help with mirage turtles questionaire PART 1

[marcelangelo]

hi guys,

I am currently writing my bachelor's thesis on parasocial relationships in the mirage turtles comic series.

as part of my work I created 3 seperate little questionaires (based on readers' oppinions in the letter columns in vol 1,2 and 4).
the first is about the mirage turtles themselves, the second on the mirage artists and the last on the villains in the mirage stories.

I would greatly appreciate if you could answer these questions in response on this thread if you are interested. of course every answer remains anonymous. its more interesting to me where the majority is going in their answers.
I want to thank you in advance for your contribution, you may answer longer than 'yes' or 'no' if you wish, but it is not a must at all.
I am planning to leave this thread open for two weeks, so until the 6th of december.




so here we go:


Questionaire #1:

1.) For me the Mirage Turtles feel like distinct personalities, yet different from versions of them portrayed in other media.

2.) Reading Mirage Vol 4, among the Turtles I felt like I was with old friends again.

3.) When the Turtles behaved differently from what I was used to know I was very annoyed.

4.) I hope for a return of my TMNT in a continuation of VOL 4.

5.) The Turtles, Splinter, Casey Jones, April O'Neil, Shadow felt like a true family.

6.) I was saddened to see Splinter pass away.

7.) Splinter's death made me feel compassionate for the Turtles.

8.) I liked seeing Shadow growing up to be a teenager.

9.) I was bewildered when learning about April's origin.

10.) I felt sorry for her and could relate to her running away.

11.) After learning of April's origin I didn't see her as being a part of the family anymore.

12.) I was especially excited when the Turtles fought together as a family.

13.) I was annoyed with the Turtles splitting up in Vol 2 and 4. I wish they would have had more adventures together.

14.) If the Turtles 'were real' I would like to meet them one day.

15.) If the Turtles 'were real' I would like to move in and live with them.

16.) The Turtles have changed my life and mean much more to me. They are family.

17.) The Turtles offered by another creative team and publisher feel as dear to me as the Mirage Turtles.

[neatoman]

Questionaire #1:

1. yes
2. blank
3. no
4. yes
5. yes
6. blank
7. blank
8. yes
9. Sort of, never actually read the issue. Seems like a strange origin but maybe it makes sense in context.
10. blank
11. blank
12. yes
13. no, it seems like it was just set-up for new stories
14. I'd probably just be confused
15. Probably not
16. They mean a lot to me, probably not that much
17. IDW is terrific to me and maybe even better, but Mirage probably has the most "heart", even if I see the flaws

[coreyrc87]

Questionaire #1:

1 - Yes
2 - No
3 - No
4 - Yes
5 - Yes
6 - No
7 - No
8 - Yes
9 - Yes
10 - Yes
11 - No
12 - Yes
13 - Yes
14 - Yes
15 - No
16 - I wouldn't say "they are family" but they mean a lot
17 - While I do love Mirage, I actually prefer IDW.

[funatic]

cool thesis! my answers below:

Originally Posted by marcelangelo

Questionaire #1:

1.) For me the Mirage Turtles feel like distinct personalities, yet different from versions of them portrayed in other media.
yes, particularly Michelangelo

2.) Reading Mirage Vol 4, among the Turtles I felt like I was with old friends again.
no

3.) When the Turtles behaved differently from what I was used to know I was very annoyed.
no

4.) I hope for a return of my TMNT in a continuation of VOL 4.
yes

5.) The Turtles, Splinter, Casey Jones, April O'Neil, Shadow felt like a true family.
yes

6.) I was saddened to see Splinter pass away.
emotionally yes, but as progressive storytelling, no

7.) Splinter's death made me feel compassionate for the Turtles.
yes, but it was one of many factors that did so

8.) I liked seeing Shadow growing up to be a teenager.
yes

9.) I was bewildered when learning about April's origin.
yes, lowlight of volume 4

10.) I felt sorry for her and could relate to her running away.
no

11.) After learning of April's origin I didn't see her as being a part of the family anymore.
no, but it did feel trite to make the "regular human" of the group also extraordinary

12.) I was especially excited when the Turtles fought together as a family.
yes

13.) I was annoyed with the Turtles splitting up in Vol 2 and 4. I wish they would have had more adventures together.
no, solo adventures build character

14.) If the Turtles 'were real' I would like to meet them one day.
yes

15.) If the Turtles 'were real' I would like to move in and live with them.
no... they are teenagers that live in a sewer.

