I am pretty sure that this is the fifth "Ask PL" thing I've done -- if I am counting correctly, the fourth one was back on October 20, 2009. That seems like almost a lifetime ago.
Okay, maybe not a lifetime -- that could be just a smidgin of an exaggeration -- but it does seem like a very long time ago for me.
I can't really answer any questions about what is to come for the Turtles via their new owners -- I only know what everybody else knows from reading the press releases and such that have appeared online. Actually, I may very well know LESS than everyone else, because I haven't been following all of the new developments very closely.
And to (possibly) forestall any questions about TMNT Volume 4 -- sorry, I don't know when (or if) I will get back to it, though I hope to bring it to a conclusion at some point in the future, either as comics or simply as written plots. I do want to thank the various fans who have expressed their fondness for Volume 4 and their hopes to see it finished in some way. It is genuinely satisfying to know that there are some of you who appreciated what I -- assisted by the great talents of Jim Lawson and Eric Talbot on the artwork (and Michael Dooney on the painted covers) -- was trying to do with that series.
So, given that I am really doing nothing new with Turtles at this point, I am uncertain what kinds of questions you might want to ask. I guess there are still those twenty-five years of TMNT history that I was part of -- that would seem to be fair game. Or maybe there are non-TMNT (but comics-related) questions you might want to ask -- for example, the one or two people who liked my short-lived "Stupid Heroes" series may have some kind of query.
Or maybe I should expand the intent of this post from simply "Ask PL" to something like "Ask and/or Tell PL", if you just want to say something that isn't necessarily a question. Yeah, that sounds good. -- PL
I find your blogs extremely entertaining. I have enjoyed your movie reviews very much, as I write about the subject myself. I'd like to read more of that too. I have a series "About Top 10" in my blog, where my idols talk about their favorite movies. It'd be a great honour if I could have you in it too. Tell me if you're intrested.
ReplyDeleteWell Mr.Laird I just want to say thank you for all you have given us over the years.
ReplyDelete1.) Do you still read DareDevil comics?
2.) If the "unspeakable" were to happen to you is there someone you have entrusted with your notes on Vol. 4?
3.) You opted for 18 comics a year to be published, when you were doing your negotiations what storylines did you have in mind?
4.) I would like to assist you in coming with a conclusion to volume 4? How would I go about this? I can mimick Lawson's art, If you would like to please contact me through my email ffritts@gmail.com you can find my facebook page through there and message me.
5.) Do you still stay in contact with the vol.4 guys?
6.) Would you be interested in a collaberation with Eastman to finish the turtles like an issue two hundred and something (all the mirage timelines added up vol 1-4 plus tales and 1 shots) one shot that ends it all the way it began?
7.) IF IDW came to you to write an original graphic novel would you do it using their tmnt?
well thats enough from me, thanks again for all the years of tmnt. I love those 4 plus most of the support characters. Thank you so so much again, I just want to say all the haters on vol 4 dont and didnt realize the specialness of vol 4. It may have not been what people wanted but its what we as turtle fans needed. Thanks again (I dont think I could say that enough) Btw if your ever planing a trip to Georgia stop by Stone Mountain Park and I will hook you up with some passes to do the attractions, if you didnt want them stop by and say hey atleast and enjoy all the scenary, hiking trails, wildlife. If you want the passes let me know how many and when you will need them and I will hold them at the Police Department (where I work) for you.
Thanks again PL
Tony
ffritts.blogspot.com
ffritts.deviantart.com
1) There were three Ninjara stories published in Furrlough and copyrighted by Dean Clarrain (a.k.a. Stephen Murphy) and Chris Allan. Who owns these stories now? Does Viacom own them, or go Murphy and Allan still own them?
ReplyDelete2) The Green-Grey Sponge-Suit Sushi Turtles (who appeared in a one-shot parody of the first TMNT movie and four short stories published in the color Turtle Soup Anthology series) were co-owned by Mark Martin and Mirage Studios. Does Martin still own his share of those characters? Does Mirage still own their interest in the Sushi Turtles, or were they included in the sale to Viacom.
3) The comic adaptations to the first two TMNT movies note that Keno, Tatsu, Professor Jordan Perry and Chief Sterns were owned by Northshore Investments. Do Northshore Investments/Golden Harvest still own those characters, or did the rights ever revert to Mirage (and eventually to Viacom)?
What one country would you like to visit, that you've never been to?
ReplyDeleteHow close was the Forever War, by the Archie guys, to being published before everything went down with Nickelodeon?
ReplyDeleteI just finished watching the original Star Trek series for the first time and I know from reading your blog you too are a fan and I am wondering what your favorite episode of the original series is? And if you have watched and/or enjoyed any of the other Star Trek series?
ReplyDeleteJust as a comment, I want to say I loved volume four and as much as I completely understand why you need the break I do miss Turtles as done by all of you guys, especially you and Jim Lawson!
1.Of all of the '87 series characters which one do you think would have worked best into the Mirage comics? Any if not adaptable that you took a liking to? I always had a fondness for Slash and The Punk Frogs.
ReplyDelete2.Of all of the episoses of the various shows, which episode( not counting Turtles Forever) is your absolute favorite?
3. Dan,Steve, and you have all mentioned wanting to do a children's book before and I believe Steve published one. Have you ever thought about Mirage periodically publishing children's books that would involve the Mirage Dudes and your wife? It could be a fun direction for you.
4. In the cluase that gives you the right to publish 18 books a year have you thought about giving some of that to the Mirage Dudes like to have Tristian complete his storyline or have the guys complete The Forever War as examples?
5. Any chance of coming to Charlotte in the next few years? Getting to meet you, Dan, and Jim was such a blessing back in 2008. Its great to see Mike each year, but it be great to have you back as well if ever possible.
Thank you for your time and for connecting with us especially post-sale. Wish there was a way we could pay you back for it all.
"Eugen Gurjasti said...
ReplyDeleteI find your blogs extremely entertaining. I have enjoyed your movie reviews very much, as I write about the subject myself. I'd like to read more of that too. I have a series "About Top 10" in my blog, where my idols talk about their favorite movies. It'd be a great honour if I could have you in it too. Tell me if you're interested."
Eugen, tell me what is involved, and where it would appear. I think I might be interested. -- PL
"FF said...
ReplyDeleteWell Mr.Laird I just want to say thank you for all you have given us over the years. 1.) Do you still read DareDevil comics?"
No, I don't -- but then again, I hardly read ANY comics these days.
"2.) If the "unspeakable" were to happen to you is there someone you have entrusted with your notes on Vol. 4?"
My notes are on my computer, so SOMEBODY might be able to put the rest of the series together sort of in the way I intended to. But I am going to try to avoid the "unspeakable" as much as I can.
"3.) You opted for 18 comics a year to be published, when you were doing your negotiations what storylines did you have in mind?"
Really nothing other than what I'd planned for Volume 4. I didn't think any further ahead than that.
"4.) I would like to assist you in coming with a conclusion to volume 4? How would I go about this? I can mimick Lawson's art, If you would like to please contact me through my email ffritts@gmail.com you can find my facebook page through there and message me."
Thanks, but if I ever get back to Volume 4, it will be with Jim and Eric, most likely.
"5.) Do you still stay in contact with the vol.4 guys?"
If you mean Jim Lawson, Eric Talbot, and Michael Dooney, I saw MIke today, briefly. I ran into Jim at a motorcycle shop this past Saturday and we had a nice talk. And I haven't seen Eric in a few months, though I hope to rectify that soon.
"6.) Would you be interested in a collaboration with Eastman to finish the turtles like an issue two hundred and something (all the mirage timelines added up vol 1-4 plus tales and 1 shots) one shot that ends it all the way it began?"
I have no interest in that, at least right now.
"7.) IF IDW came to you to write an original graphic novel would you do it using their tmnt?"
I think I can say pretty definitely no. I mean, it would be flattering to be asked, but if I ever get back into doing Turtle stuff in comics form, it will very likely -- I would say almost definitely -- be finishing up Volume 4 before anything else.
"well thats enough from me, thanks again for all the years of tmnt. I love those 4 plus most of the support characters. Thank you so so much again, I just want to say all the haters on vol 4 dont and didnt realize the specialness of vol 4. It may have not been what people wanted but its what we as turtle fans needed. Thanks again (I dont think I could say that enough) Btw if your ever planing a trip to Georgia stop by Stone Mountain Park and I will hook you up with some passes to do the attractions, if you didnt want them stop by and say hey atleast and enjoy all the scenary, hiking trails, wildlife. If you want the passes let me know how many and when you will need them and I will hold them at the Police Department (where I work) for you. Thanks again PL Tony"
You're welcome, Tony, and thanks for the kind words about Volume 4… and the invitation to Stone Mountain Park. -- PL
"John Pannozzi said...
ReplyDelete1) There were three Ninjara stories published in Furrlough and copyrighted by Dean Clarrain (a.k.a. Stephen Murphy) and Chris Allan. Who owns these stories now? Does Viacom own them, or go Murphy and Allan still own them?
2) The Green-Grey Sponge-Suit Sushi Turtles (who appeared in a one-shot parody of the first TMNT movie and four short stories published in the color Turtle Soup Anthology series) were co-owned by Mark Martin and Mirage Studios. Does Martin still own his share of those characters? Does Mirage still own their interest in the Sushi Turtles, or were they included in the sale to Viacom.
3) The comic adaptations to the first two TMNT movies note that Keno, Tatsu, Professor Jordan Perry and Chief Sterns were owned by Northshore Investments. Do Northshore Investments/Golden Harvest still own those characters, or did the rights ever revert to Mirage (and eventually to Viacom)?"
I have to say that I don't know the answers to these three questions. Gary might, and maybe he'll pop in and enlighten us if he sees this post. -- PL
"Christopher Glass said...
ReplyDeleteWhat one country would you like to visit, that you've never been to?"
Scotland.
But now that I am flying again, I am hoping to see more than one other country in the coming years. -- PL
"SPIKEmgb said...
ReplyDeleteHow close was the Forever War, by the Archie guys, to being published before everything went down with Nickelodeon?"
Although I did not keep close tabs on that project, my impression was that it was pretty far from being completed. -- PL
"Lea said...
ReplyDeleteI just finished watching the original Star Trek series for the first time and I know from reading your blog you too are a fan and I am wondering what your favorite episode of the original series is? And if you have watched and/or enjoyed any of the other Star Trek series?"
I have very fond memories of pretty much ALL the episodes of the three seasons of the original "Star Trek", but if pushed, I would say "City on the Edge of Forever" and "This Side of Paradise" are just about equally matched in my estimation as my favorite episode.
I've watched all the other "Star Trek" series (with the exception of the animated series -- I tried and found it pretty awful), and liked them all. I would rank them (best first) in this order: "Deep Space Nine", "Next Generation", "Voyager", and "Enterprise".
"Just as a comment, I want to say I loved volume four and as much as I completely understand why you need the break I do miss Turtles as done by all of you guys, especially you and Jim Lawson!"
Thank you for that. -- PL
"mikeandraph87 said...
ReplyDelete1.Of all of the '87 series characters which one do you think would have worked best into the Mirage comics? Any if not adaptable that you took a liking to? I always had a fondness for Slash and The Punk Frogs."
I can't say I ever had much, if any, fondness for any of the characters in the original TMNT TV series, but I think "Baxterfly" might have been fun to play with.
"2.Of all of the episodes of the various shows, which episode( not counting Turtles Forever) is your absolute favorite?"
Given that it was the very first episode of the first TV series, I have a soft spot for that one. But I really like a number of episodes of the 2K3 show, with standouts being "Same as it Never Was", "The King", and the whole "Battle Nexus" arc with Usagi Yojimbo guest-starring. I haven't watched all the episodes in several years, but if I were to do that I know I would have a lot more to add to this list.
"3. Dan,Steve, and you have all mentioned wanting to do a children's book before and I believe Steve published one. Have you ever thought about Mirage periodically publishing children's books that would involve the Mirage Dudes and your wife? It could be a fun direction for you."
I think Steve Lavigne has actually published TWO children's books.
I have given some thought to using Mirage to publish things other than comics, but there are no plans right now. As for my wife's work I think she would prefer to stay on the path she has made for herself. But you never know…
"4. In the cluase that gives you the right to publish 18 books a year have you thought about giving some of that to the Mirage Dudes like to have Tristian complete his storyline or have the guys complete The Forever War as examples?"
I have not given that much thought, but in all honesty it does not interest me very much. And that is not because I don't think the people you mention could not put out some cool stuff -- just that I am not really interested in Turtles right now. And if I were to give the go-ahead to a project such as you describe, there is pretty much no way that I could NOT be drawn into it to some degree, and I simply don't want that in my life right now.
"5. Any chance of coming to Charlotte in the next few years? Getting to meet you, Dan, and Jim was such a blessing back in 2008. Its great to see Mike each year, but it be great to have you back as well if ever possible."
It is certainly possible -- we all had a good time at that convention. I will keep an open mind.
"Thank you for your time and for connecting with us especially post-sale. Wish there was a way we could pay you back for it all."
Well, I accept certified checks and money orders…
(Just kidding!)
Seriously, I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you. -- PL
Just wanted to to thank you for all the great memories through the years. I have to admit that while it was the original cartoon series that brought me in, it was Volume 4 and all of the other more recent Mirage ventures that left the best of impressions. And that's saying a lot, as the the first show was my favorite as a child and all the TMNT related toys I had were my favorites. Volume 4 and the the 4Kids series was a way for me to enjoy the Turtles now, as a young adult(I believe I'm the same age as your daughter, 22), as much as I had when I was younger... So thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteI really only have one question for you. Do you think there will ever be a time that you may feel like putting out a book with various non-TMNT related art and photography? I know you had mentioned something of the like before, but didn't know if it was something that was still there in the back of your mind. After all, I came here for the Turtles, but found myself frequenting the other blog quite a bit more rapidly because of interest in the other forms of art, nature and pieces you tend to write about... As well as the insights into the happenings of your everyday life. I also know that you want to enjoy your retirement and do things that you've never had the time or energy to do, so I'm not expecting anything too soon. ;) Just know that there are definitely those of us out there who would have definite interest in such a book.
Lastly, I wish you the absolute best in all of your future ventures... I also hope that you'll continue to be able to enjoy life as much as you have been over these past months since the sale of the TMNT. If I should ever have the chance to meet you for a short chat and be able to thank you personally, it would definitely be a highlight of my life. Thanks again for all the great years!
Bobby Verdin
Just curious, but why did you rank Enterprise last, particularly beneath Voyager?
ReplyDeleteWhile Enterprise wasn't *consistently* good, I found Season 3 -- taken on the whole, as one story (as it ought to be) -- to be the best Trek story I've ever watched.
Voyager, on the other hand, I found to be consistently mehhhh. Never great, but never really terrible either.
1. About the new liveaction movie, has the project changed considerably since pre-nick purchase?
ReplyDelete2. Are you looking forward to the third Nolan Batman movie, The Dark Knight rises?
3. Do you have any regrets about the way the comics
were handled back in the 80s or 90s?
4. Are there any stories you wish the 4kids series did that they never got around to?
5. Is Fuigtoid your favorite non Turtle character in the series?
6. Do you think you'll read or check out IDW's TMNT comics once they come out?
7. Do you ever wish you did more with April as a drawing concept?
8. Are you glad to see Nick treating the property we, with a new movie, cartoon, comics and toys? Fans are calling the Nick era the "Third generation" of the TMNT franchise, as this is the third relaunch of the series.
