Is there a "toxicity" in this fandom?

[Vegita-San]

are the rise crew not so happy?

I generally don't pay much attentiton to them.

I'm pretty sure they stayed away from cube

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Vegita-San

are the rise crew not so happy?

I generally don't pay much attentiton to them.

I'm pretty sure they stayed away from cube

Lmao!!! True.

I just mean they turned out (product-wise anyway) to be much worse than the 2012 crew.

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I'm sure I'd get along swimingly there.

At best Paul Feig is a okayish director. A director who's made 'avant-garde' movies? No way man!

I remember I used to pull out that user 'Alpha' for saying this and he would try to back up on what he said each time. Ultimately the regular mod for the forums got rid of me because he didn't like me very much for not having his 'progressive' left leaning politics. That of course led onto him not allowing me to have a different opinion on stuff like me saying I preferred practical effects work to CGI, I didn't think the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy was good, the RGB UK comic by Marvel has as many good things about it as the Now comics one, etc. When I defended an OP for his post about him thinking he saw a different ending to GB II that got me let go from the forums.

[CyberCubed]

Not really, although the fandom now seems to be the quietest its ever been for a few reasons:

- Rise didn't catch on with older fans (or with younger fans, apparently), and was canceled in only 2 years

- IDW's run is currently in the middle of a "breather arc" with furry animals in Mutant Town. Apparently Tom Waltz is coming back around issue 120 or so, so 20 issues is a lot of time to just spend in Mutant town

- Any stuff about upcoming movies is still in the development stages and far from being ready to be revealed


So overall there's not much to talk about. The first 3 cartoons have been discussed to death, as well as the Mirage comics, the original movies, Archie, and early IDW run. Right now it feels like we're in a transition stage waiting to see what the 2020 decade brings TMNT.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

So overall there's not much to talk about. The first 3 cartoons have been discussed to death, as well as the Mirage comics, the original movies, Archie, and early IDW run. Right now it feels like we're in a transition stage waiting to see what the 2020 decade brings TMNT.

I'd be down for an Archie re-reading thread if that would move things a bit. I haven't read them in YEARS. Y-E-A-R-S.

Honestly I've put it off because I wanted to pound out an Omnibus, but from that "Ask An Editor..." thread I posted in some months back it seems like it's never going to happen. I've honestly been considering a binding project for the run, but it's such a hard run to build and a respected back issue set that I don't want to destroy them to do it.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by IMJ

I'd be down for an Archie re-reading thread if that would move things a bit. I haven't read them in YEARS. Y-E-A-R-S.

Now there's a thought.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Now there's a thought.

I like how despite getting the same formula for 8 seasons in the old show, the Archie comics literally has a small handful of times we saw the classic Shredder, Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady deal before status quo was shaken up. Like even after the 4 of them reunited in the Slash story, the dynamic was still very different between the 4 of them now.

[Leo656]

The Archie comic definitely had a sense of story progression and character development that the original cartoon often lacked. That was one reason why around '91-'92 I was more captivated by the comics than I was by the cartoon. After seeing the first movie the cartoon seemed a bit static and juvenile anymore; the Archie comics were familiar enough for a fan of the cartoon to enjoy but not entirely locked into that whole "Saturday Morning" state of presentation. Things could get a little darker or more serious, characters and their relationships could shift and change, all that stuff. It was right in the "sweet spot" between the cartoons and the movie.

I've mentioned this before but I sort of have my doubts that I'd have stayed a fan after the movie came out if not for those comics. The movie pretty much "spoiled" me for any other version of TMNT forever and that's still the case to this day, but going from that back to the cartoon show was VERY difficult even at age 8. The Archie books kept me engaged by being a comfortable and engaging middle-ground. And I've long suspected that the lack of such things in more recent times is why a lot of younger "new fans" that supposedly exist with each new iteration, don't stick with the brand long-term. Once they're "too old" for the latest cartoon version there's really nothing to keep them engaged beyond that. There's no "bridge" between "cartoon-style TMNT" and "Mirage-style TMNT" the way the Archie book was (being worked on by Mirage people definitely had to have helped in that endeavor).

Once upon a time perhaps the IDW comic could have been that bridge, but most TMNT fans are still guys and it's pretty clear that they're trying to make the IDW comic much more of a girls' thing, at least for right now, so that kind of negates that possibility. If anything it's turning more people off from the brand than it is helping them stay engaged between new cartoons/movies/etc.

[Musashi]

I haven't read the Archie comics, but it sounds like they are to the Fred Wolf cartoon what Marvel's Transformers comics series was to that franchise. I hesitate to reread that all the way through for fear of disappointment, but remember it being excellent, especially here in Britain where we got extra stories.

Are the Archies easily - and affordably - available now?

[Leo656]

No. They're actually a real pain in the ass to collect but there's been a few collections that reprint SOME of them at least. I'm missing a few myself, still.

