Question to IDW: could IDW use the Mutanimals?

[Panda_Kahn_fan]

Hey, I was wondering, since IDW now has the TMNT lisensce, would the ever consider bringing back the mighty Mutanimals in some form? It's been so long since we've seen these guys, and 'd love to see them ethier as allies of the Turtles, or in thier own spin-off book. I know that many people feel that too many mutants ruin the turtles/make them feel less special, but when you have tons of anthro aliens running around, that whole concept makes the specialness on the TMNT go straight out the window. :trolleye:

My roster, taken from the turtles' allied mutants, would be:

1.) Ray Fillet
2.) Mondo Gecko
3.) Wingnut/Screwloose
4.) Mona lisa
5.) Ninjara (or Aeoplex)
6.) Ace Duck

They could come from all those mutating animals we saw in the Cages in the Raph microseries issue. What does everybody else think?

[Killer Moth]

Since they are using Krang/Bebop/Rocksteady, anything is possible. Once the Krang/Neutrino arc gets fully swinging, Wingnut/Screwloose probably wouldn't feel as out of place, providing IDW goes with the Archie characterization and backstory. Since Krang in this version is coming off as a real SOB, it wouldn't be difficult at all to see him or his troops commit genocide on Huanu. As for the others, I personally have no problems with the other Mutanimals showing up, if introduced and written properly (and, most importantly, not overused).

And if so, they should wait until after the Krang/Baxter arc and possibly after this "Ninja War" that has been alluded and foreshadowed about. Having so many mutant animals running around so early -- besides the Turtles, there's currently Hob, Apolex and eventually Bebop/Rocksteady --, could be rather jarring.

While we're at it, someone should make a matching thread with the Mirage superheroes (e.g., Nobody, Metalhead) as the same argument also applies to them. Thus, re-sparking the always fun "mutant animals in other TMNT media vs. superheroes in Mirage" debate, etc.

[CyberCubed]

Its possible. I doubt we'll ever see Ninjara though because Alopex is too similar a character.

And Ace Duck is an alien, not a mutant.

[Raph's Girl]

Its possible. I doubt we'll ever see Ninjara though because Alopex is too similar a character.

And Ace Duck is an alien, not a mutant.

Wingnut and Screwloose are aliens too. And Ninjara wasn't a mutant either.

[CyberCubed]

But Ace Duck was never associated with the Mutanimals.

Likewise I always saw merdude an as unofficial member. Napoleon and Mona Lisa joining would be fine.

[MikeandRaph87]

I was never a fan of them. Leatherhead was the only one I liked and he was a good human opposed to an evi mutant gator. Despite that I never got why they were killed off. Yeah, I know ot was poor sales,but just make them either disband or just appear once every several storylines.

Shaking up the turtles allies alligence with different members may work. It depends on who is in it and if the storyline makes sense for it to happen. I want to see other mutants but to take time for each story element already in play to develop before Leatherhead or Slash or any good or bad mutant returns. I want to see Krang's background fleshed out. At this point I am more interested in that than the "war" Shredder is involved in.

[Killer Moth]

Its possible. I doubt we'll ever see Ninjara though because Alopex is too similar a character.

And Ace Duck is an alien, not a mutant.

I agree about Alopex taking Ninjara's place, but didn't Ace Duck's toy bio implied he was accidentially mutated by Krang? The only media where Ace Duck had characterization, yes, had him as alien, but it isn't fixed, either. After all, look at Leatherhead and how many altered origins he's had. Or as TMNT Entity rightly opined about Wingnut and his various versions, "Wingnut's anything you want him to be."

Anyway, I'm with mikeandraph, as "I'm in the mood with aliens and ninjas, so other mutants not named Hob/Alopex/Bebop/Rocksteady and possibly Leatherhead can wait."

I'd love to see Mona Lisa again, but it would get past Eastman? Hmm...

[CyberCubed]

I thought the Mutanimals were decent characters but the fact that they're mostly remembered that they all died says a lot.

[ctt4lfecw]

Im all for it.

