Will Tupper's "Practical Jokes" (Michelangelo backup comic)

[Andrew NDB]

Written by "Tales of the TMNT" writer Will Tupper this Mikey backup was sold and set to be published by Mirage as a backup in Tales of the TMNT Vol. 2 but never saw print. The plan is to include this into the Image TMNT finisher in one of the issues.

It's illustrated by Donna "GreenWillow" Omo and lettered by Adam O. Pruett, who is also lettering the main Image finisher.

I hope you enjoy.

You can download a .PDF of it in HQ here (http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/tmnt-practicaljokes.pdf).

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/mich01.jpg

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/mich02.jpg

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/mich03.jpg

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/mich04.jpg

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/mich05.jpg

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/mich06.jpg

[DrSpengler]

That was really great. A bummer Mirage didn't print it, but still a wonderful insight into Mikey. Outside of a few one-shots like "The Burning Man", Image's Volume 3 was the only time I cared for Mikey because the whole struggling novelist angle really gave him something deeper to latch onto. I always appreciate it when that side of him is revisited in any fashion.

It shows that there's an intelligence behind his goofishness that helps flesh him out from "mascot" to a well-rounded character you can identify with and appreciate.

Looking forward to seeing this in the Image finale!

[Powder]

F*cking excellent. It really bums me out that Will never had the nerve to pitch a full story. His work is friggin' amazing. It always has such depth and feels so right for the turtles, kinda like he'd always been writing for them. He reminds me of Murphy but with less preach & more point.

Oh! & Donna's art is great too! :)

[Master Splinter]

This is great. Thanks for sharing!

-ms

[plastroncafe]

That was glorious!

[Andrew NDB]

It always bothered me, personally, that Will got Leo, Raph, and Don backups in print... but we never got to see his Mike backup. Even to the very end of Tales Vol. 2 I think there was this lingering hope that we would -- after all, the Mike backup was sold -- and that one day, poof, it would appear in the back of a random issues of Tales, but it never quite did.

Put all of these together, you literally get like a new Michael Dooney "Challenges" graphic novel.

[willtupper]

Andrew: I just Emailed you my thanks, but will gladly say it here again. Deep gratitude to you for helping give my little series of Turtle stories a proper conclusion. Although FWIW, it was a Casey back-up, and not Splinter, that sold and made it into print. Splinter was going to be my next project :).

DrSpengler: Thank you, dude. I kind of always saw Mikey as a "goofy revolutionary," changing the world quietly by making people happy :).

plastroncafe: Thanks! :)

Master Splinter: Thank you! :)

Powder: Much thanks for your kind words, brother. I just never had the stones to pitch a full-length story. In the back of my mind I had kind of planned for that a little later, after I had told back-ups for all the major characters. So it goes, I suppose.

Donna totally knocked the art out of the park, didn't she? It turned out better than I could have ever imagined :).

[oldmanwinters]

Donna totally knocked the art out of the park, didn't she? It turned out better than I could have ever imagined :).

Yeah! "GreenWillow" rocks some great pencils and inks!

[Andrew NDB]

Let's be honest, though... that bottle of "Old Lawson" on the shelf scares the hell out of me. :)

[Venom]

Spoken like the true Michelangelo. This little story falls perfectly in line with how I always felt about Mike. Thanks, Will, for tapping into the essence of Michelangelo and bringing forth this tiny nugget of insight;

too bad few will see it, lest it see true print form, but even then the world at large would probably refuse to accept Mike as he truly is. His comedic facade has been so good that he's practically shot himself in the foot in regards to people taking him *gasp* seriously.

Oh, and I got a kick out of the dancing cowboys in page 4, panel 6! :D

[Raph's Girl]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Dierna/smileys/Guffaw.gif

[GreenWillow]

Thanks you guys for the positive comments!

Will, thank you so much. That really means a lot to me.

Venom, I totally agree with your and with Will's take on Mikey. I've always seen him as the classic "Family Mascot": the kid who makes a joke or a pratfall when things get too tense and the family desperately needs a distraction from the grim realities they deal with.

Given how "tense" these guys lives can be, playing the light-hearted, air-head, goofball has got to be pretty much a full-time job. Mikey does his job very well. He's even got half the fans fooled.

;)

[Machias Banshee]

Aw, I like that a Lot. the 'Family Mascot' role is just the perfect way to describe Mike..

