Dan Slott On His Short-Lived TMNT Adventures Run

[Powder]

I bet it would've been really cool.

Any chance you'd be willing to divulge some information about stories or ideas you had in mind?

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Dan Slott

Hi. Again, it wasn't meant to be closure for ALL of Archie/Turtles comics continuity.

The first issue was being drawn, the second issue was plotted, and the third issue had been planned.

The intention was for this to be the opening arc for a whole new Turtles monthly-- and there were going to be big status quo changes (like, for instance, Splinter turned back into a man). We were setting up new, original villains. And there was a lot more in the works.

But part way through, we found out that Archie lost the license. Issue three was going to wrap up our first arc, but there were going to be many massive changes that would keep playing out and lead to more stories, subplots, and ongoing drama. THAT all had to be wrapped up-- or it wouldn't be fair to the regular Archie/Turtles readers.

We didn't want to end with plot threads and subplots that would never be resolved. THAT'S the closure I'm talking about. For example, we let the reader know in Chapter 3 that Splinter was slowly reverting back to rat-form and would be returned to his regular status quo. Things like that.

If the book HAD remained a monthly, we wouldn't have tied that up right away.

Originally Posted by Powder

I bet it would've been really cool.

Any chance you'd be willing to divulge some information about stories or ideas you had in mind?

Yes!

Please, please, do tell more about those cancelled plans! With the way #3 wrapped up, it never crossed my mind that there might have even been plans to do a second arc in the Year of the Turtle style! Would Shredder have returned to be the primary villain or would new adversaries be created to take his place? Would we have seen the return of other TMNT characters from the Archie series like Ninjara or even a possible resurrection of the Mighty Mutanimals? What would have been the plans for Splinter as a human? Would April O'Neil have been given a larger focus in the new ongoing (she barely appeared at all Year of the Turtle)? Would any of the Turtles have undergone changes or significant character development (kinda like what the Image series did early on with the mutilations)?

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by Dan Slott

Hi. Again, it wasn't meant to be closure for ALL of Archie/Turtles comics continuity.

The first issue was being drawn, the second issue was plotted, and the third issue had been planned.

The intention was for this to be the opening arc for a whole new Turtles monthly-- and there were going to be big status quo changes (like, for instance, Splinter turned back into a man). We were setting up new, original villains. And there was a lot more in the works.

But part way through, we found out that Archie lost the license. Issue three was going to wrap up our first arc, but there were going to be many massive changes that would keep playing out and lead to more stories, subplots, and ongoing drama. THAT all had to be wrapped up-- or it wouldn't be fair to the regular Archie/Turtles readers.

We didn't want to end with plot threads and subplots that would never be resolved. THAT'S the closure I'm talking about. For example, we let the reader know in Chapter 3 that Splinter was slowly reverting back to rat-form and would be returned to his regular status quo. Things like that.

If the book HAD remained a monthly, we wouldn't have tied that up right away.

Do tell,what were your plans for the three new original character henchmen?! That is a direction I have always wondered.

[dl316bh]

I know it was discussed months ago, but I'm also of the "Superior Spider-Man is top shelf comics" opinion.

But part way through, we found out that Archie lost the license. Issue three was going to wrap up our first arc, but there were going to be many massive changes that would keep playing out and lead to more stories, subplots, and ongoing drama. THAT all had to be wrapped up-- or it wouldn't be fair to the regular Archie/Turtles readers.

Is that normal? Halfway through scripting three issues sounds amazingly last minute to let the creative team know. Archie seems to be having a similar problem right now with another licensed property.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by dl316bh

I know it was discussed months ago, but I'm also of the "Superior Spider-Man is top shelf comics" opinion.

Agreed. I enjoyed the whole ride. I hope it places Otto as Norman's equal now. The one detail that bugs me is, Otto romances Anna Maria as Peter and was sexually active. It's like both Peter, who's body is being used by Otto is being raped while Anna Maria is as well because she is intimate off of false pretenses. It is amazing how they shook it off. It just did not seem necessary in the narrative.

[dl316bh]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

The one detail that bugs me is, Otto romances Anna Maria as Peter and was sexually active. It's like both Peter, who's body is being used by Otto is being raped while Anna Maria is as well because she is intimate off of false pretenses. It is amazing how they shook it off. It just did not seem necessary in the narrative.

That's always an issue in body swap stuff, yeah. I think Psylocke got away with it mainly because most people don't remember she's a british woman switched to the body of a ninja or something, because it's never brought up. It didn't break the book for me, though.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by dl316bh

I know it was discussed months ago, but I'm also of the "Superior Spider-Man is top shelf comics" opinion.


