Laird buys out Eastman [Archive] - The Technodrome Forums

The Shelf

03-12-2008, 01:53 PM

I didn't believe it until I saw it. WOW! I have absolutely no idea what this means. None wahtsoever.

Let the panicking and speculation commense!!!

I think the only thing it means is that if there was even a remote possibility of Kevin jumping back into TMNT in the distant future that it is completely gone now. I do wonder how this will affect his reprint of Body Count, though. Not that I care that much, but I am curious. Still, it's a shame that he won't have much, if anything, to do with TMNT anymore. I wish the two of them could have kept working together on the turtles this whole time instead of splitting up.

VaughnMichael

03-12-2008, 02:09 PM

I think the only thing it means is that if there was even a remote possibility of Kevin jumping back into TMNT in the distant future that it is completely gone now. I do wonder how this will affect his reprint of Body Count, though. Not that I care that much, but I am curious. Still, it's a shame that he won't have much, if anything, to do with TMNT anymore. I wish the two of them could have kept working together on the turtles this whole time instead of splitting up.
Murphy said it wont affect it at all and kevin is allowed to print a few other things as well.

Raph The Angry

03-12-2008, 02:46 PM

Wowzer, well this kinda blows the whole kevin taking over after peter steps down/dies idea outta the water. Damn.

Revan

03-12-2008, 02:53 PM

What did Mr Eastman have to do with the turtles before this recent development?

VaughnMichael

03-12-2008, 02:55 PM

What did Mr Eastman have to do with the turtles before this recent development?
Creating the turtles...

Revan

03-12-2008, 02:57 PM

Creating the turtles...
:roll:please

The article says in 2000 they started buying his rights. What did Mr Eastman contribute from 2000-now?

discordiatookie

03-12-2008, 03:01 PM

Murphy said it wont affect it at all and kevin is allowed to print a few other things as well.

The quotes are, by Steve Murphy, from his blog, as follows:

On a related note, Kevin has been given the right to reprint 10 TMNT comics, including v. 1 #33 and Body Count.

other comics include the North By Downeast mini-series, a few other surprises. But no #8 as the snafu to that particular issue has to do with a legal difference of opinion between Dave Sim and Mirage.

Sounds pretty cool to me!

Also, Murphy said this:

Although specifics have yet to be worked out, Kevin WILL have a role to play in the 25th anniversary shenanigans.

So he's not TOTALLY out of the TMT loop... :D

VaughnMichael

03-12-2008, 03:54 PM

:roll:please

The article says in 2000 they started buying his rights. What did Mr Eastman contribute from 2000-now?
I was kidding and it's a fact that Kevin drew the first turtle, it's been stated in a number of interviews.
He didn't have anything to do with the turtles, hence the lack of creativity in the land of turtles.

iris

03-12-2008, 04:23 PM

It doesn't mean anything. No matter how close you are to your friends, when you start a business venture with them you don't necessarily want to be financially tied into it for the rest of your life. The biggest effect this will have will be to simplify Kevin's tax filing a little. :p

thebrownranger

03-12-2008, 06:09 PM

Man does this blow or what. Even though Kevin hasn't been doing anything with the TMNT for years, he was the one who originally created the turtles, not Peter. It sucks to see something happen like this because I admire his work more than Peter's. It takes away from "Eastman & Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." What will we get now? Just, "Peter Laird's bought-out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"? I remember reading an article a while back on newsarama.com about Kevin Eastman and his input/creative control on the turtles. It's very interesting to hear what he really thinks about Peter Laird, and in a lot of cases, I believe him.

I co-created the ____ing things, I did 20 years worth of work on them and if they were to break them down into bits and pieces physically, of course I had input on them. It kind of made me very uncomfortable with Pete especially when Pete and I had this bond like Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, and we always agreed together that Stan Lee took credit for so many things that Jack Kirby co-created and so many other things that other artists had co-created and that we would never do that to each other and I feel in a big way, Peter did that to me specifically. Just the way he phrased it like"I'm in control now."

This is just snippet of the interview. Read the whole story here: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=127540

holygrail

03-12-2008, 06:34 PM

This is just snippet of the interview. Read the whole story here: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=127540
Wow that interview makes Pete sound like a dullard.

Given that Kevin hasn't had direct input into the franchise for years now, I don't know this is gonna change a whole lot of anything.

Dr. Doom

03-12-2008, 06:47 PM

I thought this already happened. Like, years ago. In fact I only came in here to see if someone necroposted.

Machias Banshee

03-12-2008, 07:51 PM

Jeezum...

You know, I've lived in Dover my entire life. Whenever I mention the ninja turtles, ANYone who's lived here has always been proud to mention, "Hey, you know they were created here?" It's something people in our town are actually proud to talk about...