16.) The Turtles have changed my life and mean much more to me. They are family.
yes in a sense

17.) The Turtles offered by another creative team and publisher feel as dear to me as the Mirage Turtles.
no not quite, they'll always be first

[bjaxx87]

Nice work, bro!

1.) For me the Mirage Turtles feel like distinct personalities, yet different from versions of them portrayed in other media.
Yes, a lot!

2.) Reading Mirage Vol 4, among the Turtles I felt like I was with old friends again.
I read all the Mirage series in one go, so no, not really. But I think it still felt like Mirage if that's what you were asking.

3.) When the Turtles behaved differently from what I was used to know I was very annoyed.
No.

4.) I hope for a return of my TMNT in a continuation of VOL 4.
Hell yes, I want to learn more about the Battle Nexus and Mikey's storyline!

5.) The Turtles, Splinter, Casey Jones, April O'Neil, Shadow felt like a true family.
Yes.

6.) I was saddened to see Splinter pass away.
Yes.

7.) Splinter's death made me feel compassionate for the Turtles.
Yes.

8.) I liked seeing Shadow growing up to be a teenager.
Yeah, that's one of the things I like about Mirage - the passage of time.

9.) I was bewildered when learning about April's origin.
No. I'd actually like to learn more about it. Where are April's doppelgangers? Where did the crystal come from and why does it what it does?

10.) I felt sorry for her and could relate to her running away.
Yes.

11.) After learning of April's origin I didn't see her as being a part of the family anymore.
No.

12.) I was especially excited when the Turtles fought together as a family.
Mhhh, I think I have to say no here! I like it when they are on their own and have to master (or fail) huge challenges all by themselves. That's why I love the Leonardo one-shot!

13.) I was annoyed with the Turtles splitting up in Vol 2 and 4. I wish they would have had more adventures together.
No and yes.

14.) If the Turtles 'were real' I would like to meet them one day.
Yes, why not?

15.) If the Turtles 'were real' I would like to move in and live with them.
Woah, uhm, no.

16.) The Turtles have changed my life and mean much more to me. They are family.
No. While it's one of my biggest fandoms and I enjoy the characters I wouldn't say they had a huge impact on my everyday life.

17.) The Turtles offered by another creative team and publisher feel as dear to me as the Mirage Turtles.
No.

[ToTheNines]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. Yes
5. Yes
6. Very
7. Yes
8. Yes, but it didn't jive with the timeline. Shadow would only be like 11 or 12 at the beginning of vol. 4, which takes place in 2001.
9.Yes.
10. No.
11. No
12. Sure.
13. No.
14. Yes.
15. Nah lol.
16. Yes. Not that I've had an awful life, far from it. But TMNT has helped me through some tough times. It was also something shared by me and my cousins growing up, and still remains special to all of us.
17. I love all versions of TMNT. Mirage is probably my favorite though.

[marcelangelo]

thank you very much for taking the time and answering my questionaires, guys!I really am happy to see all your answers here.so far it is interesting to see slight variations between your feelings towards the turtles in my questions.

I would be very happy to see more people answering these if possible.any suggestions on how to get more feedback here?

[Mewzard]

Well, here are my responses:

1. Yes, while it did take some time for their personalities to develop fully in the Mirage Comics (I feel like I noticed Mikey's come in the latest in a noticeable sense), they did have their own unique identities in the Mirage Comics, though some surface elements were reflected in some incarnations.

2. While I've heard the occasional spoiler, I haven't gotten to read Volume 2 of Mirage onward yet, so I can't answer this one.

3. No, I feel like I enjoyed the Mirage Turtles behaving in their own way, that I got little tastes of some Turtles materials.

4. I would love to see more Mirage TMNT, though I still have plenty to read myself.

5. Yeah, I definitely got the feeling that they were coming together as a family as time passed (the Turtles and Splinter first off, but Casey and April really grew into it).

6. While I'm not there yet, such a thought is incredibly saddening, given my love for the character.

7. It would be hard not to feel for the Turtles losing one of their precious few family members.

8. Not quite there yet, but I do like it when series allow characters to grow up and grow old.

9. Now this, I have heard of...bewildered would be putting it mildly, but the tie-in to the Kirby tribute is an interesting one.