[CyberCubed]

I'm going to assume in the original version of this comic, the Turtles obviously didn't look like they did in Image, right?

[Buffy]

Cool little backup comic! Mike always brings a smile to my face.

[Andrew NDB]

I'm going to assume in the original version of this comic, the Turtles obviously didn't look like they did in Image, right?

The script doesn't say what era the Turtles in the present are or physical appearance is on page 6. But no, of course Will and Murphy/Mirage didn't ever intend for this to be in the Vol. 3 era. That it is now is only on his blessing, which he gave graciously.

I would venture, though, that Mike being in that particular point in time gives the joke/story that much more depth given their state of being then.

[Venom]

I would venture, though, that Mike being in that particular point in time gives the joke/story that much more depth given their state of being then.

True that! I'm glad this became part of the Volume 3 era because it was Mike's shining spot in the entire Turtles' saga, so plunking this story right along there when the guys have been through hell and uncertain of many things in their lives is perfect! :tthumbsu:

[Gyt Kaliba]

This was an awesome little read. I've always thought of Mikey as this, as the guy who makes the jokes so that it's not always just death and combat around them. He's not an idiot, he just chooses to act like one sometimes because the others can't. To see a story reflect as such, I love it.

[discordiatookie]

Yet another awesome Will Tupper story. Hard to believe that its the same crazy maniac that kicks around these here forums, making us all laugh our faces off with his mental topics. But yeah, that was brilliant. Great art also - for some reason, reminds me a bit on the dream like quality of Zulli's work. Brilliant job, GW!

I gotta ask - who be this Adam O. Pruett fella? He a regular in here, or is ha an actual letterer? Or even both? Anyhoo, I like the cut of his jib.

[Nelson]

Very nice story, and the art is very charismatic.

And I agree that the story works a LOT better taking place during the volume 3 days.
Although it begs the question: would Mike still be the man (turtle) with the jokes if he had lost an arm, or an eye, or half his body?

[GreenWillow]

...
Although it begs the question: would Mike still be the man (turtle) with the jokes if he had lost an arm, or an eye, or half his body?

All the more, I would think. Mikey's the kind of guy who would be cracking jokes on his death bed just to keep his brothers' spirits up.

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

All the more, I would think. Mikey's the kind of guy who would be cracking jokes on his death bed just to keep his brothers' spirits up.

I agree. I was in the wrong mindset when I originally read this, put into context it is really good (the joke itself is kind of dumb in my opinion but it works well within the actual story). The thing I really struggled with was the fact that this took place within the Image universe, as much as I LOVE the Image turtles, they aren't really "the same" as the Mirage turtles--so essentially, we have the Image turtles acting out of character (because they're acting like the Mirage turtles) so it is almost like this story takes place in an alternate alternate time line. I don't want to sound like I'm bashing it, I have a lot of respect for all three of you: Andrew, GreenWillow/Donna, and Will Tupper-- I tend to read between the lines too much...sometimes a short is just a short.

[Powder]

The image turtles by no means ever acted out of character. They were so well defined in that series. Gary took what LITTLE he had to work with and went from there. Maybe the first 2-3 issues are a little off but outside of that, they're the same guys.

[jaymq]

That was enjoyable. I like when people can write Mikey as a likable jokester. <3

[willtupper]

Y'all are incredibly kind.

While I don't associate any of the Turtles with any particular religious worldview (outside of the sort-of requisite Zen / Taoist ideals inherit with, you know. Being a ninja :)), this poem is something I like to associate with the Mikey in my imagination.

I probably would have worked it into a future story, had I had the chance. It was a favorite ot the late Chris Farley (a biography of him, The Chris Farley Show, is where I first heard it mentioned).

The author is unknown:

The Clown's Prayer

As I stumble through this life,
help me to create more laughter than tears,
dispense more cheer than gloom,
spread more cheer than despair.

Never let me become so indifferent,
that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child,
or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged.

Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people,
make them happy, and forget momentarily,
all the unpleasantness in their lives.

And in my final moment,
may I hear You whisper:
"When you made My people smile,
you made Me smile."


I also associate this poem with Mikey, and imagine he would quite like it. It was a favorite of the great Stan Laurel:


God bless all clowns.
Who star in the world with laughter,
Who ring the rafters with flying jest,
Who make the world spin merry on its way.