Seeing this final split up is really sad, but the way the split-up went, as long as each of them are content about this, that's what matters most.... :(

GK Punk

03-12-2008, 08:06 PM

Remember when me and Leo656 made an article about when they broke up?

Good times.

Machias Banshee

03-12-2008, 08:08 PM

Definitely good times...

*glomp*

gobo

03-12-2008, 08:10 PM

Read the whole story here: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=127540
I remember reading this article months ago. Any way of knowing exactly how old it is?? :-?

Roseangelo

03-12-2008, 08:14 PM

I remember reading this article months ago. Any way of knowing exactly how old it is?? :-?

As old as it's dated: August 31, 2007.

Jester

03-12-2008, 09:04 PM

Well, I as a fellow bearer of the name Kevin, I am saddened. I was always glad so many Kevins had to do with the franchise I loved, from Kevin Clash to Kevins Munro, Smith, and Michael Richardson. But the Kevin I was happiest about was Eastman. You will be missed fellow Kevin.

Roseangelo

03-12-2008, 09:05 PM

He's not dead. :dead:

Andrew NDB

03-12-2008, 09:07 PM

Jester

03-12-2008, 09:22 PM

He's not dead. :dead:
He's dead to me!!! :P
j/k

VaughnMichael

03-12-2008, 09:57 PM

Remember when me and Leo656 made an article about when they broke up?

Good times.
Shame the kids won't get to visit Kevin on the weekend anymore.:lol:

iris

03-13-2008, 11:03 AM

Odd. Kevin Eastman wrote in an interview on Heavy Metal how pissed off he gets whenever fans ask him why he sold all the rights to Laird, that he still gets some percentage of the income and still holds some small percentage of the rights (though no creative rights).

Now he just sells the rest? He must have 0 confidence in where Laird is taking things now is all I can think of, otherwise he's just insane to jump off the cash cow... not that its short term future is particularly bright.I see no reason to jump to any such conclusion about Kevin's motives. Plus Peter's direction has been apparent for quite a while, and I'd wager even more apparent to someone who knows him well. Kevin's career is going in a completely different direction now. Maybe he just want to move on, you know? In his shoes, I think I'd have done it before now.

When my friends and I got into setting up our company, we considered our buyout options from the start. That's one of the benefits of having a corporation (like Mirage) versus having another kind of company.

Things change. C'est la vie.

Andrew NDB

03-13-2008, 03:54 PM

Kevin's career is going in a completely different direction now. Maybe he just want to move on, you know?

No, I don't know. As it was, Kevin could just sit on his ass and collect money from everything Peter is doing with the TMNT... why would he give that up?

I see it possibly being one of, or perhaps several of the below possibilities:

1) Kevin having no confidence in the short or longer term prognosis monetarily of where Laird is taking TMNT as a franchise.

2) Peter, wanting to finally consolidate the rights for himself, made Kevin an offer... possibly a very, very generous one that Kevin couldn't pass up (that Kevin may have expected would actually outweigh whatever he predicts the TMNT franchise's returns in the foreseeable future might be).

3) This may have been all part of the legal agreement in 2000 between the two of them -- could have been something like, "Eastman will continue to receive X amount of royalties for 8 years, at which time the remaining rights revert to Mr. Laird."

Roseangelo

03-13-2008, 05:35 PM

Or it could be none of the above.

VaughnMichael

03-13-2008, 06:54 PM

Or some one could grow a set and go to the nyc comicon and ask Kevin themselves.

thebrownranger

03-13-2008, 07:04 PM

Kevin Eastman is going to be at the NYC Comic Con?

iris

03-13-2008, 09:27 PM

No, I don't know. As it was, Kevin could just sit on his ass and collect money from everything Peter is doing with the TMNT... why would he give that up?
Dude, wild speculation is beyond useless. You're exactly right-- you don't know. Maybe Kevin wants some extra cash for a new set of diamond-studded gold teeth and plat'num rims on the Benz.

Sitting on one's ass to collect on an old investment isn't something everyone dreams about.

Or some one could grow a set and go to the nyc comicon and ask Kevin themselves.
Volunteering? :goof:

VaughnMichael

03-13-2008, 10:57 PM

Volunteering? :goof:
Indeed I am if I can get there, but I'm sure I won't be the only one asking him.

iris

03-14-2008, 08:04 AM

Indeed I am if I can get there, but I'm sure I won't be the only one asking him.
True. I hope you can get there. :)

Kendamu

03-14-2008, 08:18 AM

Or some one could grow a set and go to the nyc comicon and ask Kevin themselves.
I've got a pair but I'm struggling to come up with cash to even travel 70 miles. So, if you'll spot me enough to travel about 790 miles I'll gladly ask Kevin why he closed the deal and doesn't receive child support from Peter--err--royalties from TMNT-related stuff.

