"Jim Lee's TMNT" Playmates Tie-in Comic

[Powder]

Drawn by Erik Larsen (with cover duties shared by he & Simon Bisley) featuring his character, the Savage Dragon. This was a promotional tie-in for a 1995 TMNT/Savage Dragon toyline whose turtles were designed by famed comics artist Jim Lee in a very 90's/extreme style. Each figure came with this same mini-comic, with the only variation between them being its front cover (character specific). It's short, simple, & fun.

I'm sure many longtime members of this forum have seen this before, but I wanted to put a new/larger scan out there. I've been going through some things & archiving them, so you can expect more like this in the near future. My copy's obviously a bit worn, it's from my childhood after all.

You can read/download from the source Imgur album (where I've included the insert/advert pages ) if you prefer- https://imgur.com/a/Hmz2P As this is a very obscure toy pack-in with other licensed characters, it is not for sale through any official means nor will it ever be reprinted, so it should be fine to share here.

[CyberCubed]

Yep, had this with all the Jim Lee TMNT toys I bought in the 90's and early 2000's. I wish it was longer but it's a fun short comic.

Imagine if we got a new series with these designs?

[D Piddy 1982]

Cool, thanks for the share!

Edit: Just had a look at the figures for this, I wonder why they didn't do a Leo figure?

[Nortock Diab]

Thanks Powder.

I'm glad I own a copy (with the Larsen/Bisley cover you displayed).
I wish I had all 6 covers though but the easiest way to get them is to buy the figures MOC and the TMNT ones are not cheap.

[AquaParade]

I appreciate you posting that, Powder. I've never seen it.

I swear with every wild interpretation of the TMNT, my love for the franchise just grows. It's not that I want to indulge in every iteration, for instance, the new cartoon doesn't appeal to me at all, but just the fact that they all exist in tandem is fascinating. That this "myth" or story has transpired and been retold time and time again at this point. Seeing a super bizarre, 90's Jim Lee take on the TMNT adds to the well nicely.

[oldmanwinters]

Seems like I've seen concept art for Jim Lee styled Leonardo, but I can't recall it now.

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I appreciate you posting that, Powder. I've never seen it.

I swear with every wild interpretation of the TMNT, my love for the franchise just grows. It's not that I want to indulge in every iteration, for instance, the new cartoon doesn't appeal to me at all, but just the fact that they all exist in tandem is fascinating. That this "myth" or story has transpired and been retold time and time again at this point. Seeing a super bizarre, 90's Jim Lee take on the TMNT adds to the well nicely.

It is remarkable that the TMNT franchise is almost as versatile to successful and legitimate re-interpretation as something like Batman. Of course, in the case of this promo comic, cool as it is, it's really just the a distillation of the 90s Turtles with new design elements.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Imagine if we got a new series with these designs?

Certainly wouldn't have been out of place with all the other EXTREME 90's stuff going on at the time. I was always a fan of that aesthetic, personally, so I'd have probably loved it if they did give the TMNT a series like this.

Originally Posted by D Piddy 1982

Cool, thanks for the share!

Edit: Just had a look at the figures for this, I wonder why they didn't do a Leo figure?

Typical Playmates, they skip a turtle far too often. This was one case of it being a huge loss, IMO. The fact they made the eternally peg-warming She-Dragon but not Leo is wack.

There was this mysterious bootleg/custom/whatever though-

Originally Posted by Nortock Diab

Thanks Powder.

I'm glad I own a copy (with the Larsen/Bisley cover you displayed).
I wish I had all 6 covers though but the easiest way to get them is to buy the figures MOC and the TMNT ones are not cheap.

You're welcome.

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I swear with every wild interpretation of the TMNT, my love for the franchise just grows. Seeing a super bizarre, 90's Jim Lee take on the TMNT adds to the well nicely.

Gonna try to scan a few more oddities for y'all. Glad you're enjoying them!

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Seems like I've seen concept art for Jim Lee styled Leonardo, but I can't recall it now. It is remarkable that the TMNT franchise is almost as versatile to successful and legitimate re-interpretation as something like Batman. Of course, in the case of this promo comic, cool as it is, it's really just the a distillation of the 90s Turtles with new design elements.

I am thankful that's the case, it's so fun having all these wildly different iterations. As for the concept art & whatnot...

[oldmanwinters]

Oh, okay, so the concept (and prototype) was in the print solicits, that I do remember. I had thought I'd also seen some post of the concept art in its rare form too, but maybe not.

And I guess I never realized that the Jim Lee designs were intended for a WildC.A.T.S. crossover rather than Savage Dragon (makes more sense for Jim Lee's involvement). I wonder if it was a late legal concern that forced the change or if they just thought Savage Dragon was a better fit for profitability. Anybody ever wonder if the original WildC.A.T.S. crossover comic existed but was scrapped or altered to fit the Dragon cast?

And in another historical bit of trivia regarding Jim Lee's influence on the TMNT franchise, famed Japanese artist Hidetsugu Yoshioka modeled his own take on the Turtles after the Jim Lee style for his promotional artwork for Comic Bom Bom and the Super Turtles toyline!
http://www.e-hobbymagazine.com/engli...n_en/4599.html

[pferreira]

Cool, thanks.

[slashpieturtlemix]

Ugh :/ i need these in my life

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by Powder

There was this mysterious bootleg/custom/whatever though-
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4OYGjUrdll...0/leonardo.jpg

I think that might be a custom because it looks a hell of a lot more professional than the bootle I have.

[slashpieturtlemix]

I would like to point out that I bought a cheap savage dragon toy just so I can have this comic lol thanks powder... paid $12

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Ninjinister

I think that might be a custom because it looks a hell of a lot more professional than the bootle I have.

I dunno, I think I've seen more than one like it, but don't hold me to it. This was years ago. There was a lot of rare/weird TMNT stuff around on ebay about 10 years back.

Originally Posted by slashpieturtlemix

I would like to point out that I bought a cheap savage dragon toy just so I can have this comic lol thanks powder... paid $12

Haha, I'm glad to have inspired a purchase. It's a cool item to own! The toys themselves were lacking on the articulation front, but they had some really nice sculpts.

[Ninjinister]

Well I mean at least that one is on a Leo cardback

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

They're bootlegs. A bunch of them popped up on ebay awhile back.

We need Andrew to do a conclusion to this comic

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by ***First of Two Latin Kings***

They're bootlegs. A bunch of them popped up on ebay awhile back.

I know mine is. I just figured the one Powder posted was someone's custom since the quality looks a lot better, and actually has a custom card as opposed to just sticking it on a Michelangelo back.

EDIT: According to this, it's a custom made by "Alex CF".

[John Pannozzi]

FYI, here's the Savage Dragon wiki's entry on this comic, complete with credits:

http://wiki.savagedragon.com/Savage_Dragon_Playmates_Toys_mini_comic.html

[TheBlueTurtle1]

Thanks for sharing Powder, great stuff, but why is this credited as Jim Lee's TMNT, if he didn't do the artwork?

[Powder]

He designed the turtle toys that this mini-comic was based on/included with.

[TheBlueTurtle1]

Originally Posted by Powder

He designed the turtle toys that this mini-comic was based on/included with.

Ok, thanks, I always thought he actually did the artwork in the comic. Is ther actually artwork that Jim lee draw of them anywhere?