Latest news with #TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Exclusive: TMNT Co-Creator Kevin Eastman Reflects on 40 Years of Turtle Power
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Back before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a household name, it started off as a dark and gritty comic for Mirage from co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. More news: Exclusive: 'TMNT' Spinoff Series 'Casey Jones' Set for Release This Fall Eastman has been a beloved comic creator for decades on end, and he sat down with Newsweek to discuss the creation, history, and longevity of the turtles — and he divulged some new updates on the current massive hit, "The Last Ronin." Initially, Eastman and Laird were messing around with one another regarding the creation of the animal equivalent of Bruce Lee, a world-renowned martial artist. Lee, known for his speed and skills in martial arts, was transformed into a ninja turtle. "And so I thought to myself, if Bruce Lee was an animal, what would be the stupidest animal, mammal, creature, reptile, and so fast-moving martial artist, slow-moving turtle. It just made me laugh out loud." Though the idea of a turtle being a martial artist began with a laugh, Eastman and Laird would lean on their comic fandom to turn the one turtle into four. "And then we said, well, if one, why not a group of them, maybe four? Like the Fantastic Four or X Men kind of thing. So I penciled a sketch all four turtles, each with different weapons, and I put this comic bookie Ninja Turtles logo above them, and when Pete did the inking on it, he added a Teenage Mutant to the title. And we just laughed out loud, and it was something we said, 'enough rejection letters.' "Besides, we really love this idea. We're going to keep this one for ourselves, and let's just come up with a story that tells how the turtles got to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And that was in 1984, and the first issue came out in May of 1984." A cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. A cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. IDW The comic was meant to be a one-shot, or singular issue, but the impact of the first issue was undeniable. Eastman borrowed money from his uncle to fund the first issue, and a 3,000-copy run would soon sell out. "We borrowed money from my uncle Quentin. We put together a little business proposal. It was around $1,200 if I recall. All correctly, and that was enough to print 3,000 copies. We thought that we would have most of those 3000 copies for many years to come. It was a one-shot. So, you know, again, we did it, the creation of it and the writing of it was written for ourselves, because we really didn't think it would sell that well. But it sold out pretty quickly, and to our surprise and my uncle ... he was actually going to get paid back." The popularity of the comic would turn into a 6,000-copy run, and eventually, the comic world was begging for the second issue. Eastman and Laird would continue their original run, but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would turn into a global sensation shortly thereafter. Though the turtles would come out as a comic that showcased a far darker outlook, Eastman and Lair licensed out the turtles to Playmate Toys, leading to the original cartoon series being released in 1987, a series of video games, and the ever-popular original live-action films. Headshot of Kevin Eastman with the cover for the 1990s TMNT movie. Headshot of Kevin Eastman with the cover for the 1990s TMNT movie. IDW Despite the fact that the turtles were turned into more of the pizza-eating and radical variation that many fans grew up with and loved, Eastman reveals that he and Laird still had creative control over how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were conveyed. "We were lucky, you know. I mentioned Jack Kirby, who was a big hero of Peter and I and the nature of the business that he grew up in, working for Marvel in DC. It was commonplace for the corporation that you worked for owned all the rights to your characters and anything you created was owned by them. So we were well aware, even around the time that Peter and I started, there was a lot of challenges to industry professionals trying to get Kirby more credit for his rights ownership profits from the characters he created. So we knew how lucky we were that we created something we owned fully." Eastman would eventually sell his share of the turtles to Laird, who in turn sold the rights to Viacom. Despite not having creative control any longer, Eastman has remained a creative voice for the franchise, including in the most recent movie, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem." "My position as being kind of the OG, you know, the co-creator, Nickelodeon, who's always been really wonderful, very kind. And they, because they don't have to bring me in on anything, but they always reach out and ask my opinion. Or, you know, like I did a voice as I was a good human and 'Mutant Mayhem,' or I've done voices in the cartoon show I worked on, you know, different aspects of different productions. But with that, it was something that Seth and Jeff and Evan and everybody at Point Grey and that whole team had a very specific vision. And it was one of those that had they invited me, and I would have been happy to join him, but they had a vision that they wanted to tell, and I could not be more happy and more proud." Eastman did not bow out of creating new and exciting stories