VaughnMichael

03-14-2008, 12:41 PM

I've got a pair but I'm struggling to come up with cash to even travel 70 miles. So, if you'll spot me enough to travel about 790 miles I'll gladly ask Kevin why he closed the deal and doesn't receive child support from Peter--err--royalties from TMNT-related stuff.
lol I'm only about 5 hrs away from nyc so I'm really going to try and go.

Scandia

03-14-2008, 03:53 PM

Slightly OT:

Apparently they will be making a movie of the Heavy Metal magazine. And Kevin Eastman will be involved in the directing of it.

DrSpengler

03-14-2008, 04:36 PM

Slightly OT:

Apparently they will be making a movie of the Heavy Metal magazine. And Kevin Eastman will be involved in the directing of it.

Yeah, I read the article. It's going to be an anthology film more like the first Heavy Metal flick (whereas the second had only a single ongoing story). Kevin will only be directing one segment. I'm actually greatly looking forward to it. Hopefully it will be traditional animation rather than CGI, but I'm not counting on it. : /

gobo

03-14-2008, 04:38 PM

EDIT: "Apparently they will be making another movie of the Heavy Metal magazine" :)

R-iZZy

03-15-2008, 02:39 PM

I'm very saddened by this news. I always thought Laird running the franchise by himself was a bad move, especially in the comic world. Eastman was the one that brought out the best in the Turtles, so to see him go like this sort of just shot down my hopes of seeing him take another stab at the comics.

I know he doesn't have as much involvement with the Turtles nowadays as he did back then, but he could've hung on to them for the hell of it, I mean they did get to where they are because of him. He created them, he should be the one to enjoy the fruits of their success.

Scandia

03-15-2008, 07:44 PM

I am still in disbelief and puzzlement as to why one of the original creators would totally and completely disassociate himself from the Turtles. It is one thing to not be directly involved with them in the present. But they are still his creation. He still should be able to do things with them if he wants to- so why does he not want to do anything with them anymore?

Time Mistress

03-16-2008, 05:57 PM

I'm a little confused by this. I thought things were finally explained with that interview from last year about what Kevin still got in terms of royalties and all. It seemed like a pretty sweet deal to me. So does this mean he'll get no royalites any more at all? Or were some leftover legal things from 2000 just finally finalized and that's all? It was hard to believe Kevin was completely gone from the franchise the first time around only to learn that he wasn't completely but now he may really been gone after all. Confusing. Major bummer. This is so not cool, dudes. :(

Fugitoid Jones

03-16-2008, 10:31 PM

I'm afraid that now with Kevin legally out of the picture that Peter can do whatever the hell he wants with the Turtles, so it'll only be a matter of time before Peter decides to change "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Alien Dinosaurs". Hell, after all, he is doing the comics just to please himself (and not us fans who put money in his pockets), so I would imagine that he'd get off on that.

Roseangelo

03-16-2008, 10:40 PM

Kendamu

03-16-2008, 10:41 PM

R-iZZy

03-16-2008, 11:13 PM

One of the recent conclusions I've come to is that the stories Peter is telling with Vol. 4 are not Ninja Turtles stories, but simply stories he wants to tell that he puts the Ninja Turtles into. Afterall, it's the only way he can get anyone to read a book he works on.

Would anyone else agree, or am I crazy here?

Nah, that actually makes perfect sense. It just sucks that the Mirage Turtles' legacy has to suffer because of that notion.

VaughnMichael

03-17-2008, 12:16 AM

One of the recent conclusions I've come to is that the stories Peter is telling with Vol. 4 are not Ninja Turtles stories, but simply stories he wants to tell that he puts the Ninja Turtles into. Afterall, it's the only way he can get anyone to read a book he works on.

Would anyone else agree, or am I crazy here?
Nope I agree, I still wish he and Jim Lawson would switch for awhile at least so it'd stop people from bitching about Jims art and we'd have Peter back behind the art and some one who can tell stories telling them.

Fugitoid Jones

03-17-2008, 01:54 AM

Pete's been doing whatever he's wanted with the Turtles for a long time.

I'm aware of that, just for some reason it just seems like there's nothing in his way now, even though he has been doing whatever he's wanted for quite some time.

One of the recent conclusions I've come to is that the stories Peter is telling with Vol. 4 are not Ninja Turtles stories, but simply stories he wants to tell that he puts the Ninja Turtles into. Afterall, it's the only way he can get anyone to read a book he works on.

Would anyone else agree, or am I crazy here?

Yes, you are crazy. And I agree with you. Seriously, it's like, who has read Planet Racers besides die-hard Turtle fans? Probably a whole lot of nobody.

