Kevin Eastman talks turtles, Highlander, and Heavy Metal

[Raph's Girl]

Suicidegirls.com has a new interview with Kevin Eastman. In it he talks about his new movie (Highlander:The Search for Vengeance), TMNT (which he still owns and gets revenue from!), and Heavy Metal

http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Kevin+Eastman/

The most interesting portion of the interview:

DRE: Did you say that you still own the Turtles? I thought you sold the Turtles?

KE:No. That seems to be a continuing, on-going question and it’s due to whatever Mirage is putting out. When I started working on the second Heavy Metal movie and Heavy Metal as a company started growing the Turtles were really in a sleeping period. I told Peter that I wanted to spend more time with Heavy Metal and he said, “Why don’t we do a deal where I’ll buy out your creative control?” I still retain an ownership in the property and I get checks every quarter. Why wouldn’t I, I drew the first Turtles, and I’ve been with that property for 20 some odd years. So we reached an agreement that he would take over creative control. But I still own the Turtles and I still get money and I’m grateful for that because I’ve got bills to pay. A lot of people say, “Why did you sell out on the Turtles?” I say, “First, **** you I didn’t.” They are still very much my characters and whatever is done with them, hopefully Peter pulls together the right people to put together the vision that he and I created together.

[Duke]

That is interesting. I always thought it was weird that he just decided to sell his share of the turtles to Peter. It makes much more since that he still owns his half (or at least a portion) of the property instead choosing to sell only his creative rights. I always knew he was still great to fans, I just didn't know he still owned some of the franchise. I'm glad.

[SavantiRomero]

Definetly not the way people here, or even on other forums, chats portray this, Very happy he said that. He mentions this also on his own heavy metal forums, Pick my brain, btw.

[Andrew NDB]

This just mean he gets money/royalties, not that he has anything to do with TMNT anymore. Which is too bad.

[Drtooth]

That does sound like a pretty good compromise IMO... he didn't want to work on any more of the Turtles, but he still gets revenues from it, as he was a creator. A lot of cartoonists who dealt with big companies would kill for that... especially John K.

[VaughnMichael]

Awsome thank God he finally said something about this.
It's nice to have the truth out there.
It's just a shame that things didn't happen the other way around cause it seems laird sure needs a break right now.

[Kendamu]

Well, it's not like KE can't buy his creative control back if he ever wanted it back.

[odupianist]

So tired of it? Yeah, to a point. But I still have more Turtle stories to tell, but at the same time, I’m really enjoying the more edgy stuff I get to play with, editing Heavy Metal magazine, working with the kinds of artists and the type of material that inspired me so long ago.

I like hearing that personally. I think if PL and KE could get together, even for a few issues, it would be very cool.

[Roseangelo]

Kevin rocks. :)

[Buslady]

kidna good but kinda sad..lookit the $#!+ Laird's doing to the guys..it's a travesty; i wonder if Kev still had some say in it, if the guys would have ended up in a crap situation.

[VaughnMichael]

kidna good but kinda sad..lookit the $#!+ Laird's doing to the guys..it's a travesty; i wonder if Kev still had some say in it, if the guys would have ended up in a crap situation.
Well I'm glad I didn't have to say it this time thanks Buslady lol:lol:

[Roseangelo]

Well I'm glad I didn't have to say it this time thanks Buslady lol:lol:

Ditto :lol: :lol:

[VaughnMichael]

Ditto :lol: :lol:
hehehe maybe Peter should take a well deserved break for awhile and Let Kevin have his hand at the turtles for a bit.
I don't think anyone would complain all that much.:D

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Ditto :lol: :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: ....oh wait, that wasn't funny.

[Andrew NDB]

Well, it's not like KE can't buy his creative control back if he ever wanted it back.

Actually it's very much like that, unless Laird willingly wants to re-sell half of the creative rights back to Eastman (which, who knows, someday he might if they ever become friendly with one another again).

[VaughnMichael]

:lol: :lol: :lol: ....oh wait, that wasn't funny.
Just cause it aint funny to you bub doesn't mean it's not to many others.8)

[Duke]

Actually it's very much like that, unless Laird willingly wants to re-sell half of the creative rights back to Eastman (which, who knows, someday he might if they ever become friendly with one another again).Hmm...Honestly, I don't see Peter ever wanting to sell any back to Kevin. But that's just my feelings on the subject. I'd really like to be proven wrong.

[odupianist]

As much as I hate to say it, I know we'll probably still read it anyways, but I wouldn't be surprised if PL takes the TMNT that just is wrong. How will it be wrong, Ihave no clue, but I guess this kinda echoes what buslady said...

[Time Mistress]

Well, that's the clearest answer I've heard on the subject. Kevin does rock. It's nice to know he still gets the royalties too. That's just smart business.

Just an aside on the Highlander stuff. It's a pretty good movie. My copy arrived yesterday, so I think Kevin's influence on a 3 act story structure was definately felt. Saw a brief clip of Kev in the interviews too, boy does he look different these days, but he's aged pretty well.

[Mecha Cow]

Huh, I had no idea he was involved in the Highlander movie. Interesting.

