Black April

[IndigoErth]

I would definitely cut out the mutation part... the big, bright yellow, furry mutation has always been a bit too out there for my taste, even in a show about bipedal talking Turtles. Or a show that at least carried some explanation for how mutations happened, but not this super random one.

On the up side though, even if he was bland and very little nostalgia or fan attachment to him, that does mean he'd have a lot of room to work with to develop him into a better character and without stepping on hardly any toes in the process.

No one could complain about him being a NEW character taking the place of April and Casey, because he's already old and would be promptly pointed out to them. And few probably exist that would complain about developing him further however they want, so he'd likely be a pretty safe one to work with? Much the way Mona Lisa was pretty safe for Nick to do something with since she was still just a one-off character at the time. And old character that's a bit of a blank slate isn't all bad.

[Sir5R]

I would definitely cut out the mutation part... the big, bright yellow, furry mutation has always been a bit too out there for my taste, even in a show about bipedal talking Turtles. Or a show that at least carried some explanation for how mutations happened, but not this super random one.

On the up side though, even if he was bland and very little nostalgia or fan attachment to him, that does mean he'd have a lot of room to work with to develop him into a better character and without stepping on hardly any toes in the process.

No one could complain about him being a NEW character taking the place of April and Casey, because he's already old and would be promptly pointed out to them. And few probably exist that would complain about developing him further however they want, so he'd likely be a pretty safe one to work with? Much the way Mona Lisa was pretty safe for Nick to do something with since she was still just a one-off character at the time. And old character that's a bit of a blank slate isn't all bad.

Yeah, they could have added him and given him a personality. Lol.

[TheLabRat]

Main problem is they make black April look ugly. If she look like Sheeva from Resident Evil 5, at least there will be less dissatisfaction.

[Sumac]

Because he sucks as a character, he's really bland and his reason for sticking around seems a bit too thin, not to mention that his mutant design is absurd. And unlike most major Fred Wolf characters that stick around despite not actually being all that interesting, there really isn't any nostalgia saving him from fading into obscurity, he showed up when the show had already been dying for like three years and was doing some desperate changes to draw in a new audience, so he's not really a character people remember from their childhood.
All the more reasons to bring him back and make justice.

[TurtleManiac]

Or Why couldn't they have just added Carter from the red sky series? He was black.

Because that would make too much sense, and there wouldn’t be any arguments or “racism” to hype up the movie.

I would definitely cut out the mutation part... the big, bright yellow, furry mutation has always been a bit too out there for my taste, even in a show about bipedal talking Turtles. Or a show that at least carried some explanation for how mutations happened, but not this super random one.

On the up side though, even if he was bland and very little nostalgia or fan attachment to him, that does mean he'd have a lot of room to work with to develop him into a better character and without stepping on hardly any toes in the process.

No one could complain about him being a NEW character taking the place of April and Casey, because he's already old and would be promptly pointed out to them. And few probably exist that would complain about developing him further however they want, so he'd likely be a pretty safe one to work with? Much the way Mona Lisa was pretty safe for Nick to do something with since she was still just a one-off character at the time. And old character that's a bit of a blank slate isn't all bad.

Yup, they had the potential to bring him back and diversify the new movie, give him more of a character and now fans would remember him more and wanna go back and watch those old episodes he was in. It’s not like this movie is based on the old cartoon so they could have made changes to the character as needed. But nope, easier to just replace April with a CGI Whoopi Goldberg.

All the more reasons to bring him back and make justice.

Agreed.

[TheLabRat]

They also made The Turtles human form in MMPR/TMNT are all black people. Seriously, at least Leo human form should be japanese, not black.

https://tmnt-ninjaturtles.com/assets/MMPR-TMNT-II-05_Cover-RI-D_rich-390x600.jpg

[ChosenOne]

They also made The Turtles human form in MMPR/TMNT are all black people. Seriously, at least Leo human form should be japanese, not black.

https://tmnt-ninjaturtles.com/assets/MMPR-TMNT-II-05_Cover-RI-D_rich-390x600.jpg

Sooo... What does the subtext say about black people given that the Turtles live in the sewers? Gotta love these wokester types, tripping all over themselves while trying to virtue signal.

[Cowabung-Gal]

They also made The Turtles human form in MMPR/TMNT are all black people. Seriously, at least Leo human form should be japanese, not black.

https://tmnt-ninjaturtles.com/assets/MMPR-TMNT-II-05_Cover-RI-D_rich-390x600.jpg

Ah, see? They argue, “Well, April was originally going to be Asian instead of white!” Okay, so why not make her Asian instead of black? After all, it would make more sense for a Japanese or half-Japanese girl to hang out with ninjas than it would for a black or white girl.

[CyberCubed]

In that original cartoon episode Mike turned into a human he was white.

[AquaParade]

They also made The Turtles human form in MMPR/TMNT are all black people. Seriously, at least Leo human form should be japanese, not black.

https://tmnt-ninjaturtles.com/assets/MMPR-TMNT-II-05_Cover-RI-D_rich-390x600.jpg

This was a distasteful event because as soon as it happened, all over the internet people were claiming these were the "canon human forms of the turtles!".

Maybe the publisher said it, idk, but what does that even mean?
"Canon human forms"? Doesn't even make sense - they simply aren't human. And canon to what? This comic? Okay.

It was just an attempt for certain groups to try and "claim" the turtles as their own or for the creators to get some brownie-points from select groups. Some people just really badly want the TMNT to be black, I guess. I don't have an issue with them being black in their, um, "canon human form", but it felt more like exclusion than inclusion. It just felt like a way to say "It's canon! These are ours!".

[CyberCubed]

In the IDW series at least, the Turtles were all Japanese in canon as they should be since they're Yoshi's sons.

The Turtles being blacks makes no sense. They should all be Japanese if anything, not blacks.

[Coola Yagami]

Making all four turtles black reaks of pandering. I know some fans always choose to make Raph black whenever it comes to their fanfics or whatever but I never heard of all 4.

[CyberCubed]

Was it an artists choice or did the writers of that issue choose to do that? Luckily it's a non-canon power rangers crossover so people will probably forget it ever happened.

If they're going to "claim" April as black, you're not "claiming" the Turtles as black too. It worries me since Don and Mike have black voice actors in the new Mayhem movie, and also Rise of the TMNT's Raphael and Michelangelo also had black voice actors. I'm getting worried that going forward the Turtles will be "mandated" to be voiced by black actors.

[Coola Yagami]

Was it an artists choice or did the writers of that issue choose to do that? Luckily it's a non-canon power rangers crossover so people will probably forget it ever happened.

If they're going to "claim" April as black, you're not "claiming" the Turtles as black too. It worries me since Don and Mike have black voice actors in the new Mayhem movie, and also Rise of the TMNT's Raphael and Michelangelo also had black voice actors. I'm getting worried that going forward the Turtles will be "mandated" to be voiced by black actors.

We'll see, but I don't think mainstream will allow all 4 Turtles to be black. Like you said, they should be Japanese. Especially if they follow Fred Wolf Mutagen logic, why would Turtles that had contact with a Japanese man turn white/black/anything not Japanese? I wouldn't be surprised though if they went with stereotypes, like Raph being black cause angry, Leo being Japanese cause his whole bushido thing, Mikey being white cause surfer dude, and I kinda don't know about Donnie.

The funny part is 2012 Mikey might as well be black. It seemed as each season progressed he did less surfer-ish slang and more and more black slang. And Greg uses the exact same slang as Beast Boy.

[CyberCubed]

Well Nick's Casey used a lot of black slang too and he was white. Saying things like, "Dat's phat," "dawg" and "homie."

He was like those white kids who pretend to be black because they think it makes them look cool. "Wicked!"

[Cowabung-Gal]

I wouldn't be surprised though if they went with stereotypes, like Raph being black cause angry, Leo being Japanese cause his whole bushido thing, Mikey being white cause surfer dude, and I kinda don't know about Donnie.

Maybe Donnie could be Indian and work part time as an IT specialist.

[TheLabRat]

Japanese human Raph would be look like Kiryu Kazuma from Yakuza if he grew up.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkgXVmLUcAAk4Pi.jpghttps://64.media.tumblr.com/7a6cd7d264bfa1f0221bc1bcfc6af9e7/tumblr_nnzkkzIg2F1u8ger0o1_500.jpg

[IndigoErth]

This was a distasteful event because as soon as it happened, all over the internet people were claiming these were the "canon human forms of the turtles!".

Maybe the publisher said it, idk, but what does that even mean?
"Canon human forms"? Doesn't even make sense - they simply aren't human. And canon to what? This comic? Okay.

It was just an attempt for certain groups to try and "claim" the turtles as their own or for the creators to get some brownie-points from select groups. Some people just really badly want the TMNT to be black, I guess. I don't have an issue with them being black in their, um, "canon human form", but it felt more like exclusion than inclusion. It just felt like a way to say "It's canon! These are ours!".

Ick. Humans of all shades need to stop trying to claim the TMNT and let the green people be green. That allows ANYONE to be able to relate by being forced to look past their skin color to find something familiar. "Human versions" are more often than not so damn boring anyhow, why even try to change them?

If a version went the DNA route via Yoshi/Splinter then Asian really is the only one that understandably makes any sense, imo.

If just for laughs based on the casting of some version or another, fine, or if a series turns a Turtle human for an ep and matches the actor's color, because it may otherwise not fit that well unless a VA has a voice that is very hard to guess their background. But to otherwise insist on anything as canon is stupid and they aren't for any racial demographic to claim since they are not human.

[CyberCubed]

It looks like black April is here to stay, for the forseeable future. Mutant Mayhem is getting a new cartoon and sequel movie, so this is basically our next TMNT series for the time being.

Come to think of it the only thing that still has white April is IDW's TMNT run but that started in 2011 more than a decade ago now.

