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Old 01-13-2016, 04:47 PM   #1
Bobby Curnow
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Ask a Question: IDW's TMNT Editor Thread

Hi guys,

I'm Bobby Curnow, and edit and co-plot the current IDW TMNT comic. I had a "Question" thread over at the IDW forums, but they've been down for a while, so I thought I'd start one here. Feel free to post your questions about any of the IDW TMNT comic books, and I will do my best to answer in an honest and timely manner.

A few "small print" things:

-I will reserve the right to not answer questions that could spoil things like up-coming plot points. Sometimes the mere act of choosing not to answer a question can result in a sorta-spoiler in itself, so bear with me if I ignore a question in regards to future story events, or willfully obfuscate. If I can safely tease something, I may do so, but take it with a grain of salt. It's not set in stone until you read the actual issue. Things can change last minute!

-I get lots of questions about IDW's reprint program. I have almost nothing to do with the reprints, and that department is the most overworked at IDW (just two guys handling EVERYTHING that IDW reprints, which is a lot), so I am very reluctant to take time out of my day and bother those guys. Feel free to ask questions regarding this, sometimes I know or hear things, but don't be upset if I don't have the answer and am unwilling to investigate further. That will probably be the case. It's not my area, and I want to respect the folks whose area it is!

-I've always been impressed with how respectful people are on this forum, but I may chose to not answer questions/statements that I deem to be not respectful to myself or the rest of the creative team (and yes, what is respectful is subjective). That being said, if you've got a concern or critique that is respectfully worded, i'm happy to read it.

-These are my own opinions and thoughts, and as much as is possible, not reflective of IDW or Nickelodeon/Viacom. Though obviously i'm going to tread a line that respects the fact that I am employed by, or work with, them.


Hmm... I think that's it. I'll just take this opportunity, on behalf of Tom, Kevin, the artists and IDW, to thank you all for your support and interest. We are very aware and thankful of it.


EDIT: If you'd like your question to be considered to be included in an upcoming issue of TMNT's Ninja Notes, please mark your post as "OK TO PRINT". Feel free to include your name or place of residence if you'd like, but that is not necessary. I will attribute the question to your screen name if that's all I have.

Last edited by Bobby Curnow; 01-14-2016 at 12:56 PM.
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Old 01-13-2016, 04:57 PM   #2
PangolinFeets
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Hi Bobby! Thanks for making this and proving once again that IDW truly values their fans.

My question is...didja get my Ninja Note???
Because pretty much most of my questions were in there...
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Old 01-13-2016, 04:59 PM   #3
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Bobby, how does it feel to already be over 4 years and 50+ issues into IDW TMNT already? Sometimes it feels like only yesterday the IDW comic started, I can't believe its already been 4 years and over 50+ issues and mini's.

Did you guys ever think you'd get this far? Was it expected to be a success from the start? Looks like we'll reach issue 100 before we know it.
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:01 PM   #4
CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy
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Hey Bobby! This is GREAT!

I've got a couple of questions for you:

#1. Not to beat that poor departed horse, but any idea when we can expect the first reprint of TMNT Volume 3 from Image Comics?

#2. Will Kevin be doing an annual this year, and why have we had annuals ever other year instead of truly annual?

#3. Now that TMNT has crossed over with the biggest DC comic character, does IDW have any desire to approach any other big non-IDW franchises for potential future crossovers?

More as I think of 'em. Thank you for taking the time out of your duties to talk with us fans! It's always a pleasure!
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:12 PM   #5
Bobby Curnow
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Originally Posted by PangolinFeets View Post
Hi Bobby! Thanks for making this and proving once again that IDW truly values their fans.

My question is...didja get my Ninja Note???
Because pretty much most of my questions were in there...
I think so...? I honestly can't remember! You can DM me your email address and I can do a search for it.
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:14 PM   #6
Allio
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Would you want either:

A) IDW x Mirage team-up
or
B)IDW x Nick x Platinum team-up
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:15 PM   #7
Bobby Curnow
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Originally Posted by CyberCubed View Post
Bobby, how does it feel to already be over 4 years and 50+ issues into IDW TMNT already? Sometimes it feels like only yesterday the IDW comic started, I can't believe its already been 4 years and over 50+ issues and mini's.

Did you guys ever think you'd get this far? Was it expected to be a success from the start? Looks like we'll reach issue 100 before we know it.
Thanks, Cubed!

I think we thought it would be at least a moderate success and we'd get at least a couple years of stories. We aimed for 50 pretty close to the end of the first year, so we had that in our sights for a while. What was unexpected was for word to grow and for sales to either be stable, or go up, over the years. That's been great. I hope we can make it to 100, i'm very excited for some upcoming stuff between now and then.
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:19 PM   #8
CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy
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Worst case scenario, Bobby:

If IDW were to have to end its TMNT series, how much notice do you think you, Tom, and Kevin would have, and do you think you would be able to wrap up most of the loose ends and plots in that given time?

Sorry, it's kinda depressing... but thinking about Image Volume 3 and Mirage Volume 4 brought this question to mind.
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:25 PM   #9
Bobby Curnow
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Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy View Post
Hey Bobby! This is GREAT!

I've got a couple of questions for you:

#1. Not to beat that poor departed horse, but any idea when we can expect the first reprint of TMNT Volume 3 from Image Comics?

#2. Will Kevin be doing an annual this year, and why have we had annuals ever other year instead of truly annual?

#3. Now that TMNT has crossed over with the biggest DC comic character, does IDW have any desire to approach any other big non-IDW franchises for potential future crossovers?

More as I think of 'em. Thank you for taking the time out of your duties to talk with us fans! It's always a pleasure!
1. I just looked at the publishing schedule and I'm not seeing Vol. 3 Image material, which is news to me. We do look to be continuing Tales and Archie. No clue as to why no Vol. 3, I'm disappointed if that's true. (it might not be, the publishing schedule changes frequently)

I'll see if I can get any more information on this next time I bump into the reprint guys.

2. The Annuals were intended to be annual, but the second one was delayed, well, a year! No plans for one this year, Kevin is busy working on a couple different original projects, outside of TMNT. (though we will still be getting covers, and now that he lives in San Diego, we are having more regular brainstorming sessions with him than ever)

3. Outside of Usagi Yojimbo, which is my favorite comic of all time, I personally usually have no taste for crossovers, so I'm not pushing for any. That being said, i've been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed both Ghostbusters and Batman. And they've been financial successes, so I'm sure we'll see more in the coming years. Those deals are always hard to figure out though, so it's hard to say when and what and if we'll see another crossover.
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:26 PM   #10
Bobby Curnow
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Originally Posted by Allio View Post
Would you want either:

A) IDW x Mirage team-up
or
B)IDW x Nick x Platinum team-up
Like, crossovers of the different character incarnations? I can't say I care one way or another, would depend completely on execution. They both have potential to be cool, or very not cool.
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:28 PM   #11
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When we gonna see Zog (again), and more Triceratons?

But in all seriousness, thanks for doing this. It's always great to see proof that IDW knows its audience.

I'd REALLY like to ask a question pertaining to the upcoming P* TMNT game, but I know you can't even talk about it yet until Activision FINALLY makes an official announcement about it!
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:30 PM   #12
DrSpengler
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Great to have a line of communication again! You know we all appreciate it!

My query...

The trade collection containing issues #51-55 is called "Order from Chaos".

Now, is that the name of the whole arc of those 5 issues, or did you have different names for the different storylines ala "Sins of the Fathers"/"Blood Brothers" (even though the trade containing those issues only went by "Sins of the Fathers")?

And heck, since I'm bugging you, will 5-issue arcs be the new norm over the previous 4-issue formula?


Thanks, as ever!
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:31 PM   #13
Bobby Curnow
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Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy View Post
Worst case scenario, Bobby:

If IDW were to have to end its TMNT series, how much notice do you think you, Tom, and Kevin would have, and do you think you would be able to wrap up most of the loose ends and plots in that given time?

Sorry, it's kinda depressing... but thinking about Image Volume 3 and Mirage Volume 4 brought this question to mind.
Hard to say, sometimes decisions can be made quickly. I'd like to say that we'd get a year's notice, in which case we could do something that would be a respectful end of the series, though we'd have to omit a lot of stuff we have planned.

Honestly, I think we need at least until issue #100 to properly address everything we are setting up between now and TMNT #65. Maybe we could pull it off by TMNT #75 with the help of mini-series and whatnot.

I could have a different opinion in a month, or six months, or a year. Everything changes with time!
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:32 PM   #14
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Couple more questions!

#1. Did you and the rest of the team ever consider naming the Foot Assassin in #51/52 Pimiko? I was personally hoping that would happen...

#2. Does IDW have a character blacklist, i.e. are there any preexisting TMNT characters you and the guys would NEVER, no matter what, EVER use in IDW? Not even in a throwaway gag or simple name-drop? Pimiko? Venus? Dogpound and Fishface? Eric Sachs? Cudley the Cowlick?
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:33 PM   #15
Bobby Curnow
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When we gonna see Zog (again), and more Triceratons?

But in all seriousness, thanks for doing this. It's always great to see proof that IDW knows its audience.

I'd REALLY like to ask a question pertaining to the upcoming P* TMNT game, but I know you can't even talk about it yet until Activision FINALLY makes an official announcement about it!
We have not forgot about Zog or the Triceratons. They will play a big part, but don't expect anything this year.

I don't keep track of the video games or movies (I do watch the Nick Toon), so I wouldn't be any help even if I could talk!
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:33 PM   #16
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I'm really excited about Deviations! Is this just a one-shot or are we going to get more on this particular story? Can you give us any info on the Dark turtles???

Oh, and while you may not have video game info, what about new info on the board game? We got one spoiler image of Casey and it looks great!!
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:34 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow View Post
Hard to say, sometimes decisions can be made quickly. I'd like to say that we'd get a year's notice, in which case we could do something that would be a respectful end of the series, though we'd have to omit a lot of stuff we have planned.

Honestly, I think we need at least until issue #100 to properly address everything we are setting up between now and TMNT #65. Maybe we could pull it off by TMNT #75 with the help of mini-series and whatnot.

I could have a different opinion in a month, or six months, or a year. Everything changes with time!
If something catastrophic were to happen, would it be possible for the fans to somehow pitch in and help keep the comic alive? I'm guessing there's not much we can do except keep buying (which we are all thrilled to be able to do), but would there be any possibility of keeping alive in the same vein as the original Star Trek fans demanding the show be brought back for a third season?
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:37 PM   #18
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If something catastrophic were to happen, would it be possible for the fans to somehow pitch in and help keep the comic alive? I'm guessing there's not much we can do except keep buying (which we are all thrilled to be able to do), but would there be any possibility of keeping alive in the same vein as the original Star Trek fans demanding the show be brought back for a third season?
Careful not to fry yourself on the defrib, Cy. TMNT is far from dead. Lol
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:40 PM   #19
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Careful not to fry yourself on the defrib, Cy. TMNT is far from dead. Lol
Oh, absolutely. I'm just curious. As someone said in another thread somewhere, TMNT has a long history of starting strong and ending poorly or prematurely.

While I don't expect this to happen with IDW, I am curious if they ever have any contigency plans. 'Cause there have been a LOT of good comic series that ended prematurely while far lesser comics continued to sell month after month even though they're absolutely terrible.
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Old 01-13-2016, 05:41 PM   #20
Bobby Curnow
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Great to have a line of communication again! You know we all appreciate it!

My query...

The trade collection containing issues #51-55 is called "Order from Chaos".

Now, is that the name of the whole arc of those 5 issues, or did you have different names for the different storylines ala "Sins of the Fathers"/"Blood Brothers" (even though the trade containing those issues only went by "Sins of the Fathers")?

And heck, since I'm bugging you, will 5-issue arcs be the new norm over the previous 4-issue formula?

Thanks, as ever!
Truthfully, we rarely have TPB titles in mind when we're scripting, so when the TPB folk ask us, Tom and I are always like "Uhh... how about... THIS!" Some have worked out well, like City Fall. Others, like Vengeance, I haven't been that found of.

I also think the TPBs make people think we are writing for the trade, when we're not. We've had 4-issue story arcs, single issues, two-parters, seven-parters and a three parter coming up. We write what fits the story we have in mind, and hope it's not too jarring when read in TPB form, which I think we've got lucky with.

"Order From Chaos" is really two 2-parters, and a single stand-alone issue. We don't have individual names for those different parts.

Basically, we just try and come up with something appropriate after the fact. Sometimes, like with "Attack On Technodrome" it's easy, sometimes it's not.

5-issue TPBs are the new norm!
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