Thanks Peter
Precita
If there was a new Star Trek TV show, would you want it to continue the new retroactive-continuitied "AbramsVerse" 23rd century ala the last Star Trek film (and I use the term painfully... I found it to be an empty-headed ride movie that is pretty well the anti-thesis of what Star Trek is supposed to be about, and on many levels) or would you want something in the TNG era... or something even further into the future?
ReplyDeleteI recently read somewhere that Lawson had finished up to issue 32 of volume 4, is this true, how much is unfinshed,and when estimately be seeing this issue on your blog or in print????
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for asking so many questions but its not everyday people take time with their fans. Again thanks for taking time with us and for the very wonderful arc that was called volume 4.
Thanks
Tony
p.s. Hey I am serious about those tickets, you just let me know when. I would not advise to come to or around on the 4rth of july you will not enjoy it.
ffritts.blogspot.com
I should preface this by saying I'm not a fan of any of the TMNT cartoons and I couldn't care less what the latest chilren's iteration is like... but you've got some invested interest in things by now, even peripherally. While what Nick is brewing up would be the first cartoon to fly without your quality control, I'm curious what your thoughts on what's come out about it so far...
ReplyDeleteSome points:
* April is about 16. Donatello has a crush on her and she may be a romantic interest for the Turtles.
* The Turtles are all a little younger than before.
* The mutagen changes people into critters again, like the Fred Wolf cartoon.
* Krang is back as "The Krang," an army of killer brains that won't be called Utroms.
* Apparently "The Krang" are going to go around mutating a lot of people, presumably into the same kind of mutant lineup we got out of the Fred Wolf cartoon... perhaps worse so.
* Splinter is super tall, about 6', made such "so he can be a better match for the Shredder when they fight." He also used to be Hamato Yoshi again, and apparently has a daughter.
What do you think about these things? (aside from, I'd wager, "not much")
"Bobby said...
ReplyDeleteI really only have one question for you. Do you think there will ever be a time that you may feel like putting out a book with various non-TMNT related art and photography? I know you had mentioned something of the like before, but didn't know if it was something that was still there in the back of your mind. After all, I came here for the Turtles, but found myself frequenting the other blog quite a bit more rapidly because of interest in the other forms of art, nature and pieces you tend to write about... As well as the insights into the happenings of your everyday life. I also know that you want to enjoy your retirement and do things that you've never had the time or energy to do, so I'm not expecting anything too soon. ;) Just know that there are definitely those of us out there who would have definite interest in such a book."
It warms my heart to think that there are people out there who would be interested in such a book… and the short answer to your question is "Yes, I do have some interest in doing SOMETHING like that." (I just can't say exactly WHAT or exactly WHEN… or even exactly IF!)
"Lastly, I wish you the absolute best in all of your future ventures... I also hope that you'll continue to be able to enjoy life as much as you have been over these past months since the sale of the TMNT. If I should ever have the chance to meet you for a short chat and be able to thank you personally, it would definitely be a highlight of my life. Thanks again for all the great years!
Bobby Verdin"
Thank you, Bobby. I appreciate it! -- PL
>I have not given that much thought, but in all >honesty it does not interest me very much. And >that is not because I don't think the people >you mention could not put out some cool stuff -> just that I am not really interested in >Turtles right now. And if I were to give the >go-ahead to a project such as you describe, >there is pretty much no way that I could NOT >be drawn into it to some degree, and I simply >don't want that in my life right now.
ReplyDeleteI can defintely understand that! I try to put on your shoes at times to see your perspective and I could see the urge to oversee it or one of them ask for your input,etc. I would be the same way.
AS for favorite episodes I had a feeling the Jack Kirby Tribute, "The King" would be a top three. Thanks to the blog I've got an increased interest in him as well as another artist,Neal Adams. Love to see anything you have to say about them.
I agree with the above that this blog is entertaining and call me crazy,but I feel more connected to the TMNT than I did during both runs following this blog not to mention other aspects you write about that I find a fun read. Thanks again and always.
"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteJust curious, but why did you rank Enterprise last, particularly beneath Voyager? While Enterprise wasn't *consistently* good, I found Season 3 -- taken on the whole, as one story (as it ought to be) -- to be the best Trek story I've ever watched. Voyager, on the other hand, I found to be consistently mehhhh. Never great, but never really terrible either."
I have to say, first of all, that even though the original "Star Trek" series holds a special place in my heart and mind, I do prefer the timeline established first by "The Next Generation", then continued and expanded upon in "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager". I'll admit, "Voyager" had more than its share of "boner" episodes, but also quite a few excellent ones.
"Enterprise" always felt to me like the "Star Trek" show nobody had asked for. Given the incredibly rich universe set up in the three previous series, it seemed a shame to suddenly go back in time and not be able to do anything with that universe. And too many of "Enterprise"'s episodes had a similar look and feel to them, at least for me.
That's not to say it didn't have its moments, and I would watch just about any episode of "Enterprise" and enjoy it more than the most recent "Star Trek" movie. -- PL
I was trying to think of something interesting to ask. So here goes.
ReplyDeleteYou've mentioned on countless occasions that the Turtles prevented you from having the time to be the kind of artist you wanted to be.
Knowing what you know now, using this time machine I just whipped up for the sake of this conversation, would you go back and stop it all from happening?
precita said...
ReplyDelete1. About the new live action movie, has the project changed considerably since pre-nick purchase?"
As I am not involved with it anymore, I can't really say.
"2. Are you looking forward to the third Nolan Batman movie, The Dark Knight rises?"
Sort of… but I am looking forward to "Green Lantern", "Thor", and "Captain America" a lot more.
"3. Do you have any regrets about the way the comics were handled back in the 80s or 90s?"
I'm assuming you mean the TMNT comics…? In that case, I wish Kevin Eastman and I had found a way to get enough time and energy to continue the series ourselves, and maybe create a separate "Otherworlds"-type series for all the other creators who took a shot at it.
"4. Are there any stories you wish the 4kids series did that they never got around to?"
None that I can think of right now.
"5. Is Fuigtoid your favorite non Turtle character in the series?"
Probably.
"6. Do you think you'll read or check out IDW's TMNT comics once they come out?"
As I have said elsewhere on this blog, I will definitely look at them, but -- given that I hardly buy or read ANY comics these days -- it's unlikely I will pick them up.
"7. Do you ever wish you did more with April as a drawing concept?"
I had a few more ideas to do with that, leading up to the conclusion of Volume 4.
"8. Are you glad to see Nick treating the property we, with a new movie, cartoon, comics and toys? Fans are calling the Nick era the "Third generation" of the TMNT franchise, as this is the third relaunch of the series. Thanks Peter
Precita"
Did you mean to say "… treating the property well…"? I am happy to see that they are moving forward with toys, comics and animation. But I have to say that I think we should all wait to see what these things actually are like before we can honestly opine whether the property is being treated "well". What I have seen so far indicates that it will be, but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. -- PL
"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteIf there was a new Star Trek TV show, would you want it to continue the new retroactive-continuitied "AbramsVerse" 23rd century ala the last Star Trek film (and I use the term painfully... I found it to be an empty-headed ride movie that is pretty well the anti-thesis of what Star Trek is supposed to be about, and on many levels) or would you want something in the TNG era... or something even further into the future?"
I loathe what Abrams did to the "Star Trek" universe in the most recent movie, so no -- I would not like that to be used as the basis for a new series. My preference would be for another series set either in the TNG/DS9/Voyager timeline, or maybe something twenty or thirty years (or maybe more) beyond that one. -- PL
"FF said...
ReplyDeleteI recently read somewhere that Lawson had finished up to issue 32 of volume 4, is this true, how much is unfinshed,and when estimately be seeing this issue on your blog or in print???? I am sorry for asking so many questions but its not everyday people take time with their fans. Again thanks for taking time with us and for the very wonderful arc that was called volume 4. Thanks Tony"
I believe #32 was penciled, but as far as I know, Eric hasn't finished inking it. (Though I could be mistaken about that.) I have no idea when I might get it together to finish MY work on it (scripting and lettering and toning) in order to post it here or print it.
"p.s. Hey I am serious about those tickets, you just let me know when. I would not advise to come to or around on the 4rth of july you will not enjoy it. "
Thanks for the tip! -- PL
Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteI should preface this by saying I'm not a fan of any of the TMNT cartoons and I couldn't care less what the latest chilren's iteration is like... but you've got some invested interest in things by now, even peripherally. While what Nick is brewing up would be the first cartoon to fly without your quality control, I'm curious what your thoughts on what's come out about it so far... Some points: * April is about 16. Donatello has a crush on her and she may be a romantic interest for the Turtles. * The Turtles are all a little younger than before. * The mutagen changes people into critters again, like the Fred Wolf cartoon. * Krang is back as "The Krang," an army of killer brains that won't be called Utroms. * Apparently "The Krang" are going to go around mutating a lot of people, presumably into the same kind of mutant lineup we got out of the Fred Wolf cartoon... perhaps worse so. * Splinter is super tall, about 6', made such "so he can be a better match for the Shredder when they fight." He also used to be Hamato Yoshi again, and apparently has a daughter. What do you think about these things? (aside from, I'd wager, "not much")"
Well, to use a favorite phrase of mine which I employed a lot back when I owned the property, nothing in the above list made me puke. (Though the "April as a romantic interest for any of the Turtles" thing makes me a bit queasy.)
When I sold the property to Viacom, I fully expected that there could be HUGE changes made to it, and perhaps a lot of things which I would not have approved of. That was part of the package, part of the whole thing of letting the property go. I am keeping an open mind… maybe some of these changes which I might not have approved of could lead to some cool things happening. It is, of course, possible that things could go in the opposite direction… but time will tell. I can wait.. because, in all frankness, it doesn't matter that much to me anymore. -- PL
What type of stories did you prefer to write the Turtles in the most? More realistic urban stories like City at War which had the turtles face human enemies, or more sci-fi adventures in space with th Triceratons and alternate dimension stories like with Renet, etc.
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel about those Volume 1 wacky stories of Mark Martin and Tom Mcweeny that don't fit in with the rest of the Mirage continuity? Do you feel you would have approved those stories if that series went on the way you handles Tales v 2?
"Bobby Said...Do you think there will ever be a time that you may feel like putting out a book with various non-TMNT related art and photography?"
ReplyDeleteIf that book ever came into existence I would want a copy. I've been enjoying your non tmnt photography, sketches as well as the non tmnt of Mike Dooney.
Lately I have been on a Laird, Dooney, Alphonse Mucha kick. I've been finding a lot of inspiration in your work.
What artist had the biggest influence on your work? Who inspires you to create, aside from your own personal drive?
What advise would you give someone that loves to sketch but is not very good at it? I see a potential in my sketches but, I always feel like it is not good enough or, it is missing something.
I'd publish the movie inquiry in my blog Damn Good Coffee, older "top tens" can be seen at the link (but mostly in finnish). Yours would be translated in finnish also, but in english too.
ReplyDeletehttp://hitonhyvatsumpit.blogspot.com/search/label/about%20top%2010
The questions are:
1. Top ten favorite movies (what you like about them and what they mean to you etc.)
2. What kind of moviegoer are you generally?
3. Best movie soundtracks?
4. Your knowledge on finnish cinema?
5. Your thoughts on the Turtles movies and animated series?
+) What sort of coffee drinker are you?
Reply to jakkiih@hotmail.com
And if you have any more questions feel free to ask. And no, it doesnt have to be exactly ten movies, it can be more or less, what suits you best.
You could send some Turtle-drawing to the post if you like. It'd be cool. Even better if it was coffee or movie related too.
Thank you.
"precita said...
ReplyDeleteWhat type of stories did you prefer to write the Turtles in the most? More realistic urban stories like City at War which had the turtles face human enemies, or more sci-fi adventures in space with the Triceratons and alternate dimension stories like with Renet, etc."
As a big fan of science fiction, I must admit I have a lot of fun playing in that particular sandbox. Of course, I always saw the TMNT as a science fiction concept from the beginning, so it wasn't much of a stretch to involve them with outer space or alternate dimension adventures. So, yes, I think you could say I had a preference for those types of stories.
That being said, what did I do for my first solo effort at a TMNT comic (Volume 1, #12)? A story set in the woods around Northampton, MA featuring homegrown terrorists. I also enjoyed the urban ninja battles of some of this early issues… but to tell the truth, drawing all those buildings can get to be a real pain sometimes.
"How do you feel about those Volume 1 wacky stories of Mark Martin and Tom Mcweeny that don't fit in with the rest of the Mirage continuity? Do you feel you would have approved those stories if that series went on the way you handles Tales v 2?"
Some of those stories -- Mark Martin's especially -- are brilliant. But as I said in my answer to another question, in retrospect I wish we'd created another title in which to feature those "out of canon" stories. -- PL
Mark H said...
ReplyDelete"Bobby Said...Do you think there will ever be a time that you may feel like putting out a book with various non-TMNT related art and photography?" If that book ever came into existence I would want a copy. I've been enjoying your non tmnt photography, sketches as well as the non tmnt of Mike Dooney. Lately I have been on a Laird, Dooney, Alphonse Mucha kick."
I'm flattered by the company you put me in.
" I've been finding a lot of inspiration in your work. What artist had the biggest influence on your work? Who inspires you to create, aside from your own personal drive?"
As I have mentioned previously, Jack Kirby was the single biggest inspiration for me, especially as it relates to comics. But there have been other comics artists who influenced either my style or my desire to get into comics as a professional -- among them were Barry Smith, GIl Kane, Jim Starlin, Mike Ploog, Russ Manning, John Byrne, Robert Crumb, Dave Sheridan, Gilbert Shelton, S. Clay WIlson, Rand Holmes, George Perez… given more time, I could probably think of another dozen or two.
I was also influenced -- not so much stylistically, but by the evidence in their work that it was possible to create wonderful images out of one's imagination -- by a lot of the great illustrators, like Norman Rockwell, Howard Pyle, and N.C. Wyeth.
"What advice would you give someone that loves to sketch but is not very good at it? I see a potential in my sketches but, I always feel like it is not good enough or, it is missing something."
The simplest advice is to keep doing it -- keep drawing. Draw more and more and more. That is really the way you get better, and also the way that you find out it drawing is the thing for you. -- PL
Do you think you would have killed off Shredder in that first issue, if you knew he would have become such a big hit because of the animated series?
ReplyDeleteAre you generally happy with the Turtles Rouges gallery over the years? In Batman, the 'official' big bads are The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler, etc. But in turtles, other than Shredder, the villains seem to change an awful lot. Do you think that's a better approach than having the same villains all the time?
Are you familiar with Scott Pilgrim at all?
ReplyDeleteHey Pete - do you have any interest in working on other non-TMNT comic book characters? Like if you were asked to illustrate a Flaming Carrot story or something, would you be interested? Say if someone (not unlike myself) were involved in self-publishing?
ReplyDeleteI think a Season 8 of Voyager with them settling back into the swing of things in a post-Dominion War Starfleet would have went a long way to making that show stand out in my mind.
ReplyDelete1. I know the Triceratons were created by your love of Triceratops dinosaurs, but were they also influenced by the Klingons from Star Trek? They have similar types of honor and love for war, I'm curious if the Triceratons were influenced by the Klingons at all.
ReplyDelete2. What were some of your favorite Playmates TMNT toys over the years, aside from the metallic Fuigitoid from 2009? Any others that particular stood out for you?
3. What was the original reason Volume 2 was so short lived (13 issues), back in 1995. I know Mirage stopped publishing which is why the Turtles went to Image for the next few years, but what was the original reason Mirage canceled the book and stopped publishing for a while? I think Jim Lawson once said Volume 2 was originally intended to go on for a bit longer.