10. People have ran away for far less complex identity issues, I feel for her completely.

11. A person is more than just their origin, I could never look down on April and consider her not a part of the family. This family is bound by something stronger than blood.

12. Something about the Turtles fighting together as one cohesive unit always gets me excited.

13. Like I said, not there yet, but I feel there are times when a character needs to stand on their own to grow, and can always reunite later. So, I think I'll be fine with it.

14. I would be fascinated to meet the Turtles in real life, to give them sincere appreciation for their struggles, and to let them know even if some won't accept them, they still deserve love and respect.

15. I would be fine with that...as long as it's not living in the sewers.

16. I'm not sure how much they may have changed my life...but I do feel like they've given me enough joy in my life to feel like a part of the family. I'll never forget them, that's for sure.

17. Not QUITE as dear...but in the right hands (like IDW), I can still enjoy them quite a bit. That said, the Mirage Turtles are THE Turtles to me.

[ToTheNines]

Originally Posted by marcelangelo

thank you very much for taking the time and answering my questionaires, guys!I really am happy to see all your answers here.so far it is interesting to see slight variations between your feelings towards the turtles in my questions.

I would be very happy to see more people answering these if possible.any suggestions on how to get more feedback here?

Maybe link this thread in your sig?

[marcelangelo]

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

Maybe link this thread in your sig?

thanks, I'll give it a try..

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

1) Eventually, the Mirage Turtles had distinct personalities. But in the first eleven issues or so, it took awhile for Mikey to be given anything other than "that fourth Turtle with the nunchucks."

2) Eh, sure. I've got a grudge against Volume 4 not ending, so I can't really get back into my "it's happening!" attitude at the time of its new releases.

3) Yes and no. When character development made sense and felt real even though it was a surprise, I loved it. Donatello holding Baxter Stockman's cyborg remains hostage for a decade or more, and then finally killing him. That's drastic and quite different, but for Mirage Don, it feels right. Mikey going on a Styracodon-slaughtering rampage, on the other hand, feels very wrong. In Laird's defense, the story isn't finished so we could conceivably get a reasonable explanation for what's going on. But to accuse Laird... he's never gonna finish the damn book, so that's what we're left with: Uber-Raph Michelangelo.

4) Hell yes.

5) Yes.

6) Not really. I think it was a beautiful, true-Mirage moment that makes sense and gives weight to the story and the characters. I wasn't saddened so much as surprised and sympathetic to the Turtles' emotions. But myself, just impressed with the story.

7) As previously stated, yes.

8.) Well, no. I don't think we ever saw her grow up. Last we saw her in Volume 3, a little kid under 5yo. Then in Volume 4, a reclusive teen. And a scattered handful of Tales (some okay, some not... vampires and werewolves, ugh) to fill in the huge gaps. So I WOULD have liked to see Shadow grow up to be a teenager. But I didn't.

9) Bewildered and irritated. A jump-the-shark moment, and a misunderstanding of what makes April important. She's supposed to be the normal one, the grounding element and the reader-insertion character, if you will. The nanobot stuff was great, loved that, but the magic-ink-drawing/cockroach-orgy stuff was idiotic. Worst Mirage story decision ever.

10) Yeah. As bad as the story was that led up to that point, "White Horses" dealing with April's feelings and loss was great. Would've liked to see more of the "April feels like Nobody" explored... that was underdeveloped and ripe with potential.

11) No; still part of the family.

12) Hmmmm... no. By that point, we'd seen Turtles fighting together a lot. Seeing all four Turtles on their own individual stories and adventures was incredible and something that felt fresh and new; I just wish we'd seen the eventual reunion at the end of Volume 4.

13) No. I think seeing the Turtles split up time and again, only to come back together when they need each other, serves the Mirage story--and real life brothers--in a truer sense than always together, always a group of four.

14) Well, duh.

15) I'm a family man. Not happening. Unless Mikey is willing to babysit for room and board, in which case, yeah, we'll work it out.

16) Obviously. The biggest part of my childhood, and something that has stayed--and will stay--with me forever. And I'm passing it on to my own children.