[sdp]

I think April might not always be black going forward thanks to the banana coat wearing bitch. 87 April is so iconic that she's still relevant in merchandise and promo images. So, while some may hate that she's a reporter, she's the only reason April might not always be black in future adaptations.

[Cowabung-Gal]

I think April might not always be black going forward thanks to the banana coat wearing bitch.

Someone’s bitter…

At least that “banana coat wearing b***h” was healthy and fit and easy on the eyes. My black co-worker, who’s a fan of the classic cartoon, would agree with me.

[Coola Yagami]

Someone’s bitter…



ahhhhhh joke went over your head

[Cowabung-Gal]

ahhhhhh joke went over your head

What jo-

Ohhh…

[CyberCubed]

It's ironic this thread was made back in 2014 when we only had white April, as Rise of the TMNT did not come out till 2018 and now Mutant Mayhem in 2023. We didn't realize how innocent this question was back then, it basically predicted the future by 4-6 years later.

I can't believe that once a time "black April" was just a coloring mis-print on on of the old Mirage comics. If only we knew how good we had it.

[ssjup81]

Doubt it and it's only twice... a bit early to assume.

Makers of this stuff seem so concerned now with reinvention and doing things different to make it their own... but now we're going to be well into "been done already" territory, it wouldn't surprise me if we move on to a 3rd ethnic background next time.

Changing April up like this though, I'd rather they created a character who is clearly mixed. You don't end up with a very specifically Irish surname without being of Irish decent. It might have worked with a generic widespread name like, say, Smith, but a name like O'Neil on someone not Irish is the part that has bugged me. (But that's probably also the genealogist in me that can't buy it.)


Personally though, I'm more concerned we'll be stuck having the "teenage" part of the title shoved to the forefront from now on and making them increasingly kiddie in shows/movies. Really starting to want the in name title only bit back. Nothing wrong with "older" Turtles who can be role models (excluding the violent part) instead of peers driven into being teen stereotypes.*Is a person of color with an Irish surname* ^^’More like what's wrong with redheads being white? Are there even any black redheads in real life? Not counting hair dye of course.Yup. I went to school with one. I was surprised. His name was Teshawn. He was a friend of mine. My aunt also had reddish brown hair. It looked like a nice even mix of brown and red. I had a few red hairs as a kid, but…I played with the scissors. ^^ lol It’s rare, but they do exist. Remember, due to this country’s history, most blacks have some mixture in their ancestry. I even had some older relatives on my mother’s side who could “pass”.

[CyberCubed]

q5CNERqOc24

[sdp]

Well based on all the new merch that's not related to any one movie, pretty much anything not explicitly based on the 88 cartoon or 2003 cartoon has April being Black. Mirage comic stuff has now made april black, new video games, magic the gathering, collaborations all have a black april. All new shows since Rise have had April black. There's no going back, April IS black in any new since Rise of the TMNT which was almost a decade ago. The powers that be now say that Mirage April was always black and she's represented as Black going forward.

So Unless it's merchandise specifically based off the 1987 cartoon that has the WRONG race for Baxter Stockman and now April O'Neil, and 2003 to a lesser extent. There will never be another WHITE(WASHED) April. Let me say it again, proud and loud: Counting Mirage April is officially black now, this means April has always been and will always be black going forward.

We Won!


And if you're going to be posting any racist stuff about how she wasn't always black then you better leave the thread, we will be giving you the judgemental look otherwise:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4JBLc03k2XGmV8hJVk2ZGvNbKMsAFa7EAvBRqZGtTN S_ZMM4IQ6TmydXQsGE7gShWK2Gv1DL5QO1cADB3wONUPCj50Lf d4xpXNlkpLKWw7RqdBcJMDo6zLzJlFAYwB0FELHOz0HT3oI/s1600/5.JPG

[Andrew NDB]

We Won!

Who is "we"? Or is this you flipping the crazy switch and pretending to be an obese black woman again? This kind of stuff should probably get you banned.

[Heyowakka]

You boys sure do have fun.

[ToTheNines]

Don’t count out Team White yet! April is white in the upcoming Godzilla crossover…

[CyberCubed]

To be honest I wouldn't mind a black April if the design was good. A good looking black April would be alright.

The problem is the two black April's we got have some of the ugliest designs and are the most hideous looking black April's imaginable. The Rise April has that ugly short curly hair with the Velma glasses and awful clothing, and the Mutant Mayhem April is so fat and ugly like why did they make her 300 pounds? I might be exaggerating a little but she throws her weight around, both literally and physically. There are much better ways to design a strong independent black women who don't need no man for the modern generation.

[ToTheNines]

I liked her design in the Naruto crossover.

[Heyowakka]

I liked her design in the Naruto crossover.

Same, she was really cute!

I couldn’t care less what race April is portrayed as; she can be black, white, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Latina or heck, even Irish if they have to. I just have one stipulation; I don’t want her to have the same proportions as Danny DeVito.

I don’t think that’s too selfish of an ask.

[neatoman]

I liked her design in the Naruto crossover.

Yeah, no real argument here, it was a good design.

[Autbot_Benz]

April is black in the tmnt magic the gathering crossover

https://i.ibb.co/FL8b4H8T/il-794x-N-7338201891-7mne.jpg

[Heyowakka]

“Hacktivist”?

[ToTheNines]

She argues with strangers on Reddit.

[TheLabRat]

April is black in the tmnt magic the gathering crossover

Not sure if this is just artist error, or maybe they used AI, because this Mikey has four fingers on his left hand.

https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/b/a/bac2d744-db65-4b56-8634-c87fd00c090e.jpg?1760103747

[Poweranimals]

To be honest I wouldn't mind a black April if the design was good. A good looking black April would be alright.

The problem is the two black April's we got have some of the ugliest designs and are the most hideous looking black April's imaginable. The Rise April has that ugly short curly hair with the Velma glasses and awful clothing, and the Mutant Mayhem April is so fat and ugly like why did they make her 300 pounds? I might be exaggerating a little but she throws her weight around, both literally and physically. There are much better ways to design a strong independent black women who don't need no man for the modern generation.

I swear they made her ugly intentionally so they can call people racist when they inevitably didn't like her.

[Andrew NDB]

That MTG April seems like it was suspiciously "traced" from promotional stills from Thandie Newton's daughter from some Last of Us season 1 (Joel's daughter). That said, it's not bad. In more innocent ages even in the early 2010s these kind of race swaps weren't so hard to swallow because we didn't feel like they were for "the movement." Now, each and every one is pretty eyebrow-raising. And I'm surprised that there isn't a bigger upset base about the erasure of red-headed white women... of which April is one.

Eons ago, for example, the Dawn of the Ninja FAKE movie/graphic novel that went nowhere. They clearly based an "Ultimate TMNT"-type story on a Rosario Dawson type April. I don't think anyone here batted an eye at it at the time. Why not? Sure. I could actually envision her in the role pretty well, given her time as the "Night Nurse" in Daredevil. Basically the same thing. But when years later this is like a systemic mandate... now we're going to squint a little bit and go "waittaminute."

[ToTheNines]

I think the most massive Black April L is that Fortnite used White April. The Boomers here might not realize it, but that is far and away the most mainstream and culturally significant thing TMNT has done in 30 years.

That will be the definitive take on TMNT to millions of young people going forward.


Eons ago, for example, the Dawn of the Ninja FAKE movie/graphic novel that went nowhere. They clearly based an "Ultimate TMNT"-type story on a Rosario Dawson type April. I don't think anyone here batted an eye at it at the time. Why not? Sure. I could actually envision her in the role pretty well, given her time as the "Night Nurse" in Daredevil. Basically the same thing. But when years later this is like a systemic mandate... now we're going to squint a little bit and go "waittaminute."

Lmao, what an odd little “project”. That really puzzled me back in the day and I always got a kick out of you breaking their balls.

[Andrew NDB]

Lmao, what an odd little “project”. That really puzzled me back in the day and I always got a kick out of you breaking their balls.

I was supportive until the main guy in that stupid little graphic reveal contacted me personally, directly. And he laid out his whole plan, that he was going to make this "for all fans" and I told him how impossible that was. He basically just wanted me in his inner circle to sing his praises while he did more or less what IDW is doing... TMNT jambalaya. While my contribution would just be sitting quiet and thumbs upping his posts, I guess. What a stupid, stupid guy.

[ToTheNines]

I was supportive until the main guy in that stupid little graphic reveal contacted me personally, directly. And he laid out his whole plan, that he was going to make this "for all fans" and I told him how impossible that was. He basically just wanted me in his inner circle to sing his praises while he did more or less what IDW is doing... TMNT jambalaya. While my contribution would just be sitting quiet and thumbs upping his posts, I guess. What a stupid, stupid guy.

Weirdo. I’m trying to find that FAKE interview they did when they were pretending it was going to be a movie. No luck yet.

[ticktack]

• idc, for me, that stuff is fiction.

• Chance of April being originally black is 25%, honestly.

• for females viewed with no identity and personality,
while light, trad is a present, tool. Flipping the script a bit is fine.

• pushing to be seen is fine, not because you hate y8 people. :ohwell:

[ToTheNines]

https://s.faketrumptweet.com/mh4rj7yf_147kdae_1o1lufp.png

[Zog The Magnificent]

Eons ago, for example, the Dawn of the Ninja FAKE movie/graphic novel that went nowhere. They clearly based an "Ultimate TMNT"-type story on a Rosario Dawson type April. I don't think anyone here batted an eye at it at the time. Why not? Sure. I could actually envision her in the role pretty well, given her time as the "Night Nurse" in Daredevil. Basically the same thing. But when years later this is like a systemic mandate... now we're going to squint a little bit and go "waittaminute."

