature audiences, and do not reflect today's values or those of Nickelodeon or IDW Publishing. Except for the addition of color, the comics are presented here as originally published."

    ReplyDelete
  29. Sounds like protective legalese, though I can't imagine what there would be in reprints of "Tales of the Turtles" to protect anyone from. I'd like to know which of "today's values" are not reflected by the material in "Tales". Is this disclaimer just in the reprints of "Tales" or in all of their reprints of "classic" TMNT stuff? -- PL

    ReplyDelete
  30. Just "Tales."

    Also, get well soon!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I think its because of the Arabic (Islamic?) chant the King of Thieves guy does during the Halloween issue....when he tries to bring that 4-armed statue deity to life.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Isn't that what Genie would say on the Pee Wee Herman show? I thought they were making fun of that.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi Peter!

    I don't mean to pry, but I'm curious about this: to what extent has your career had anything to do with what you dreamed about doing when you were younger?

    Did you ever think you would create a phenomenon? Did you think about working with television, toys, merchandise?

    I guess you wanted to be a comic book artist/illustrator?

    Bye!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I always enjoyed drawing, and I knew by the time I was in college -- perhaps even in high school -- that I wanted to draw comic books. Of course, I never thought I would create a phenomenon, and in point of fact, assuming for the sake of argument that the TMNT are a phenomenon, I have CO-created a phenomenon.

      I don't remember ever thinking about working with television, toys, or merchandise -- I just wanted to work in comics. -- PL

      Delete
  34. You're almost done posting all the 4kids episode script interviews, you started with the Garbageman episode of Season 2, (episode 45 or so), and you're right now posting stuff from the beginning of Season 2, so you've almost posted it all.

    Is there a chance you can post the e-mails you had with Kevin Munroe in the development of the 4th movie? I don't believe you've ever posted those e-mails here, and it'd be interesting to see how the development process for the movie came about, and why he went with the plot for the movie he did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I am getting close to the end of the emails relating to the 4Kids show. I haven't really thought about posting the ones having to do with the fourth movie. I'll consider that, but I would have to ask Kevin Munroe first to see if he would be cool with it. -- PL

      Delete
    2. I just wanted to say that I agree: e-mails or any other information about the making of any of the previous Turtle movies would be really interesting.

      PS. Thanks for your answer to my question, Peter :)

      Delete
  35. I remember noticing years ago that there are more than a few Greatful Dead references in the TMNT (Casey Jones, the VW bus, someone (I think Mikey) suggesting they call the lair "Terrapin Station" in the 2k3 series, to name a few). Now, I do remember one of the Turtles mentioning they likes Metallica's Master of Puppets album, but are these references a coincidence?

    Hope you're feeling better!
    Tim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Metallica reference was something from either Ryan Brown or Dan Berger, and the Grateful Dead ones were from somebody other than me... beyond that, I know not. -- PL

      Delete
  36. 1)The Triceratons appeared fairly early in the Mirage books, why did it take them until season 7 to show up in the OT?
    2)Why didn't you ever work with Kevin again on anything after doing Turtles?
    3)Did you and Kevin create Krang?
    4)The Mirage comics and old Fugitoid action figure say he is from D'Hoonib, but the 2K3 action figure and Battle Nexus video games spell it D'Hoonnib why the change?
    5)What was gonna be the plot of the unproduced movie with the fifth turtle "Kirby" and the villain Spyder?
    6)Before the sale had John Fusco written his movie script yet, and did you see it?
    7)What's the future of Mirage, are you gonna publish anymore comics? (not necessary turtles related.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "1)The Triceratons appeared fairly early in the Mirage books, why did it take them until season 7 to show up in the OT?"

      You'd have to ask Fred Wolf about that.

      
"2)Why didn't you ever work with Kevin again on anything after doing Turtles?"

      It's difficult to work with someone when they live on the other side of the country. Plus, we didn't really have much interest in doing so.

      
"3)Did you and Kevin create Krang?"

      Kevin and I created, for the original comics, the alien Utroms, the basic look of which was appropriated for the character of Krang by the people who worked on the first TV show. Beyond that, I am happy to say that as far as I can remember, I had nothing to do with Krang.

