Blast from the Past #318: TMNT Volume 1 #15 concepts

Here are a few more things from that sketchbook, related to the fifteenth issue of the original TMNT comic book series. First are two pages of notes I made about the story.





(I'm not sure why that note about the vinyl-eating alien creatures is in there -- it's possible, I suppose, that I was considering working that idea into the plot of this issue, though at this point I don't remember how.)

This other page contains some sketches of Dr. Dome and his Domeoids, done when I was trying to work out what they should look like. -- PL

Blast from the Past #311: Thumbnail layouts for TMNT Volume 1 #15

Some more stuff from that sketchbook -- these are my very rough thumbnail layouts (and some of them are, literally, about the size of a large thumbnail) for issue #15 of the original TMNT comic series.

It's interesting to look back at these and see just how much -- or how little -- I felt I needed to draw to get across to myself the idea of what was meant to be on each page.

I'm not sure when or why Jim Lawson drew his "Orson" character from "Bade Biker and Orson" on my layouts, but it's kind of funny to see him there. -- PL















P.S. -- Apropos of some of the personal stuff I've been blogging about lately, as I was looking over these pages of thumbnails, specifically the penultimate page, my eye was caught by the dialogue I wrote for "Steve "Stainless" Steel's in his words to "Battling Bernice's daughter, Ananda:

"You're wise for your age, Ananda… I wish I had been as wise. But you need a few more years… to realize that it's never too late to change... as long as you're alive, there's hope…"

Not having the printed issue #15 here in front of me, I can't say how much of that made it into the final form of the comic, but I seem to recall I did have Steve saying something like that. -- PL

P.P.S. I also note that, according to these roughs, at one pint I had considered calling the Justice Force "The Superior Six". I have no recollection of why I didn't.

Blast from the Past #310: rough pencil sketch for cover of TMNT Volume 1, #15

Continuing on with interesting tidbits found in that same sketchbook -- here is the rough pencil sketch I drew while working out the design for the cover of issue #15 of the original run of Mirage TMNT comics.



For anyone who wants to see what the cover ended up looking like when penciled, inked and colored, I posted two images of it back on March 4, 2009.

Blast from the Past #84 repost: TMNT Vol. 1 #15 "clean" cover

Eagle-eyed readers might be able to see faint hints of a drawing of the Fugitoid peeking through the image of the rough pencil cover drawing -- darn that cheap sketchbook paper! -- PL

Blast from the Past #267: "Justice Force" character designs

I drew this back when I was working on issue #15 of the original TMNT comic book. That was the second TMNT comic that I wrote and penciled by myself (Jim Lawson inked it). -- PL

Blast from the Past #84 repost: TMNT Vol. 1 #15 "clean" cover

Years ago, when I did issue 15 of the original TMNT comic book series, I wanted to tweak the cover to make it look like an old comic book which had "been through the war", as they say. I penciled the art, created a new logo, and designed the cover in the style (or at least my approximation of it) of the classic "Golden Age" superhero comics. Ryan Brown did a fabulous job inking it, incorporating a lot of that "Golden Age" flavor.

Steve Bissette told me about a copy shop in Wilmington, VT which could print color art on slick paper. I had them make a couple of copies from my hand-painted art, then left one of them on the floor of my car for several weeks to begin the "distressing" process. Later I enhanced it with judicious tearing and application of "coffee" stains (actually brown ink), scotch tape, and so forth.

Here's the cover as printed:



And here is the "clean" art, as it looked originally. I don't think this has ever been printed anywhere. -- PL

Blast from the Past #129: Motorcycle designs for "Return of the Justice Force"

Back in 2003, Jim Lawson did these cool motorcycle designs for the "Return of the Justice Force" episode of the 4Kids TMNT show. This episode adapted issue #15 of the original TMNT Volume 1 comic book, an issue I wrote and penciled and which was inked by... Jim Lawson!









The motorcycles were used in the episode to get Casey and the Turtles from New York City up to Northampton, MA, where they encountered "Stainless" Steve Steel, Metalhead and the rest of the Justice Force. (I love the fact that Jim put knobby tires on some of these big road bikes!) -- PL