I was supportive until the main guy in that stupid little graphic reveal contacted me personally, directly. And he laid out his whole plan, that he was going to make this "for all fans" and I told him how impossible that was. He basically just wanted me in his inner circle to sing his praises while he did more or less what IDW is doing... TMNT jambalaya. While my contribution would just be sitting quiet and thumbs upping his posts, I guess. What a stupid, stupid guy.

I'm gonna need some context, because I have no idea what this is. I don't think I ever heard about that, so I'd love to learn what the deal was.

As far as Black April goes, I'm generally opposed to it. The only way I wouldn't if there was a good reason for it. For example, if they made her black because they wanted to have Baxter be her uncle or something, then it changes the dynamic of her orignal story, and it allows Baxter to be a potential personal nemesis for her. There's something really interesting you could do that alters the story, but doesn't fundamentally change it. However, it's never that. It's just a race swap for the sake of diversity, and as you said, there's definitely been a concerted effort to erase red heds in the media of the last decade.

In the older days, race swaps didn't bother me, because they didn't feel like an intentional agenda pushing. When Harvey Dent was played by Billy Dee Williams in Batman, no one cared. But these days, it's always fuled by a racist mindset. Just keep characters what they look like, black, white, or whatever. Until it's okay to switch black characters into white characters, which they would never do, then I don't want to see it, and I don't even want that. It's just a double standard. Stick to the source material, unless you have a very, very good idea/reason not to.

[ToTheNines]

Weirdo. I’m trying to find that FAKE interview they did when they were pretending it was going to be a movie. No luck yet.

Thank you to my younger self:

x0eP76Xn97A

I'm gonna need some context, because I have no idea what this is. I don't think I ever heard about that, so I'd love to learn what the deal was.

Enjoy: https://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=29200&highlight=Dillon


As far as Black April goes, I'm generally opposed to it. The only way I wouldn't if there was a good reason for it. For example, if they made her black because they wanted to have Baxter be her uncle or something, then it changes the dynamic of her orignal story, and it allows Baxter to be a potential personal nemesis for her. There's something really interesting you could do that alters the story, but doesn't fundamentally change it. However, it's never that. It's just a race swap for the sake of diversity, and as you said, there's definitely been a concerted effort to erase red heds in the media of the last decade.

In the older days, race swaps didn't bother me, because they didn't feel like an intentional agenda pushing. When Harvey Dent was played by Billy Dee Williams in Batman, no one cared. But these days, it's always fuled by a racist mindset. Just keep characters what they look like, black, white, or whatever. Until it's okay to switch black characters into white characters, which they would never do, then I don't want to see it, and I don't even want that. It's just a double standard. Stick to the source material, unless you have a very, very good idea/reason not to.

I kind of agree. April has never been particularly interesting, so I personally don’t care what they do with her ethnicity. Especially as these “adaptions” get more and more out there. Go wild.

I will say I would only get up in arms about it if a studio finally did the right thing and tried to faithfully adapt “Eastman and Laird’s TMNT” for a movie series and they pulled that crap then. (On a smaller scale, I guess you could accuse NECA of this with their last Mirage April figure. At the very least they were doing some serious edging with that skin tone lol).

But this applies to every single character. I want Casey to be white and I want Baxter to be black. Look at the fan reaction to white Shredder.

[Heyowakka]

You know, you just reminded me. Baxter Stockman was white in the Naruto crossover.

[ToTheNines]

Oh yeah. I wonder why they did that.

[Zog The Magnificent]

You know, you just reminded me. Baxter Stockman was white in the Naruto crossover.

Oh yeah. I wonder why they did that.

Admittedly, TMNT is the weird exception due to the whole White Baxter thing going back to the 87 show. But it's the exception that proves the rule. No one ELSE ever does it, and if they ever try, there would be tons of backlash and controversy for the "racism."

Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to go read that thread and watch that video.

[Mr. Entertainment]

I echo the sentiments shared recently, with that said they could always use other characters like Lucindra or Cha Ocho if they want more diversity. Although, with Lucindra they would have to pay some royalties to Rick Arthur.

[sdp]

Baxter in the 87 cartoon is actually black, he just has vitiligo

[CyberCubed]

x0eP76Xn97A

I clicked the video to look at the date and goddamn, that video was posted 15 YEARS AGO!?!? I remember it like just a few years ago.

The passage of time is blowing my mind. Things I feel that just happened recently are now 15+ years old. What the hell are those guys even doing now 15 years later?

[Chaotix12345]

You know, you just reminded me. Baxter Stockman was white in the Naruto crossover.
Also in the MMPR crossovers, randomly. (It's funny that through the Turtles' hologram human forms in the second one, they somehow managed to make THEM blacker than the full-on human who was ORIGINALLY black!)

[Heyowakka]

Hah! Wacky ol’ Baxter Stockman…

[Zog The Magnificent]

Okay, I'm back. I read the whole "Dawn of the Ninja" thread. What a ride. There's still a little context I think may be missing. Right at the beginning, they talk about a whole lot of negativity, but there was literally none by that point. There's also many points where they quote from posts that weren't there, so I can only assume that many of the posts were deleted at some point.

Maybe it's because I wasn't there, but why was the reaction so apparently vitriolic? I did see some of the arrogance in a few of the posts, but not to the level that others seemed to suggest. Though their whole idea of the TMNT somehow needing more "context," I thought was pretty dumb.

Additionally, I was confused why people were so much more opposed to the idea on principle, but were fine with Andrew and Arseiny's comics, which I'm pretty sure were in development. Those comics have been embraced by everyone now, myself included, and for good reason. Is there something I was missing? If anyone who was there for it could weigh in, I'd love to hear about it.

I will say, reading that thread, it seemed oddly prescient of what would ultimately happen with Rise and Mutant Mayhem.

Lastly, none of the image links work, and the websites are long gone. Does anyone happen to have the pages they did finish saved somewhere? I would like to see them if I can.

All I can say, what a ride that ended up being.

[Andrew NDB]

Don't forget this thread:

https://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=29628

And this one: https://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=29856

At one point these guys had 7 threads going about it, it reminds me.

[Coola Yagami]

So I'm assuming those projects just eventually died and those guys either moved on to something else or just faded from the internet or both?

[Andrew NDB]

So I'm assuming those projects just eventually died and those guys either moved on to something else or just faded from the internet or both?

It's really only one guy, Luke Keith. The Asian guy just hung around while he was thinking it could be a movie. Then there was that Ray guy that was the artist that hung around here and was pretty pompous.

Basically he was saying he spent all of his money commissioning Ray to do "Book One" which was finished and available online, so he then needed money from Viacom to do more. And then that was that. The book really wasn't much of anything. It just had splash page after splash page that you were thinking you were reading an even more badly written Geoff Johns comic.

[Barkworm]

I remember liking the art, the writing was extremely clumsy though. I vaguely remember a part where Splinter asks Leo a question and when Leo tries to answer, Splinter yells at him for interrupting him. That kind of non-sense.

[Mr. Entertainment]

I've known of this project, but didn't understand what the goal really was. If they were pitching it as a movie or whatever, you have to have credentials to your name regardless if you're a screenwriter or director going in to Paramount, otherwise what do you have show producers other than passion (really fanboyism)?

Anyways, the topic is derailing what the thread's original topic was. Might need to split it if it keeps up.

Edit: Should clarify that I was talking about working on established IP's where you need past credentials.

[CyberCubed]

How old were these guys back in 2009? It seems they had no real idea how business worked or how much money they would need, let alone not having the license.

Honestly maybe they were a decade too soon. Stuff like internet kickstarters, paetrons and other fan stuff didn't really exist back then. Let alone social media like twitter, etc wasn't as big back then as it is now. They might have gotten it off the ground if they tried a decade later.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I vaguely remember a part where Splinter asks Leo a question and when Leo tries to answer, Splinter yells at him for interrupting him. That kind of non-sense.

Dang I knew Splinter was an Asian parent, but I didn't know he goes this hard.

[CyberCubed]

The Asian guy just hung around while he was thinking it could be a movie..

That Asian guy in the video looks like such a dweeb. He looks like the guy who works in IT at a company and just says dorky things around the office all day.

[Coola Yagami]

That Asian guy in the video looks like such a dweeb. He looks like the guy who works in IT at a company and just says dorky things around the office all day.

I resemble that remark...

[ToTheNines]

White April is back for Raid: Shadow Legends. Black April BTFO:

6bj_a2tgRXI?si=E1aXFeVZK7XOgcH4

[Andrew NDB]

Anyways, the topic is derailing what the thread's original topic was. Might need to split it if it keeps up.

And give Dawn of the Ninja like a 9th thread? What a horrible idea.

Looking at some old posts and E-mails, I'm reminded of LukeKeith's whole thing. He really thought he had reinvented the wheel with the epiphany of, "What if I put Bebop and Rocksteady from the cartoon in a more mature setting?! Everyone will love it then and I'll bring together all of the fans!" And then IDW does just that like 2 years later (bring Bebop and Rocksteady into a more mature setting, not bringing together all the fans, that is).

[CyberCubed]

If there is another live-action TMNT movie someday, April NEEDS to be white. A big mainstream movie pushing white April is exactly what needs to be seen.

And I find it sad I even have to type that as white April should just be a given and not something we have to push for. What's next, white man Eric Sachs Shredder?

[ToTheNines]

Depends if it’s a decent adaption or another Platinum Dunes-tier turd.

Although, I know I’ve said in the past that a character’s race doesn’t matter if it’s a good performance or there’s a story reason. But at the same time, fans just want to see the source material respected. It’s very funny to me that comic nerds are always characterized as racist over stuff like this but imagine the discourse if:

- A Ghostbusters reboot had a white Winston.
- The DCU cast Matt Damon as John Stewart in their Green Lantern movie.
- MCU Fantastic Four had the Invisible Man, Stu Storm.
- A new Static Shock cartoon and Virgil was white.

You get the point. The same “racists” would be just as pissed at all that nonsense.

Completely random thought: Kaldur is a way cooler Aqualad than Garth.