Hello Mr. Laird. I was wondering now that you have sold the turtles and have (some) down time, do you ever plan on taking commissions for sketches? I would love to get a sketch from you but sadly the shows that you do, or did, attend are very far from where Im located. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you are planning on attending any more conventions?
ReplyDeleteHow much input did you and kevin eastman have in the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and what did you think of Steve Barron's take on the turtles?
ReplyDelete"Neil Vitale said...
ReplyDeleteDo you think you would have killed off Shredder in that first issue, if you knew he would have become such a big hit because of the animated series?"
That's one of those "nearly impossible to answer" questions. I mean, back when we did the first issue, we weren't even thinking about a SECOND issue, let alone an animated series. And, as you know, our killing him off in that first issue (a) had no effect on the success of the TMNT in other media, and (b) was fairly easily reversed in the comics when we decided we'd like to play with the character a little more (at least for a few issues).
But in truth, though many TMNT fans who became fans via the first animated series see the Shredder as a REALLY important part of an ongoing, long-running battle with the Turtles, I don't think Kevin or I ever did. Yes, he was an important part of their history, and they probably would not have come into existence without his involvement in their world (or more accurately Splinter's world)… but that's about it. Other than bringing the Shredder back for "Return to New York" (and the few issues preceding that set that arc up), I never missed him in any of the other TMNT books I worked on.
"Are you generally happy with the Turtles Rouges gallery over the years? In Batman, the 'official' big bads are The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler, etc. But in turtles, other than Shredder, the villains seem to change an awful lot. Do you think that's a better approach than having the same villains all the time?"
It's hard to say. Certainly, it's a lot easier to market a limited set of "big bads", as you call them. I guess I found it pretty boring when the first animated series focused so much on the Shredder and Krang as the main villains -- I preferred the more balanced approach of the 2K3 series. -- PL
"John Pannozzi said...
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with Scott Pilgrim at all?"
I've heard the name -- wasn't there a movie about him recently? Other than that, I know nothing about him. -- PL
"Miserable Dreamer said...
ReplyDeleteHey Pete - do you have any interest in working on other non-TMNT comic book characters? Like if you were asked to illustrate a Flaming Carrot story or something, would you be interested? Say if someone (not unlike myself) were involved in self-publishing?"
Right now, my interest in both reading comics and creating comics is at a very low ebb. That could change, but I doubt it will very soon. I think it would take something extraordinary -- like being given carte blanche to do a limited series featuring the Thing from the Fantastic 4 and Etrigan, the Demon (something that will, I suspect, NEVER happen) -- to get me excited about working on comics.
Actually, if Stan Sakai asked me to collaborate on something with him, that might do it, too. -- PL
"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteI think a Season 8 of Voyager with them settling back into the swing of things in a post-Dominion War Starfleet would have went a long way to making that show stand out in my mind."
Not a bad idea. -- PL
"precita said...
ReplyDelete1. I know the Triceratons were created by your love of Triceratops dinosaurs, but were they also influenced by the Klingons from Star Trek? They have similar types of honor and love for war, I'm curious if the Triceratons were influenced by the Klingons at all."
Definitely.
"2. What were some of your favorite Playmates TMNT toys over the years, aside from the metallic Fuigitoid from 2009? Any others that particular stood out for you?"
I loved the original four Turtles. Muckman was cool. Mutagen Man was cool. I loved the "Universal Monsters" and "Star Trek" Turtles (still can't believe we got away with that one). Can't think of any other right off the top of my head.
"3. What was the original reason Volume 2 was so short lived (13 issues), back in 1995. I know Mirage stopped publishing which is why the Turtles went to Image for the next few years, but what was the original reason Mirage canceled the book and stopped publishing for a while? I think Jim Lawson once said Volume 2 was originally intended to go on for a bit longer."
You know, I really can't remember. -- PL
"Nick said...
ReplyDeleteHello Mr. Laird. I was wondering now that you have sold the turtles and have (some) down time, do you ever plan on taking commissions for sketches? I would love to get a sketch from you but sadly the shows that you do, or did, attend are very far from where Im located. Thanks so much."
Nick, I have no plans to do that. --PL
"Kyle West said...
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you are planning on attending any more conventions?"
Right now, no. But that could change... probably not for a while, though. -- PL
"William said...
ReplyDeleteHow much input did you and kevin eastman have in the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and what did you think of Steve Barron's take on the turtles?"
We had script approval, so we had quite a bit of input at that level. And I loved Steve Barron's take on the Turtles. He saved that movie. -- PL
Mr. Laird,
ReplyDeleteBefore the sale to Viacom, the folks at GoGreenMachine were taking submissions for a fan-made TMNT tribute book. After the sale, they canceled the book, which was unfortunate because my friends Randy and Kris and I had already produced a short ten page comic!
My question is, would you like to see that comic? If so, here are some links!
Page One
Page Two
Page Three
Page Four
Page Five
Page Six
Page Seven
Page Eight
Page Nine
Page Ten
(Feel free to right click, download and print for the full effect!)
I really wanted to find someone to color the pages but we were really disheartened by the tribute book's cancellation. My only hope now is that you can see these pages for yourself and know that I, personally, owe you and your stories for a lifetime of creativity.
Thank you, Peter!
Jeremiah Allan
jeremiahvedder@yahoo.com
Two questions:
ReplyDelete1) When the IDW omnibus/collected book machine starts up, eventually they're going to get up to Volume 4 and the open-end of it is probably going to be problematic. Do you think at that point, when/if IDW gets to a point where they're collecting up Vol. 4, that would serve as an incentive for you to complete it out?
2) TMNT comic book rights. We don't know the nitty gritty of the deal between Nick/Viacom and IDW and I'm assuming you don't either, but as far as you know, if IDW wanted to continue the existing Mirage universe in print is there anything at play legally (your 18 books a year deal, possibly?) that would be preventing them from doing so? Do you reckon they pretty much have carte blanche to do whatever they want in comics, even if it's a return to an existing universe?
Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteTwo questions: 1) When the IDW omnibus/collected book machine starts up, eventually they're going to get up to Volume 4 and the open-end of it is probably going to be problematic. Do you think at that point, when/if IDW gets to a point where they're collecting up Vol. 4, that would serve as an incentive for you to complete it out?"
That's an interesting question. It would be an incentive of sorts, but I am not sure if it would be enough to move me to finish it.
"2) TMNT comic book rights. We don't know the nitty gritty of the deal between Nick/Viacom and IDW and I'm assuming you don't either, but as far as you know, if IDW wanted to continue the existing Mirage universe in print is there anything at play legally (your 18 books a year deal, possibly?) that would be preventing them from doing so? Do you reckon they pretty much have carte blanche to do whatever they want in comics, even if it's a return to an existing universe?"
My understanding is that VIacom could allow IDW to do comics set in any version, or universe if you will, of the TMNT. My right to do my own TMNT comics would not, as I understand it, interfere with that. -- PL
Three questions:
ReplyDelete1) Out of the four theatrical TMNT films so far, which one did you like the least?
2) Did someone teach you how to ride a motorcyle, or were you self-taught?
3) What are some of the good and bad experiences that you had attending comic book conventions in the past?
I've always been curious about you and comic books in general. I mean obviously in the past you really enjoyed them...especially Jack Kirby! But I was wondering what happened after the 80s and the business of Mirage.
ReplyDeleteDid you eventually stop reading comics out of general disinterest or perhaps business?
When you take the time to read comics now, which ones? Older ones, newer series.
What do you think about Comics now? Especially the way they are printed. I'm talking about the way the ink, the paper, even the way they smell now!
Oh and...you never seem to mention Superman. What do you think of him; back in the day AND now?
Hello Mr. Laird.
ReplyDelete1. When you graduated from college how did you navigate yourself after that? I'm about to recieve my BFA soon and I still feel a bit lost and unsure as to what to do next. Were you already working on TMNT prior to graduating?
2. What are your future plans now? With new comics, series and movies on the way I'm sure many more will find this nice blog.
Thanks.
Hey Pete!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to thank you for making up some great characters that I've enjoyed most of my life. Do you still talk to K. Eastman?
Peter,
ReplyDelete*What were your thoughts on the later seasons (Fast Forward and Back to the Sewers) of the 4Kids series?
*What was(were) your favorite original character(s) created for either Turtle series?
*So there were no episodes of the Fred Wolf series you particularly liked? I know one of my favorites is "The Legend of Koji" where Shredder travels back to Feudal Japan in an attempt to stop Hamato Yoshi's ancestor Hamato Koji from founding the Foot Clan and placing his ancestor Oroku Sancho in his place. It's certainly one of the more serious and less cheesy episodes.
*What do you plan to do creatively now that you're "free" from the Turtles? Plan to create any other one off comics that accidentally become major franchise still remembered fondly 25 years from now? :D
Thanks for the memories...and the answers.
hello mr laird!
ReplyDeletefirst of I'd like to say congratulations on your immense success!
and thank you very much for the effort, love and thinking-simply put:the devotion- that went into your work!
the first 12 issues, as well as all the one-shots and many an issue/volume thereafter hold a special place in my heart and throne my all time favourite comic creations list next to usagi yojimbo and cheech wizard!
I love the rough street charme that surrounds the early issues(actually it lures in all eastman and laird collaborations to me)....and the mix with the ancient, mystic culture of ninja build a very fine chemistry...when the science fiction elements and environments came into that you had a very nice atmosphere that didn't pop up on that level in any other book I ever read, so thank you!
my questions:
1. is mirage selling all their restbooks and won't be publishing them again after they sold out?(would make sense, still gotta get many copies yet...)
2.I understand your desinterest about working on any tmnt related project now that the selling of the property has just happened, yet I always taste somewhat of a 'lost love' towards the turtles in your answers on tmnt-questions, is it because you are not willing to throw yourself back in the ring about turtles stuff or have you perhaps even lost your bond to the very characters you once co created?
I wish you the best!and hope you may really be collaborating no comics with stan sakai one day;)
peace
marcel
ooops, I meant to write 'on comics' not 'no comics'....sorry;)
ReplyDelete"stephan said...
ReplyDeleteI was trying to think of something interesting to ask. So here goes.
You've mentioned on countless occasions that the Turtles prevented you from having the time to be the kind of artist you wanted to be.
Knowing what you know now, using this time machine I just whipped up for the sake of this conversation, would you go back and stop it all from happening?"
Stephan, that's a great question, and deserves a lengthy answer. I am thinking of turning it into a blog post soon. -- PL
Hey Peter! I know you've said that you're done with comics for the foreseeable future, but with IDW owning the TMNT license AND the Star Trek license, any chance you'd be willing to be involved somehow if IDW does a crossover between the two properties? I can't think of anyone better suited for the job than you. Thanks for all the answers!
ReplyDelete"B.Thomas said...
ReplyDeleteThree questions: 1) Out of the four theatrical TMNT films so far, which one did you like the least?"
The second one -- "Secret of the Ooze".
"2) Did someone teach you how to ride a motorcycle, or were you self-taught?"
Pretty much self-taught, from a little lawnmower engine-powered minibike, to the scooter which was my first street-legal ride, to the various motorcycles I've had over the years since then.
"3) What are some of the good and bad experiences that you had attending comic book conventions in the past?"
It's funny -- nothing really stands out as either really good or really bad. I've met mostly good people at shows -- the obnoxious idiots are actually usually thin on the ground. Perhaps if I think more about it, some pertinent memories will emerge. The one thing that did pop into my head did not happen at a convention, per se, but I think it did happen at a convention hotel. It was in San Diego, and I was attending the show -- the San Diego ComicCon -- with the other Mirage dudes, and we were all among a pretty large group of people in the industry who were invited to take part in Jack Kirby's 70th birthday celebration, which I think was organized by Mark Evanier,
We, of course, were thrilled -- Jack was a hero to all of us -- and at one moment, during a lull in the almost non-stop attention being paid to him, we kind of cornered him in the hall where the party was happening, and did some fanboy gushing about how much his work meant to us. And Jack looked at us with a big smile and said "I consider you all my sons." THAT was a great moment for us all -- I remember feeling pretty giddy right then. (I still feel that way, thinking of it.) -- PL
"Adam said...
ReplyDeleteHey Peter! I know you've said that you're done with comics for the foreseeable future, but with IDW owning the TMNT license AND the Star Trek license, any chance you'd be willing to be involved somehow if IDW does a crossover between the two properties? I can't think of anyone better suited for the job than you. Thanks for all the answers!"
Okay, add that to the list of "possibles", right after the one where Stan Sakai asks me to collaborate with him on something.
Actually, your question just made me remember something that I had completely forgotten -- an idea I had years ago, for which I made a few notes, for a "Star Trek" story set in the "Next Generation" time line, in which -- for reasons I don't remember, and quite possibly never really worked out -- various people in the "Star Trek" universe interacted with the Turtles… through the medium of the "holodeck". -- PL
"The Kevin said...
ReplyDeleteHey Pete! Just wanted to thank you for making up some great characters that I've enjoyed most of my life. Do you still talk to K. Eastman?"
I haven't spoken to him in a long time. -- PL
"Conn said...
ReplyDeleteI've always been curious about you and comic books in general. I mean obviously in the past you really enjoyed them...especially Jack Kirby! But I was wondering what happened after the 80s and the business of Mirage. Did you eventually stop reading comics out of general disinterest or perhaps business?"
I think it was those two things, plus some others. I look at it as being connected to a kind of "burnout". Maybe it will come back someday.
"When you take the time to read comics now, which ones? Older ones, newer series."
Except for "Usagi Yojimbo", I really don't read any comics, except for an occasional RE-reading of some "classics" which appear in reprint form.
"What do you think about Comics now? Especially the way they are printed. I'm talking about the way the ink, the paper, even the way they smell now!"
I think I preferred the cheaper newsprint that Marvel and DC books were printed on in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. I don't particularly care for the style that came in about ten years ago, where panels bleed right off the page, and the space between panels is filled with either color or imagery. I find it murky, overly "busy", and less-than-helpful in reading.
"Oh and...you never seem to mention Superman. What do you think of him; back in the day AND now?"
I've always thought Superman was a great character. He's fun to draw, and he has so many wonderful qualities. In a lot of ways, I see the Kirby/Lee "Thor" of the early Marvel days as being very similar to Superman, in their straightforwardness and nobility.
Not that I'm a huge Jack Kirby fan or anything :) but some of my favorite Superman moments were in books that Kirby did when he came to DC in the 1970's. One in particular -- I can't remember right now which book it was, though it might have been "Forever People" -- had Superman following a "Boom Tube" to New Genesis, home of the New Gods, and kind of falling in love with the idea of this world of superbeings. It was quite poignant. -- PL
Ronin Artist said...
ReplyDeleteHello Mr. Laird. 1. When you graduated from college how did you navigate yourself after that? I'm about to recieve my BFA soon and I still feel a bit lost and unsure as to what to do next. Were you already working on TMNT prior to graduating?"
I knew pretty clearly that I wanted to make my living drawing -- preferably someday in comics or fantasy illustration -- and did not want to have to find a "real job". So I basically did whatever I could to make that happen -- started going around to places I thought could use artwork, and gradually built up a fairly decent client base.
I graduated from college in 1976 -- the Turtles weren't created until 1983.
"2. What are your future plans now? With new comics, series and movies on the way I'm sure many more will find this nice blog."
That's possible, though they might be disappointed -- there very likely will not be much about the NEW generation -- the Viacom/Nick generation -- of TMNT stuff on here.
As for my future plans -- I hope to segue into illustration again. -- PL
jstr4life said...