for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In fact, he became a chief writer when IDW Publishing launched a new turtles comic series in 2011. Inks done by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles writer and co-creator Kevin Eastman. Inks done by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles writer and co-creator Kevin Eastman. IDW The monthly-released comic began in August 2011 and has been running ever since. However, IDW chose to relaunch the series in July 2024, with Jason Aaron taking over as the chief writer. Eastman worked with Tom Waltz while at IDW, and they paired together to revive and work on a story back in the 1980s that was initially developed by Eastman and Laird. The idea was about what the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would look like if all but one perished. That idea would be transformed into the massive hit, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin." "The Last Ronin" follows the tragic fall of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, save for one, Michaelangelo. Michelangelo is distraught over the loss of his brothers and seeks revenge against Oroku Hiroto, the grandson of the infamous Shredder. Cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, drawn by Kevin Eastman. Cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, drawn by Kevin Eastman. IDW "It's an idea that Peter and I wrote way back in 1987, set 30 years in the future. And it was 31 years later that Tom waltz and I, when I dug out the original script and materials that Pete and I developed for that in 1987 and adapted into The Last Ronin. We just felt like this is kind of our love poem to all things, you know, dark night, the edginess, the darkness, and some important things leaning, you know, quite heavily on the original Mirage series in this kind of universe of its own." Eastman referred to the reception as "mind-blowing," which has certainly been the case. "The Last Ronin" led to a prequel called "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years," which follows Michelangelo and his quest for answers after the death of his brothers, and the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution," which follows a brand-new set of turtles. Cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II Re-Evolution, drawn by Kevin Eastman. Cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II Re-Evolution, drawn by Kevin Eastman. IDW "The Last Ronin" universe is also expanding into a video game, and Eastman revealed that there will be a third sequel for the comics as well. "We are working on a part three. So we feel like, just funny that when I'm looking at your posters behind you, get the 'Empire Strikes Back.' And so we feel like, you know, 'Last Ronin, the first one is kind of 'A New Hope.' 'Re-Evolution' is 'Empire Strikes Back,' and so three is going to be our best shot at, you know, 'Return of the Jedi' kind of concept. So, we're excited to dig into that this year." Eastman also revealed that the third "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin" series is set to start in 2026. "So 2026, is what we're looking at. And so we're all working. We're kind of rolled off series two, almost right into series three. So we're excited." Since creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1984, the characters and stories have gone on to inspire and entertain fans for over 40 years. What has surprised Eastman through 40 years of writing and drawing, what was initially a joke? "That there are still stories to tell, sincerely." To listen to the entire, watch the video above. Eastman goes into depth on the history of the turtles and their many iterations, the original comic, how "The Last Ronin" was developed, the sequels, and what creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has meant to him for 40 years. For more on comics, head to Newsweek Comics.
Geek Tyrant
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Power Rangers & Ninja Turtles New Crossover — GeekTyrant
The Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles are no strangers to each other and I guess it's time for another crossover. BOOM! Studios and IDW are teaming up with writer Ryan Parrott ( Vicarious ) and illustrator Vincenzo Federici ( Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ) to bring fans Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III . This is the third crossover comic series penned by Parrott and so I'm sure he's got something great cooked up for us fans and while I'm not very familiar with Federici, a look at his Instagram tells me that we've got an incredible creative duo. With Rita and Krang defeated, the bad guys aren't cutting the Rangers and Turtles no slack! Lord Zedd and Shredder have a new plan to take down the radical teen heroes, and if they don't act carefully, they may just succeed. I really liked the first Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series but sadly missed the second series. I'm curious what Zedd and Shredder will get up to. My first instinct is something with the Dark Rangers that were a great idea with just awful execution in season two of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers . Maybe they'll finally get justice? You can read Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1 on August 13 from your local comic shop. There's no word on how many issues to expect, but I think it's safe to assume that it will be like the previous two series and run for five issues. What are your predictions for the third crossover story?