[sdp]

It's only because identity politics became a thing and people had to choose a "side". Racial changes always bothered me but online discussions besides a few people being mad no one really cared and it was just "it is what it is".
I remember when things were "too black" and had to make some characters white, like in the Spawn movie. And it was actually because of stuff like the Last Airbender movie when people were complaining online about getting a white character for Aang, hell we almost got white Shredder in the PD movies.

I honestly think if it wasn't political most people would not complain as much and it'd be the same few hardcore fans complaining. hell can you imagine how "woke" all the 90s cartoons would be if people were as polarized as they are today? "Fcking Burger King Kids Meal went woke, they added a kid in a wheel chair and an asian girl with a trumpet, Clinton was a mistake we should've voted Bush Sr for a second term"

[ToTheNines]

Has anyone brought this up before? Tales #7:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujKLkKx9IQsnf8gsZU2ZYX_NcWLRu_p8hygm7KzaQvR oHSTXVh9hbnr5koMksmFtboLOTHvHiBIyw2bmU43V4Pch5Raia 4Wl6NN2UFzY5tn_m4s-xzp_r0wFg-Ykvik_XgO_3_pTOSpg/s1600/Tales07-01.jpg

[sdp]

We don't actually read the comics, we just debate the one panel that's posted online And make video essays for or against it while reading info from wikipedia to back up our claims.

[Coola Yagami]

Has anyone brought this up before? Tales #7:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujKLkKx9IQsnf8gsZU2ZYX_NcWLRu_p8hygm7KzaQvR oHSTXVh9hbnr5koMksmFtboLOTHvHiBIyw2bmU43V4Pch5Raia 4Wl6NN2UFzY5tn_m4s-xzp_r0wFg-Ykvik_XgO_3_pTOSpg/s1600/Tales07-01.jpg

It is weird how there isn't consistency with how April was shown in Mirage. It doesn't help that the comics are black and white and April rarely makes it on the cover.

[Heyowakka]

Has anyone brought this up before? Tales #7

I like this design a lot. She’s very pretty, looks very nice, doesn’t look like she’s going to scream at the turtles to get out of her freaking pool. I approve!

[sdp]

Well she's the same shade as the turtle there, is that Donatello? Because if so we know Donatello was black in the 90s thanks to the toys.
If It's Raph then I guess we now have #GreenApril as another possibility of her color.

[Andrew NDB]

A lot of that, too, was the house artists figuring out how to use duotones effectively. They went a little crazy with it brushing it everywhere, on everything earlier on.

[oldmanwinters]

A lot of that, too, was the house artists figuring out how to use duotones effectively. They went a little crazy with it brushing it everywhere, on everything earlier on.

Fo'sure!

Man, I do miss the duotone-era. I think I remember that Jim Lawson announced when he had used his last duo-tone page, and I still mourn the end of that artistic era.

[ToTheNines]

You know, you just reminded me. Baxter Stockman was white in the Naruto crossover.

He’s white in the Power Rangers crossover too, I just realized.

[Andrew NDB]

I think I remember that Jim Lawson announced when he had used his last duo-tone page, and I still mourn the end of that artistic era.

Yeah, right smack in the middle of him working on Odyssey.

[Prowler]

Has anyone brought this up before? Tales #7:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujKLkKx9IQsnf8gsZU2ZYX_NcWLRu_p8hygm7KzaQvR oHSTXVh9hbnr5koMksmFtboLOTHvHiBIyw2bmU43V4Pch5Raia 4Wl6NN2UFzY5tn_m4s-xzp_r0wFg-Ykvik_XgO_3_pTOSpg/s1600/Tales07-01.jpg

She looks good there. But again, black and white comic with grey colours in between. Could be she's just tanned or they thought it looked bad if her face was white as a sheet of paper. She keep the same skin tone as Donatello for harmony sake, I'm guessing.

[ToTheNines]

https://s.faketrumptweet.com/mia6aj4g_55hgkc_1o1lugc.png

[CyberCubed]

Next time why don't they make Casey black and April is white again instead? Weirdly we've never had a black Casey Jones. You think Casey's type of character, a guy who lives "in da hood" wanting to clean up crime in his city and goes out in sweat pants and a tank top and a hockey mask would fit right in as a reimagined black character.

Casey Jones is also a "black name" too for that matter.

[neatoman]

Casey Jones is also a "black name" too for that matter.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/Math_Lady_meme.jpg

[ToTheNines]

Next time why don't they make Casey black and April is white again instead? Weirdly we've never had a black Casey Jones. You think Casey's type of character, a guy who lives "in da hood" wanting to clean up crime in his city and goes out in sweat pants and a tank top and a hockey mask would fit right in as a reimagined black character.

Casey Jones is also a "black name" too for that matter.

Why stop there? How about fat black Casey Jones on the Mutant Mayhem sequel?

Kidding, of course. Although Casey could definitely work as basically any race. I think I would have liked him more in the 2012 show if he was black.

[sdp]

To be honest I've always assumed Casey Jones is latino in the mirage comics:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEOVU2oZ5uuL1AIevmFVt1Ue8RbMj40 AlFZmGmnZ_BlazG_7G-jYOYYTY7SSSizrS-1OE&usqp=CAU

I mean look at him, his hair is clearly not caucassian. You have to remember Kevin Eastman at the time had a boyfriend for a shotwhile who was from Costa Rica and his name was Cassio Jonez. I think Laird mentioned it in one of his blog posts. Though not every artist knew this so some drew him a little more african-american, and then later some colorist drew him white. But the evidence is clear as day from the beginning. I know NECA often gets requested to do a racially correct Casey Jones.

[CyberCubed]

I assume Casey's original design was loosely based on Sylvester Stallone. Same type of tank top and sweat pants combo, muscles, short curly type hair. They would have been watching the Rocky and Rambo movies when designing him.

Also as for black Casey, the last name "Jones" has historically been a black last name. At least in the U.S. Many black people have the last name "Jones."

[ToTheNines]

To be honest I've always assumed Casey Jones is latino in the mirage comics:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEOVU2oZ5uuL1AIevmFVt1Ue8RbMj40 AlFZmGmnZ_BlazG_7G-jYOYYTY7SSSizrS-1OE&usqp=CAU

I mean look at him, his hair is clearly not caucassian. You have to remember Kevin Eastman at the time had a boyfriend for a shotwhile who was from Costa Rica and his name was Cassio Jonez. I think Laird mentioned it in one of his blog posts. Though not every artist knew this so some drew him a little more african-american, and then later some colorist drew him white. But the evidence is clear as day from the beginning. I know NECA often gets requested to do a racially correct Casey Jones.

lol **** off.

Per my headcanon, Casey is half Greek. In honor of Elias Koteas.

[ToTheNines]

Baxter in the 87 cartoon is actually black, he just has vitiligo

Sheee-it

https://i.imgur.com/pGwkJAe.jpeg

[IndigoErth]

Is it you that posted that or did you only swipe it from Reddit?

Imo, go in between and make him biracial so the hair works better.

[neatoman]

Is it you that posted that or did you only swipe it from Reddit?

Imo, go in between and make him biracial so the hair works better.

Nah, I'd say give him a giant 'fro instead.

[ToTheNines]

Is it you that posted that or did you only swipe it from Reddit?

Imo, go in between and make him biracial so the hair works better.

Nah, I just screen shotted it. I lurk, but I don’t post in that dump lol.

[sdp]

That only leaves one whitewashed character in the show, since we all know April is black and has always been african american from the beginning.

https://i.imgur.com/pzRcYCr.jpeg



So I decided to fix her, she's finally the color she was always meant to be and she's almost gorgeous!

https://i.imgur.com/iNTF5V7.png

but I don't know...


I feel....

something is off..


something is not right...

I don't quite feel REPREsENTED yet


https://i.imgur.com/m4zfjMm.png

Perfection!

[CyberCubed]

https://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/061/664/1275937249093s.jpg

[Heyowakka]

Perfection!

Not enough projectile vomit.

[CyberCubed]

Isn't it funny there's basically a black version of everything now? Blackula (black Dracula), Black Santa Claus, Black Jesus, Blackenstein, Black April, Black Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Black Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, Black Commissioner Gordon, Black Jimmy Olsen from Superman, Black Perry White from Superman, Black Catwoman, Black Spider-man, etc.

Eddie Murphy would have been spinning in his figurative grave.

[Coola Yagami]

Isn't it funny there's basically a black version of everything now? Blackula (black Dracula), Black Santa Claus, Black Jesus, Blackenstein, Black April, Black Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Black Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, Black Commissioner Gordon, Black Jimmy Olsen from Superman, Black Perry White from Superman, Black Catwoman, Black Spider-man, etc.

Eddie Murphy would have been spinning in his figurative grave.

I only find it funny how the one particular race is the one doing it. I don't see people up in arms demanding a Hispanic Superman or an Asian Spider-Man.

[TheLabRat]

Or Asian April.

[ToTheNines]

https://i.imgur.com/m4zfjMm.png

Perfection!

This had me laughing my ass off at work haha.

I had to lie and make something up. Imagine explaining this to a normal person lol.

I only find it funny how the one particular race is the one doing it. I don't see people up in arms demanding a Hispanic Superman or an Asian Spider-Man.

Eh… you see a little bit with other races. There was an absolutely deranged and brain dead campaign based on the idea that “Iron Fist should be Asian!” from a bunch of loons that likely never read a comic in their life and clearly didn’t understand the Danny being white was an important part of his character, as well as his dynamic with Luke Cage.

You occasionally see people wanting the TMNT to be cast/portrayed as Japanese, which is fair enough in versions where they theoretically share DNA with Hamato Yoshi. To this day, I think our only Japanese turtle is Brian Tochi.

There’s also White Shredder Erick Sachs (originally conceptualized as Colonel Schraeder, white guy who turned out to be an alien), white Goku, white Ra’s al Ghul, etc.