17) Rarely. I'm a TMNT snob. But the IDW creative team (Bobby, Tom, Kevin, et al) have surpassed Mirage in my opinion, so IDW is definitely as dear to me as Mirage.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by marcelangelo

1.) For me the Mirage Turtles feel like distinct personalities, yet different from versions of them portrayed in other media.

And multi-dimensional. Thank god for that. Nothing irritates me more than the Caricature Turtles. "He's the Nerdy One, he's the Angry One, he's the Party Guy, he's the Leadery One!" To a point where the only one ever allowed to be pissed off is Raphael, etc..

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

2.) Reading Mirage Vol 4, among the Turtles I felt like I was with old friends again.

Huh.

3.) When the Turtles behaved differently from what I was used to know I was very annoyed.

There's never complete consistency from writer to writer.

4.) I hope for a return of my TMNT in a continuation of VOL 4.

I'm sure it'll happen eventually.

5.) The Turtles, Splinter, Casey Jones, April O'Neil, Shadow felt like a true family.

Agreed.

6.) I was saddened to see Splinter pass away.

Is it bad that I was glad to see him die? The Turtles could grow.

7.) Splinter's death made me feel compassionate for the Turtles.

Sure.

8.) I liked seeing Shadow growing up to be a teenager.

I liked that passage of time.

9.) I was bewildered when learning about April's origin.

I dug it.

10.) I felt sorry for her and could relate to her running away.

I guess. A bit irresponsible, not setting the best example for Shadow (who is, for all intents and purposes, her daughter). Then again, reconciling being a magic doodle baby probably is a doozy mentally.

11.) After learning of April's origin I didn't see her as being a part of the family anymore.

Didn't affect anything to me. Though we didn't really get to see a lot of her at all, period.

12.) I was especially excited when the Turtles fought together as a family.

Yeah.

13.) I was annoyed with the Turtles splitting up in Vol 2 and 4. I wish they would have had more adventures together.

I don't mind them separating but I'd like to see them coming together once in a while for larger payoffs, narratively.

14.) If the Turtles 'were real' I would like to meet them one day.

Never really put any thought into that.

15.) If the Turtles 'were real' I would like to move in and live with them.

Or that.

16.) The Turtles have changed my life and mean much more to me. They are family.

Nah. They're cool, though.

17.) The Turtles offered by another creative team and publisher feel as dear to me as the Mirage Turtles.

Not really.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I dug it.

That's quite the unpopular opinion, care to explain why you "dug it"?

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by neatoman

That's quite the unpopular opinion, care to explain why you "dug it"?

It's unexpected. But it's an interesting twist that setup some character exploration that... wasn't entirely taken advantage of. But still not a bad idea.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It's unexpected. But it's an interesting twist that setup some character exploration that... wasn't entirely taken advantage of. But still not a bad idea.

Better or worse than a human/utrom-hybrid psychic?

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by neatoman

Better or worse than a human/utrom-hybrid psychic?

I'd say better.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I'd say better.

And what if it became the standard outside of Mirage?

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by neatoman

And what if it became the standard outside of Mirage?

That'd be dumb. But I wouldn't really pay much mind to it.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by neatoman

And what if it became the standard outside of Mirage?

I mean, really though... how many Mirage things have become the overall standard for TMNT?

Splinter just being a normal rat prior to mutation sure didn't; neither did Mikey being intelligent, thoughtful, and a writer... that's just two prominent examples off the top of my head.

It seems that it's usually the other way around.

Oh, few mutants. THAT'S a big thing that is usually ignored in other versions.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

I mean, really though... how many Mirage things have become the overall standard for TMNT?

Splinter just being a normal rat prior to mutation sure didn't; neither did Mikey being intelligent, thoughtful, and a writer... that's just two prominent examples off the top of my head.

It seems that it's usually the other way around.

Oh, few mutants. THAT'S a big thing that is usually ignored in other versions.

Sounds like a challenge, let's see here... I guess these aren't standards across the board but they're generally used:

1. The basic concept (obviously)
2. April has more or less the same background in IDW and 4kids.
3. The antique shop and the farmhouse.
4. The general personalities (although, yes, too often flattened).
5. Most of the characters who weren't one-offs
6. By my count, Splinter starting out as a rat is actually more common than him starting out as Yoshi. He is the reincarnation of Yoshi in IDW but he still mutated from a rat.
7. The love triangle from the origin, and of course the origin itself.