ReplyDeletePeter, *What were your thoughts on the later seasons (Fast Forward and Back to the Sewers) of the 4Kids series?"
They weren't my favorites of all the 4Kids years, but I feel they held up pretty well, overall.
"What was(were) your favorite original character(s) created for either Turtle series?"
Honestly, I can't think of ANY character from the first TMNT TV series which I would consider my "favorite". As for the second series, I would have to say that I liked Bishop a lot. I also liked "Nano". And the "Ancient One".
"So there were no episodes of the Fred Wolf series you particularly liked?"
Not really, no.
"What do you plan to do creatively now that you're "free" from the Turtles? Plan to create any other one off comics that accidentally become major franchise still remembered fondly 25 years from now? :D"
I'm really not sure what I will end up doing, but it will almost certainly -- for a number of reasons -- NOT be that.
"Thanks for the memories...and the answers."
You're welcome. -- PL
cool ray said...
ReplyDeletehello mr laird! first of I'd like to say congratulations on your immense success!"
Thanks!
"and thank you very much for the effort, love and thinking-simply put:the devotion- that went into your work! the first 12 issues, as well as all the one-shots and many an issue/volume thereafter hold a special place in my heart and throne my all time favourite comic creations list next to usagi yojimbo and cheech wizard! I love the rough street charme that surrounds the early issues(actually it lures in all eastman and laird collaborations to me)....and the mix with the ancient, mystic culture of ninja build a very fine chemistry...when the science fiction elements and environments came into that you had a very nice atmosphere that didn't pop up on that level in any other book I ever read, so thank you! my questions: 1. is mirage selling all their restbooks and won't be publishing them again after they sold out?(would make sense, still gotta get many copies yet…)"
If I am understanding your question correctly -- Mirage will be trying to sell all the backstock of TMNT comics it has right now. I don't think we will be reprinting any of them.
"2.I understand your desinterest about working on any tmnt related project now that the selling of the property has just happened, yet I always taste somewhat of a 'lost love' towards the turtles in your answers on tmnt-questions, is it because you are not willing to throw yourself back in the ring about turtles stuff or have you perhaps even lost your bond to the very characters you once co created?"
I have a great fondness the the Turtles and their supporting cast. I spent a lot of that twenty-five years having fun with them. But right now, I need a break from them… and it could be a LONG break.
"I wish you the best!and hope you may really be collaborating no comics with stan sakai one day;) peace marcel"
Thank you! -- PL
Did you ever come up with a story as to why Splinter, before he got mutated, was able to mimic martial arts? We were always pretty much told that Splinter was a normal rat, so how did he somehow use martial arts and seem somewhat intelligent?
ReplyDeleteIt always seemed like a good idea for a Tales of the TMNT story that never happened. Have you ever thought about it after all these years? Or is it just a, "just go with the flow" kind of thing?
hi!
ReplyDeleteme again, I know something I wanted to know of you personally:
what were your goals with tmnt volume four when you started it in 2001?
I have read only very few issues so far since they are hard to find oversease...but I know the few that I have and read the story synopsis on the former ninjaturtles.com.....I've read somewhere that you wanted to ripen the characters a bit, let them mature(they must have been in their thirties during that run of comics...), is that true?what were your intentions?
peace marcel
"precita said...
ReplyDeleteDid you ever come up with a story as to why Splinter, before he got mutated, was able to mimic martial arts? We were always pretty much told that Splinter was a normal rat, so how did he somehow use martial arts and seem somewhat intelligent? It always seemed like a good idea for a Tales of the TMNT story that never happened. Have you ever thought about it after all these years? Or is it just a, "just go with the flow" kind of thing?"
When we did that first issue, it just seemed fine to have Splinter mimic Yoshi's moves when he was a normal rat. I'm not sure why -- maybe we were thinking of trained animals which can mimic various human activities.
I have a vague memory of considering doing a story later on wherein that whole thing would be examined more closely, but decided it was perhaps best to "just go with the flow", as you put it, rather than get into some convoluted tale of how Splinter was really already a mutant or the last descendant of a race of intelligent rats or a human trapped in rat form or something. -- PL
"cool ray said...
ReplyDeletehi! me again, I know something I wanted to know of you personally: what were your goals with tmnt volume four when you started it in 2001? I have read only very few issues so far since they are hard to find oversease...but I know the few that I have and read the story synopsis on the former ninjaturtles.com.....I've read somewhere that you wanted to ripen the characters a bit, let them mature(they must have been in their thirties during that run of comics...), is that true?what were your intentions? peace marcel"
Marcel, you pretty much have it there -- I did want to play around with the Turtles as more mature characters, and it was to this end that I deliberately split them up and had them going off on separate adventures… so that they would not have to depend on each other. -- PL
We have a few comics we'd love to have you sign (Gobbledygook #s 1 & 2; Barbaric Fantasy #1; TMNT Vol 1 #1; possibly Tenpenny Funnies #s 1-8; etc.). Since you said you probably won't be doing any conventions for a while, what would be the best way to make that happen?
ReplyDeleteThanks! =)
Rachel
another day, another question;)
ReplyDeletewell if this ask pl is still on then I got some wondering for you to do;)...
since the tmnt are beautifully done in black and white art(well most volumes anyway...) the covers stand out as they tend to be the only art work in color, then there were the first publishing comic collections of the first 12 issues and lotsa other stuff that incorporated color....the original cartoon series did a wonderful job in given the characters and especially their environments outstanding beautiful colors in my oppinion...
now, to you mr laird, what was for you some of the nicest color jobs done on your black and white tmnt?
love marcel
"norman1881 said...
ReplyDeleteWe have a few comics we'd love to have you sign (Gobbledygook #s 1 & 2; Barbaric Fantasy #1; TMNT Vol 1 #1; possibly Tenpenny Funnies #s 1-8; etc.). Since you said you probably won't be doing any conventions for a while, what would be the best way to make that happen? Thanks! =) Rachel"
You could mail them -- along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope or shipping package or whatever you feel would be most protective -- to the Mirage Studios mailing address, which I believe is:
Mirage Studios
P.O. Box 486
Northampton, MA
01061
… and I will make my best effort to sign them for you, and Katie will make her best effort to use your postage-paid return packaging stuff to get your books back to you as soon as possible. Note: We can't guarantee that your books will either reach us safely or reach YOU safely once they have been processed here -- that's a risk you have to take. We'll do what we can, but beyond that, who knows? If this makes you uncomfortable, perhaps it might be best to hold onto them until I do another show that you can get to. -- PL
cool ray said...
ReplyDeleteanother day, another question;) well if this ask pl is still on then I got some wondering for you to do;)... since the tmnt are beautifully done in black and white art(well most volumes anyway...) the covers stand out as they tend to be the only art work in color, then there were the first publishing comic collections of the first 12 issues and lotsa other stuff that incorporated color....the original cartoon series did a wonderful job in given the characters and especially their environments outstanding beautiful colors in my oppinion... now, to you mr laird, what was for you some of the nicest color jobs done on your black and white tmnt? love marcel"
Interesting question, and one I have not been asked before.
I would say that among the various comic books which have featured the Turtles, Michael Dooney's painted covers stand out as wonderful representations of the Turtles in color… especially all the great ones he did for TMNT Volume 4. I am proud to be the owner of most, if not all, of those originals… and was kind of bummed out when Mike switched from real paint to digital for some of the later ones. He really does do beautiful work.
A.C. Farley also did some fantastic color versions of the Turtles on some of the covers that he did for the comics.
I would be remiss if I did not mention many of the cool images of the Turtles in color that Kevin Eastman did -- one of which (I think it's the cover to one of the role-playing games) is framed and hanging in my house.
I think the people at 4Kids did a wonderful job with the color palette for the 2K3 TMNT TV series… but I am not so fond of the colors in the original series. They were a bit too pastel for my tastes.
And of course, the Jim Henson Studio artists did a fabulous job rendering those original TMNT movie costumes in color. I also like the colors used by the artists at Imagi on the Turtles in the last movie, the CGI one. -- PL
The previous question sparked a curiosity. Of all the drawing that you have done of the TMNT which one stands out as your favorite?
ReplyDeleteDo you feel as if posting on this TMNT blog kind of negates your desire to, "get away from" the Turtles? Granted you're not doing any new projects with them, just posting old art or discussing things with fans, but its still thinking about the subject daily. Most creators never do get to fully move on from their creations, same reason most celebrities are always commonly remembered in their biggest movie or TV roles decades later.
ReplyDeleteAlso, did anyone in your family follow the Turtles growing up? Was your daughter a big TMNT fan when she was younger? Did she watch the old cartoons or ever read the comics?
I enjoy reading your blogs and especially love the wonderful photography of the pics that you take. I noticed in your blogs that you are a fan of Star Trek and i was wondering what you thought of the original series films. Did you find that they lived up to the television series of did you find that they could have been better? What did you think of Star Trek The Motion Picture ( many it seems didnt really like it)? Were you a fan of the Next Generation movies?
ReplyDeleteI also want to thank you for the wonderful characters of the turtles and all the awesome stories you have told with them, and also for the 2003 TMNT series which I have recently discovered and its quite addicting.
"mikeandraph87 said...
ReplyDeleteThe previous question sparked a curiosity. Of all the drawing that you have done of the TMNT which one stands out as your favorite?"
Hmmm... that's a tough one. But I would have to say that one of the drawings that I think worked out really well (as far as I was concerned) and that I can still look at without wincing, is the cover to the first printing of TMNT #4, Volume 1. -- PL
"Scott said...
ReplyDeleteDo you feel as if posting on this TMNT blog kind of negates your desire to, "get away from" the Turtles? Granted you're not doing any new projects with them, just posting old art or discussing things with fans, but its still thinking about the subject daily. Most creators never do get to fully move on from their creations, same reason most celebrities are always commonly remembered in their biggest movie or TV roles decades later. "
The short answer to your first question is "No, I don't." As you point out, what I am doing here doesn't involve a lot of "heavy lifting" -- I am not creating anything new with the Turtles, just writing about them occasionally. I can assure you that if I ever start to feel like continuing this TMNT blog is becoming oppressive to me, I have no problem with stopping it "cold turkey".
"Also, did anyone in your family follow the Turtles growing up? Was your daughter a big TMNT fan when she was younger? Did she watch the old cartoons or ever read the comics?"
Almost everyone in my immediate family -- at least my side of it -- was already "grown up" by the time the Turtles became big, though I think my nephew Ben was just about the right age to appreciate the first TV series and the comics of that era. His father, my brother Bruce, is hands-down the biggest TMNT fan in my family. I think my wife's sister's kids were of the right age to be fans of the old show, too... at least some of them.
My daughter was a fan of the old show, loved the movies and enjoyed playing with the toys (as you might imagine, she had quite a few), but she never read the comics. I think that holds true even today, though I have often bugged her to take a look at them. -- PL
Do you ever get recognized on the street by random strangers
ReplyDeleteas to who you are? I imagine most people would never know unless they were big comic fans.
I have to say I loved those mutated talking dino's/lizards from early Vol 4. Especially the scenes where they chase the Utroms and gobble them down saying "meeeeeeaaaaaats." loved it!
Those and other scenes are why I really enjoyed Vol 4 over the last decade.
"Scott said...
ReplyDeleteDo you ever get recognized on the street by random strangers
as to who you are? I imagine most people would never know unless they were big comic fans."
It has happened, but thankfully only a few times.
"I have to say I loved those mutated talking dino's/lizards from early Vol 4. Especially the scenes where they chase the Utroms and gobble them down saying "meeeeeeaaaaaats." loved it!
Those and other scenes are why I really enjoyed Vol 4 over the last decade."
Thanks! Those scenes with the "Gollum-speaking" mutant lizards were a lot of fun to write. -- pL
Do you still use the Segway? How often?
ReplyDeleteJust curious since you don't blog about using it
Hey Peter, I'm glad to see you still like talking Turtles with us fans. I would've posted something sooner but I haven't checked your blog in a while, plus my computer got a virus a little while ago and I had to get it fixed. Anyway, I got a few questions here for ya!
ReplyDelete1) I see someone asked you already if people recognise you on the street, but does anyone ever mistake you for another celebrity? I think you look a little like Dennis Franz from NYPD Blue, hence why I asked.
2) As I've said before I always liked the Justice Force and how they were a clever parody of DC Comics' Justice League of America. What do you think would happen though if there was some universal cross-over and the original Justice Force met the original Justice League?
3) I've been watching a lot of 1980s movies lately, especially my all time favorite: Back to the Future! Do you have a favorite 1980s flick?
4) This morning I met a guy named Raphael at my church, and I thought that was so cool he had that name! Have you ever met anyone who happened to have the same name as one of the Turtles?
"Scott said...
ReplyDeleteDo you still use the Segway? How often?
Just curious since you don't blog about using it"
Once I realized how much fun recumbent and crank-forward bicycles were -- and how much good the exercise I got from riding them was for my health -- I sort of lost interest in the Segways. Of course, that kind of coincided with almost all of my Segways ceasing to function due to various forms of gadget abuse (like riding them in three feet of water). Occasionally, I think of charging them all up and seeing if any of them still work, but I guess the thrill is gone, as B.B. King said.
That's not to say anything negative about Segways. I still think they are amazing gizmos and tons of fun. I just don't need them in my life right now. -- PL
hi mr laird!(well, if it's alright I'll write 'peter' now;)....)
ReplyDeleteby rereading tmnt volume one collected I tryed to imagine what the printing and trying to selling expirience must have been to you pre-success...I am writing and drawing my own comics and am determined to start my own book as soon as my current project is finnished, now I wondered how did you guys go on with the ordering and shipping procedure back in the early days, when your pre-ordered issues amounted number in the few thousands all of a sudden?as you did self-publish everything you must have had help, right?still, this must've been really exhausting to do next to the production and promotiion of your work?
thanks so far for the wonderful answers, I agree with your choice of favoured tmnt work except with the old tmnt cartoon of course, hearing michael dooneys name I always immediatelly think back to the cover of volume 1, issue#9, the pre-teenage mutant ninja turtles story;)that was a fab painting!and kevin's color work is beautiful as well.
"Jephael said...
ReplyDeleteHey Peter, I'm glad to see you still like talking Turtles with us fans. I would've posted something sooner but I haven't checked your blog in a while, plus my computer got a virus a little while ago and I had to get it fixed. Anyway, I got a few questions here for ya! 1) I see someone asked you already if people recognise you on the street, but does anyone ever mistake you for another celebrity? I think you look a little like Dennis Franz from NYPD Blue, hence why I asked."
No.
"2) As I've said before I always liked the Justice Force and how they were a clever parody of DC Comics' Justice League of America. What do you think would happen though if there was some universal cross-over and the original Justice Force met the original Justice League?"
When I created the Justice Force, I was using my memories of various stories I'd read in comics featuring older superhero teams like the original Justice League -- I didn't really study those characters and make an intentional parody of them. It was more a parody of a generic "Golden Age" superhero group.
Given that, I don't really know what would happen in the situation you posit.
"3) I've been watching a lot of 1980s movies lately, especially my all time favorite: Back to the Future! Do you have a favorite 1980s flick?"
If I had to pick one, it would probably be the first "Terminator" movie. But I am sure there are many others that I liked… like "The Princess Bride", to name but one.
"4) This morning I met a guy named Raphael at my church, and I thought that was so cool he had that name! Have you ever met anyone who happened to have the same name as one of the Turtles?"
I think I have met one or two guys with names that sounded like Raphel, but I wasn't sure if they spelled their names like that or like "Rafael". Other than that, no. -- PL
"William said...