[Prowler]

I only find it funny how the one particular race is the one doing it. I don't see people up in arms demanding a Hispanic Superman or an Asian Spider-Man.

I notice that too... perhaps there's a strong African American lobby in the US pushing for black characters in fiction?

I remember when some people bitched there were no black people in The Witcher III... a Polish video game heavily based on European folklore, particularly Slavic folklore. :lol::lol::lol: That's like bitching there's no black people in Okami either.

[CyberCubed]

The only thing that would make sdp's fat April pic funnier is if she had a bucket of KFC in one hand and a slice of watermelon in the other.

[ToTheNines]

The only thing that would make sdp's fat April pic funnier is if she had a bucket of KFC in one hand and a slice of watermelon in the other.

We’re getting really low brow here, and I apologize but…

I’m laughing my ass off thinking about racist fan-art of Puke Girl barfing up fried chicken and watermelon haha. Literally can’t stop laughing. Sorry!

[CyberCubed]

Man if reddit finds this thread, we'll never live it down. One of the reasons I post here the way I do is I know I can't get away with it anywhere else. :lol:

[FredWolfLeonardo]

The only thing that would make sdp's fat April pic funnier is if she had a bucket of KFC in one hand and a slice of watermelon in the other.

If you talk into a fried drumstick, it won't work as well as a mic.

[ToTheNines]

Man if reddit finds this thread, we'll never live it down. One of the reasons I post here the way I do is I know I can't get away with it anywhere else. :lol:

https://i.imgflip.com/9qh7sy.jpg

[Andrew NDB]

That only leaves one whitewashed character in the show, since we all know April is black and has always been african american from the beginning.

https://i.imgur.com/pzRcYCr.jpeg



So I decided to fix her, she's finally the color she was always meant to be and she's almost gorgeous!

https://i.imgur.com/iNTF5V7.png

but I don't know...


I feel....

something is off..


something is not right...

I don't quite feel REPREsENTED yet


https://i.imgur.com/m4zfjMm.png

Perfection!

I like that the AI thought to itself "OK, she's REALLY fat, so she'll need TWO microphones."

Also, I wonder what those key prompts were.

[oldmanwinters]

I like that the AI thought to itself "OK, she's REALLY fat, so she'll need TWO microphones."

Also, I wonder what those key prompts were.

And a whole pizza layered across her mid-section... :tlol:

[sdp]

I believe the prompts I used were:
"Can you make April look like Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird originally intended her to look like in the original Mirage comics"

And for the second:
"Can you make April look more like what a REAL woman looks like in real life"

[ToTheNines]

I believe the prompts I used were:
"Can you make April look like Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird originally intended her to look like in the original Mirage comics"

And for the second:
"Can you make April look more like what a REAL woman looks like in real life"

https://i.imgflip.com/ae0wp4.jpg

[ticktack]

I believe the prompts I used were:
"Can you make April look like Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird originally intended her to look like in the original Mirage comics"

And for the second:
"Can you make April look more like what a REAL woman looks like in real life"

And here for the second:


"You don't deserve that so-called attractive April if you really think you can also go on and troll on larger women"

Adds more bite, like

https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.975442743.6700/st,small,507x507-pad,600x600,f8f8f8.jpg

I like reading bite-texts the same I like watching videos about overly hyperactive and nonsensically crude chihuahuas*. That's a scene. Give me some tea, please.

*for the note, I am anti-violence and against animal cruelcy.
*and my second-last text was a joke. It was just a joke.

[Andrew NDB]

"You don't deserve that so-called attractive April if you really think you can also go on and troll on larger women"

No no, you absolutely can. And it's very easy.

[ticktack]

No no, you absolutely can. And it's very easy.

Then...
Welcome to the fat club, chub. :evilgrin::flaming::rolling::nod::blanksta: :embarass:

[CyberCubed]

With both Rise of the TMNT and Mutant Mayhem either canceled or on the verge of ending, let's hope we can put the dark saga of, "Black April" behind us. We had two black April's in a row and they're the two absolute worst incarnations of April to ever exist (unless you count Megan Fox April I guess, but I don't even recognize her as April either), so they struck out twice in a row.

Rise's April was just annoying, and Mayhem April is just fat and black. They also both felt like April in "name only" which is why I refer to them both as Shoshana O'Neil rather than April O'Neil.

I want to watch April O'Neil again, not Shoshana O'Neil. Leave Shoshana out of it.

[Andrew NDB]

Not April O'Nique? I like mine better.

[ticktack]

H8ers gonna h8.
Shake it off.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQrmHocJvY1Nk2zCzGmwSeV1Ume3nSA2 VwTUg&s

[sdp]

And a whole pizza layered across her mid-section... :tlol:

That was my fault, I wanted the AI to give her a Pizza on her other hand but instead it gave her a second microphone, and just kinda made her belly hold her slice instead.
I also like how the AI just thought of April like the Stay Puft man as she seems to be in kaiju proportions.

[oldmanwinters]

That was my fault, I wanted the AI to give her a Pizza on her other hand but instead it gave her a second microphone, and just kinda made her belly hold her slice instead.
I also like how the AI just thought of April like the Stay Puft man as she seems to be in kaiju proportions.

That is definitely still AI making a “creative decision!”

[ToTheNines]

Rise's April was just annoying, and Mayhem April is just fat and black. They also both felt like April in "name only" which is why I refer to them both as Shoshana O'Neil rather than April O'Neil.

I want to watch April O'Neil again, not Shoshana O'Neil. Leave Shoshana out of it.

Well, MM April mostly fit the bill. She was a normal human who was their connection to the surface world and they kept the reporter/news anchor angle, even if it was just for her school. They probably should have connected her to Stockman in some way, but whatever.

Rise April… Jesus H… and I’m someone who likes Rise lol.

How is that April? She’s rabidly annoying and fights with a little baseball bat? And has some weird pet for some reason? And a catchphrase? I never liked her one bit until The Movie.

I also agree that she should have just been a new character. Maybe the real April should have existed in the future timeline with Casey.

[oldmanwinters]

Well, MM April mostly fit the bill. She was a normal human who was their connection to the surface world and they kept the reporter/news anchor angle, even if it was just for her school. They probably should have connected her to Stockman in some way, but whatever.

Rise April… Jesus H… and I’m someone who likes Rise lol.

How is that April? She’s rabidly annoying and fights with a little baseball bat? And has some weird pet for some reason? And a catchphrase? I never liked her one bit until The Movie.

I also agree that she should have just been a new character. Maybe the real April should have existed in the future timeline with Casey.

You do have a point (or several)!

[ToTheNines]

I should also add that I don’t think the 2012 version gets enough **** for being a pretty radical departure. Way younger than any previous April, zero connection to Baxter, no real reporter stuff, bizarre and barely explained psychic powers and her dumbass dad was named Kirby for no reason at all (I kind of figured they would do something interesting with him having a hand in her creation, a la the warp crystal or something. But nope!)

[ticktack]

I should also add that I don’t think the 2012 version gets enough **** for being a pretty radical departure. Way younger than any previous April, zero connection to Baxter, no real reporter stuff, bizarre and barely explained psychic powers and her dumbass dad was named Kirby for no reason at all (I kind of figured they would do something interesting with him having a hand in her creation, a la the warp crystal or something. But nope!)

Edit: My pov for April's tmnt2012 version.
https://i3.cloudfable.net/styles/550x550/681.540/Black/toxicology-funny-sayings-headache-meme-back-long-t-shirt-20231106073903-p24xids4.jpg

[ToTheNines]

I thought we were friends

[Andrew NDB]

I should also add that I don’t think the 2012 version gets enough **** for being a pretty radical departure. Way younger than any previous April, zero connection to Baxter, no real reporter stuff, bizarre and barely explained psychic powers and her dumbass dad was named Kirby for no reason at all (I kind of figured they would do something interesting with him having a hand in her creation, a la the warp crystal or something. But nope!)

You say gets enough **** but I say gets enough credit. Sure it's guilty of playing a little bit of TMNT jambalaya as the rest but its like the only incarnation of TMNT since the sale that really tried to have its own voice and tried to be unique while still more or less maintaining a semblance of the TMNT we know and expect.

[ToTheNines]

You say gets enough **** but I say gets enough credit. Sure it's guilty of playing a little bit of TMNT jambalaya as the rest but its like the only incarnation of TMNT since the sale that really tried to have its own voice and tried to be unique while still more or less maintaining a semblance of the TMNT we know and expect.

No, I agree. I should have specified I was just talking about 2012 April, not the show as a whole.

[ticktack]

I thought we were friends

We still are. :):D

I was meme-ing about April tmnt2012's version. As if it has so many stuff to be talked about that I concluded my "no comment" into a migraine-meme.

The memes before, that were aimed to me is the way I initially felt, the way you did. Like, general confusion and stuff. And I'm really Sorry for my nonsence and later confusion. I am a nice person and I genuinely appreciate your memes, because they're fun.

[CyberCubed]

I should also add that I don’t think the 2012 version gets enough **** for being a pretty radical departure. Way younger than any previous April, zero connection to Baxter, no real reporter stuff, bizarre and barely explained psychic powers and her dumbass dad was named Kirby for no reason at all (I kind of figured they would do something interesting with him having a hand in her creation, a la the warp crystal or something. But nope!)

I actually like April/Casey only being 16 and the same age as the Turtles for once, yeah it wouldn't work for every universe, but for the 2012 series them all being close in age worked well. April being a teen had also never been done up to that point, so it was new and fresh at the time too.

Yeah the whole Kraang/Utrom connection giving her psychic powers wasn't really explained or thought out that well though, I'd agree. I don't really care about Kirby though.

[ticktack]

I actually like April/Casey only being 16 and the same age as the Turtles for once, yeah it wouldn't work for every universe, but for the 2012 series them all being close in age worked well. April being a teen had also never been done up to that point, so it was new and fresh at the time too.