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate (PS5) Review
Much like the inevitability of certain movie franchises getting reboot regularly, it seemed a matter of time until Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate would eventually continue its journey from Apple Arcade to Nintendo Switch to Sony and Microsoft's shores. Unlike some of those movie revivals, however, this game is undoubtedly worth checking out. If you haven't already checked it out on the other platforms, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is a roguelike take on the ultimate 90s franchise. With 1-4 players, the Turtles must navigate four stages, building skills and modifiers while mopping the floor with Foot Clan ninjas, mouse robots, and other familiar groups of foes in order to rescue their father and sensei, Splinter, from an ethereal captor. In typical fashion, each of the brothers has their own distinctive playstyle based on their weapons of choice—starting with a basic combo, a special attack, and a 'tool' suited to their personality/skills, like Leonardo's shurikens or Michelangelo's taunting ability. Then, during each 'run' through the levels, tools can be swapped, and powers and modifiers picked up to customize their loadouts. It's Hades in a halfshell. For the wider PlayStation and Xbox release, Splintered Fate includes the Casey Jones & The Junkyard Jam DLC, which adds the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' most ornery ally to the playable roster. This also offers an alternate route through the game, replacing the third level (the streets of NYC) with a detour through a junkyard. Splintered Fate was already a great package on its own, so arriving on the remaining platforms with this extra content included is a big win for fans who still haven't checked it out—especially as the newly-announced physical Deluxe Edition and Pipin' Hot Collector's Edition both include a future, as-of-yet-unnamed DLC pack. However, there isn't much more here to take advantage of hardier hardware, despite the longer wait. The game looks, plays, and loads smoother away from the Switch, but Splintered Fate hasn't made the most of the potential next-gen benefits. Not that it needed to do much, but even embracing the sophisticated rumble options would've been a nice touch. Aside from a slightly quicker experience moving between areas, there was virtually no difference between this and the Switch version; if I'd squinted a little, I might even lose track of which system I was playing on. (Trophies are one welcome touch, granted, since Nintendo still refuses to embrace this 20-year old concept.) That being said, I had a great time starting this roguelike over from an absolute square one. I said in my initial Switch review that Splintered Fate 'might just be my favourite interpretation of the TMNT since my childhood;' revisiting Super Evil Megacorp's classically-inspired take on the mythos firmly established that as fact. Its writing offers us perhaps the most grounded yet authentic versions of the characters, expressed in an impressive number of incidental dialogues and cutscenes over at least 8 successful runs, and the pitch-perfect cast brings it to life. And even going in with full knowledge and a strong knowledge of an ideal loadout for my playstyle—Flame Dash + Inferno = cowabunga, baby—Splintered Fate remained a tightly-honed challenge. I had fresh perspective on and appreciation of its difficulty curve and the impact of improving certain skills, which was helpful when diving into the late-game's systems of Shimmering Portals and Gauntlet Challenges, the true challenge. I thought I would've had any itch for TMNT scratched by Shredder's Revenge and Mutant Mayhem, but I could keep coming back for another slice of Splintered Fate anytime. If you also grew up in the height of the early-90s popularity, and maybe got your arm stuck in that sewer playset at least once too, you should do your inner child a solid and check this out. It's a shell of a lot of game for the price of admission, especially with another DLC and some radical physical editions on the way.
Geek Tyrant
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Paramount's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM 2 Pushed From 2026 to 2027 — GeekTyrant
Bad news for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans hoping to see them battle the Shredder anytime soon because Paramount Pictures has officially pushed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 all the way to September 17, 2027. That's nearly a full year past its original October 2026 date. The delay stems from what sounds like a case of major production gridlock. The sequel, like its predecessor, is relying on an international animation pipeline, with Mikros Animation in Paris (the team behind Plankton: The Movie ) and Cinesite in Montreal ( The Addams Family 2, Iwájú ) returning to craft that really cool animation style fans loved. Apparently, those schedules are now bumping into real-world constraints. The first Mutant Mayhem ended with a post-credits teaser that had Turtleheads losing their minds with a shadowy silhouette of Shredder looming over New York, summoned by the mysterious Cynthia Utrom to take on the brothers. Director Jeff Rowe has hinted that the sequel won't hold back when it comes to the legendary villain, explaining: 'Shredder is just a great character. He's an iconic, classic, loved character. He's like the Joker. You know who he is, even if you're not a fan of the source material. 'I think we definitely wanna do a villain-forward film.' But he also emphasized story above spectacle: 'We're currently trying to make decisions about that, but those decisions for us as filmmakers are always going to come from the place of what tells the best story, specifically about our main characters, the Turtles.' And there's good reason for Paramount to invest more time. Mutant Mayhem , co-written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, was a modest hit earning $180.5 million worldwide on a $70 million budget, but it hit a sweet spot with critics and audiences alike, re-energizing the franchise with a raw, youthful vibe that set it apart from previous iterations. Fans don't have to wait until 2027 for more pizza-powered action because there's an animated series you can watch, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , a 12-episode show on Paramount+, picks up directly after the events of the movie. It brings back the original voice cast of Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Brady Noon, Nicolas Cantu, and Ayo Edebiri, so the tone and energy carry over seamlessly. Even better, a second season is already on the way in 2025, though no release date has been announced yet. So while the big-screen return is a ways off, there's plenty of Turtle content to keep fans shell-deep in action for the next few years.