God bless all clowns.
So poor the world would be,
Lacking their piquant touch, hilarity,
The belly laughs, the ringing lovely.

God bless all clowns.
Give them a long good life,
Make bright their way—they’re a race apart!
Alchemists most, who turn their hearts’ pain,
Into a dazzling jest to lift the heart.
God bless all clowns.


I love the idea of Mikey as a kind of "comedy missionary." Looking through my notebook the other night, I found this line: "Laughter is the opposite of war." I definitely would have put that into "Practical Jokes," had I written it at the time.

You all rule. Thank you, again :).

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

The image turtles by no means ever acted out of character. They were so well defined in that series. Gary took what LITTLE he had to work with and went from there. Maybe the first 2-3 issues are a little off but outside of that, they're the same guys.

Those were orignally GW's words, NOT mine. We went back and forth about this for years and she finally convinced me that the Image turtles (with the exception of maybe Raph) are NOT the Mirage turtles.

[Andrew NDB]

Those were orignally GW's words, NOT mine. We went back and forth about this for years and she finally convinced me that the Image turtles (with the exception of maybe Raph) are NOT the Mirage turtles.

Stop listening to her. :)

[GreenWillow]

I've been misquoted.

(Phhbbttt!!)

[Luzmagica]

I love it!! :D:D:D:D :lol::lol::lol: Thanks a lot for share!!! ^-^

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

I've been misquoted.

(Phhbbttt!!)

If I had truly misquoted you, you'd be mad!!! :tlol:

[shuriken]

It's a pretty cool little story. Mikey was always the one that would brighten the mood not to steal the show, but to raise his brother's spirits.

[Sage Ninja]

Stop listening to her. :)

seconded. Really. I thought Michelangelo was spot on in that series.

[Andrew NDB]

seconded. Really. I thought Michelangelo was spot on in that series.

Absolutely. Vol. 3 did more for Michelangelo by itself than any comic or any volume before or after it.

[Kendamu]

Vol. 3 actually has one of my favorite issues ever and probably my favorite Mikey story ever. I just wish I could find the damn thing (the one where he rescues Shadow from the mob).

About the short, though, I'm a little late to the party but this little story is freakin' amazing. It gives Mike so much context to how he acts and confirms a lot of things for me. It says a lot of things in just a few pages.

[willtupper]

Thank you, Goongasnootch. You've got great comic taste AND a killer screen name! :)

[Venom]

Vol. 3 actually has one of my favorite issues ever and probably my favorite Mikey story ever. I just wish I could find the damn thing (the one where he rescues Shadow from the mob).

Volume 3, #8. It has the cover of Mike hiding in front of a gargoyle, guarding Shadow, while some armed mobsters patrol the area.

[Adam]

I gotta ask - who be this Adam O. Pruett fella? He a regular in here, or is ha an actual letterer? Or even both? Anyhoo, I like the cut of his jib.

I'm a regular lurker, if that counts. I promised myself I wouldn't keep joining message boards as I already waste enough time on the computer as it is... but I'm pretty sure that's a promise I'm not gonna be able to keep.

Anyway, yes, I am a letterer, though I've really only done indy stuff. Thanks for your kind words. :)

[Kendamu]

Volume 3, #8. It has the cover of Mike hiding in front of a gargoyle, guarding Shadow, while some armed mobsters patrol the area.

I know which it is but I can't find a copy.

[Andrew NDB]

You can download a .PDF of it in HQ here (http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/tmnt-practicaljokes.pdf).

[Nelson]

I'm a regular lurker, if that counts. I promised myself I wouldn't keep joining message boards as I already waste enough time on the computer as it is... but I'm pretty sure that's a promise I'm not gonna be able to keep.

Anyway, yes, I am a letterer, though I've really only done indy stuff. Thanks for your kind words. :)


Welcome to the forums!

[discordiatookie]

I'm a regular lurker, if that counts. I promised myself I wouldn't keep joining message boards as I already waste enough time on the computer as it is... but I'm pretty sure that's a promise I'm not gonna be able to keep.

Anyway, yes, I am a letterer, though I've really only done indy stuff. Thanks for your kind words. :)

Welcome! And stick around - we are a fun bunch. And yep, I do dig they letters of yours :D