Yeah the whole Kraang/Utrom connection giving her psychic powers wasn't really explained or thought out that well though, I'd agree. I don't really care about Kirby though.

The migraine-meme around this version still stands.

[TheLabRat]

Yeah the whole Kraang/Utrom connection giving her psychic powers wasn't really explained or thought out that well though, I'd agree. I don't really care about Kirby though.

I would have been fine if this is IDW April. She did archaeological research to understand the Pantheon, which was far useful than her being Stockman's assistant. She even got a magic feather from Aka and learned some magic to break Kitsune's spell. To bad that they didn't go that way, and now they made Donnie "wizard" and took off every magic gimmlick from April and Leo.

[sdp]

2012 is the worst April and only got worse through out the show as they tried to make her relevant with the psychic powers. Granted I love the idea of teen April, but to me they've never properly used her age to make her relevant. I'd want a teen april to have high school hijinx and have trouble balancing life with the turtles, something of a mix of X-Men Evolution and Batgirl from The Batman 2000s cartoon. That's how you handle a teen character with a team of heroes.

From the little that I saw of Rise I didn't mind the character named April as much, she just wasn't April. She should've been a new character. But even her I'll take her over 2012. MM April I actually thought she was a great April, I just wish she wasn't black and ugly. I think I could've handled a fat April or even a skinny Black April, but both Black And Fat was just too much. But I did feel she did seem better than both 2012 and Rise April's, at least she was written a bit more like an April whatever that even means.

[neatoman]

Well I wouldn't call the 2012 April bad... Just really bizarre. I appreciate that they tried to do something other than the reporter angle, which need I remind people, was never the intention for the character and does not actually make it easier to write stories about her no matter how many people try to justify as such. The problem is just just it's a really strange choice, getting invested in martial arts I get, the show immediately before it did that, and I can sort of see the appeal in her being unique in some way but somewhere along the lines they went to far.

"Teenage girl who has psychic powers as the result of Utroms splicing their own DNA into her mom in an attempt to perfect the ooze as a terraforming agent and Splinter should teach her martial arts to hone these psychic abilities... And also the running gag about her should be that Donatello constantly makes awkward romantic advances towards her...". That whole thing is just... How did you even come up with that?

The reporter nonsense may have been an attempt to fix what wasn't broken, it's not like "Software engineer who runs an antique shop" had to be warped into a reporter because some toy company or talentless hack writer made an arbitrary decision, nor should she always be presented as a reporter just because people won't let go of that cartoon and its stupid decisions. But what the 2012 show did really does take the cake when it comes to reinventing this character in an unnecessary way.

[ToTheNines]

Just picked up Turtles of Grayskull. Guess what… white April!

SCOREBOARD!

I actually like April/Casey only being 16 and the same age as the Turtles for once, yeah it wouldn't work for every universe, but for the 2012 series them all being close in age worked well. April being a teen had also never been done up to that point, so it was new and fresh at the time too.

Yeah the whole Kraang/Utrom connection giving her psychic powers wasn't really explained or thought out that well though, I'd agree. I don't really care about Kirby though.

Yeah, it fit the vibe of the show. It’s hard to imagine Casey and especially April as mid-twenties in that show.

But I still don’t think they should ever be any younger than 18, personally.

Well I wouldn't call the 2012 April bad... Just really bizarre. I appreciate that they tried to do something other than the reporter angle, which need I remind people, was never the intention for the character and does not actually make it easier to write stories about her no matter how many people try to justify as such. The problem is just just it's a really strange choice, getting invested in martial arts I get, the show immediately before it did that, and I can sort of see the appeal in her unique in some way but somewhere along the lines they went to far.

"Teenage girl who has psychic powers as the result of Utroms splicing their own DNA into her mom in an attempt to perfect the ooze as terraforming agent and Splinter should teach her martial arts to hone these psychic abilities... And also the running gag about her should be that Donatello constantly makes awkward romantic advances towards her...". That whole thing is just... How did you even come up with that?

The reporter nonsense may have been attempt to fix what wasn't broken, it's not like "Software engineer who runs an antique shop" had to be warped into a reporter because some toy company or talentless hack writer made an arbitrary decision, nor should she always be presented as a reporter just because people won't let go of that cartoon and its stupid decisions. But what the 2012 show did really does take the cake when it comes to reinventing this character in an unnecessary way.

Yeah this is exactly what I was getting at.

[ToTheNines]

Sorry to keep beating this dead horse, but I should mention that Ronin-verse April is white. Don’t all the normies and casuals behind this revisionist history campaign think TLR is basically Mirage canon? Obviously Eastman has a lot of creative control over this version, and he didn’t make her black.

So what gives?

[neatoman]

Sorry to keep beating this dead horse, but I should mention that Ronin-verse April is white. Don’t all the normies and casuals behind this revisionist history campaign think TLR is basically Mirage canon? Obviously Eastman has a lot of creative control over this version, and he didn’t make her black.

So what gives?

Well, first off it should be noted that even to casuals it's easy to show that TLR isn't really in Mirage's continuity. For example, pointing out that the Fugitoid is not alien (yet still named "Zayton" for some reason) in TLR clearly makes it a different continuity because it contradicts one of the most well known facts. See also Yoshi being a different clan and Nagi being Saki's father instead of brother.

Secondly, even more "normies and casuals" seem to believe, or at least go out of their way to make it seem as if, the FW cartoon is the original iteration of the franchise. Thus, even if it was true that April was always black in Mirage, it would not matter to them because of the whole "LALALALA!!! There was no comic predating the cartoon!!! LALALALA!!! April was never a computer scientist!!! LALALALALA!!! She was always meant to be a reporter in a yellow jumpsuit!!! LALALALALA!!! The antique store thing was just a weird invention of the movie!!! LALALALA!!!" thing...

[Heyowakka]

Sometimes I get this really weird feeling that neatoman doesn’t like the 1987 Fred Wolf Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.

[IMJ]

Sometimes I get this really weird feeling that neatoman doesn’t like the 1987 Fred Wolf Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.

Nah he loves it. The anti-posts are just his intellectual position on it, but in secret he's always re-running "Shredder and Splintered" on VHS while relaxing in a natural volcanic hot spring in his Swedish mancave.

[Heyowakka]

Now that’s what I call a cowabunga moment.

[TylerD]

Sometimes I get this really weird feeling that neatoman doesn’t like the 1987 Fred Wolf Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.

Lots of we strange people out there LOL. Just kidding

[neatoman]

Sometimes I get this really weird feeling that neatoman doesn’t like the 1987 Fred Wolf Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.

Well, I certainly don't appreciate it when people act as if it's not an adaptation of a pre-existing comic.

[CyberCubed]

If the next live-action movie reboot has a black April....I'm out.

[ToTheNines]

I hope she’s a Latina with a fat ass

[sdp]

Fairly safe to say the live action April will be black, but I'm guessing they'll choose an attractive actress.
I also guess black April will be the least of the problems the movie will be having.

[ToTheNines]

How about Sexyy Red?

[IMJ]

The Turtles shouldn't be green. It's cliche and sends the wrong message. Coloring them black and grey would subvert the audiences expectations.

[sdp]

playmates already solved that issue, Donatello is black and that's canon
How about Sexyy Red?

Damn she fine

[ToTheNines]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqTE8Vdz54lF2L4_lS2ywfqukygJz1D yQuowZ4ysLWVg&s=10

[TylerD]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqTE8Vdz54lF2L4_lS2ywfqukygJz1D yQuowZ4ysLWVg&s=10

Black April and Turtles morphed lmao

[IMJ]

playmates already solved that issue, Donatello is black and that's canon


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqTE8Vdz54lF2L4_lS2ywfqukygJz1D yQuowZ4ysLWVg&s=10


OOHHhhhhhh.... so that's why they gave him a big stick! Awesome!

[Galactus]

That dastardly SJW Peter Laird used a time machine to travel back in time to 1989 promote the false narrative that April's race in the original comics had been inconsistent.

https://i.ibb.co/jk2BjGCn/652933779-1247807694133086-7478337195946113203-n.jpg

I guess we can add him to Kevin Eastman, Paul Jenkins and the Bodes that are pushing this false narrative about their creation.

[IMJ]

I hope she’s a Latina with a fat ass

How has culture gone this way? Fat asses are hideous, barely spread enough to go ultra-deep during doggy and quite frankly are hard to clean.

Why not "Latina with a tight ass and tits big enough to be nicely proportioned to her torso"?

How about that? And, some latinas dye their hair red and do it well..

[TylerD]

How has culture gone this way? Fat asses are hideous, barely spread enough to go ultra-deep during doggy and quite frankly are hard to clean.

Why not "Latina with a tight ass and tits big enough to be nicely proportioned to her torso"?

How about that? And, some latinas dye their hair red and do it well..

Meh to each their own. I enjoy a big ass. I mean. To a point. 600 pound life people are nasty lol , but I do enjoy a big rump some don’t. That’s all good.

[Autbot_Benz]

Meh to each their own. I enjoy a big ass. I mean. To a point. 600 pound life people are nasty lol , but I do enjoy a big rump some don’t. That’s all good.

Same here I too like a big ass to a point

[IMJ]

Meh to each their own. I enjoy a big ass. I mean. To a point. 600 pound life people are nasty lol , but I do enjoy a big rump some don’t. That’s all good.

Yeah right on...

I think part of it is that "big ass" has become conflated with what people are actually into..... For example when I say I want a "tight ass", I'm not saying something non-existent and flat, right? But maybe our minds go to extremes - because when I hear "big ass" I think of the hideous twerking culture, or of a literal mound protruding from someone that just looks like a store of fat than anything I'd want any part of.

I think we need to start citing an array of Instagram thots so as to hammer this language down....