[Duke]

Huh, I had no idea he was involved in the Highlander movie. Interesting.I didn't know that either. I actually saw the DVD in the store the other day. It caught my eye since I've enjoyed the Highlander franchise. I don't know if I'd even consider myself a fan of the show/movies but I have seen all the movies and enjoyed what I've seen of series. However, had a known Kevin was involved with the DVD I would probably have picked it up. Maybe I still will.

[Raph's Girl]

However, had a known Kevin was involved with the DVD I would probably have picked it up. Maybe I still will.

Yea.. Kevin was the animation supervisor for Search for Vengeance. I thought everyone knew that? Huh....

[The Shelf]

Yea.. Kevin was the animation supervisor for Search for Vengeance. I thought everyone knew that? Huh....

Nerd... :tgrin:

[Vegita-San]

That does sound like a pretty good compromise IMO... he didn't want to work on any more of the Turtles, but he still gets revenues from it, as he was a creator. A lot of cartoonists who dealt with big companies would kill for that... especially John K.

Which is why I don't want to go into hollywood anymore. Come hell or high water, I'm going to try and do it as much on my own as possible one of these days :).

But it does make a whole lot more sense as to why Kevin still goes to TMNT events even though he wasn't 'officially' a part of it anymore. Nice to see he still cares about the guys in green after all these years, even if he's focusing on other stuff.....

Where's my True Hollywood story on TMNT, BTW? :)

[odupianist]

Ever seen Robot Chicken's "Behind the Scenes (or Music)" on Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem? It'd be something like I'd imagine lol. And no, the Adult Mutant Ninja Turtles RC did doesn't count.

[VaughnMichael]

Ever seen Robot Chicken's "Behind the Scenes (or Music)" on Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem? It'd be something like I'd imagine lol. And no, the Adult Mutant Ninja Turtles RC did doesn't count.
I have and as a huge muppet fan I thought it was stupid.:roll:
Of course I'm not a big fan of seth greens stuff or robot chicken.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Just cause it aint funny to you bub doesn't mean it's not to many others.8)

That makes my decision all the more easier.

[VaughnMichael]

That makes my decision all the more easier.
decision on what...ur a dork.:lol: rawr rawr rawr man!:lol: "Such anger for such a young man.":|

[Duke]

Yea.. Kevin was the animation supervisor for Search for Vengeance. I thought everyone knew that? Huh....Nope and actually I rarely keep up with any of that kind of information anymore. I guess that's one reason I don't even have cable anymore. I kind of find the majority of everything on to be total garbage and pretty much a waste of money each month. Also all of it is way less important than my real life. Although, I still am a huge fan of heroes and LOST. Both of which I either watch online or at a friends.

[Andrew NDB]

Kevin Eastman has been publically attached to it for about 2 years now.

Which was kind of exciting for me, since I'm probably even bigger into Highlander than TMNT.

[Scandia]

- I don't watch cable and do not have it. Haven't had cable for almost 4 years now. I hope to get it once I move into a condo, though.

- I have only watched one Highlander installment- the movie that came out in 2000 or 2001. My best friend convinced me to watch it. It was actually good- even though I had zero background about the characters.

- Somehow, I do not think that Eastman and Laird are in bad terms.

[Time Mistress]

That would be Highlander: Endgame Scandia, and it's the movie that introduced me to the franchise and made me a huge Highlander fan. You don't have to have seen any previous Highlander movies to enjoy Search for Vengeance though, just know the basics - there can be only one, no fighting on holy ground, if you take a head you get a quickening, etc.

[Duke]

Kevin Eastman has been publically attached to it for about 2 years now.

Which was kind of exciting for me, since I'm probably even bigger into Highlander than TMNT.Well to be honest I didn't even know there was an animated highlander feature until I saw it on DVD shelves. Like I said, I don't consider myself a fan of the franchise but I have enjoyed what I've seen of it. And I really stopped following anything Kevin did after he stepped back from TMNT. Not that I don't still think he's awesome and truly appreciate him and his continued respect for the TMNT franchise and its fans, I just really don't keep up with that kind of stuff anymore. Although, I'd be interested in seeing the movie, especially now that I know about his involvement.

[cowabunga14]

I just got done reading the interview and I thought it was interesting. It's good to know that Kevin still has some ownership of the Turtles.

That makes my decision all the more easier.
"More easier" is a double negative.

[Duke]

"More easier" is a double negative.It's not no double negative. See that is an example of a double negative. It's actually redundant and bad grammar but that does not make it a double negative. The proper degrees of comparison for the word is easy, easier, and easiest.

[Andrew NDB]

Endgame was more or less my gateway drug into Highlander as well, though I'm certain I had to have seen H1 at least once prior to watching that. At any rate, the first four films minus the second, plus when I watched the complete TV series on DVD, I was hooked!

I mean, think about it. You have guys in our present day walking around with katana swords and the like that have been alive for centuries or millennia that chop off each others' heads in dark alleys, all gaining each other's powers until there's only two left that get to fight for the Prize. What's not to like?

"The Source"/H5 (due out this September but an early Russian DVD release is readily available since February) is pretty bad, though. If you peep the official message board, you'll never see such a mass majority of the fandom united against a sequel as this.