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your blogs and especially love the wonderful photography of the pics that you take."
Thank you.
I noticed in your blogs that you are a fan of Star Trek and i was wondering what you thought of the original series films. Did you find that they lived up to the television series of did you find that they could have been better? What did you think of Star Trek The Motion Picture ( many it seems didn't really like it)?"
First, you have to understand that the original "Star Trek" tv series left an indelible impression on my teenaged mind. It really affected me quite deeply on a number of levels. And I was crushed when it was cancelled after its third season.
So when a "Star Trek" movie was announced, and it was going to feature ALL of the original cast, I was beyond delighted that I was going to be able to see these actors playing these characters once again. I was thus less critical of the first "Star Trek" movie when it was released than I am today. It is still fun to watch, and it does have some really wonderful parts and some interesting concepts, but it also drags terribly in too many places. Still, to get to see Leonard Nimoy in the ears again… it was a treat.
I really enjoyed the second, third, fourth and sixth original cast movies. The fifth… well, it had its moments, but not many of them.
"Were you a fan of the Next Generation movies? "
I loved the TV show, and the first and second "Next Generation" movies. Things started to go bad with the third one ("Insurrection"), and though it pains me to say this about anything "Star Trek", the fourth Next Generation film ("Nemesis") was a giant turd. It remains the only "Star Trek" feature film I have only seen once in the theaters (even the latest one, J.J. Abrams' weirdo version, I went to see twice… not because I liked it, but because I wanted to make sure it was as bad as I thought it was on first viewing… however, I didn't need a second viewing to be sure of how awful "Nemesis" was).
"I also want to thank you for the wonderful characters of the turtles and all the awesome stories you have told with them, and also for the 2003 TMNT series which I have recently discovered and its quite addicting."
Thanks! I am glad you like them. -- PL
"cool ray said...
ReplyDeletehi mr laird!(well, if it's alright I'll write 'peter' now;)....) by rereading tmnt volume one collected I tried to imagine what the printing and trying to selling experience must have been to you pre-success...I am writing and drawing my own comics and am determined to start my own book as soon as my current project is finished, now I wondered how did you guys go on with the ordering and shipping procedure back in the early days, when your pre-ordered issues amounted number in the few thousands all of a sudden?as you did self-publish everything you must have had help, right?still, this must've been really exhausting to do next to the production and promotion of your work?"
Good luck with your project!
When Kevin and I started self-publishing the TMNT comics back in 1984, we were the entire Mirage Studios staff. And for the next year or so, through the publishing of all the books up to the first printing of TMNT #4, we were STILL the whole staff of Mirage Studios. Steve Lavigne moved down to Connecticut sometime in 1985, I think, to help us with stuff like lettering and some of the grunt work, but it was, for the most part, me and Kevin hauling books back from the printer, counting out and repackaging the various quantities needed to go to the different distributors' drop-shipping locations and so forth. Plus, we (or really me) did all of the promotional stuff -- writing and sending out press releases, answering (and making) mail and phone calls, keeping records, creating and placing ads in various publications, etc.. Yeah, it was a lot of work, and it did get exhausting, but I can honestly say that about 99% of it -- at least in those first couple of years -- seemed like fun.
"thanks so far for the wonderful answers, I agree with your choice of favoured tmnt work except with the old tmnt cartoon of course, hearing Michael Dooney's name I always immediately think back to the cover of volume 1, issue#9, the pre-teenage mutant ninja turtles story;)that was a fab painting!and kevin's color work is beautiful as well."
Mike did a lovely job on that cover. -- PL
Was there ever a script for 'The Shredder Wars?', or was that just one possible future teased at in the Back to the Sewers Premier?
ReplyDeleteCurious if that story would have explained what happened to Serling, and why Karai seemed to go back toward the world of Evil in Turtles Forever. She seemed quite happy with Chaplin at April's wedding..
pl said
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your project!
thank you very much!if you like to I would be pleased to send you a copy of it to read once it is finished.
if i was to describe what it was like i'd say it is a mixture of adventure, fantasy and sports....;)
I am trying to get as many people to read and tell me what they think about it as possible.
I am planning to be done in summer.
I wanted to add I was also charmed by the cover of volume four, issue 1...thaught that was tremendous looking!
PL Said:
ReplyDelete""mikeandraph87 said...
The previous question sparked a curiosity. Of all the drawing that you have done of the TMNT which one stands out as your favorite?"
Hmmm... that's a tough one. But I would have to say that one of the drawings that I think worked out really well (as far as I was concerned) and that I can still look at without wincing, is the cover to the first printing of TMNT #4, Volume 1. -- PL "
I assume you mean this one, right? http://www.miragelicensing.com/comics/mirage/volume01/04/04.html
I'm guessing you enjoyed the heck outta the repaint that Dooney did of that, right? (Otherwise, I don't think it would have made it onto a poster)
I do have a few questions! *big doe eyes* Please?
1) In the "old days" of Mirage, how did you come across artists/writers that wanted to do a TMNT issue? I noticed that a lot of the early issues are from Mirage Artists, but later on they really branched out quite nicely. Did the artists/writers contact you or did you ask them if they wanted to do an issue?
(On a related note, I must say that Volume 1 taught me that there is no "correct" way to draw, that there is beauty and artistry in various styles, and that part of the wonder of art is the various styles, so thank you for that!)
2) Where did you guys dig up Rick McCollum and Bill Anderson? (#37 & #42) I ADORE those issues, both the storytelling and the artwork. However, in my searches of comic shops and the internet, I have yet to find any other comic work that those two have done. Did they do any other comics that you know of?
Thanks SO much for answering!
I am on the look out for a Turtlemania Special #1 Gold, would you happen to know where I might find one for sale?
ReplyDeleteMica said...
ReplyDeletePL Said: ""mikeandraph87 said... The previous question sparked a curiosity. Of all the drawing that you have done of the TMNT which one stands out as your favorite?" Hmmm... that's a tough one. But I would have to say that one of the drawings that I think worked out really well (as far as I was concerned) and that I can still look at without wincing, is the cover to the first printing of TMNT #4, Volume 1. -- PL " I assume you mean this one, right? http://www.miragelicensing.com/comics/mirage/volume01/04/04.html I'm guessing you enjoyed the heck outta the repaint that Dooney did of that, right? (Otherwise, I don't think it would have made it onto a poster)"
Yes, that is the right one. And yes, Mike did a great job on the painted version for the reprint (which I think also made its way onto a videogame cover, if my memory is not failing me).
However, it wasn't until just now, while looking at the two front covers next to one another, that I noticed a change Mike made in the composition. He has all for Turtles looking to the left, presumably at the Utroms who are pointing their guns at them (you can't see them on the front cover -- it's a wraparound cover, and they are on the back)… whereas I had Mike, Raph and Leo facing FORWARD. And if you look closely at the original version of the cover, I drew in what I thought was the very recognizable business end of one of the Utroms' distinctive guns point at the Turtles from the lower right of the front cover…. implying that the Turtles are being attacked from the front as well as from the left. In his version, Mike turned that gun into another bit of machinery leading into the transmit platform the Turtles are standing on. Now I wonder -- did he not see that that was the end of one of the guns, or did he make the changes because he felt it worked better to have the Turtles all looking in the same direction at their foes?
"I do have a few questions! *big doe eyes* Please? 1) In the "old days" of Mirage, how did you come across artists/writers that wanted to do a TMNT issue? I noticed that a lot of the early issues are from Mirage Artists, but later on they really branched out quite nicely. Did the artists/writers contact you or did you ask them if they wanted to do an issue?"
Many of the details of how those books came about have vanished from my memory (if they were ever in there to begin with), but I think it happened both ways you suggest.
"(On a related note, I must say that Volume 1 taught me that there is no "correct" way to draw, that there is beauty and artistry in various styles, and that part of the wonder of art is the various styles, so thank you for that!) 2) Where did you guys dig up Rick McCollum and Bill Anderson? (#37 & #42) I ADORE those issues, both the storytelling and the artwork. However, in my searches of comic shops and the internet, I have yet to find any other comic work that those two have done. Did they do any other comics that you know of?"
I really can't remember how those two gentlemen came to do their issues (though I think Kevin may have brought them into the fold), and I don't know what, if anything, they've done in comics since. Sorry! -- PL
"Kyle West said...
ReplyDeleteI am on the look out for a Turtlemania Special #1 Gold, would you happen to know where I might find one for sale?"
I have no idea. -- PL
Hey I just came up with a couple more good questions.
ReplyDelete- Do you ever get Ninja Turtle shirts as presents, and if so would you ever wear them out in public?
- Do you by any chance know why the original cartoon never had a Christmas episode? They did two Easter episodes and a Halloween episode but not one stinking Christmas episode!
"Jephael said...
ReplyDeleteHey I just came up with a couple more good questions.
- Do you ever get Ninja Turtle shirts as presents, and if so would you ever wear them out in public?"
I can't recall ever getting such a thing, but given that I almost never wear t-shirts with images on them anymore (the exception being last year when I wore an "Organically Grown" shirt my daughter hooked me up with), I don't think I would wear them in public OR in private.
"- Do you by any chance know why the original cartoon never had a Christmas episode? They did two Easter episodes and a Halloween episode but not one stinking Christmas episode!"
I don't know. -- PL
1. Is there any chance that TMNT vol. 4 #31 could ever see print?
ReplyDelete2. Do you ever sell any of the original artwork from the main TMNT series?
Thanks for the time you take to answer all of these questions.
"David said...
ReplyDelete1. Is there any chance that TMNT vol. 4 #31 could ever see print?"
It's possible, though it won't happen soon.
"2. Do you ever sell any of the original artwork from the main TMNT series?
Thanks for the time you take to answer all of these questions."
I've sold a couple of the covers I've done, though I don't think I have sold any interior pages. I've given some away, though -- all the Mirage staff got a page for Christmas last year... or was it the year before? -- PL
Is it possible that you would sell any interior pages or pin ups?
ReplyDelete"David said...
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that you would sell any interior pages or pin ups?"
Very unlikely, I'm afraid. -- PL
Mr. Laird,
ReplyDeleteI don't have any questions. I just want to thank you for creating something which was (and still is) very important to me. The Turtles were an important part of my childhood, and a great source of entertainment and inspiration.
I also enjoy reading both of your blogs. I hope you'll continue them as long as you can.
On another note, I find that you and I have almost identical opinions on Star Trek (and its [seemingly] abysmal future).
Take care.
If someone were willing to eat the printing cost, would new TMNT one-shots, specials, minis, or anything like that (perhaps under the "Tales of the TMNT" banner) be something you'd consider? Not soon of course, but down the line? (under the 18 comics a year deal)
ReplyDelete"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteIf someone were willing to eat the printing cost, would new TMNT one-shots, specials, minis, or anything like that (perhaps under the "Tales of the TMNT" banner) be something you'd consider? Not soon of course, but down the line? (under the 18 comics a year deal)"
Andrew, printing costs are not the issue. I will only get back to doing any TMNT comics -- in any capacity -- when I get the passion for comics (and Turtles) back. I don't know when, or even IF , that will happen. -- PL
A hypothetical question, then... as I understand it, you can print up to 18 strictly-Mirage-based TMNT comics a year. Now as far as you're aware, would there be anything stopping you from putting out, say, a joint Mirage-Dark Horse venture? For example, would there be anything stopping you from printing a "TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo" one-shot/special under a shared Mirage/Dark Horse banner/partnership?
ReplyDelete"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteA hypothetical question, then... as I understand it, you can print up to 18 strictly-Mirage-based TMNT comics a year. Now as far as you're aware, would there be anything stopping you from putting out, say, a joint Mirage-Dark Horse venture? For example, would there be anything stopping you from printing a "TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo" one-shot/special under a shared Mirage/Dark Horse banner/partnership?"
I don't think there would be a problem with that, in legal terms, but I would have to double-check it with Gary first. I could be wrong. -- PL
Mr. Laird,
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not mistaken, way back in 2000 or so, you and Jim Lawson created some Commandosaurs mini-comics (not to be confused with the Commandosaurs mini-comics that were sold as part of the "Mirage Mini-Comics" pack) that were going to be sold alongside some statues/figurines that never materialized. I believe you even sold or gave away copies of the mini-comics at a convention.
Anyway, my question/request is: is there any chance you might post these mini-comics in your blog for us to see? Thanks for your time.
Hey Peter! (Mr. Laird)
ReplyDeleteI have had the most fortunate pleasure of meeting you at several conventions, and obtained some beautiful head shots of the Turtles, Steve Lavigne was doing the coloring, and wanted to thank you once more!
Will you be attending future conventions, or have you walked away from that scene all together?
"Matt said...
ReplyDeleteMr. Laird, If I'm not mistaken, way back in 2000 or so, you and Jim Lawson created some Commandosaurs mini-comics (not to be confused with the Commandosaurs mini-comics that were sold as part of the "Mirage Mini-Comics" pack) that were going to be sold alongside some statues/figurines that never materialized. I believe you even sold or gave away copies of the mini-comics at a convention. Anyway, my question/request is: is there any chance you might post these mini-comics in your blog for us to see? Thanks for your time."
Not a bad idea, Matt -- I haven't thought about those little comics in quite a while. Actually, I don't know if I could lay my hands on them right away, so it could be some time before I post them. -- PL
"cb52295c-745b-11e0-b61b-000f20980440 said...
ReplyDeleteHey Peter! (Mr. Laird) I have had the most fortunate pleasure of meeting you at several conventions, and obtained some beautiful head shots of the Turtles, Steve Lavigne was doing the coloring, and wanted to thank you once more! Will you be attending future conventions, or have you walked away from that scene all together?"
Thanks for the compliment, cb52295c-745b-11e0-b61b-000f20980440. As for me doing any more conventions, it will probably happen at some point, but right now I have very little interest in doing so. -- PL
PL--
ReplyDeleteI think you're too hard on the original animated series.
I've had the good fortune to have a son that loves all of my old cartoons as much as I did (my daughter does too, but that could just be a by-product of wanting to be like her big brother...)
We've spent a lot of time digging through old GI Joe, He-Man and Transformers cartoons. And, sadly, they don't hold up very well. The animation is spotty and the plots and scripts? Oh my.
But the original TMNT? It holds up really well. The animation is solid, the stories are fun and a lot of the jokes work really well. Is it perfect? No. But is anything ever perfect? It does start to fall off in quality after a while but the first two seasons are really fun stuff.
I'm sure it's hard to see your work twisted in to something that isn't your vision of what it should be. That said, I think you should give it another go. Almost 30 years on, you might see it a little differently.
Or not. Who knows? Either way: thank you. I love the turtles and I love sharing them with my kids.
"Jay said...
ReplyDeletePL-- I think you're too hard on the original animated series."
Could you be specific? What statements of mine have come across to you as "too hard on the original animated series"?
"I've had the good fortune to have a son that loves all of my old cartoons as much as I did (my daughter does too, but that could just be a by-product of wanting to be like her big brother...) We've spent a lot of time digging through old GI Joe, He-Man and Transformers cartoons. And, sadly, they don't hold up very well. The animation is spotty and the plots and scripts? Oh my. But the original TMNT? It holds up really well. The animation is solid, the stories are fun and a lot of the jokes work really well. Is it perfect? No. But is anything ever perfect? It does start to fall off in quality after a while but the first two seasons are really fun stuff. I'm sure it's hard to see your work twisted in to something that isn't your vision of what it should be. That said, I think you should give it another go. Almost 30 years on, you might see it a little differently."