Digital Trends
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown review: a new kind of superpower
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown Score Details 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown makes turn-based tactics feel as fast-paced as a John Wick brawl.' Pros Very original approach to TMNT Thoughtful characterization Fast-paced tactics Compact size is a plus Cons Repetitive missions A bit anticlimactic Buggy at launch 'Why you can trust Digital Trends – We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Found out more about how we test and score products.' Please link here Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is a shining example of how the way a game plays can completely change what it says about its characters. Growing up, my perception of New York's finest reptiles was shaped by beat-em-ups. GameCube drawlers like Battle Nexus taught me that the boys were a bunch of rowdy goofballs. They were deadly, but sloppy. They aren't the same turtles I find in the turn-based action of Tactical Takedown. There, I meet hyper efficient assassins who don't waste a single movement. They aren't just members of a squad who need one another to take out waves of enemies; each is a one turtle wrecking machine. I'm left to wonder just how devastating they must be as one unified band of brothers. Recommended Videos Fast-paced strategy makes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown's turn-based action feel as active as an arcade brawler. Each level offers a jolt of arcade excitement that gives each turtle their chance to shine rather than treating them as interchangeable heroes. Its small scope leaves it vulnerable to bugs and repetition, but Tactical Takedown's best quality is how much it's willing to break the mold and offer a new spin on a familiar TMNT power fantasy. Together alone Rather than revisiting a scenario that's been done to death, Tactical Takedown tries its best to steer away from TMNT clichés. It pits the boys against a new Foot Clan leader who is filling a void left behind by Shredder. Rather than tackling that threat together with a carefree attitude, we're left with four brothers who have grown distant as each comes to terms with impending adulthood. The big shock is that the four of them never appear together during their mission, as an attack on the Turtle Lair takes out their communication system. Each one sets off on their own solo objective, only interacting with their bros through interstitial dialogue between missions. A broken Turtlecom turns out to be a perfect metaphor for a more human kind of distance. That may sound a little sacrilegious at first, but it's a purposeful swing. The physical separation drives home how much the team is growing apart through the story. It's a little sad, like waking up one morning and realizing that you haven't seen the cousins you used to play all night with on Christmas Eve in years. We've so rarely, if ever, gotten to see a version of the Turtles that feels this lonely and introspective. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I walked away from Tactical Takedown with a new appreciation of their dynamic. Tactical Takedown isn't a big licensed project and shouldn't be approached as such. That separation isn't played as a bummer, though. Instead, developer Strange Scaffold uses it to shine a spotlight on each hero. Every level has me playing as a specific Turtle, as they all work towards the same goal using their own skills and expertise. Michelangelo attacks the problem at a street level, taking out goons with his nunchaku. Donatello sticks to the sewers, Raphael dashes over rooftops, and Leonardo sticks to the subway like a real New Yorker. In any other Turtles game, these would be locations that every turtle would explore by the end of the story. Here, each feels like one of the hero's turf, giving them a specific home field advantage that their other brothers don't have. That builds to a climax you can probably see coming, but not in the way you're expecting. We're never quite given a moment where all four heroes are playable together, sharing a pool of actions and synergizing their skills with one another. There's a much different interpretation of their union here that undercuts their individuality. It's functional enough, but the finale feels less like a natural conclusion and more like a concession to not mess around with the core tactics formula too much. That philosophy makes for some repetition as each of its 20 levels plays out the same with little variation aside from swapping the hero. Tactical Takedown isn't a big licensed project and shouldn't be approached as such. It's a micro indie from a studio known for playing things fast and loose. Like every Strange Scaffold game I've ever played before launch, I encountered some form of game breaking bug that will no doubt be fixed by the time you actually play it. A broken special attack that I could spam multiple times by hammering a button, reset