Some of it hasn't aged incredibly well in some folks' eyes. There's a lot of eco-preaching which many people seem to hate when they go back to it now. BUT, it was 1989-1990, people were still making a big huge deal about Earth Day and how recycling soda cans was gonna save the world. It was everywhere. Made sense for TMNT to have a more environmentalist slant. Plus, it was mostly done by Mirage guys and they're all a bunch'a Leftist hippies any damn way. It was a little bit heavy-handed but I still maintain that it wasn't altogether out of place or done poorly. It was just kinda like... "We GET it, already."

I'unno, I liked it. It might be my second or third favorite version of TMNT, depending on what day it is.

[Turnstone]

The answer to this thread is “no” unless you are a snowflake.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Musashi

I haven't read the Archie comics, but it sounds like they are to the Fred Wolf cartoon what Marvel's Transformers comics series was to that franchise. I hesitate to reread that all the way through for fear of disappointment, but remember it being excellent, especially here in Britain where we got extra stories.

Are the Archies easily - and affordably - available now?

If you like the old 'toon, you'll love it. Not super easy to get, but IDW's reprinted most of it, if that works for you. There's always other options, online, wink wink. It takes a darker, more serious turn, branching out from the OT, about halfway in. Most consider from then on to be its best, but it depends on your preference for tone & familiarity.

[King Kahn]

Originally Posted by Turnstone

The answer to this thread is “no” unless you are a snowflake.

seems like a pretty ironic and on the nose answer this the question lol.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Leo656

No. They're actually a real pain in the ass to collect but there's been a few collections that reprint SOME of them at least. I'm missing a few myself, still.

Some of it hasn't aged incredibly well in some folks' eyes. There's a lot of eco-preaching which many people seem to hate when they go back to it now. BUT, it was 1989-1990, people were still making a big huge deal about Earth Day and how recycling soda cans was gonna save the world. It was everywhere. Made sense for TMNT to have a more environmentalist slant. Plus, it was mostly done by Mirage guys and they're all a bunch'a Leftist hippies any damn way. It was a little bit heavy-handed but I still maintain that it wasn't altogether out of place or done poorly. It was just kinda like... "We GET it, already."

I'unno, I liked it. It might be my second or third favorite version of TMNT, depending on what day it is.

When you see the world nowadays one wonders 'Did we 'get it'? like... Did we really?' I almost feel like looking back, maybe they didn't shove that in our face ENOUGH cause we sure as hell didn't get it.

[Leo656]

I think it was like finding out that your parents and teachers lied and that smoking pot wasn't actually gonna make you shoot heroin into your eyeballs. "We'll all be dead in 10 years if we don't do something about all these plastic bags!" Same thing.

An exaggeration with noble intent is still ultimately a lie. And when people find out that they're being lied to, they generally stop believing the message entirely. That's an overreaction to behave that way, but it's still how people are.

Sure, it'd be nice if kids didn't smoke pot because it CAN lead them to get hooked on smack, and it'd be nice if people didn't throw their trash on the ground because that's plenty bad, too. But in either case, the worst-case scenario isn't altogether very likely and the panic-speak just makes people roll their eyes.

[BountyHunter]

Before I joined the forums, I was warned away by multiple people over on Facebook and other social media platforms because "Technodrome forums are full of toxic negative types".

I haven't seen any of that yet, so I think I'll stick around.

[Vegita-San]

I see more juvenile stuff on fb honestly

[Leo656]

They were almost certainly referring to me. I can try harder, if you like!

Originally Posted by Vegita-San

I see more juvenile stuff on fb honestly

Yeah, I don't even bother checking the TMNT FB page much and just click "Mark as Read" when I get updates, but just yesterday I saw NuFanz deriding and belittling the older TMNT designs and artwork as "outdated and irrelevant" while talking about how "Rise" is the greatest thing since sliced bread and how the old fogies need to shut up and go away and all that.

Why parents even let their little kids have internet access and FB accounts is beyond me.

[TigerClaw]

There has been some toxicity going around lately. It seems some people have some disdain for furries.

TMNT is furry adjacent and always will be. Some people like certain aspects of TMNT then others. and I have seen some criticizing them or the franchise for going to a certain direction that they don't like. The thing is they need to cater to all ages in order for people to remain interested in it. Even if they are specifically targeting a certain group of the fandom.

[Leo656]

*I* don't have any problem with furries. Seriously.

I just think that when a bunch of people walk away from something like a comic book and say "Here's why, here's what I don't like about this," it's silly to just dismiss their grievance.

Lots and lots and LOTS of TMNT fans simply don't care about "shipping" in their TMNT. I'd go so far as to say MOST people don't. Does it bother me all that much? Honestly, not as much as one might think. Frankly, I've written a lot of stuff in a similar vein. I'm just cognizant that the vast majority of fans don't like it, don't want it, and have every right to their opinion. It's their money they're being asked to spend, after all.