      
"4)The Mirage comics and old Fugitoid action figure say he is from D'Hoonib, but the 2K3 action figure and Battle Nexus video games spell it D'Hoonnib why the change?"

      I suspect it was a spelling mistake which was not caught during the approval process.

      
"5)What was gonna be the plot of the unproduced movie with the fifth turtle "Kirby" and the villain Spyder?"

      I am not at liberty to discuss that.

      
"6)Before the sale had John Fusco written his movie script yet, and did you see it?"

      I never saw a script, and I don't know if he finished one.

      
"7)What's the future of Mirage, are you gonna publish anymore comics? (not necessary turtles related."

      I don't know what the future of Mirage is. I might, at some point, publish more comics, with or without Turtles. - PL

      Delete
  37. 8)Besides the Shredder which villain do you think could carry a movie?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I assume you are asking which villain out of the ones who have already appeared in the comics, TV shows, or movies... in which case I would say that the Triceratons would make for an interesting foe in a movie. -- PL

      Delete
  38. 9)Why did you declare some of the Volume 1 issues non-canon, even ones that were written in a way that could fit into the Mirage continuity?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suppose it was because -- for whatever reason or reasons, and I can't recall what they were at this moment -- I didn't WANT them in the Mirage continuity within which I was working for Volume 4. -- PL

      Delete
  39. Hello again, Mr. L!

    Thanks for answering my questions about the movie posters from the first film. I have a huge interest in the development and creative process behind the things that inspired me as a child. It's a shame the first TMNT movie never had some sort of DVD or BR release with supplemental "making of" material. (Maybe if I type that loud enough, Nickelodeon will hear it.)

    Aside from Bobby Herbeck's work, how many rejected scripts and treatments were written for the first film? Once Herbeck started writing, how many story variations did you guys go through before getting the story down? Herbeck mentioned the writing process in a magazine from around 1990, but he glossed over a lot of the specifics.

    Also, were there any treatments or scripts for the sequel that maintained a feel more like the first film, or were the producers in "tone down" mode from the get-go?

    Thanks again for these Q&As!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Aside from Bobby Herbeck's work, how many rejected scripts and treatments were written for the first film?"

      This is taxing my memory… I think we rejected every treatment Herbeck wrote, and I don't remember if there were any others before Steve Barron came on board.

      "Once Herbeck started writing, how many story variations did you guys go through before getting the story down? Herbeck mentioned the writing process in a magazine from around 1990, but he glossed over a lot of the specifics. "

      Again, my memory is a little fuzzy on this, but I doubt there were more than half a dozen. I just remember getting pressured by the producer of the film to approve these wretched things. At least three different times, I got a call saying that if we didn't approve the treatment or script by Monday, the movie wasn't going to be made. It was all nonsense, and I'm glad we didn't cave.

      

"Also, were there any treatments or scripts for the sequel that maintained a feel more like the first film, or were the producers in "tone down" mode from the get-go?"

      My memory is that there was no attempt at all by the people making the second film to make it at all like the first film, at least as far as story quality and appeal to different age groups -- as you say, they were in "tone down" mode from day one. The results are clear. -- PL

      Delete
  40. 1)Did you and Kevin create Tokka and Rahzar? I only ask because you guys are credited as the creators on wikipedia.

    2)Why was Casey so dumb in the 2003 series?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "1)Did you and Kevin create Tokka and Rahzar? I only ask because you guys are credited as the creators on wikipedia."

      I don't remember having much of a hand in the creation of those two, though I may have had some input. I do remember that Kevin did a couple of drawings which pretty clearly inspired the look of the creatures in the finished film.

      "2)Why was Casey so dumb in the 2003 series?"

      Well, Casey was never the brightest bulb in the box, from the beginning, when he first appeared in the "Raphael" one issue micro series. And that aspect of him was just amplified for the 2003 series. I never saw him as that dumb -- just a little awkward and slow in spots. -- PL

      Delete
  41. Hi Peter: I hope you are feeling better.
    According to Wikipedia, in the comics, Leo offers the Shredder his sword so the latter can commit this ritual called Seppuku or Hara-kiri as this ritual is also known.

