Ask a Question: IDW's TMNT Editor Thread

[LUIS]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

I'm not sure if you are referring to Mirage comics or the original cartoon-- but no plans to touch anything Mirage, I think that should remain the realm of Peter. And no plans to continue the cartoon.

What about adventures? Anything planned?

[Bobby Curnow]

No, nothing to report at this time.

[LUIS]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

No, nothing to report at this time.

Thanks for the answer.

[Turtles]

Hi Bobby Curnow
I would love - LOVE - to read an original manuscript for a TMNT comic. Any issue, could be #100, but really, any. I understand that those scripts are meant for the illustrator, colourist and editor(s), but as a comic book writer myself, I find great inspiration in reading scripts. Would it be possible to see one of the TMNT scripts?
Best regards,
Kim

[Chris]

Not really a question but just want to say what an amazing job everyone's been doing. I've fallen into a bit of a pattern of not reading for a while then reading multiple arcs at once. So with 100 on the way I've just plowed through the Macros, Prelude to War, and all of City at War and Shredder in Hell so far and the whole team is really firing on all cylinders at the moment.

Shredder in Hell is just gorgeous. I can't believe I'm actually rooting for Saki and hoping he gets his redemption, but it's just been so well done. And City at War feels epic. I can't wait to see how you wrap things up in 100! The work you've all done these last 8 years is such a rare achievement in modern comics. The level of consistency, the forward planning and setting up future events, it's something I don't see in any other title I read and the TMNT team deserves far more credit from it than they get.

And the Leo macro has me very excited for Sophie taking over next issue as Tom gets a well deserved break. Sure, Leo's my favourite so I'm a little biased but I loved that story and how much her art has evolved since the original Leo micro (and Mirage before that).

Keep up the great work.

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Turtles

Hi Bobby Curnow
I would love - LOVE - to read an original manuscript for a TMNT comic. Any issue, could be #100, but really, any. I understand that those scripts are meant for the illustrator, colourist and editor(s), but as a comic book writer myself, I find great inspiration in reading scripts. Would it be possible to see one of the TMNT scripts?
Best regards,
Kim

Hi Kim,

That would be a question best asked of one of the writers. It's not my place to share a script that wasn't intended for a mass audience.

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Chris

Not really a question but just want to say what an amazing job everyone's been doing. I've fallen into a bit of a pattern of not reading for a while then reading multiple arcs at once. So with 100 on the way I've just plowed through the Macros, Prelude to War, and all of City at War and Shredder in Hell so far and the whole team is really firing on all cylinders at the moment.

Shredder in Hell is just gorgeous. I can't believe I'm actually rooting for Saki and hoping he gets his redemption, but it's just been so well done. And City at War feels epic. I can't wait to see how you wrap things up in 100! The work you've all done these last 8 years is such a rare achievement in modern comics. The level of consistency, the forward planning and setting up future events, it's something I don't see in any other title I read and the TMNT team deserves far more credit from it than they get.

And the Leo macro has me very excited for Sophie taking over next issue as Tom gets a well deserved break. Sure, Leo's my favourite so I'm a little biased but I loved that story and how much her art has evolved since the original Leo micro (and Mirage before that).

Keep up the great work.

Thanks very much! Both Shredder and TMNT #100 went to press next week, it feels good to have them done!

[AquaParade]

Hi Bobby!

Anything you can tell us yet about "The Last Ronin" ?? So exciting. Thanks for any part you played in helping this come together. Very exciting for the fans.

[Bobby Curnow]

Not much I can say about Last Ronin at this time, but rest assured you will be hearing more about it in due time!

I will say that it is an Elseworlds-type story set sometime in the future, not necessarily a part of any given continuity (but maybe it will turn out to be!)

[neatoman]

So did Bebop and Rocksteady forget who Hun was? They met him in issue 28, in issue 33 they explicitly took orders from him, in issue 39 they refer to him by name and were last shown on panel together in issue 41. The fact that they just call him "Wrestler guy" in issue 100, as if they never met him, is strange.

[AlessandraDC]

Well that was epic! Congrats on 100! You guys tied up a lot of loose ends, but there after this issue I have new questions! So will threads from this story be picked up in the ongoing continuity? Or should be expect a brand new start sort of?

[phillytmnt]

Hey Bobby and Tom,

First of all congrats with issue 100! It was a great issue and I truly loved the work the IDW team has put into the TMNT. I still had a couple of questions after this issue and Shredder in Hell that I was hoping to get clarity or your opinion on?

1. When Kitsune and teh Dragon states that she made Saki more than a mere mortal, is she refering to Saki sleeping in the ooze for years? Did the ooze make Shredder physical enchanced and immortal in terms of not aging? It was never stated what exactly Kitsune did to make him more than a mortal man.

2. I was kind of confussed with the Dragon appearing seperatly from Saki's body in issue 100. Since Saki was the Dragon's vessel, I thought the Dragon's spirit would inhabit his body like in the end of Shredder in Hell? How did Kitsune plan on living with Saki during the Dragon's reign if Saki was supposed to be the body the Dragon rules in? Also I thought Saki's soul merged with the Dragon? Issue 100 and Shredder in Hell seemed to contradict each other some. Just confussed a little about all of the dragon warrior stuff.

3. Will the last page on issue 50 ever be explained with the hinting of Krang's involvement with the Tmnt recarnating?

Sorry for all the questions. Just still unclear with some of the stuff from the issue. Overall, i thought #100 was great!