[Andrew NDB]

I would love to see "lost stories" with the Mutanimals in the TMNTA Archieverse or something such, but no, not interested in seeing them come to fruition in IDW TMNT at all.

[Oculus Orbus]

At first, I would've said no, because that's not the kind of stories I wanted to see from IDW. Now, given the route they're going, I wouldn't mind them at all. I'm not saying this necessarily as a bad thing. I love the Mutanimals, and if IDW did it right and took their time, I think they could fit in their universe.

[Lampy]

I love the Mutanimals too. But right now, I'd prefer that they focus on the main story arcs. The Oroku-Hamato war should take priority in any incarnation. But I would definitely love to see them later on down the line. With mutants already springing out of nowhere, who knows...

[tmnt transformer]

And Ace Duck is an alien, not a mutant.

Ace Duck was a mutant according to the file card.

[Andrew NDB]

Ace Duck was a mutant according to the file card.

Who cares about the damn file cards. He's an alien from the planet Perdufus in the actual Archie comics so that's all that matters.

Comics, TV shows, movies > Toys/merch/promotional material. It's not difficult math.

[tmnt transformer]

I have never read the archie comics............Besides a planet full of giant ducks is kind of goofy.

[CyberCubed]

Technically Slash was from an alien Turtle planet in the Archie series. I wonder if he's from the same alien planet that Michael Bay's Turtles are from?

[Raph's Girl]

I have never read the archie comics............Besides a planet full of giant ducks is kind of goofy.

Awww u hurt the wittle feelings of everybody from Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Quack Pack, Howard the Duck's homeworld, Mighty Ducks homeworld....

[Andrew NDB]

I have never read the archie comics............Besides a planet full of giant ducks is kind of goofy.

I don't disagree with that. But the cardboard back of a action figure hardly trumps an actual in-story origin.

[Galactus]

Wingnut and Screwloose are aliens too. And Ninjara wasn't a mutant either.

Other than Mondo, Ray and LH most of the Mutanimals weren't actual mutants. They were either aliens or evolved species of animals on Earth.

I would love to see "lost stories" with the Mutanimals in the TMNTA Archieverse or something such, but no, not interested in seeing them come to fruition in IDW TMNT at all.

I'd like that too but I don't think they were active long enough as a group to merit an ongoing series. I suppose it could take place in a universe alternate to the TMNT Adventures one were they lived.

It's probably up in the air but from what I'm seeing, a version of the mutanimals wouldn't be too out of place in the TMNT's corner of the IDWverse.

Awww u hurt the wittle feelings of everybody from Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Quack Pack, Howard the Duck's homeworld, Mighty Ducks homeworld....

Never watched Mighty Ducks but it's pretty established that all those other universes were full of anthropomorphised animals in general, not just ducks.

I believe Steve Gerber hated it when another writer erroneously portrayed Howard the Duck's world as full of ducks.

But the cardboard back of a action figure hardly trumps an actual in-story origin.

The Archie version of Ace Duck is so nonedescript that it could have been any Playmates figure or even an original character. I suppose personal preference for the version that came first and was more thought out might trump Archie's "let's make him an alien" (are you listening Bay?)

If a planet of muscle bound ducks isn't weird enough, a planet of turtles were one just happens to dress just like the Terran TMNT takes the cake imo.

[CyberCubed]

I don't like the character of Ace Duck at all, I am glad he only had a cameo in the original cartoon on TV, so he wasn't even a "real" character in that show.

Fred Wolf/Playmates created some really stupid animal mutants back in the 90's, but some of them definitely stand out as being cool and memorable. That being said once you have too many animal mutants it kind of becomes too much.

The last thing we need is for Earth to be populated with tons of humanoid animal characters.

[Killer Moth]

The Archie version of Ace Duck is so nonedescript that it could have been any Playmates figure or even an original character. I suppose personal preference for the version that came first and was more thought out might trump Archie's "let's make him an alien" (are you listening Bay?)

Indeed. All he did was to show off his narcissism. If that's the price to pay to have a full characterization..., pass? Then again, Archie Wyrm had a major revision to his toy bio (though, technically, Archie Wyrm debuted first) and turned out for the best. Win some, lose some. Back then, in the 80's, the toy-bio writers were actually trying. Compare that to later efforts, like Scratch's, which I didn't find that informative, at all. No wonder I stopped reading those things, etc.

Anyway, moving on, I'm with Oculus Orbus in that the writers should take their time to make the Mutanimals become truly part of the story, rather than what the Archie book initially viewed the characters: crammed-in toy ads. They're great characters or designs, but it's too much "KTHXBYE." At least, Leatherhead and Wingnut/Screwloose were useful for the overall arc. (The former for jumpstarting the Turnstone arc in the first place, and the latter for detailing Krang's off-screen actions and motivations.)

[CyberCubed]

I doubt we'll see too many mutants in this series. We already have Hob and Alopex, and Leatherhead is likely in the cards as well as Bebop and Rocksteady.

I think we'll probably see Slash at some point but I really don't see lots of animal beings running around.

[Lordmylar06]

In the main series I can actually see it justifiable to introduce the characters, just maybe not as a group. There's a good amount of story to be told if they do it properly, which they're capable of, and these characters are popular with the fanbase. I would like to see some of the "lost" material AndrewNDB spoke of a few posts ago. Heck, I'd like an Archie-verse revival for that matter.

[Matches Malone]

I never really cared for the Mutanimals. It can only work in a goofier setting like the Archie series, though probably would have worked even better in the Fred Wolf series. A "team" is a comic book staple though; it's just that the Mutanimals weren't too interesting to begin with, in my opinion. I've actually wondered from time to time what a group dynamic between Leo, Zog, Fugitoid, and Casey would be, since they have such different origins and backgrounds. Plus, those happen to be some of my favorites from the Mirageverse. When the turtles teamed up with Zog, it is easily one of my favorite moments ever in turtles history.

[CyberCubed]

I can see the Mutanimals working if they were the new Justice Force or something like that.

Just instead of those superheroes they were a bunch of mutant heroes.

[ToTheNines]

Just instead of those superheroes they were a bunch of mutant heroes.

Ummm... what?

[CyberCubed]

Ummm... what?

Instead of a human Justice Force (like Silver Sentry, Stainless Steel Steve, etc.), the Mutanimals act in the same role in their place. Isn't that what they essentially were, a bunch of humanoid animals who banded together to be heroes?

Its the only way I can see the Mutanimals working in a more serious comic, otherwise I agree its best to leave them out.

That being said I wouldn't mind seeing one or two of them on the side.

[Panda_Kahn_fan]

yeah, I see act as the mutant pilot in the bomber jacket, not the arrogant wrestler alien from archie

[Lampy]

I'll go with the Archie origin over the Playmates toy any day. To me, no matter how prominent he was or was not in that incarnation, that is the definitive origin story for Ace because it was part of an actual story. He actually existed in that universe. So unless they create a more fleshed-out origin for him in IDW, Ace will always be an alien.

[Galactus]

I'll go with the Archie origin over the Playmates toy any day. To me, no matter how prominent he was or was not in that incarnation, that is the definitive origin story for Ace because it was part of an actual story. He actually existed in that universe. So unless they create a more fleshed-out origin for him in IDW, Ace will always be an alien.

The Archie version of Ace will always be an alien. Unless someone does a story set in the Archie continuity and either retcons his origin or makes him a mutant from an alien word, that could work.

The Playmates version which in my opinion is the definitive version of the character, such as he counts as a character - is a mutant. Not to mention he had a story. The little bio on the back of the box is a story and to me that trumps being an unimportant part of another characters story.

Can I just say I can't believe we're having a debate on Ace Duck. :lol:

[CyberCubed]

And in the OT, wasn't Ace Duck just a character in a cartoon show that Michaelangelo watched? In that show he wasn't even a real character.

[Galactus]

And in the OT, wasn't Ace Duck just a character in a cartoon show that Michaelangelo watched? In that show he wasn't even a real character.

Seemed that way. Or he could have been a puppet or guy in a duck suit. Heck given how at times mutants seemed commonplace in the Fred Wolf show he could have been an actual mutant (or alien) that had starred in movies.

IDW need to publish an Ace Duck ongoing series were he meets versions of himself throughout the multiverse just to answer these burning question.

[CyberCubed]

http://images.wikia.com/tmnt/images/d/db/Ace_duck_cartoon.jpg

^ The only time he ever appears in the old show, and for 5 seconds as Michaelangelo says, "I am in the middle of watching an Ace Duck marathon!"

LOL, I bet the writers thought the idea of a mutant duck was so stupid they just gave him a throwaway cameo as a TV character.

[Galactus]

Surely a mutant duck would be no more silly than most other mutant animals that appeared on the show or the Johnny 5 rip off/homage that starred in that episode?

Come to think of it, I've long thought that ep would have been a good fit for the Fugitoid. Simply swap MACC for Honeycutt and the future portal with one to D'Hoonib.

If there was ever a family friendly aspect of the early Mirage comics it was the Fugitoid. One would have thought he'd be the first choice character to bring over from the books.

[CyberCubed]

Honestly I hate the character of Ace Duck. He doesn't feel like a TMNT character to me, more like he's Donald Duck's long lost cousin or something.

I am glad he never was used in the old show for real. Definitely one of the stupider mutant designs from Playmates, along with Hot Spot, Halfcourt, Monty Moose, King Lionheart and the like.

[Galactus]

Hmmm I'm guessing you wouldn't be up for a TMNT/Uncle Scrooge crossover then?:D

Never felt much for Ace Duck either. What little basis his character was given to begin was completely ignored in the other versions which were so unimportant they may as well not been there. That doesn't mean a writer couldn't have made him a fully flashed out character in either the comic or the cartoon.

Something that I do appreciate is that the figure version was given a purpose of being the Turtle Blimp's pilot. I can't think of any other playmates only character that had an actual purpose.

[ToTheNines]

He doesn't feel like a TMNT character to me, more like he's Donald Duck's long lost cousin or something.

What is it with you and not making sense in this thread?

[CyberCubed]

What is it with you and not making sense in this thread?

I just can't stand the comical way his face looks, its the typical cartoony duck appearance that looks like it belongs in another cartoon.

[Andrew NDB]

I think I understand where CyberCubed is coming from and I tend to agree. There are ways to make a duck mutant/alien work, artistically and otherwise, though... but "Is it really worth it to try and cram one into the IDW TMNT just because of the 5 people who remember and possibly like Ace Duck in the old Archie comics or have some kind of half-remembered fondness for the toy?" is probably a good, sound question I hope IDW is asking themselves. As with many, many other mutants.

[Galactus]

I think I understand where CyberCubed is coming from and I tend to agree. There are ways to make a duck mutant/alien work, artistically and otherwise, though... but "Is it really worth it to try and cram one into the IDW TMNT just because of the 5 people who remember and possibly like Ace Duck in the old Archie comics or have some kind of half-remembered fondness for the toy?" is probably a good, sound question I hope IDW is asking themselves. As with many, many other mutants.

I don't think anyone is campaigning for Ace Duck to be featured in the IDW series, far from it. I'm just pointing out he'd be no more out of place than most other mutants or aliens that will feature in the IDW...and we know they're coming.

I mean we've got Neutrinos in the series...Neutrinos!!!

[Lampy]

I don't think anyone is campaigning for Ace Duck to be featured in the IDW series, far from it. I'm just pointing out he'd be no more out of place than most other mutants or aliens that will feature in the IDW...and we know they're coming.

I mean we've got Neutrinos in the series...Neutrinos!!!

Agreed. Ace Duck would definitely be at home in the IDW TMNT universe. We have both aliens AND mutants. But whether or not he shows up in IDW, I don't really mind it.

[Mr Null]

I would love to see Man Ray/Ray Fillet (why was his name changed?) make a return! He was definately my favorite of the bunch and was really the original when you think about it (issue #5)!!

Leatherhead would be my 2nd choice :twink:

[ngroove]

Its possible. I doubt we'll ever see Ninjara though because Alopex is too similar a character.

And Ace Duck is an alien, not a mutant.

That, and maybe she's not a TMNT-owned character anymore (see Furrlough).

[Toby Barrett]

I wouldn't mind seeing updated versions of the characters, but I wouldn't want them to become a team, and I especially wouldn't want them to call theirselves the Mutanimals. =p

[Mondo_Gecko]

I will gladly step in and defend Ace Duck. I had no idea some people hated this character. I find it foreign, only because of my love of the toy and character as a child.

There were probably three reasons why I loved Ace Duck as much as I did. I loved the mutants, I like ducks and lastly I wanted to be a pilot growing up. The fact that the turtles had a feathered friend who was also a pilot really appealed to me and I was deeply saddened that he never had an origin episode in the OT. I also preferred his mutant origin to his alien heritage in the Archie comics.

It won't come as a surprise that the toy was a favourite, and that is where most of the love comes from, but I also liked the potential of the character. There's so much that I think you could do with that character if he was expanded upon. I often came up with scenarios of him joining the Mutanimals or helping the Punk Frogs down in Florida.

Personally, I would love for Ace Duck to return whether it was in IDW or the new cartoon but there's obviously bias on my part because seriously my love for this character knows no bounds:lol: I still feel that he could be a great ally and character if expanded upon.

[gobo]

Blathering blatherskite...

[Killer Moth]

Blathering blatherskite...

It wouldn't be an duck-themed thread without Fenton Crackshell's famous catchphrase.

Anyway, if anyone has read Issue #9's letter column, the subject (the Mutanimals) was brought up in the first letter. Editor Bobby Curnow said to be rather receptive to the idea. (Yes, I know he is a member of the forum, so if he wishes to post and elaborate further, etc.) If one takes stock at editor-responses-in-letter-pages, it's a good sign or the closest we'll currently get to an official statement about the matter.

[Venom]

Regarding the Mutanimals, I'm going to repost an earlier post I made in another topic a few months back:

If IDW has a version of the Mutanimals, I would hope they were a ragtag team of mutant and alien misfits across the ethical spectrum who came together basically because no one else wanted them or they had no other place to go (perhaps have a fugitive, rogue soldier, thief, cop, naive bystander (think Sara in Vol. 3, etc.) and would be a companion mini or so focusing on how these individuals learn to trust one another and work as a team in the face of adversity.

Alopex could become a member, and probably would.

The world is many shades of grey; they don't have to be either. They may have to steal something to survive, take the odd job as mercs, and yeah probably help a poor soul in need.

The Mutanimals main goal would be survival at all costs, which would inevitably put them in grey areas and have the effect of luring in more dangers.

[CrazySquirrel]

I would love to see them as a team or as individual characters. That would be awesome. I was a huge fan and bought those comics when I was younger!

[Uki]

Regarding the Mutanimals, I'm going to repost an earlier post I made in another topic a few months back:

If IDW has a version of the Mutanimals, I would hope they were a ragtag team of mutant and alien misfits across the ethical spectrum who came together basically because no one else wanted them or they had no other place to go (perhaps have a fugitive, rogue soldier, thief, cop, naive bystander (think Sara in Vol. 3, etc.) and would be a companion mini or so focusing on how these individuals learn to trust one another and work as a team in the face of adversity.

Alopex could become a member, and probably would.

The world is many shades of grey; they don't have to be either. They may have to steal something to survive, take the odd job as mercs, and yeah probably help a poor soul in need.

The Mutanimals main goal would be survival at all costs, which would inevitably put them in grey areas and have the effect of luring in more dangers.


Like Button!!!

[Hermano Dyvas]

I guess the IDW mutanimals could be sort of the X-men of this universe. Since it looks like we're going to have more mutants in this universe anyway, I'm guessing not all of them will be masters of stealth so mutants will become known to the general population?