levels due to a glitched 'end turn' button, and a loadout menu that I could not for the life of me figure out how to edit. It's not that I hold those issues against it much, just as I didn't mind I Am Your Beast's few game-breaking issues that halted my progress for a few days. They'll get fixed promptly by a nimble team, but sometimes I wonder what just a little more time in the oven could do for some of the studio's best ideas, whether it's polishing them to perfection or having time to build in one more creative twist that snaps everything into place. All action Though there are limits to its compact nature, Tactical Takedown's focused scope is its greatest asset too. Each bite-sized level drops a turtle onto a small grid-based map. Every few turns, a new piece of the map forms while another goes away. It's built to feel exactly like an old beat-em-up in that way, with the screen scroll of an arcade game stopping to frame a brawl before prompting players to move on. It's an ingenious way to bring the feel of those games to an entirely different genre. That same philosophy extends to its brilliant spin on turn-based combat, which takes a genre known for careful decision making and makes it feel like John Wick. Each Turtle has five moves that they can use on each turn and a whopping six action points that can be spent in any way. When playing as Michaelangelo, my initial skill set is largely about leaping around enemies. I can skateboard over a foe and hit them on the way over or dash past a few enemies with my whirling nunchucks. Even my most basic attack, a simple bonk, moves me to the enemy's square once defeated. With six whole points to spend per turn, and more if I equip moves that replenish AP, I'm able to do a whole lot of damage in one go. There's a maturity to the boys here reflected in precise strategy rather than drunken brawling. There's a strategy to each turtle and the brisk four hour runtime gives me just enough time to perfect each over time. With Michaelangelo, I learn to chain my way through enemies by knocking my way through one so that I can directly move to another without spending a movement point. Donatello is more about shocking enemies to keep them in place and create distance between them, allowing him to pick them off from afar or trap them in poison sewer pits. Leonardo is more about standing his ground, creating stacks of evasion that allow him to survive in tight subway car melees. And Raphael is all about yanking faraway enemies to reposition them and boot them away. Each strategy is distinct and rewards mastery. Once I got the hang of each, I couldn't believe just how much I could do in a turn. Sometimes I'd be greeted with a screen full of ninjas and assume that I couldn't possibly take them all out. With careful enough positioning, I'd realize that I could punt a foe off an edge here to instantly kill it, slash another weak one to finish it off and get its AP, jump over to a pizza box to heal, and still have enough actions left to take out a few more enemies. All of this happens quickly in my brain. I don't need to think about what to do next; I reflexively fire off actions one after another, often taking out a whole screen full of enemies in seconds flat. It's like playing a beat-em-up, but somehow faster and more precise. It's through that ironclad combat hook that my perception of the Turtles changes. While most TMNT games hone in on the teenage part, Tactical Takedown is concerned with the anagram's N. Each one truly feels like a ninja here, dispatching enemies in the blink of an eye. If you cut out the bits of decision making between move selection, you'd be treated to a thrilling little sequence on every single turn that plays out like Oldboy's hallway sequence. I do wish that there were a few more ways to really drive that point home outside from the fairly static gauntlet of fights that never really changes. Some levels can feel long, throwing out waves of enemies with little pace until they just suddenly end. Perhaps some bosses or stage hazards could have given me a few more ways to think about the most efficient ways to use my moves, especially since the difficulty winds up feeling flat even in its enemy-filled finale. There's more room to grow the great seed Strange Scaffold has planted here if the studio decides to take the team for another spin one day. Even if it's destined to be a one-shot, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is a welcome little addition to TMNT's storied video game canon. In just a few short hours, it gave me a new appreciation of each individual bro by deconstructing the team dynamic and showing how each part of the unit functions on its own. There's a maturity to the boys here reflected in precise strategy rather than drunken brawling. You can break up a team, but the mark of a strong family is its ability to fight through hell and back to come together again. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown was reviewed on PC and Steam Deck OLED.