It IS hard to "see your work twisted in to something that isn't your vision of what it should be", but we were prepared to work with the producers of that "twisted vision" to try to make it better… only they didn't listen to anything we had to say beyond the first few episodes. Would our input -- as creators of the original concept, and arguably the two people on the planet who understood the characters the best, and who were possessed of enough creativity to bring the Turtles and their supporting cast to life -- have made it a better, more successful series? I don't know. I like to think the answer to that would have been "yes", but obviously we can never be certain of that.
I don't believe I have ever said I "hated" the original series. But after a while -- in fact, probably after the first, maybe the second season -- I started to view it as tiresome and repetitive, and frankly way too silly. As Kevin Eastman and I have both said on many occasions, the original TMNT comic book was an adventure story with some humor -- and the first TMNT animated series was a humor story with some adventure. I prefer the latter approach, and it turned out to be pretty successful when I worked closely with 4Kids on the 2003 TMNT show. Would it have had the huge success of the original, if we had done it that way to begin with? Perhaps in some alternate universe, there is an answer to that, but for us, it can only ever be speculation.
"Or not. Who knows? Either way: thank you. I love the turtles and I love sharing them with my kids."
You're welcome! -- PL
I hope this can still get answered. I'll try my best to keep it short. I draw all the time, sometimes drawing my own characters and have somewhat recently thought about creating my own comic book. I was wondering if you have any tips or advice? it's like, I have the final product, as far as how I want my character to look. but have no idea as far as a name, background story and all that stuff. ..which I'm assuming is how most, if not all, comics are created. so I guess I'm just asking for any tips or advice for someone trying to create a character/comic. thanks and take care
ReplyDelete-luke
"Luke said...
ReplyDeleteI hope this can still get answered. I'll try my best to keep it short. I draw all the time, sometimes drawing my own characters and have somewhat recently thought about creating my own comic book. I was wondering if you have any tips or advice? it's like, I have the final product, as far as how I want my character to look. but have no idea as far as a name, background story and all that stuff. ..which I'm assuming is how most, if not all, comics are created. so I guess I'm just asking for any tips or advice for someone trying to create a character/comic. thanks and take care -luke"
Luke, probably the best advice I could give someone who is in your position -- as well as I can judge that position, from your short message -- is to read, read, read, read, read… and then read some more. And I am not just talking about comic books -- I would include a wide variety of books and magazines as well. Doing this will not only fill your brain with a lot of stuff from which plots and character names and backstories might coalesce, but it will also show you how other people have done it, and you can learn a lot from that.
If you are having trouble with such basic things as character names and background stories, you might want to think about finding a collaborator to work with on your comic book project, maybe someone who has more of a handle on the writing side, so you could concentrate on the drawing. Good luck! -- PL
thanks! I have several ideas for a name, so it's really just a matter of picking one that really suits the character and sounds badass! lol
ReplyDeletethanks for the advice on reading. and reading. and reading some more. I get little ideas for a background story, but nothing solid. so hopefully reading more, and other material other than comics, will help with that. and as stupid as I feel to admit it, I didn't think of the idea to collaborate with someone and focus more on the drawing. thanks again!
-luke
A Product Called "Turtle Chains"
ReplyDeleteHi P.L.,
I have an unopened Michealangelo "Turtle Chains" on a white shrink wrapped display card. It is a black and white sketch mounted on a piece of clear/brown lucite. There is a hole in the lucite and there is a chain so that you can wear the piece around your neck (?). As I look more closely it appears that it has another B/W drawing on the other side. There is no other marking on the display card and the sketch reads "Laird/Eastman 85" at the bottom. It's about 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall. There appears to be no other indication that this is related to a corporation.
What is this?
Many Thanks,
S Brown Jr.
"blackcat_prod said...
ReplyDeleteA Product Called "Turtle Chains"
Hi P.L.,
I have an unopened Michealangelo "Turtle Chains" on a white shrink wrapped display card. It is a black and white sketch mounted on a piece of clear/brown lucite. There is a hole in the lucite and there is a chain so that you can wear the piece around your neck (?). As I look more closely it appears that it has another B/W drawing on the other side. There is no other marking on the display card and the sketch reads "Laird/Eastman 85" at the bottom. It's about 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall. There appears to be no other indication that this is related to a corporation.
What is this?
Many Thanks,
S Brown Jr."
I have no idea. -- PL
thanks so much for answering our questions! I have 1 question for you : Who/What was/is your favorite original character of your own creation and why? (If the answer IS one of the turtles, then what NON turtle character is your fave?) Also, as a sub-question, who/what was your fave original character Pre-TMNT and why?
ReplyDeleteMica said...
ReplyDeletethanks so much for answering our questions! I have 1 question for you : Who/What was/is your favorite original character of your own creation and why? (If the answer IS one of the turtles, then what NON turtle character is your face?)"
If you are allowing CO-creation -- i.e., a character that I created with another person -- then I would have to say Fugitoid, although the Janus entity from "Planet Racers" would be a close second.
If I am restricted to characters I created by myself, it would be a toss-up between two from my short-lived "Stupid Heroes" comic -- MISTer and Arachnon.
Also, as a sub-question, who/what was your fave original character Pre-TMNT and why?
It would have to be a character -- or would that be a set of characters? -- which eventually made its/their way into the TMNT comics -- the Triceratons. Why? I guess because of my long-held love for the Triceratops dinosaur, and the fact that the Triceratons were just too much fun to draw. -- PL
Mr. Laird: What is your honest opinion about the Lord of the Rings movies, based on the books of the same name?
ReplyDelete"margui118 said...
ReplyDeleteMr. Laird: What is your honest opinion about the Lord of the Rings movies, based on the books of the same name?"
I really liked them, and thought they were a wonderful distillation of the essence of those books into film. There was a few small details that I wish had been included, but their absence did not detract from my enjoyment of the movies. To date, I have probably watched the whole trilogy about a dozen times. -- PL
Did you personally approve the Tales of the TMNT Vol. 2 story with Leonardo falling in love with and having a relationship with Radical, and how do you feel about that story now?
ReplyDeleteAnother curiosity question: does Mirage's agreement with Viacom require that Mirage be the publishers of the "up-to-18-issues-a-year" they're allotted? In other words, could Mirage work with, or sign off on, another publisher printing the books? Or do they have to do the actual publishing themselves?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your answer!! May I addressed you by your first name? Here in the U.S it seems that young people addressing their elders by the first name is quite common. If I would still living in Peru I would never do that. That's why I ask for your permission.
ReplyDeleteWe have to say thanks to Peter Jackson for made the Lord of the Rings movie, even if he made J.R.R Tolkien roll over in his grave. Like you, I would like to see more details like"The Scouring of the Shire"scene in the movie, I that part was very important on the book. I think Tolkien would reject a movie from his books because according to him, his books were too complicated to made into movies and he hated technology with a passion, but loved nature. I don't know if you know this, but when Tolkien heard about Disney trying to do something with the LOTR, he rejected immediately. Reading the answer that you gave to some reviewer about is hard to see your story twisted, referring to the '80/'90 TMNT, you probably could stop the Wolf Murakami for doing that like Tolkien did to Disney years ago. To be honest, with you I love the '80/'90 TMNT, but also I love the 2003 series, it was nice,especially the first 5 seasons and the designs. Why the producers didn't keep the same design from the first five seasons for Fast Forward, Back to the Sewers and Mayhem from the Mutant Island? I was about to stop watching the series on Youtube because of that, but I decided to continue and forgetting the design issue, the stories were great.
The battle cry for the turtles, "It's ninja time" was quite annoying for me, since I heard the same battle cry on the anime named "Naruto". What do you think? I glad the 2003 TMNT keep the "Cowabunga" cry. Awww!! Mikey is so cute!! :) I saw "Turtles Forever" and I was quite sad of seen the '80/'90 turtles as very dumb and as a bunch of cowards when they were not like that. I find kind of ridiculous that they run away and cry over the 2003 Raphael's arms.
What is your favorite turtle? Mine is Donatello,(he's a sweetheart, isn't he?) but since the 2003 series, I started loving Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael, too. :)
Last question, since the turtles are named after Renaissance artists, why you didn't match each turtle their famous artists namesake? As you know Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius and not simply the Mona Lisa's painter.
In regard to the previous poster, I thought Turtles Forever was MORE than charitable towards the Fred Wolf cartoon. I always get a chuckle when I see, you know, the old Fred Wolf cartoon die-hard fans ranting on about, "Turtles Forever got them all wrong! They weren't that goofy or silly in the original cartoon at all!" I truly wonder if we watched the same show (or come from the same planet, in some cases).
ReplyDelete"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteDid you personally approve the Tales of the TMNT Vol. 2 story with Leonardo falling in love with and having a relationship with Radical, and how do you feel about that story now?"
There are a number of issues of the second volume of "Tales of the TMNT" that "fell through the cracks", as it were, during the approval process -- they were either never presented to me for my evaluation, or they were presented to me but I never got around to looking at them. I can't honestly say which it was in this case, but I seriously doubt I would ever have approved such a story. (Not that it matters now, of course.)
I should also say that there are still some of those issues of "Tales" which I have yet to read even in their final printed form... and the one you ask about is one of those. -- PL
"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteAnother curiosity question: does Mirage's agreement with Viacom require that Mirage be the publishers of the "up-to-18-issues-a-year" they're allotted? In other words, could Mirage work with, or sign off on, another publisher printing the books? Or do they have to do the actual publishing themselves?"
To be absolutely sure of the correct answer to your question, I would have to talk to Gary, but I am pretty sure we (Mirage/me) have to do the publishing ourselves. -- PL
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAndrew's post:In regard to the previous poster, I thought Turtles Forever was MORE than charitable towards the Fred Wolf cartoon. I always get a chuckle when I see, you know, the old Fred Wolf cartoon die-hard fans ranting on about, "Turtles Forever got them all wrong! They weren't that goofy or silly in the original cartoon at all!" I truly wonder if we watched the same show (or come from the same planet, in some cases).
ReplyDeleteAndrew Have you watched the original cartoon? Because I did. Let me answer to your "brilliant" comment. Perhaps you were dreaming about watching the original TMNT.
By the picture you post, you look young perhaps you're in your late teens or early twenties.
Here's something I'd like to ask:
ReplyDeleteI remember you posted a few e-mails with Lloyd Goldfine where you, "commented," on a script you were given. I think one of them you posted was about the unused Garbageman/Hun being cojoined twins ep from Season 5?
Are you going to post any more of those 4kids scripts where you critiqued and gave approval of what they were doing?
I found those very interesting and I'd like to see more, "behind the scenes," type stuff based on the 4kids cartoon, something I wish this blog had a bit more of. Thanks.
"precita said...
ReplyDeleteHere's something I'd like to ask:
I remember you posted a few e-mails with Lloyd Goldfine where you, "commented," on a script you were given. I think one of them you posted was about the unused Garbageman/Hun being cojoined twins ep from Season 5?
Are you going to post any more of those 4kids scripts where you critiqued and gave approval of what they were doing?
I found those very interesting and I'd like to see more, "behind the scenes," type stuff based on the 4kids cartoon, something I wish this blog had a bit more of. Thanks."
I will probably post a few more of those, but I have to go back through my old emails to pick out the more interesting ones... and right now I don't have the desire or energy to do so. -- PL
"margui118 said...
ReplyDeleteThank you for your answer!! May I addressed you by your first name? Here in the U.S it seems that young people addressing their elders by the first name is quite common. If I would still living in Peru I would never do that. That's why I ask for your permission."
It is very nice of you to ask permission, and -- because the tone of this blog is something like "respectfully casual" -- you certainly have that permission.
"We have to say thanks to Peter Jackson for made the Lord of the Rings movie, even if he made J.R.R Tolkien roll over in his grave. Like you, I would like to see more details like"The Scouring of the Shire"scene in the movie, I that part was very important on the book. I think Tolkien would reject a movie from his books because according to him, his books were too complicated to made into movies and he hated technology with a passion, but loved nature."
I think Tolkein had a lot more of himself invested in LotR and that world he had created than Kevin and I ever had with the Turtles, and thus very likely had more issues with any attempt to adapt what was, essentially, left to the imagination of each reader of the trilogy to visualize. With the TMNT, many of the key visual elements had already been created by us in the comics, so there wasn't such a conceptual leap to be made. It is impossible for anyone to say whether Tolkein would have been pleased or aghast at what Peter Jackson and his collaborators did with the LotR movies, but my gut feeling is that he would very likely have been blown away by the visuals, even if they didn't match his own imaginings of them EXACTLY, and probably would have somewhat grudgingly approved of the editorial changes made to the stories, for the purposes of getting them to fit into a reasonable movie running time. But that's just my opinion.
"To be honest, with you I love the '80/'90 TMNT, but also I love the 2003 series, it was nice,especially the first 5 seasons and the designs. Why the producers didn't keep the same design from the first five seasons for Fast Forward, Back to the Sewers and Mayhem from the Mutant Island? I was about to stop watching the series on Youtube because of that, but I decided to continue and forgetting the design issue, the stories were great."
I believe the design changes were made to "freshen up" the look of the series in the hopes that it would help to bring in more viewers. I also wish the designs had not been changed, but that being said, they didn't bother me all that much. -- PL
"The battle cry for the turtles, "It's ninja time" was quite annoying for me, since I heard the same battle cry on the anime named "Naruto". What do you think?"
ReplyDeleteI can take or leave any particular "battle cry", as I don't really think such things are necessary for storytelling. "It's ninja time!" was okay, and I don't think it was overused, and I never saw the "Naruto" anime, so I never made that connection.
" I glad the 2003 TMNT keep the "Cowabunga" cry. Awww!! Mikey is so cute!! :) I saw "Turtles Forever" and I was quite sad of seen the '80/'90 turtles as very dumb and as a bunch of cowards when they were not like that. I find kind of ridiculous that they run away and cry over the 2003 Raphael's arms."
While I have not watched the original show in MANY years (with the exception of one or two episodes here and there), my memory of it is that the Turtles did a lot of goofy, silly things in that series, and that's what we tried to get across in "Turtles Forever". Was it an exaggeration? Possibly… but to my way of thinking, not much of one. I suppose I could watch all the episodes of the old show and carefully analyze their content to reach a more completely accurate assessment of the situation, but then I might need a brain transplant.
"What is your favorite turtle? Mine is Donatello,(he's a sweetheart, isn't he?) but since the 2003 series, I started loving Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael, too. :)"
My favorite is also Donatello.
"Last question, since the turtles are named after Renaissance artists, why you didn't match each turtle their famous artists namesake? As you know Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius and not simply the Mona Lisa's painter."
I am not sure I fully understand your question, but if you are asking why didn't we research each of those four Renaissance artists' personalities and then match them more closely to the Turtle to whom their respective names were given, consider this: Splinter named the Turtles when they were essentially infants. How could he, back then, known what each Turtle's personality was going to be, and thus accurately match artist to Turtle?
However, as you might guess, the real reason such careful matching was not done was that, to Kevin and me at the time, it didn't matter. -- PL
Can you imagine? "Happy 6th birthday, 'Leonardo'... I'm so sorry to do this, but I thought you'd be a lot brighter than you turned out so now I'll have to rename you something else because you're clearly turning out different than Mr. Da Vinci."
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the brain transplant requirement. Every couple/few years I sit down in front of the TV and say, "OK, Andrew... this is it. You're going to rewatch the original cartoon and that's the end of it." The same thing happens every time: I put the first DVD in, more or less enjoy the first couple episodes, but as soon as the nostalgia factor wears off (which doesn't take long after the opening titles) they become literally painful for me to watch.
margui118: Flattery will get you everywhere. Yes, I'm clearly a young teenager that has never seen the Fred Wolf cartoon, because no one who has seen it could possibly attribute the level of goofiness, camp, and nonsense seen of them in Turtles Forever to that incarnation.