Great Highlander comic out there, too. #8 due out soon.

[odupianist]

Ricky Bobby: Wow. I feel like I'm Highlander!
Jean Girard: What is the Highlander?
Ricky Bobby: It's a movie. It won the Academy Award.
Jean Girard: Oh for what?
Ricky Bobby: Best movie ever made.

I figured that might apply here lol

[Duke]

I've got a question and since there seems to be some huge highlander fans in this thread, I thought maybe one of you could answer it. I don't understand how the movies and the show go together. At the end of the first movie isn't there only one immortal left? I thought they were in different universes until the 4th movie game out but that proved me wrong. So how did the one from the show live when the one from the movie was supposed to be the last one?

[Leogeddon]

A lot of people say, “Why did you sell out on the Turtles?” I say, “First, **** you I didn’t.” They are still very much my characters and whatever is done with them, hopefully Peter pulls together the right people to put together the vision that he and I created together.

LMAO! I'm sorry, but it's funny to read that he would say something like that to his fans.

[Raph's Girl]

Funny how you people just loved Endgame while I thought it was drivil and felt more like a 2 hour episode of the tv series (which I loved, altho the spin-off, Highlander: The Raven, is meh) Altho I bawled my eyes out when Connor died. Gah...so wasn't expecting that. I really only went to see Endgame for a couple hours of Adrian Paul drooling time with my mom. :lol:

I prefer the original Highlander film. Altho I do kinda like Highlander: The Source. That hasn't been officially released in the U.S. It's the first in a trillogy and was released in Russia in February. I managed to find an english language version of it (altho I've been told it's not the final product...but meh). The Source is pretty good. It's set in a dark future. Supposed to be released in the U.S in September.

I haven't seen Search for Vengeance yet. I'll probably end up comparing it to the animated Highlander series tho. :ohwell:

[Time Mistress]

I actually saw Movie 1 and a few eps of The Series before I saw Endgame too.

I've got a question and since there seems to be some huge highlander fans in this thread, I thought maybe one of you could answer it. I don't understand how the movies and the show go together. At the end of the first movie isn't there only one immortal left? I thought they were in different universes until the 4th movie game out but that proved me wrong. So how did the one from the show live when the one from the movie was supposed to be the last one?

Okay here's the continuity choices:

Movie 1 - complete and contained on its own

Movie 1, Movie 2 (Renegade version please, Connor alive in the near furture)

Movie 1, Movie 3: The Final Dimension/The Sorceror (there was still one more bad immie left)

Movie 1 (Kurgan is dead, but Connor didn't win the ultimate Prize), Movie 3 (takes place in about the third season of The Series, just ignore Connor won the ultimate Prize again), The Series, The Raven

Movie 1 (Kurgan is dead but Connor didn't win the ultimate Prize), The Series, The Raven, Movie 4: Endgame, Movie 5: The Source

Comic Book taken place inbetween Movie 1 and The Series.

Search for Vengeance anime is self contained. And 10+ times better than the animated series btw, so don't worry. (Though it wouldn't be hard for much anything to be better than the animated series.)

The Quickening American animated series with Quintin takes elements from Movie 1 and maybe Movie 2 (Renegade version) and is set in the far future.

[Raph's Girl]

I've got a question and since there seems to be some huge highlander fans in this thread, I thought maybe one of you could answer it. I don't understand how the movies and the show go together.

Connor and Duncan are cousins. This was established in the first ep of the tv series (Connor was in several episodes). Highlander 1 only seemed that there wasn't any other immortals left. Highlander 2 is not canon and completly ignored...due to the stupidity of Connor being from another planet. Highlander 3 has more immortals cuz well uh there was one in hiding all along. Go figure...

Then the tv series (which really has nothing to do with the previous movies). The real only connection between the movies and the tv series is Connor, Duncan's cousin.

Highlander: The Raven was a spin-off of the tv series and was about Amanda. She's older than Duncan and Connor.

Methos (who's my fave character! ) got his own online series that only lasted a season.

Highlander: The Animated series came in 1994. It was about the last of the clan McLeod. A young immortal boy named Quintin. He's trained by Ramírez of all people. That's set in a dark primitive future where most of the earth's population was destroyed by an asteroid. Many of the immortals went into hiding. The earth was ruled by an evil immortal who had killed Connor. So this is more or less connected with the movies.

Endgame tries to connect the first movie with the tv series. But to me it just felt like a 2 hour ep of the tv series.

The Source is set in a dark future where there aren't many immortals or watchers. It establishes a weird origin of sorts for immortals. I liked it. The ending tho was a bit confusing and didn't really leave any openings for any sequels.

[Raph's Girl]

Just saw Search For Vengeance. Man... awesome movie!

There was an interesting concept with reincarnation put into play. He never realized that Moya came back to him time and time again. I often wondered what would happen if an immortal had a soul mate.

As soon as Rudy started talking my first reaction was "Dawson?!"...Sure enough in the credits Rudy is voiced by Jim Byrnes! :lol:

I don't get the Merlin wannabe tho. Was he just really Colin's concious??