VaughnMichael

03-17-2008, 02:02 AM

Seriously, it's like, who has read Planet Racers besides die-hard Turtle fans? Probably a whole lot of nobody.
Very true, I'm a die-hard fan and even I've yet to buy planet racers.

sdp

03-17-2008, 06:14 AM

You guys are acting like your favorite band broke up. It feels you guys just want Kevin to be there since he created them, even though he has had nothing to do with the franchise for a long time. In fact all these means he will stop getting royalties for doing nothing.

I am a big fan of the turtles but don't really know much about all the "behind the scenes" people most on this forum seem to know but rom interviews you can tell Kevin still to this day likes the turtles, he just moved on to what he enjoyed more. Kevin created the turtles but it seems it was Peter that really liked the characters and he is the one that wanted to create stories for them and still does so he finally bought everything turtle related.

Revan

03-17-2008, 07:18 AM

Very true, I'm a die-hard fan and even I've yet to buy planet racers.
they are pretty expensive though. I almost bought them. perhaps later

You guys are acting like your favorite band broke up. It feels you guys just want Kevin to be there since he created them, even though he has had nothing to do with the franchise for a long time. In fact all these means he will stop getting royalties for doing nothing.

I am a big fan of the turtles but don't really know much about all the "behind the scenes" people most on this forum seem to know but rom interviews you can tell Kevin still to this day likes the turtles, he just moved on to what he enjoyed more. Kevin created the turtles but it seems it was Peter that really liked the characters and he is the one that wanted to create stories for them and still does so he finally bought everything turtle related.
what kevin did do for the turtles was more well accepted imo. He had a better direction and then left fans with peter who has done some things not all fans were thrilled to see

DrSpengler

03-17-2008, 10:22 AM

Seriously, it's like, who has read Planet Racers besides die-hard Turtle fans? Probably a whole lot of nobody.

That probably has something to do with the fact that all Lawson's non-TMNT work (Planet Racers, Paleo, Guzi LaManns) has been published by Laird. Because no one in their right mind would hire an artist that draws like Lawson except one of his best friends.

Galactus

03-17-2008, 01:25 PM

what kevin did do for the turtles was more well accepted imo. He had a better direction and then left fans with peter who has done some things not all fans were thrilled to see

TMNT III? Ninja Turtles : The Next Mutation? Maybe we're better off with Peter afterall.

Kendamu

03-17-2008, 01:33 PM

TMNT III? Ninja Turtles : The Next Mutation? Maybe we're better off with Peter afterall.
It's pretty easy to do it right when someone else made the mistakes for you a few years beforehand.

Revan

03-17-2008, 01:43 PM

If the costumes for III and NTTNM would have been better, like the ones from movie one, people probably wouldn't have hated them as bad. And yeah, they may have been mistakes, but kev isn't the only one who has done it.

Roseangelo

03-17-2008, 05:33 PM

TMNT III? Ninja Turtles : The Next Mutation? Maybe we're better off with Peter afterall.

Peter approved all of those things along-side Kevin.

Scandia

03-17-2008, 06:05 PM

Lousy costumes or not, TNM was a horrible concept that pretty much shattered all the TMNT past.

mattmanw54301

04-13-2008, 07:03 PM

I was kinda hoping that Kevin would convince Peter to stop being so harsh about the OT and Archie books. I mean, this 'no mutants besides the TMNT' thing is kinda arbitrary IMO. The OT could be capitalized on to REALLY bring out the kind of nostalgia that TMNT deserves.

But alas, Kev is cutting ties. I too am looking forward to Heavy Metal 3. Hopefully it will be more like part 1 than part 2.

Jester

04-13-2008, 07:23 PM

I mean, this 'no mutants besides the TMNT' thing is kinda arbitrary IMO.

Reading this made me wonder if this was where Leatherhead has been the past while.

Also, we can't have other mutants, but weird aliens are a-ok? that makes no sense to me.

AquaParade

04-13-2008, 07:33 PM

I agree Jester...plenty of aliens...but no mutants...I'd prefer less of both personally, but I dont mind a tiny bit of each since theres really no avoiding it with this property anymore.

I'll always wonder what would have happened if Kevin had taken over the turtles...it kinda seems like a lot of the spawning ideas of the franchise were him. First turtle sketch...idea of Shredder....

oldmanwinters

04-13-2008, 07:49 PM

I love Kevin Eastman's work, but I'm very satisfied with how Laird brought the franchise back to public attention with the 2003 toon. I never thought it would last beyond 2 seasons, and yet it has spawned 7 seasons, a new comic series (+50 issues of Tales v.2 and counting), an excellent cgi film, new video games, and tons of merchandise in every store.

While I don't find the last two seasons of the new toon as strong as the first four, it's easy to forget how groundbreaking that first season was. It really made me fall in love with the franchise again. I am forever grateful to Peter Laird for giving me such great Turtle memories in the last few years.:)