No, I'm truthfully in my 30s and like most people of that "perfect age," I was very much embroiled in the "Turtlemania" of the time. I loved the cartoons, played with the toys (one of my biggest joys, if I recall, was pitting them against my Ghostbusters figures, Ecto-1 against Turtlevan, etc., etc.). The thing of it is, like most of the world did, I outgrew all that a very long time ago. For me it was a stepping stone to the (original) material that even now I can still enjoy as an adult, the Mirage comics. The Fred Wolf cartoon? I watch it now and it's mind-numbingly horrific, though I can enjoy it incrementally as a sort of nostalgia fix, but certainly nothing more.
What are your thoughts on Vanilla Ice if any?
ReplyDeleteI know that he loved doing Turtles II and said it was one of the coolest moments in his life.
I recently read in his 1991 autobiography that New Line had a surprise birthday party and all of the TMNT crew were there, I'm guessing you and Kevin were not?
In case you cared, Vanilla Ice also still performs Ninja Rap (a totally new remix) and ends the song declaring that he "still love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".
Just thought that was interesting.
The new Star Trek movie was terrible by the way. I loved your original review you posted on your blog. It remains the finest Internet reviews I have ever found.
What are your reactions to this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/05/19/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-new-comic-idw/
Kevin Eastman basically launching the new IDW TMNT series.
"Bjarni Gautur said...
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts on Vanilla Ice if any? I know that he loved doing Turtles II and said it was one of the coolest moments in his life. I recently read in his 1991 autobiography that New Line had a surprise birthday party and all of the TMNT crew were there, I'm guessing you and Kevin were not? In case you cared, Vanilla Ice also still performs Ninja Rap (a totally new remix) and ends the song declaring that he "still love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Just thought that was interesting."
It's nice that he likes the TMNT, and I thought he was fine in his appearance in the second movie… even though I wish the Turtles hadn't performed with him in that scene. Actually, there are MANY problems with that movie, in my opinion, and that scene is possibly the least of them.
"The new Star Trek movie was terrible by the way. I loved your original review you posted on your blog. It remains the finest Internet reviews I have ever found."
Thanks! -- PL
"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteWhat are your reactions to this: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/05/19/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-new-comic-idw/ Kevin Eastman basically launching the new IDW TMNT series."
Not to be too nit-picky, but -- at least from what I got from reading the press release -- I don't think it's really accurate to say that Kevin is "basically launching" the new TMNT comic series. It seems more like he is collaborating with the new creative team
That said, I hope he has a lot of fun with it. He hasn't really done any new TMNT comics stuff in a long time, as far as I know, and it might be a real blast for him to get back to it. Maybe he has some really great ideas for TMNT stories. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
And because you asked for my reaction to the press release -- not just the part about Kevin's involvement (which I actually already knew about) -- I have to put my two cents in about the artwork shown, at least the stuff in color which I assume are covers (or cover mock-ups). It's got a nice energy and captures a lot of that essential mutant turtle vibe, but there are -- at least to my eye -- some really awkward bits (Michelangelo apparently having two knee joints on his right leg, Donatello's huge bulbous shell, and an odd stylization which makes the Turtles' plastrons look like untucked-in shirts, particularly noticeable in the Raphael cover).
But the weirdest thing (again, to my eye) is the replacement of the Turtles' brown leather knee and elbow pads and wristbands with what appear to me pale green bandages -- that, I just do not get.
Not that I would be a staunch defender of those accessories for any logical reason -- I mean, Kevin and I gave the Turtles those knee and elbow pads and wristbands when we created them back in 1983, and the Turtles kept them pretty much unchanged for 25 years, even though they never made THAT much practical sense to begin with (why DO ninjas need elbow pads, anyway?)… we just thought they looked kind of neat and they became a part of the whole iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "look". And given that IDW -- from what I see in this artwork -- is keeping the basic look of the Turtles pretty close to the originals, I don't see the point in changing this particular detail. I suppose it could be a design directive from the new owners of the property. Who knows? But in my opinion, it looks kind of goofy. -- PL
P.S. I do think it is sort of funny that in Kevin's drawing, he DID leave the classic elbow and knee pads on the Turtles… I wonder if that will have to be changed?
Hi again!
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering something. I know that you're not a huge fan of "Ninja Turtles : The Next Mutation" or of Venus, but what are your thoughts on that incarnation of the turtles in general? I thought they were actually pretty well characterized in that series.
Also, I know that in most of the production/press photos I've seen of NT:TNM, Kevin Eastman seems to be present, while you are not. It kinda makes it seem that NT:TNM was more of his "baby" or "pet project" than yours. Is this true or were you just missing the day they decided to take photos?
Also, as a side-note/followup to my last question. *WHY* is fugitoid one of your favorite original characters?
Again, Thanks so much for putting up with your fans' inane questions! :D
"Mica said...
ReplyDeleteHi again! I was just wondering something. I know that you're not a huge fan of "Ninja Turtles : The Next Mutation" or of Venus, but what are your thoughts on that incarnation of the turtles in general? I thought they were actually pretty well characterized in that series."
In the interest of accuracy and thoroughness, I should point out here that I have never watched all of the episodes of "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation", and thus cannot be completely fair in saying that it is a wretched piece of crap. There may, in fact, have been significant improvements in the show beyond the one or two grotesquely awful episodes that I did watch.
But I seriously doubt it.
My basic feeling about that show is that it was an opportunity squandered. If the somewhat meager budget had actually been spent on good writing and some interesting new characters, it might have actually turned out well. If the money and time and effort put into development of the execrable "Venus" had, instead, been used to make the rest of the show better, it could have helped. (Actually, simply excising Venus from the show might have done wonders for it.) Possibly.
But, again, I seriously doubt it.
(I do have to say that the Turtle costumes, with the exception of some questionable detail changes, were pretty well done.)
"Also, I know that in most of the production/press photos I've seen of NT:TNM, Kevin Eastman seems to be present, while you are not. It kinda makes it seem that NT:TNM was more of his "baby" or "pet project" than yours. Is this true or were you just missing the day they decided to take photos?"
WIthout getting into the painful details of the genesis of that show, I think it is fair to say that Kevin was far more involved with that series than I was, which was fine with me. I am somewhat proud of being able to say that I was not responsible for it beyond (a) co-creating the Turtles and (b) reluctantly, as (then) half-owner of the TMNT property, allowing the development of the show to proceed.
As for why I was not in the publicity photos for the show, I believe the major reason for that is that at the time it was being made, Kevin was living in California, and could thus more easily visit the studios which were somewhere out there. Frankly, I don't know if I would have wanted to be in the promotional materials even if I had had the opportunity. I certainly don't consider it any great loss.
"Also, as a side-note/followup to my last question. *WHY* is fugitoid one of your favorite original characters?"
Quite possibly it is somewhat sentimental, in that the 'Toid is the first character that Kevin Eastman and I co-created and collaborated on in comics form. But it is also because he represents an acknowledgement (on my part at least ) of my great fondness for the work of Russ Manning on the old "Magnus, Robot Fighter" comics published by Gold Key. The "gooseneck limb" design of the 'Toid -- indeed, almost all of his pertinent design details -- were directly influenced by the way Manning drew the robots in that "Magnus" series.
"Again, Thanks so much for putting up with your fans' inane questions! :D""
You're welcome. And I would not call your questions inane. -- PL
Hey Peter! Wow, I just saw this blog post now and would like to thank you for answering every fan's question(s). This blog is testiment to your caring mentality concerning your fans. Thank you again.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask you a few questions, if you have the time.
1) Donatello's always been my favorite Turtle, and I know he's yours too. To what extent was Donny written based off your own personality? To what extent did he/does he differ?
2) Who is your second favorite Turtle? Do you have a least favorite?
3) I'm also a huge (that's possibly an understatement) fan of The Lord of the Rings/Tolkien, and it's cool to see you talk about him on here. Tolkien's world is so rich and believable that I often forget Middle-earth is fictional. I've seen the movies countless times, and have even watched all 3 in one day (sad to some, precious (pun intended) to few :D)Which character from Tolkien do you like best? I prefer Pippin.
4) Lastly, as a man of science myself, I am curious as to which field or branch of the sciences you most appreciate and study. Of course, this is a general question as the specific branches of study can get quite complicated. I invest most of my time in general Earth Science, most specifically the study of rocks and minerals. In the realm (primarily) of biology, I am a gigantic admirer of Charles Darwin and "The Origin of Species".
Thank you so much for reading this, and I look forward to your answers!
Sincerely,
Matthew Montelione
"M.M. Montelione said...
ReplyDeleteHey Peter! Wow, I just saw this blog post now and would like to thank you for answering every fan's question(s). This blog is testiment to your caring mentality concerning your fans. Thank you again. "
That's very nice of you to say, Matthew… thanks!
"I would like to ask you a few questions, if you have the time. 1) Donatello's always been my favorite Turtle, and I know he's yours too. To what extent was Donny written based off your own personality? To what extent did he/does he differ?"
Well, I have always felt the closest to Donatello because he is more geeky and nerdy than his brothers, quieter, more inclined to be thoughtful (sometimes to the point of distraction), more interested in taking things apart and figuring out how they work, more curious about the sciences… and those are characteristics that I share (to some degree) with him.
However, I am not as smart as he, nor as brave as he, nor as skillful in the martial arts, nor as good-looking, and I have no cool turtle shell for protection.
"2) Who is your second favorite Turtle? Do you have a least favorite?"
I don't know if I have a really good answer to that. I know I like Donatello the best, but I guess I appreciate the others roughly equally. That being said, I do find Raphael a bit tiresome at times.
But I love them all.
"3) I'm also a huge (that's possibly an understatement) fan of The Lord of the Rings/Tolkien, and it's cool to see you talk about him on here. Tolkien's world is so rich and believable that I often forget Middle-earth is fictional. I've seen the movies countless times, and have even watched all 3 in one day (sad to some, precious (pun intended) to few :D)Which character from Tolkien do you like best? I prefer Pippin."
Aargh! Please forgive a brief rant, but… you just pushed one of my "vocabulary pet peeves" buttons! "Countless" doesn't mean "more than I can remember at the moment" -- it means, literally, more than it is POSSIBLE to count… really, an infinite number. I have seen this wonderful, cosmically significant word much misused in recent years, and it bugs me.
Okay, end of rant. (See? It WAS brief.)
I agree with you completely regarding Tolkein and his works about Middle-earth. I have read "The Hobbit" and the "Rings" trilogy each probably three or four times, and seen the films close to a dozen times each. I've also read "The Silmarillion" and "The Children of Hurin" (didn't enjoy those as much, but they are still interesting). It is very easy to get lost in that world.
I think my favorite character in Tolein's work is Treebeard, the Ent from the "Rings" trilogy. And I think he was pretty much perfectly realized in the movies.
"4) Lastly, as a man of science myself, I am curious as to which field or branch of the sciences you most appreciate and study. Of course, this is a general question as the specific branches of study can get quite complicated. I invest most of my time in general Earth Science, most specifically the study of rocks and minerals. In the realm (primarily) of biology, I am a gigantic admirer of Charles Darwin and "The Origin of Species". Thank you so much for reading this, and I look forward to your answers! Sincerely, Matthew Montelione"
I would say I am interested in science generally, with perhaps a leaning toward the science behind high technology. One of my favorite magazines is the British weekly, "New Scientist", which covers a pretty wide cross-section of the world of science, and does it quite well. I am also very interested in the history of science, and how perceptions of reality have changed over the course of the centuries as scientists try to figure stuff out. -- PL
Thanks for the response, Peter! I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteConcerning each question...
1) That's why I feel most like/closest to Donatello, too. I'm proud to be a geek. Lastly, Donny - GQ Turtle of the Year! :)
2) I would definitely agree with you about Raphael, although I do think the coolest "Turtle duo" would be Donatello/Raphael. A perfect combo of brains and brawn!
3) As a bearer of pet peeves myself, I completely understand your mini-rant, haha! My apologies. It sure feels like I've seen the movies "countless" times, but I should have said I have seen them too many times to remember. If I could be so bold as to point out, though, you spelled Tolkien wrong. :P
I would agree that Treebeard was executed excellently in the film. I also agree that (I believe you mentioned this in a previous reply) PJ & co. managed to capture the essence of Tolkien's work in the films...especially with the score by Howard Shore.
4) I'll check out "New Scientist", thanks! Sounds like a great magazine. I'm sure you've read "Popular Science"?
Thanks again for reading and replying, Peter! It means a lot.
Sincerely,
Matthew
M.M. Montelione said...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response, Peter! I really appreciate it. Concerning each question... 1) That's why I feel most like/closest to Donatello, too. I'm proud to be a geek. Lastly, Donny - GQ Turtle of the Year! :) 2) I would definitely agree with you about Raphael, although I do think the coolest "Turtle duo" would be Donatello/Raphael. A perfect combo of brains and brawn!"
It's interesting you say that -- I don't think we ever had those two spend much time together, but it could have made for some good stories. And given that Raph is so much like Casey Jones, it's perhaps telling that one of my favorite bits in the old comics is when a drunken Casey interrupts Don while he is sitting on a log across a stream, observing and contemplating the patterns in the ripples of the water. I can't remember which issue that was, but I think it was one of the ones that led up to "City at War".
"3) As a bearer of pet peeves myself, I completely understand your mini-rant, haha! My apologies. It sure feels like I've seen the movies "countless" times, but I should have said I have seen them too many times to remember. If I could be so bold as to point out, though, you spelled Tolkien wrong. :P "
D'oh! Thanks for pointing that out.
The "countless" pet peeve thing stems from seeing way too many egregious misuses of it, when it would be perfectly adequate and accurate to say something like "many" or "quite a few". And it seems to be happening more these days, for some reason. Or I suppose it could just be that I am NOTICING it more.
"I would agree that Treebeard was executed excellently in the film. I also agree that (I believe you mentioned this in a previous reply) PJ & co. managed to capture the essence of Tolkien's work in the films...especially with the score by Howard Shore."
Agreed.
"4) I'll check out "New Scientist", thanks! Sounds like a great magazine. I'm sure you've read "Popular Science"? "
Yes, that's another of my favorites, along with "Popular Mechanics" (though sometimes their conservative editorial stance sets my teeth on edge). Also, I have found "Invention and Technology" magazine to be excellent, though I don't think it comes out too often. I think it's a quarterly.
And for a refreshing dose of science applied to counter the effects of pseudo-science, I recommend both "Skeptic" (another quarterly, I believe) and "Skeptical Inquirer" (bi-monthly).
"Thanks again for reading and replying, Peter! It means a lot. Sincerely, Matthew"
My pleasure! -- PL
I'm not sure the exact issue number either, but I know what encounter you're talking about - that is definitely a great bit indeed! I remember reading at least one "Tales" (V.2, #26) that featured a Don/Raph team up, although Casey was there too. Donny kept trying to calm the two hot-heads down, to prevent them from starting an all out brawl with the adversaries of the issue! As a kid, I really loved the Archie TMNT Adventures #52, which featured a Don/Raph team up. Of course, since it was Archie, Raph's hot-head side was tuned down a bit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the magazine recommendations! I'll definitely check them out...they seem right up my alley.