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by neatoman

So did Bebop and Rocksteady forget who Hun was? They met him in issue 28, in issue 33 they explicitly took orders from him, in issue 39 they refer to him by name and were last shown on panel together in issue 41. The fact that they just call him "Wrestler guy" in issue 100, as if they never met him, is strange.

Yeah, they're not the smartest tools in the shed! Maybe the Slash glasses threw them off?

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by AlessandraDC

Well that was epic! Congrats on 100! You guys tied up a lot of loose ends, but there after this issue I have new questions! So will threads from this story be picked up in the ongoing continuity? Or should be expect a brand new start sort of?

Same continuity, so we'll be picking up on loose threads. Some things we likely won't get to for a bit as they aren't on the TMNT's immediate radar, (or part of the immediate story Sophie wants to tell) but we hope to cover everything before too long.

And thank you!

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by phillytmnt

Hey Bobby and Tom,

First of all congrats with issue 100! It was a great issue and I truly loved the work the IDW team has put into the TMNT. I still had a couple of questions after this issue and Shredder in Hell that I was hoping to get clarity or your opinion on?

1. When Kitsune and teh Dragon states that she made Saki more than a mere mortal, is she refering to Saki sleeping in the ooze for years? Did the ooze make Shredder physical enchanced and immortal in terms of not aging? It was never stated what exactly Kitsune did to make him more than a mortal man.

2. I was kind of confussed with the Dragon appearing seperatly from Saki's body in issue 100. Since Saki was the Dragon's vessel, I thought the Dragon's spirit would inhabit his body like in the end of Shredder in Hell? How did Kitsune plan on living with Saki during the Dragon's reign if Saki was supposed to be the body the Dragon rules in? Also I thought Saki's soul merged with the Dragon? Issue 100 and Shredder in Hell seemed to contradict each other some. Just confussed a little about all of the dragon warrior stuff.

3. Will the last page on issue 50 ever be explained with the hinting of Krang's involvement with the Tmnt recarnating?

Sorry for all the questions. Just still unclear with some of the stuff from the issue. Overall, i thought #100 was great!

1. Yeah, I think you have that right, or at least that's my read on it as well. I don't think she enhanced Shredder, but she kept him alive and was preparing him to be the immortal vessel of the Dragon.

2. Essentially, Kitsune planned on the Dragon manifesting itself in the body of Oroku Saki, so that he would have all the power of that being. When Splinter hid Saki's head, that plan was thrown out the door and Kitsune's plans were adjusted.

3. I'd like to, yes. But you got exactly what was intended with that page, a suggestion that the Utroms are involved or are possibly partly responsible for the TMNT's resurrection.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

2. Essentially, Kitsune planned on the Dragon manifesting itself in the body of Oroku Saki, so that he would have all the power of that being. When Splinter hid Saki's head, that plan was thrown out the door and Kitsune's plans were adjusted.

So she never wanted the Dragon to be in control of Saki, but the other way around? She intended to betray her father all along and give his full power (and his immortality) to Saki? Or did she originally only care about resurrecting the Dragon but grew to love Saki and changed her plan/became conflicted?

Anyway, thank you for this amazing, epic run and bring on the next 100 issues!

[Chris]

Awesome job on the finale! A satisfying ending and nice set up for future stories and new directions.

Now that it's done (and this might be more a question for Tom), I can't help wonder, can you talk about how the plan evolved for the series? Were there things you planned to do differently, or didn't plan at all but came about naturally as you were telling the story? Or things you wanted to do but couldn't fit into the story?

The whole series has been so intricately plotted I'm just curious about how it changed and adapted over the series. Change is constant as they say.

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

So she never wanted the Dragon to be in control of Saki, but the other way around? She intended to betray her father all along and give his full power (and his immortality) to Saki? Or did she originally only care about resurrecting the Dragon but grew to love Saki and changed her plan/became conflicted?

Anyway, thank you for this amazing, epic run and bring on the next 100 issues!

I read it as your second guess.

Thanks!

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Chris

Awesome job on the finale! A satisfying ending and nice set up for future stories and new directions.

Now that it's done (and this might be more a question for Tom), I can't help wonder, can you talk about how the plan evolved for the series? Were there things you planned to do differently, or didn't plan at all but came about naturally as you were telling the story? Or things you wanted to do but couldn't fit into the story?

The whole series has been so intricately plotted I'm just curious about how it changed and adapted over the series. Change is constant as they say.

Yeah, definitely! This is a big (good!) question and i'm in the middle of the work day so can't spend too long at the moment thinking about specific instances, but I can speak to it now generally.

In short, at any given time in the series is about 50% planned from a few years back and 50% incorporating new ideas as things develop organically. That is to say, we have always had next couple of year's worth of story's big beats planned out, but sometimes what folks are doing in side series changes things a bit, or we just get a new idea, or see a certain character is working, and adjust things as we go. I'd say all of the major big beats are more or less the same as we intended.

[AlZarkovski]

Hello, Bobby!

Thank you so much for the 100th issue! Great work! Grand finale!

You probably won’t be able to answer this question, but I’ll try to ask ... Bishop is 100% dead? I mean, some dead characters are now alive and we did not see his body. And my second question is - will we find out what will happen next with the EPF? I think that many EPF employees will want to continue the Bishop business, especially now that there are many new mutants in New York. But Ravenwood could take his place and she could end the war between mutants and the EPF.