    The Shredder and the boys are ninja, not samurai. Why Leo ask the Shredder to do this ritual done by the samurai? Or do you think that the Shredder was a Samurai that turned into ninja?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I had a better explanation, but the truth is that at that time, we didn't know that much about all of the traditions of ninja and samurai and how they differed. So we conflated the two. -- PL

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Peter!! Feel better.

      Delete
  42. 1. Was Baxter Stockman originally intended to be a one-shot character? After issue 2 we don't see him again all the way till Volume 2, and that was around what...nearly 9 years later or whatever it was?

    2. Speaking of that, why wasn't the TMNT comics set up to have a revolving door of rogues gallery characters like Batman and Spiderman have? The cartoons did this with their villains, but the Mirage comics only really did it with a select few characters like Savanti Romero. Most villains were either killed in their debut issue or only came back once for an encore appearance and then were done with.

    3. Did you create the shark mutant Armaggon for the Archie series? One of the ads in the back of one of the issues reads, "Here's a new mutant for the 90's, Armaggon from co-creator Peter Laird!" and I'm wondering if that's factual.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1.) Yes. When we were working on issue #2, we were just still having fun and not really thinking ahead all that much. We had no idea, really, that this thing would have "legs".

      2.) I think it probably had something to do with the fact that although Kevin and I loved the comics we'd read prior to doing the TMNT, there were some cliche things we were trying to get away from, and the "rogue's gallery" was one of them. But probably the biggest reason is that we were just doing it one day at a time, and weren't really planning out a "universe" for the TMNT.

      3.) I can only lay claim to the look of the character -- I'd done a drawing of a mutant shark, and it worked as the look for this new character that Steve Murphy was introducing in the Archie TMNT comics. It's possible the the drawing I did influenced the creation of the character, but I can't recall right now. -- PL

      Delete
  43. 1. I know you said you can't take about the "Kirby" Ninja Turtles movie, but can you at least say why it was canceled?

    2. You have often said how the new Star Trek film doesn't feel like a Star Trek film. But couldn't you say the same thing about the Turtles with the Fred Wolf show?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1.) I don't remember all the details, but I think it was just another of those deals that just fell apart, possibly due to financing issues.

      2.) Yes, and I believe I HAVE said that, albeit not exactly in those words. I believe the "Star Trek" situation is more egregious, because when Abrams directed his version, "Star Trek" had had almost forty years of a rich, complicated, detailed continuity which up to that point had been remarkably consistent, whereas when Wolf started working on the TMNT show, we'd only been doing TMNT comics for about three years. -- PL

      Delete
  44. Do you believe human beings will land on Mars within the next 20 years?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it is possible, though not likely. But it would be an amazing adventure to follow! -- PL

      Delete
  45. Where did the idea of Karai come from, and why was she made the Shredder's daughter in the 2003 series?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When Kevin Eastman and I were working on the storyline for "City at War", we knew we had to bring in some strong figure from the Japanese "home office" of the Foot Clan to straighten things out and regain control of the warring factions of the Foot in New York City... and we decided to go with a female instead of a male character. Thus, Karai came into being.

      When we (me, Lloyd and his 4Kids writers) were adapting the Mirage stories for the 4Kids TMNT TV show, it just worked out that Karai would have that relationship with the Shredder. I can't recall any specific reason we made that decision -- but I think it was a good one. -- PL

      Delete
  46. Hi Peter! Thanks for giving me (albeit probably unintentionally at first) a brilliant, vibrant and powerful set of TV shows, characters and toys that have been with me my whole life.

    My one question is: out of all the toys ever released for TMNT, what was your favourite vehicle in terms of design or concept?

    All the best! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome!

      To be completely honest, I was never that blown away by any of the TMNT vehicles. But I did like the heftiness of the "Battleshell" (I think that's what it was called) from the 4Kids days... and for sheer lunacy, the Turtle blimp with detachable glider from the first toy line was pretty wild.