If you don't mind me asking you one last question...how did you feel about Image's decision to turn Donatello into a cyborg in their TMNT run? I was not a fan of it, especially as they took him out of the normal-nucleus on page 1 of issue 1 - but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. Of course, I know in Volume 4 Donny (essentially) is manning a cyborg body, but at least he wasn't mutilated in the process. I was always interested to know if you had plans to return him to normal size.
Thanks again Peter!
-Matthew
I'm not sure if you're following the news or not, but IDW seems to already be putting out their first trade of the classic Volume 1 material sometime in the fall. The first edition collects #1-7 and the Raphael one-shot, so in total 8 comics.
ReplyDeleteSeems like IDW is really going to be treating the classic comics right in re-prints, it would be a dream if they actually manage to get through everything (or everything that's reasonable). Especially stuff like City at War and Volume 2 that has never been collected in trades before.
Although I imagine if they start collecting Vol. 4, of course they'd have to leave off at the last issue published so far. I doubt they would ever try to make their own conclusion to it, I'm sure they'd leave it up to you to decide if it will be finished or not.
Likewise, I really like the fact that Kevin Eastman will be co-writing/supervising ideas to the IDW writers. Do you think us Turtle fans are in good hands with Eastman overlooking the IDW series? Its great that someone who has the most history with the property (other than you, of course), to make sure they treat the franchise well.
There was a lot of skepticism among fans on what direction Nick and IDW would take the Turtles in with the new show and comics, but so far, things seem fairly positive. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out in the coming years.
Thoughts on all this?
Hey again!
ReplyDeleteTwo quick questions.
1) when you created the Turtles, how much knowledge of actual ninja history did you have? Did you do a lot of research to get techniques and poses down or did you just say, "swords for one, dais for another, 'chucks for another and... Um, how about a bo? Yeah. That works..."
2) at what point are you going to close this list of questions, putting it on hold? Not that I mind, but you've got to be getting tired of answering all these questions!
(so maybe number one isn't all that short... Sorry. :) )
Thanks for your time!
"M.M. Montelione said...
ReplyDeleteIf you don't mind me asking you one last question...how did you feel about Image's decision to turn Donatello into a cyborg in their TMNT run? I was not a fan of it, especially as they took him out of the normal-nucleus on page 1 of issue 1 - but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. Of course, I know in Volume 4 Donny (essentially) is manning a cyborg body, but at least he wasn't mutilated in the process. I was always interested to know if you had plans to return him to normal size. Thanks again Peter! -Matthew"
I wasn't crazy about it… in fact, I am, in general, not too fond of the maiming of characters, especially for no particularly good reason. -- PL
precita said...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you're following the news or not, but IDW seems to already be putting out their first trade of the classic Volume 1 material sometime in the fall. The first edition collects #1-7 and the Raphael one-shot, so in total 8 comics. Seems like IDW is really going to be treating the classic comics right in re-prints, it would be a dream if they actually manage to get through everything (or everything that's reasonable). Especially stuff like City at War and Volume 2 that has never been collected in trades before."
I think it is nice that they will be collecting the stories in trade paperback (or hardcover, maybe…?) form -- I might have to pick up some of them myself.
"Although I imagine if they start collecting Vol. 4, of course they'd have to leave off at the last issue published so far. I doubt they would ever try to make their own conclusion to it, I'm sure they'd leave it up to you to decide if it will be finished or not."
That would be nice, but the new owners of the TMNT property can do anything they want with it, including continuing/concluding the Volume 4 story arc. I hope they don't, though.
"Likewise, I really like the fact that Kevin Eastman will be co-writing/supervising ideas to the IDW writers. Do you think us Turtle fans are in good hands with Eastman overlooking the IDW series? Its great that someone who has the most history with the property (other than you, of course), to make sure they treat the franchise well."
There is no question that Kevin Eastman has a lot of history with the TMNT. As co-creator, there is no one (except, as you point out, me) who has his depth of relationship with the characters. I suspect that he will add a unique flavor to IDW's new TMNT comics.
However, I say that with this caveat: I don't really know what Kevin has in mind, nor do I really know much about how he thinks comics stories should be done these days. My real knowledge of Kevin's approach to comics pretty much ended when I stopped collaborating with him on the TMNT comics, and that was a long time ago. I think this is a "wait and see" kind of situation.
"There was a lot of skepticism among fans on what direction Nick and IDW would take the Turtles in with the new show and comics, but so far, things seem fairly positive. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out in the coming years. Thoughts on all this?"
To sum up, I think it is FAR too early to make judgements. As I said above, let's wait and see. It could be great. It could be not great. Let's hope for the latter. -- PL
"Jay said...
ReplyDeleteHey again!
Two quick questions.
1) when you created the Turtles, how much knowledge of actual ninja history did you have? Did you do a lot of research to get techniques and poses down or did you just say, "swords for one, dais for another, 'chucks for another and... Um, how about a bo? Yeah. That works...""
I can't speak for Kevin, but I had read a book or two about ninjas, and seen some in movies and so forth. I guess you could say I didn't do a LOT of research.
"2) at what point are you going to close this list of questions, putting it on hold? Not that I mind, but you've got to be getting tired of answering all these questions!"
Not really. But I will probably stop it sometime soon, just for practicalities' sake, as the original post ages and falls further back in line. Maybe I'll start a new "Ask/Tell PL" in a little while. -- PL
I know you stated that you don't plan on taking commissioned drawings, so i was wondering if by chance I could have the next best thing.
ReplyDeleteMy friend's wedding is coming up, and he is a huge TMNT fan. He, just like most of us around my age, grew up with the show and was always in love with anything TMNT.
It is with this, that I have a request. Do you have any pencil drawings, comics, random napkins that you doodled on, or practically anything on paper that you do not mind parting with? I was wondering if I could purchase something from you with your signature with also a writing of "Congratulations on your wedding" from you.
That would be the most amazing thing ever
Are we ever going to see the Mirage Sourcebook that was being finalized right before the buyout, published? If not as a regular book, then maybe as an ebook?
ReplyDelete"micaturtle said...
ReplyDeleteAre we ever going to see the Mirage Sourcebook that was being finalized right before the buyout, published? If not as a regular book, then maybe as an ebook?"
I may be wrong, but I don't think Mirage has the right to publish that book now. But maybe IDW or some other publishing licensee of the new owner of TMNT might publish it. -- PL
hi mr laird!
ReplyDeleteit's me again, I have a question about your art tools:
I just read an old post from about 2009 of you where isaac elliot fisher was at your studio and you all worked with graphics duo shade paper...
as I always admired the look of it I wanted to ask you where you can get such material and also just what IS the chemical needed to apply to this special paper?I really like the look of toned pages...it has the fluid quality to it, yet it is really tiny cross-hatched lines;)
whenever I was talking to someone who knew what I was reffering to when speaking about graphics duo shade paper they all turned me down saying that it was old and far too expensive nowerdays(with computers), when asked just where to get it from they all had to shrug their shoulders...so can you tell me where I might be getting it?
cool ray said...
ReplyDeletehi mr laird! it's me again, I have a question about your art tools: I just read an old post from about 2009 of you where isaac elliot fisher was at your studio and you all worked with graphics duo shade paper... as I always admired the look of it I wanted to ask you where you can get such material and also just what IS the chemical needed to apply to this special paper?I really like the look of toned pages...it has the fluid quality to it, yet it is really tiny cross-hatched lines;) whenever I was talking to someone who knew what I was referring to when speaking about graphics duo shade paper they all turned me down saying that it was old and far too expensive nowerdays(with computers), when asked just where to get it from they all had to shrug their shoulders...so can you tell me where I might be getting it?"
Back when we first started using Graphix DuoShade for the TMNT comics, we ordered it through a local art store in Portsmouth, NH, and then later directly from the company that made it. Sadly, they are no longer making it, as you can see by this article:
http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2009/09/22/graphix-discontinues-duoshade-unishade/#comment-87370
It's too bad -- it was a great tool for certain purposes. -- PL
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ReplyDeleteHi Peter!!: Thank you so much again for answering my questions. Honestly, I never watched the "Naruto" anime. I was listen to the "Nostalgia Critic" guy on Youtube and I agree with him about the Ninja Time cry. :)
ReplyDeleteThere is one thing, that I don't like about the 2003 TMNT. Why Master Splinter hit his kids? How he dare? I noticed that in one of the episodes from Season 1 and the fact that Michelangelo (pretty name) is constantly hit in the head by his brothers. He's not stupid; he's just a cutie :) Lucky, "Sensei" is a rat not a human, because he would be arrested for child abuse!! :0
I wonder how old are our "favorites heroes in a half shell" (aka the TMNT)?
Andrew NDB: Like I said before I watch the original cartoon, well reruns because in my country I knew about the TMNT in 1991, I never "live" the TMNT mania. I just figured it out thanks to Youtube. The original tmnt series was clearly towards young kids and it was censored in Europe in the '80's by removing Michelangelo's nunchaku (this is the correct name, not nunchucks)and changing the word "ninja" for "hero". When, I read this in Wikipedia, I though it was ridiculous, a katana sword is more dangerous than a pair of nunchaku.
ReplyDeleteI love both shows, let see how Nickelodeon is going make the TMNT new series.
margui118: I'm well aware of the TMNT's censorship overseas. I will venture, though, that it makes a lot of sense to me to retitle the TMNT "Teenage Mutant HERO Turtles" for that particular cartoon since they weren't doing anything remotely ninja-like in it at all and do a lot nonsense like fighting crime (why would the Turtles fight crime?).
ReplyDeletePeter: Some more questions for you.
1) The alternative TMNT #8 that (I believe) Steve Murphy wrote and Jim Lawson drew and actually saw print in a TMNT TPB in Spanish. How much of a hand did you have in it creatively or otherwise, and would you say this story is canonical to you?
2) What is Donatello crying about in "Old Times" in Plastron Cafe #1 and is the vision of one of the Turtles possibly murdering Splinter in Vol. 2 #1 something coming in Vol. 4, perhaps connected to Donatello gathering a sample of Splinter's hair? (some kind of Splinter clone gone rabid?)
3) TMNT 4. How many scripts would you say you and/or Kevin vetoed in the 90s, 2000s before things arrived at the Kevin Munroe/Imagi incarnation? I understand at one point you submitted a 20 page treatment to set them on the right track but it was ignored... can you say what some of the more stupid ideas/concepts the Hollywood writers were coming to you with for the movie?
4) If IDW came to you proposing you to pencil or ink a cover or two with Kevin, would you consider it or would that be a "No"?
"Peter: Some more questions for you. 1) The alternative TMNT #8 that (I believe) Steve Murphy wrote and Jim Lawson drew and actually saw print in a TMNT TPB in Spanish. How much of a hand did you have in it creatively or otherwise, and would you say this story is canonical to you?"
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, I consulted with Murph on that story, though I don't think I contributed all that much. I have very little memory of it. I actually prefer the original #8, and since I was able to come to a meeting of the minds with Dave Sim about it, I would say that THAT is the "canon" version.
"2) What is Donatello crying about in "Old Times" in Plastron Cafe #1 and is the vision of one of the Turtles possibly murdering Splinter in Vol. 2 #1 something coming in Vol. 4, perhaps connected to Donatello gathering a sample of Splinter's hair? (some kind of Splinter clone gone rabid?)"
I prefer not to say.
"3) TMNT 4. How many scripts would you say you and/or Kevin vetoed in the 90s, 2000s before things arrived at the Kevin Munroe/Imagi incarnation? I understand at one point you submitted a 20 page treatment to set them on the right track but it was ignored... can you say what some of the more stupid ideas/concepts the Hollywood writers were coming to you with for the movie?"
I think we may have rejected half a dozen or so -- I really can't remember offhand. I don't remember the "20 page treatment", either.
But I do remember one of the dopiest things in a script -- actually, I think it was either an outline or a treatment as opposed to a full script. Basically, the bad guy in the movie had somehow managed to imprison "the good people" of New York City underground… and somehow, the Turtles freed all of these "good people"… and following that, those same "good people" carried the Turtles triumphantly through the streets of New York on their shoulders.
"4) If IDW came to you proposing you to pencil or ink a cover or two with Kevin, would you consider it or would that be a "No"?"
I was already asked if I wanted to be involved in some way with the IDW relaunch of the TMNT comics, and -- thorough Gary Richardson -- I thanked the person who asked, but respectfully declined the offer.
If Kevin asked me to collaborate with him on a cover, I might consider that. -- PL
Were the Turtles always considered by you and/or Kevin to be red-earred slider turtles? Was that a later discussion or every something you two came to a consensus on?
ReplyDeleteI ask because there's various inconsistencies. For example, the "15 Years Later" story in Turtle Soup indicates the turtles were in a terrarium, not an aquarium, which would suggest they're 3 toed-box (land) turtles or such, but newer Tales of the TMNT Vol. 2 explicitly mention them as red-earred sliders.
Where do you stand?
"Andrew NDB said...
ReplyDeleteWere the Turtles always considered by you and/or Kevin to be red-earred slider turtles? Was that a later discussion or every something you two came to a consensus on? I ask because there's various inconsistencies. For example, the "15 Years Later" story in Turtle Soup indicates the turtles were in a terrarium, not an aquarium, which would suggest they're 3 toed-box (land) turtles or such, but newer Tales of the TMNT Vol. 2 explicitly mention them as red-earred sliders. Where do you stand?"
I think this is one of those times when I have to step back and say "They are whatever you would like them to be." Honestly, I don't think either Kevin or I ever gave a whole lot of thought to exactly what kind of turtles they were. I think in my mind they were the most common pet shop turtles… and if those are red-eared sliders, then that's what I thought they were... if I gave it any thought at all -- PL
Did you really approve this:
ReplyDeletehttp://ninja-pizza.tumblr.com/post/7812397034/before-tmnt-back-to-the-sewer-was-conceived
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ReplyDeletePeter: What is your opinion about the New Thundercats series aired on Cartoon Network?
ReplyDeleteI started watching that last Friday. They did a complete twist from the original series, making them more serious like a movie instead like the old series which was on a "Saturday morning cartoon"format, even the rating went up from a Y-7 (old series) to a PG-V (New series)and was animated in Japan.
Since you sell the TMNT to its competitor Nickelodeon, do you think they are going to do something similar to the new 2012 TMNT? I heard rumors that the series will be a comedy.
Dear Mr. Laird,
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your blog for quite some time now, and I came across a post that you made sometime in April when someone asked you to sign a few comics of theirs.
You had mentioned to send it to the Mirage Studios address and then in a timely manner you would send it back.
To make sure this is still a viable option, I first e-mailed Dan Berge at Mirage and he sent me back a reply stating that due to unfortunate occurances in lost packaging or damaged shipped goods they could no longer offer this service.
Mr. Berger told me to ask you on your blog if you'd be interested in this idea.
Mr. Laird, I have come here to ask you if you would at all be willing to sign my first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Much like your adoration for Mr. Jack Kirby, both the efforts of you and Kevin Eastman jump started my love for graphic illustration again, as I had fallen out of it for almost ten years and since then I have moved to New York to seek out instruction before I brave that field.
This would absolutely mean the world to me, much like I can only imagine meeting Mr. Kirby did to you.
Thank you so much for your time sir, I greatly appreciate it.
Hi Peter: How are you? My question: How old are the boys(TMNT)? Are they the same age? A friend read something about the age issue and it said that Leo is 18, Raph, 17; Donny, 16 and Mikey, 15.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it said that Raph was the original leader, but Leo took away the leadership from him.
Could you answer this question? Please?
Thank you for you time, Peter. I really appreciate it.
what think of Nickelodeon owning tmnt and changes they made of turtles ps, can get autopagha plez i whould really aprecated it do email dudeofepic@gmail.com
ReplyDelete