Is that normal? Halfway through scripting three issues sounds amazingly last minute to let the creative team know. Archie seems to be having a similar problem right now with another licensed property.

Haha, as a long-term reader of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic, I can testify that kind of thing definitely happens.

[dl316bh]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Haha, as a long-term reader of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic, I can testify that kind of thing definitely happens.

I haven't read the Archie Sonic comics in a long time - they got REAL bad for a while and I never had a huge love of the Archie cast, so it was easy to move on - but I have heard about all of that going down. It's removed a lot of Ian Flynns monthly workload for going on six months, too, given he wrote about three ongoings for them at any given time. I feel bad for the guy.

[AquaParade]

Gotta say, these issues are impossible to find. If anyone has any leads, please let me know!

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

Gotta say, these issues are impossible to find. If anyone has any leads, please let me know!

It's on ebay right now for all 3 for $65:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teenage-Muta...oAAOSw~FJZM6Qc

Rather pricey, but for rare old comics it's understandable.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It's on ebay right now for all 3 for $65:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teenage-Muta...oAAOSw~FJZM6Qc

Rather pricey, but for rare old comics it's understandable.

*taps on Cybercubed's head* Hmmm. Not quite ripe yet.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

*taps on Cybercubed's head* Hmmm. Not quite ripe yet.

???

What's wrong with his post? They've been rare & pricey for a while now.

[CyberCubed]

I didn't get what he meant either, I checked mycomicshop and they're all sold out. There's a few other ebay listings for Year of the Turtle, but they're around the same price.

Unless he's implying people don't buy comics on ebay...which is kinda bizarre because there's literally millions of comic listings on ebay for any comic series.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Dan Slott

But part way through, we found out that Archie lost the license.

You would know more than I, or anyone here... but is that 100% what happened? Mirage really yanked the license away from Archie? I'd always assumed that sales dipped towards the end and Archie decided it wasn't as lucrative of a property as it had been in the past to continue to pay licensing fees and whatnot, but this assumption isn't based on any hard data or info.

[dl316bh]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

You would know more than I, or anyone here... but is that 100% what happened? Mirage really yanked the license away from Archie? I'd always assumed that sales dipped towards the end and Archie decided it wasn't as lucrative of a property as it had been in the past to continue to pay licensing fees and whatnot, but this assumption isn't based on any hard data or info.

It actually wouldn't surprise me. Nobody is a hundred percent sure why, because Archie and Sega aren't talking, but Sega yanked the Sonic license - or deliberately let it lapse - after two decades worth of a business relationship this past January and Archie is supposedly, by their words, negotiating to get it back. Going theory is that Sega is less than pleased with all the legal issues Archie's been in over characters created for the comic - they lost a court case Sega was dragged into and were threatened with another by someone else... I want to say last year - and decided that was the end of that.

The most recent writer, Ian Flynn, said that's the trouble with licensed comics; you never know when the work is going to disappear due to circumstances or just the whims of the owner.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It's on ebay right now for all 3 for $65:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teenage-Muta...oAAOSw~FJZM6Qc

Rather pricey, but for rare old comics it's understandable.

Thanks. Too pricey for me but nice to know it's available.

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Haha, as a long-term reader of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic, I can testify that kind of thing definitely happens.

I don't read the comic but I hope Sega keep allowing Archie to continue with Sonic.

[DrSpengler]

Originally Posted by pferreira

I don't read the comic but I hope Sega keep allowing Archie to continue with Sonic.

Hate to have to tell you this, but Sega announced yesterday that they've pulled the license from Archie and the series is cancelled:

https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/s...088960/photo/1

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

Hate to have to tell you this, but Sega announced yesterday that they've pulled the license from Archie and the series is cancelled:

https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/s...088960/photo/1

Makes me really thankful Archie TMNT got the opportunity to end gracefully out of respect for the readers! Even Archie Mega Man got a compressed final arc before going on "hiatus." The best Sonic readers got was this accidentally appropriate panel from the companion series.

[dl316bh]

Gotta say, twenty four years and just shy of three hundred issues, not including companion series, is not bad for a cartoon spin-off comic based on a video game. For years after DC did the New 52 relaunch, it was actually the longest running ongoing publication without a renumbering. It went longer than it had any right to, which is kind of an accomplishment.

Makes me really thankful Archie TMNT got the opportunity to end gracefully out of respect for the readers! Even Archie Mega Man got a compressed final arc before going on "hiatus." The best Sonic readers got was this accidentally appropriate panel from the companion series.

You'd think they'd have given the Sonic staff some kind of warning if things were getting that dire, so they could at least put together some kind of messy conclusion that could be picked up on later.