      The "Nightwatcher" motorcycle from the 2007 TMNT movie toys was pretty sweet, and probably the best-detailed motorcycle toy ever in any of the TMNT toy lines.

      And I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out to the "Planet Racers" motorcycle toy that Playmates did during the 4Kids days -- that was pretty cool! -- PL

      Delete
  47. I apologize if this is too personal, but what do you do on an average day nowadays?

    I know during the nice weather you ride motorcycles, bikes, etc., but what do you during winter? I know from your recent blog posts you take photos of various things in nature and have tried archery, but what else do you enjoy?

    ReplyDelete
  48. Always wanted to know... how does this exist? And do you own one of the allegedly 50 copies that were printed?

    I'm asking, of course, about the adult TMNT Adventures issue here:
    http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=29174

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It very likely exists because someone made it, and I don't remember ever seeing a copy of it. -- PL

      Delete
  49. Hope i'm not too late!

    Hello Peter!

    I think, aside from the mutagen guy, i might win geekiest post for this round of AskPL
    1)
    a) To which species or sub species of testudines do the TMNT belong? My understanding is that they were red eared sliders, but in recent IDW books they have been called terrapins and box turtles, (even though they were drawn with flippers). As IDW isn't really cannon - i'd like to hear your take!
    b) Are all four turtles of the SAME species, from the same clutch, and if not how do they differ?

    2) I had a pet turtle growing up, and yes it was because of the show/comics/RPG...I even bought the martial arts books. Now this pet turtle, had five fingers per hand, like wise with the feet. humans have the same. So why do the turtles you created have only three?

    3) i think Aprils' origin in vol 4 is one of the best origins of all time. Not a question, sure, but I just love that idea. So inspired!

    4) Wouldn't the turtles have a Japanese/NY accent?

    5) Did any inspiration in the conception of the TMNT sketch come from Japanese myth, such as the kappa?

    6) Will you ever join Deviant Art?

    7) Which of Michael Bays films have you seen, and, if any, did you like?


    I have another 120, 000 questions, but these are my top seven.
    Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Hope i'm not too late!

    No, you're not -- I have this thing set up so I get an email alert when a comment is posted on any of this blog's entries.



    Hello Peter!

I think, aside from the mutagen guy, i might win geekiest post for this round of AskPL


    1)
a) To which species or sub species of testudines do the TMNT belong? My understanding is that they were red eared sliders, but in recent IDW books they have been called terrapins and box turtles, (even though they were drawn with flippers). As IDW isn't really cannon - i'd like to hear your take!
b) Are all four turtles of the SAME species, from the same clutch, and if not how do they differ?

    I'll answer these two together. First, I have no firm idea what species the Turtles are. Kevin and I never thought that deeply about this particular aspect of the characters. I think we just assumed they were your classic pet shop turtles -- and I think those are red-eared sliders, usually. Second, whether all four of the Turtles are from the same species or clutch of eggs… well, see my answer to the first part.

    

2) I had a pet turtle growing up, and yes it was because of the show/comics/RPG...I even bought the martial arts books. Now this pet turtle, had five fingers per hand, like wise with the feet. humans have the same. So why do the turtles you created have only three?


    There was no particular reason for it, other than it seemed like a goodly number for a cartoony, anthropomorphic Turtle. Perhaps Kevin Eastman -- who drew the first Ninja Turtle -- had a specific reason for giving each Turtle just two fingers and a thumb on each hand, but I sort of doubt it.

    
3) i think Aprils' origin in vol 4 is one of the best origins of all time. Not a question, sure, but I just love that idea. So inspired!

    That's very nice of you to say. It's not something I hear very often.

    

4) Wouldn't the turtles have a Japanese/NY accent?

    Maybe a little bit.

    

5) Did any inspiration in the conception of the TMNT sketch come from Japanese myth, such as the kappa?

    I don't think so.



    6) Will you ever join Deviant Art?

    I don't have any desire to do so. I confess I don't understand the name.

    

7) Which of Michael Bays films have you seen, and, if any, did you like?

    I've seen and liked "The Rock" (hey, it's got Sean Connery!), "Armageddon" (although the other asteroid movie of that same year, "Deep Impact", I enjoyed more and thought was a much better movie), "Pearl Harbor", and the first "Transformers" movie (mostly for the cool special effects -- the story was pretty dopey and the attempts at humor fairly lame). The other "Transformers" movies built on the bad parts of the first one, even though the special effects were still pretty amazing. And I think I saw "Bad Boys" and "The Island", but both were forgettable enough that I don't remember much about them -- PL.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Thank you Peter! Made my day! Please don't make us wait 6 more months for another round of Ask PL!

    Oh! One more thing! What's happening with the documentary from 2009? Will it ever get released?

    Deviant Art is a strange name, absolutely, but loads of artists use it to share their work. and there isn't a limit on dimensions,. or number of works. You can watermark the images if you prefer, and it's free.


    Names on DA you may know:

    http://mikedeodatojr.deviantart.com/

    http://j-scott-campbell.deviantart.com/

    http://michaeldooney.deviantart.com/

    http://erictalbot.deviantart.com/

    http://kevineastman.deviantart.com/


    It would be really cool to see You there as well.

    There is also a wild amount of TMNT fan art. 109,271 pieces just under the search word TMNT.

    http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=TMNT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure what is happening with the TMNT documentary, but I do hope it gets released -- I've seen a two-hour cut of it and it's very cool.

      Re: Deviantart.com -- I guess if I have any work I want to put on the web, I will put it on this blog or my personal one, palblog. -- PL

      Delete
    2. I'll be sure to watch for it's release!
      Thanks again!

      Delete
  52. Hello!

    I apologize in advance for using this forum to ask if you are available for appearances. It seems like the most direct route to ask the question. We'd love to have you at an upcoming show in Dallas if you are open to it. Do you still do appearances? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. No need to apologize! Thank you for your interest in having me as a guest. While I would like to know more about the particulars, I should also probably be frank and tell you that I do very few appearances of this nature these days. (It would be nice to visit Dallas again, though.) -- PL

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    2. Thanks for the fast response. I have to echo most of the earlier comments about the way in which you promote, educate, and connect with your fan base. It is refreshing and shows a lot of panache.

      Ok, the sales pitch and particulars are as follow:
      You may appreciate the fact that we are not a huge comic con. Our shows are grass roots in style, smaller, and offer a more intimate connection with the featured guest.Our philosophy is to put the focus on 1-3 artists/creators and not dilute the experience.
      Our shows are typically one day, Saturday, and affordable. Admission is $5 or less and kids under 12 are free. We do quarterly shows in January, April, July and October.
      We are, without sounding pretentious, a boutique con. We have gained a fan base by being smaller, affordable, and offering a wide selection of items along with (an) industry veteran(s) of note.
      We would offer you airfare, per diem, hotel, and fans that would be thrilled to have the lifetime opportunity of meeting you.
      If you would contact me via our website, comicbooksdallascom, we could discuss any additional terms or concerns that you may have.
      I believe you would enjoy spending time with us and appreciate the fact that you would consider it.

      ~Chris

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  53. Hey Peter. I think it's really awesome of you to take the time to answer all of these questions in such detail.
    A few weeks ago I found my old TMNT and other strangeness RPG book in my mother's attic and some friends and I have decided to run a campaign. Do you think you could give me some suggestions for cool mutant animals that I might use as villains just for fun?
    Regardless, thanks for 25+ years of awesome stuff.
    -Jamie

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  54. Does this in any way impress you?

    http://i4.minus.com/ibmkUAdsM5vA0.jpg

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    1. It's... interesting. Are these screen shots from the new TMNT show? -- PL

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    2. Yes. They're all from one episode. specifically Episode 9 "The Gauntlet"

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  55. Peter, I hope the company that owns the turtles, can release the 2003 show on Blu-ray instead of standard DVD.

    The show deserves it.

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  56. Hi Peter!: I was reading the TMNT comics(the one you created with Kevin Eastman)Volume One.

    I basically "ate it" meaning that I read the entire book on one night. Thank you, so much, Peter. I enjoyed reading for the first time. :)

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    1. Thanks for the kind words... I'm glad you enjoyed them! -- PL

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