"xyz - too out there"
"lmn - just right"
"abc - tight but too skinny"

More research is warranted here to reach consensus.

[Heyowakka]

They should make April Irish, I think it would be really funny and subvert expectations.

[IMJ]

They should make April Irish, I think it would be really funny and subvert expectations.

You mean "Irish" like in Fred Wolf - All-American chick with porn-star measurements, red hair and presumably Irish heritage as a component of her American-mix?

Or "Irish" like - from Galway, speaks with an accent, very outspoken, takes absolutely no $#!(, and is only tolerable because some unmeasurable baseline-attractivness underneath the conflict?

[neatoman]

They should make April Irish, I think it would be really funny and subvert expectations.

Hm... You don't say, an Irish chick owning a small business in New York and being in a relationship with a hooligan... Where have I heard that one before...
RSkMNyAx5DI

[Heyowakka]

You mean "Irish" like in Fred Wolf - All-American chick with porn-star measurements, red hair and presumably Irish heritage as a component of her American-mix?

Or "Irish" like - from Galway, speaks with an accent, very outspoken, takes absolutely no $#!(, and is only tolerable because some unmeasurable baseline-attractivness underneath the conflict?

I don’t understand why these two descriptions have to be mutually exclusive!

[IMJ]

I don’t understand why these two descriptions have to be mutually exclusive!

:lol::lol:

[sdp]

It's 2026 not 1986. The world is ready for April with a schlong

[Heyowakka]

It's 2026 not 1986. The world is ready for April with a schlong

There’s still a possibility that Mutant Mayhem April has one.

[CyberCubed]

April O'Neil needs to be white, as God and nature intended. Pure white lily skin, as white as the I can see. She needs Snow White skin, not a single ounce of melanin in her blood stream.

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the Snowest white April of them all?

#MakeAprilO'NeilWhiteAgain!

Whiiiiiiite April, I want to see Whiiiiiite April.

Remember white April? Pepperidge farm remembers.

[ToTheNines]

Aaaaand we’re back!


That dastardly SJW Peter Laird used a time machine to travel back in time to 1989 promote the false narrative that April's race in the original comics had been inconsistent.

https://i.ibb.co/jk2BjGCn/652933779-1247807694133086-7478337195946113203-n.jpg

I guess we can add him to Kevin Eastman, Paul Jenkins and the Bodes that are pushing this false narrative about their creation.

Well he says right there that she started out white. So now that we have confirmed, coupled with her being portrayed as white in City at War, Volume 2 (in color, no less), all of Tales, Volume 3 and Volume 4, I think we can all agree that Mirage April was a white character.

There’s a couple issues where they took some artistic liberties with her design? That means nothing. You want to pretend she’s black? That’s fine, go ahead. I will concede that her ethnicity does not matter and I have zero issue with that aspect of the character in Rise or MM. I really liked her portrayal in the Naruto crossover.

And what the hell does semi-black even mean? I know plenty of completely white people that could be accurately described as semi-black :lol:

barely spread enough to go ultra-deep during doggy and quite frankly are hard to clean.

Skill issue. On both counts!

Anyway, I meant “fat” in a good way. But ymmv, of course.

They should make April Irish, I think it would be really funny and subvert expectations.

Let’s see, how offensive can I make this?

Big fat catholic lady with 9 kids and a drunk ass husband? That might be fun, more children for Splinter to train.

Oh here we go… April O’Neil the IRA soldier. You know my autistic ass loves any excuse to give April a gun. I seriously might get this done as a commission if anyone will agree to it lol

[Galactus]

Aaaaand we’re back!

Well he says right there that she started out white. So now that we have confirmed, coupled with her being portrayed as white in City at War, Volume 2 (in color, no less), all of Tales, Volume 3 and Volume 4, I think we can all agree that Mirage April was a white character.

There’s a couple issues where they took some artistic liberties with her design? That means nothing. You want to pretend she’s black? That’s fine, go ahead. I will concede that her ethnicity does not matter and I have zero issue with that aspect of the character in Rise or MM. I really liked her portrayal in the Naruto crossover.

And what the hell does semi-black even mean? I know plenty of completely white people that could be accurately described as semi-black :lol:


I think in this context "semi-black" means mixed race.

The point is that her race was depicted inconsistently in the Mirage continuity. Some writers and artists depicting April sometimes drew her as white and sometimes as black or mixed race. Some with pale, others tanned perhaps suggesting Hispanic heritage. Artistic liberty suggests that artists were doing this without consent, but it started under Kevin and Peter themselves as early as the characters third appearance in #4. We know Kevin Eastman sees the character as black or mixed race, and it doesn't see like Laird (who sees her as white of Irish heritage) cares that much, what race she is. Heck, if you want to go right back to the start, Peter originally pitched the character as Chinese.

[ToTheNines]

April goes to a New Age salon in #4 and gets a perm. It’s a small plot point. The characters comment on her new hairdo. She does not appear to be shaded any darker than she previously was. Regardless, white people can get very tan.

When Mirage/First Comics colored #4 in 1987, she was white.

[Andrew NDB]

https://i.gifer.com/fetch/w300-preview/00/003b9f912ca4d0dcc1482d6364a0f08a.gif

[Galactus]

April goes to a New Age salon in #4 and gets a perm. It’s a small plot point. The characters comment on her new hairdo. She does not appear to be shaded any darker than she previously was. Regardless, white people can get very tan.

When Mirage/First Comics colored #4 in 1987, she was white.

Kevin Eastman: I have always seen the original comic April as black or mixed race.

Peter Laird: We depicted the original comic April at various times as white, black, mixed race etc.

Fans: Clearly the original comic April is white and always has been.

[IMJ]

There’s still a possibility that Mutant Mayhem April has one.

Agreed. And likely.

Skill issue. On both counts!

Noooo. no, no, no.

I know the skill - you just turn to the right or left upon thrust at about a 25 degree angle and you can achieve the desired depth so as to avoid the clapping fat cheeks.

So -written evidence that I got this. And therefore, even with the skill, my analysis stands.

https://i.gifer.com/fetch/w300-preview/00/003b9f912ca4d0dcc1482d6364a0f08a.gif

I'm getting sick of you cheerleading. You better participate you right-winger.

[ToTheNines]

Kevin Eastman: I have always seen the original comic April as black or mixed race.

Peter Laird: We depicted the original comic April at various times as white, black, mixed race etc.

Fans: Clearly the original comic April is white and always has been.

Peter Laird on his blog, circa 2013: “ As the co-creator of the character of April O'Neil, and as someone who has always imagined her as white, and very likely of Irish/Scottish/English ancestry, I was not at all "unsettled" by the depictions of her as such in the various adaptations. Kevin may have had a different view, and I can't speak for him, but that's the way I always saw her. As for the coloring of her skin in the color reprints of the Mirage comics, Kevin always had a lot more input on that end of our business than I did, and in fact I'm pretty sure he did the colors on the initial such reprinting from First Comics, the one in the graphic novel form. Make of that what you will.”

So why did they ALWAYS color April is white in the various color reprints? The only outlier being a singular non-canon Mark Bode issue.

[CyberCubed]

April's 80's perm was hideous but I assume it was based on Sigourney Weaver's hair back then in the 80's which was popular at the time.

[TylerD]

Yeah right on...

I think part of it is that "big ass" has become conflated with what people are actually into..... For example when I say I want a "tight ass", I'm not saying something non-existent and flat, right? But maybe our minds go to extremes - because when I hear "big ass" I think of the hideous twerking culture, or of a literal mound protruding from someone that just looks like a store of fat than anything I'd want any part of.

I think we need to start citing an array of Instagram thots so as to hammer this language down....

"xyz - too out there"
"lmn - just right"
"abc - tight but too skinny"

More research is warranted here to reach consensus.

Oh ya completely agree! A tight bum that a girl works on at the gym can look really nice. Nothing wrong w it that at all. Nobody wants a flat pancake, and nobody wants a yokozuna ass (well.. im sure there is a fetish for that somewhere lol)

I can’t talk. I have zero ass. Not sure what happened to me lmao. I have muscular legs, but my ass looks like someone cut it out and threw it away. It’s embarrassing lmao

[sdp]

If April is black does that mean that she can't be blacked?

[CyberCubed]

Weird thing is Zendaya is now old enough to play an adult April. I hope they don't do it, especially since she is too associated with Spider-Man now.

I like her, but she's no April.

[neatoman]

Weird thing is Zendaya is now old enough to play an adult April. I hope they don't do it, especially since she is too associated with Spider-Man now.

I like her, but she's no April.

Alright, who agrees that Zendaya should be the next April? If for no other reason than that Cubed wouldn't like it despite bringing it up?

[ToTheNines]

Weird thing is Zendaya is now old enough to play an adult April. I hope they don't do it, especially since she is too associated with Spider-Man now.

I like her, but she's no April.

Well you don’t have to worry about that. She’s way too big of a star to be cast in a TMNT movie.

[Xav]

Kevin Eastman: I have always seen the original comic April as black or mixed race.When did Kevin say this? I keep seeing people claiming that Kevin said April was originally black but never any quotes from the man himself.

[ToTheNines]

When did Kevin say this? I keep seeing people claiming that Kevin said April was originally black but never any quotes from the man himself.

He didn’t. People misconstrued this quote from his Artobiography book.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlxaXTkJNARE8uj1WX03iMtJYOexYOm2kBpljLOY_SP ouHFIEWutYyCepXAenXcSDoj39khfrPsDITDw9q5q6bcNij2Ym sTVgSr0jIX5bxX5Fj0i8yuoySotqAcrPB-8SOC9JpRKuz1c/s1600/April+origin+Artobiography.jpg

They can’t comprehend the concept of a white character being named after or loosely based on someone of a different ethnicity.

[neatoman]

He didn’t. People misconstrued this quote from his Artobiography book.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlxaXTkJNARE8uj1WX03iMtJYOexYOm2kBpljLOY_SP ouHFIEWutYyCepXAenXcSDoj39khfrPsDITDw9q5q6bcNij2Ym sTVgSr0jIX5bxX5Fj0i8yuoySotqAcrPB-8SOC9JpRKuz1c/s1600/April+origin+Artobiography.jpg

They can’t comprehend the concept of a white character being named after or loosely based on someone of a different ethnicity.

Hm... That reminds me, if she was considered to be asian in Laird's notes, how come nobody has insisted to make her asian?

[IMJ]

He didn’t. People misconstrued this quote from his Artobiography book.

They can’t comprehend the concept of a white character being named after or loosely based on someone of a different ethnicity.

C'mon bro, have some sympathy for these guys...

Imagine being an angry-gay-white-guy boppin' around like one of the flailing cheese-body Titans from "Attack On Titan" while being super dug-in on defending some strawman point about April O'Neil originally being "black". :lol:

[CyberCubed]

Hm... That reminds me, if she was considered to be asian in Laird's notes, how come nobody has insisted to make her asian?

Because with all the Foot Clan being Asian, like Shredder, Karai, etc, making April be Asian too would be a little too much? You need some diversity there. Also Peter/Kevin barely know anything about Asians, they only watched Bruce Lee films in the 70's and this was before the anime boom so they don't anything about Japanese culture.

It's actually kind of funny when you think about how TMNT is influenced by Japanese backstory yet its written by two white guys who have no real idea about Japan.

[mikey22]

I've heard of read comics online for some harder comics to read that aren't on Kindle/Comixology/Hoopla (digital library reading)

Was curious if theres a place that has scans of older tmnt magazines from the 80s/90s or the books from that time era as well like Code Name Chameleon.. Something Fishy.. Etc

thanks

[TylerD]

I've heard of read comics online for some harder comics to read that aren't on Kindle/Comixology/Hoopla (digital library reading)

Was curious if theres a place that has scans of older tmnt magazines from the 80s/90s or the books from that time era as well like Code Name Chameleon.. Something Fishy.. Etc

thanks

Read comics online and readallcomics used to both have almost any ninja turtle comic magazine you could get. But both have been shut down since they are
Illegal

I found a site to read the current Batman comics, but those sites are getting t harder and harder to find

[IMJ]

I've heard of read comics online for some harder comics to read that aren't on Kindle/Comixology/Hoopla (digital library reading)

Was curious if theres a place that has scans of older tmnt magazines from the 80s/90s or the books from that time era as well like Code Name Chameleon.. Something Fishy.. Etc

thanks

They are all pretty readily available online using "Comic Rack" reader. I have the entire Archie run digitally that way as well. Great for traveling-reading on a tablet, etc.

[CyberCubed]

Also a black April is problematic for other reasons. Even aside from the Rise/Mayhem April's being bad stereotypes in themselves. Rise April was loud and obnoxious, Mayhem April is just fat and ugly and vomits.

But even besides all that, it creates a problem. Since the Turtles live in the sewers when a black April goes down there to hang with them, it essentially implies black people like the "ghetto" as they're hanging out in slimy disgusting sewers. A black April also hanging out with "4 brothers" also has a nasty implication, like a black girl hanging with 4 brothers all the time and you know what that implies.

Likewise a black April can't just be April, she needs to have a "gimmick" which we already saw with the two previous black April's. Because otherwise you're just changing her skin color, so she has to be either "loud and proud," or "throw her weight around as she speaks," which we've seen both figuratively, and quite literally.

I just want to see April O'Neil again, not Shoshana O'Neil.

[sdp]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1fwrc4ah-U/UoggFlo9TaI/AAAAAAAALb0/34pBGb7g-Q0/s1600/Nice+Tan+April.jpg

So wanna talk about it?

See every time I bring up the depictions of April O'Neil as a black woman on the internet someone always pops up snarling, insisting that she never has been depicted as a black woman outside of fanfics and when I give concrete evidence like this they make up some excuse like non-canonicity or that's it's just a colorised version and does not count or something else like.

Now I know these arguments usually come from rather unpleasant people and I'm not one of the people who claim she was always intended to be black (the details behind her creation are fuzzy) and thus she should always be depicted as black.
But I still find it a bit confusing why it would ever really be a big enough deal to either rage against or demand everything else to correct itself after it.

April O'Neil is a fictional character and nothing about her suggests that she'd have to belong to one racial group or another so what's the problem?

The world isn't ready for a black April.

Neato man and CC dropping some facts in 2014

[ToTheNines]

One more random little detail is that Lonae from Fugitoid #1 looks exactly like April from her first couple of appearances and predates her by about a year. Does anyone think Lonae was black space-lady?

[neatoman]

One more random little detail is that Lonae from Fugitoid #1 looks exactly like April from her first couple of appearances and predates her by about a year. Does anyone think Lonae was black space-lady?

The only ways in which I have thought the slightest bit about Lonae are:

That the 4Kids show changed her bribe from drugs to money for obvious reasons.
That the Mutant Mayhem comic used her name because they needed to use some characters that fit the Fugitoid's reimagined earth-centric origin but might otherwise have been a new character.

Beyond that I hardly think about her because she really just exists to betray Blanque.

[ticktack]

Also a black April is problematic for other reasons. Even aside from the Rise/Mayhem April's being bad stereotypes in themselves. Rise April was loud and obnoxious, Mayhem April is just fat and ugly and vomits.

But even besides all that, it creates a problem. Since the Turtles live in the sewers when a black April goes down there to hang with them, it essentially implies black people like the "ghetto" as they're hanging out in slimy disgusting sewers. A black April also hanging out with "4 brothers" also has a nasty implication, like a black girl hanging with 4 brothers all the time and you know what that implies.

Likewise a black April can't just be April, she needs to have a "gimmick" which we already saw with the two previous black April's. Because otherwise you're just changing her skin color, so she has to be either "loud and proud," or "throw her weight around as she speaks," which we've seen both figuratively, and quite literally.

I just want to see April O'Neil again, not Shoshana O'Neil.

https://images.meme-arsenal.com/2a557f266c389f4df4484694910ce424.jpg
I legit read these all with an altered voice in my mind. Idk what voice comes close. A Goof voice???

No offense. Forumians are rude here is what I've learnt. So I guess esp newcomers need to adapt and have a ticker skin. Haha. :'D

[oldmanwinters]

We need this worked into a future franchise adaptation:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DccAoxASM89/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsi=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[TylerD]

We need this worked into a future franchise adaptation:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DccAoxASM89/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsi=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Hahah I don’t mind that actually

[ToTheNines]

I love what NECA did here.

https://i.imgur.com/hObYj6h_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand

[Andrew NDB]

I admit, I'm not super happy with that figure. They probably set the "Is April supposed to be black?" debate (which shouldn't even be one) back another 10 years. Because now anyone can pull out of their shorts, "But NECA did an accurate Mirage April figure where she's black!"

[CyberCubed]

I do believe Laird's/Eastman's intention was to make her look like Sigourney Weaver who had the same hairstyle in the 80's and was a big influence on them due to Alien:

https://i.pinimg.com/474x/1b/06/9a/1b069a23ef4913b874056caedbb65aff.jpg

Unfortunately I don't think the way they drew her really came out like they intended. She looks less like Sigourney Weaver and more like a half black/half latino character instead.

[Andrew NDB]

Yeah. And I guarantee you nobody reading the comics "live" in the 80s ever gave it a second thought. Yep, she got a perm, like everybody else was doing at the time.

[CyberCubed]

The two worst things to come out of "modern" TMNT was giving the Turtles nostrils in the live-action movies and making black April a canon thing in recent TMNT shows. And god forbid if that sticks in whatever the next live-action movie reboot is.

Peter Laird must be rolling in his grave. I wanted to watch April O'Neil, not Shoshana O'Neil. I wanted to watch the Turtles not 4 Hulks with nostrils.

[neatoman]

Peter Laird must be rolling in his grave.

Ah yes, how he dedicated a reprint book by himself to himself, real interesting things the dead can do these days despite being dead.

[CyberCubed]

Nowadays people can roll in their graves while still being alive. It's a new concept, just started recently.

[ToTheNines]

April O'Neil, not Shoshana

Literally a Hebrew name, but whatever man

[CyberCubed]

The name has also been used for black women, this woman was born in 1973 and served in the military named Shoshana:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshana_Johnson

She fought in the Iraq war in 2003. Interesting bio if you take a look.

[Heyowakka]

I wonder which Ninja Turtle is her favorite. My guess is Donatello.

[TylerD]

I wonder which Ninja Turtle is her favorite. My guess is Donatello.

I would guess that too

[ToTheNines]

The name has also been used for black women, this woman was born in 1973 and served in the military named Shoshana:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshana_Johnson

She fought in the Iraq war in 2003. Interesting bio if you take a look.

Did you actually google “black women named Shoshana” and find a singular example who went by “Shana”?

[Heyowakka]

If CyberCubed doesn’t answer back with, ”Sho’ enough.”, I’m going to be extremely disappointed.

[CyberCubed]

I'm pretty sure there was a black girl in my High School whose name was Shoshana. I never talked to her but when she raised her hand and the teacher called her by name, she said, "Yes, Shoshana?"

[Andrew NDB]

Yeah, wasn't Shoshana the name of Jerry Seinfeld's once-underage Jewish girlfriend?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshanna_Lonstein_Gruss

[ToTheNines]

“What’s the DEAL with these once-underage girlfriends? You mean one day they’re in high school and now they’re in their 30’s? What is the world coming to?!?”

[Heyowakka]

Who do you think Jerry Seinfeld’s favorite Ninja Turtle is? Probably Leonardo.

[ToTheNines]

Lita :lol:

[Heyowakka]

Lita :lol:

https://i.imgur.com/fvQTWWZ.gif
Took me a second! :lol: